Herald, who had parted ways with Lily, went back the way he came. If he were to miss his target, things would get quite complicated, so his heart grew impatient and his steps quickened. Thanks to almost running, he was able to spot his target, Damon.

“Sir Damon.”

Damon, who was walking diligently with a thick stack of documents, noticed Herald and looked around. He seemed to be searching for Lily.

“Lady Liliana Benjamin is not here.”

Damon frowned at Herald, a mere bodyguard without a surname, carelessly calling his employer’s name, especially a noblewoman’s name.

“Even if the person in question is not present, calling out her name like that…!”

“I should introduce myself again.”

Herald cut off Damon’s words and stepped closer in front of him. He was clearly smiling, but it was even more chilling than glaring with a frown. Damon unknowingly gulped. His mind screamed at him to run away immediately, but he couldn’t move a single step. He felt like a herbivore caught in front of a ferocious predator.

It was a familiar reaction, so Herald smiled faintly and extended his hand.

“My name is Herald Braden.”

He deliberately twisted the angle slightly so that the Braden Earl family’s crest engraved on his cufflinks was clearly visible.

“…!”

As a result, Damon’s eyes widened for a moment after clearly seeing the Earl family’s crest. The documents he dropped, as his trembling hands could no longer bear their weight, scattered in all directions.

Herald picked up the papers that had fallen at Damon’s feet and held them out to him. Damon, who had been standing there blankly as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head, finally came to his senses and gently grasped the end of the documents with his still trembling hands.

“Th-thank…”

“Two years ago, you were in charge of the fire incident at the Benjamin Viscount residence.”

Damon dropped the documents again, making Herald’s effort to pick them up meaningless. Nevertheless, Herald did not frown or show irritation, and kindly gathered the documents again and asked once more.

“You were in charge of it, correct?”

“…”

Damon’s eyes, which avoided Herald’s gaze and rolled around, trembled even more than his hands. There’s definitely something. The corner of Herald’s mouth curved crookedly as he drew a favorable line.

According to the information investigated by Austin and the information guild, there was only one investigator in charge of the fire incident at the Benjamin Viscount residence two years ago. There was no mention of the investigator being replaced midway.

Of course, if the investigator was replaced as soon as they took charge of the case, that fact might have been unknown. But since Lily suddenly asked why the investigator was replaced, that definitely wasn’t the case.

This alone was strange, but the previous investigator in charge, Damon, had apparently been abroad due to unavoidable circumstances.

There were more than a few suspicious points, such as Damon noticeably being shaken when that part was mentioned and him asking if someone else had died when it was called a murder case.

Herald, convinced that Damon held the key to the secret, forcibly placed the documents in his hand and demanded.

“I would like you to tell me everything about the unavoidable circumstances that forced you to go abroad suddenly, and anything you know about that incident.”

After Herald left, Dillon naturally took his place and sat down. Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Lily’s mind was so full of Herald that she could ignore Dillon’s gaze staring at her from across the table to the point of being burdensome.

What was the urgent business? Seeing him leave immediately without giving a proper explanation, it did seem really urgent… Could it be related to me?

The thought kept occurring to her, making her anxious. While regretting not stopping Herald and asking him directly, Lily smiled bitterly, knowing that even if she turned back time, she wouldn’t be able to do so.

Let’s not make any baseless speculations alone and ask him clearly when he returns.

They would soon arrive at the nursing home, and not wanting to show her mother a worried expression, Lily struggled to suppress her anxious and uneasy feelings. Fortunately, she was confident in pretending to be bright, so she could quickly erase the uneasiness from her face.

Eventually, the carriage arrived in front of the nursing home. Dillon, who had been looking out the window instead of at Lily at some point, opened the carriage door and got out.

“Huh?”

Lily, who was about to follow him out, was startled when the carriage door closed again and looked at Dillon outside the window in confusion. Dillon approached close to the window and said,

“I will go in first and check if there are any problems.”

“What…”

Lily was about to ask what he meant by that, but then she remembered Fredrick visiting the nursing home before and swallowed her words. Visiting her mother on Thursdays was as natural and obvious as breathing, so she had completely forgotten that she needed to be careful.

