I wonder how Fredrick will answer. He implicitly admitted to having personal contact with the caregiver who was in charge of his mother, so he won’t deny knowing who Megan is.

“Mrs. Megan?”

“……”

I didn’t think you would, but once again you defy my expectations. Lily asked with a laugh that sounded like a chuckle.

“She’s the caregiver who used to be in charge of mother. Surely you won’t say you don’t know her?”

“Ah, that woman.”

Judging by his reaction, it seems he wasn’t pretending not to know, but truly didn’t know Mrs. Megan’s name.

Mrs. Megan had been in charge of his mother from when she was first admitted to the hospital until she was replaced by Margaret. It was strange that he didn’t know her name. Could it be that he hadn’t been in contact with Megan?

‘No. That can’t be.’

Seeing that Mrs. Megan had put a note in the monkey doll, it was certain that she had been in separate contact with Fredrick. Lily firmly believed that Megan had left the note to apologize for everything that had happened.

“Is that woman dead?”

His voice was as calm as if he were asking if someone had eaten. Well, he wouldn’t be shaken by the death of someone he cared so