Thinking of Fredrick, the anxiety she had suppressed resurfaced. Seeing her face pale with fright, Dillon said,

“If it’s Fredrick Benjamin, he is currently at the Baliman Earl’s estate, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…”

Baliman. Just hearing it made her teeth chatter. Still, thanks to that, Lily’s mind, which had been clouded by anxiety, became clear. She took a deep breath to calm her heart, then asked Dillon,

“If Fredrick Benjamin is not here, there’s no danger, right? What are you going to check?”

“Even if the person in question is not present, there could be lackeys, so I think it’s best to check.”

Lily naturally thought of Margaret at those words and readily agreed with Dillon’s opinion.

“Then I’ll go and be back, so please lock the carriage door and stay inside. Draw the curtains as well. No matter who comes until I return, never open the door.”

“Understood.”

Lily drew the curtains and locked the carriage door as Dillon instructed. Being alone in a dark space where no one could enter did not feel very pleasant. She wondered if they really needed to go this far. But since there was no harm in being careful, she waited patiently.

How much time had passed like that?

Knock knock-

At the sound of knocking, Lily was startled and looked at the door. Due to the drawn curtains, she couldn’t see who had come, but somehow it didn’t seem to be Dillon, so she didn’t answer.

Knock knock knock, the person knocked several times but never revealed who they were until the end. As expected, it’s not Sir Rumford. Convinced, Lily covered her mouth with both hands in case any sound of breathing escaped and stared at the door. Thump thump, her heartbeat sounded as loud as a huge drum being beaten.

She was worried that the person might forcibly open the door and enter, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. The knocking sound was no longer heard either.

They probably thought no one was here and just left. Lily breathed a deep sigh of relief, and just as she exhaled the breath she had been holding, there was another knock.

“…!”

Startled, Lily flailed and sat down on the floor. Thump, her hip that hit the ground hard ached, but she had no room to pay attention to it. Her heartbeat, which had grown even louder than before, resounded in her ears like a dissonance along with the lingering knocking sound.

“It’s me, Madam.”

“Ah…”

When Dillon’s voice was heard soon after, color returned to her pale, frightened face. Her fingers, which had been cold and stiffly frozen, finally bent. She also felt the pain she had completely forgotten.

Lily quietly stood up, slightly lifted the edge of the curtain, and checked outside. It was definitely Dillon. Who would have thought she would be so glad to see him, whom she had found awkward to deal with. Lily thought it was rather absurd that people really never knew and unlocked the tightly locked door.

“I think I heard a strange sound just now. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. But someone knocked on the carriage door.”

Lily spoke, trembling slightly, unable to completely shake off the anxiety and fear. At this, Dillon briefly looked around, then asked a coachman who was taking a break some distance away,

“Excuse me. Did you happen to see anyone approach that carriage closely?”

“Ah, an employee from the hospital came earlier. I’m not sure of the exact reason, but maybe they wanted to ask to move the carriage since it was parked at the entrance?”

That suspicious knocking sound was an employee?

“I see. There’s nothing unusual inside either, so let’s go in, Madam.”

Lily found it hard to believe, but since the guard who directly saw the situation said so, she had no choice but to let it go, even though she felt uneasy.

When Lily returned to the Benjamin Viscount residence after finishing the sickbed visit without much further incident, Herald was already there.

Lily, who had many things she wanted to ask him and say to him, went to find him right away without even changing her clothes.

“You’re back.”

Herald, who had been intensely looking at something in the study, put down what he was looking at and greeted her warmly when Lily came to see him.

“How is Lady Grace Benjamin’s condition?”

“The same as always.”

“I see. It’s fortunate that her condition hasn’t worsened.”

Lily nodded in response and sat in the seat he offered. Herald, who sat across from her, asked,

“What kind of tea would you like? Since we’ll be having dinner soon, let’s just have some simple tea.”

“Tea is fine. If it’s not rude, may I ask what the urgent business was?”

“Before I answer, there’s something I’d like to ask first.”

At his reply, Lily clenched her hands that were neatly placed on her lap.

“What is it?”

“Did your late father ever mention anything related to the Second Prince?”

“No. I don’t recall hearing anything like that… Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

Come to think of it, the Second Prince she met at the temple also asked something similar. Could there be something? When Lily asked suspiciously, Herald shrugged.

“I met the Second Prince before, and he talked about your father, so I wondered if they had been acquainted and asked. I heard a similar story today as well.”

“A similar story?”

“Well, it’s not certain yet, but…”

As if it was a difficult topic to discuss, Herald stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before continuing.

“I heard that your father helped the Second Prince do something illegal.”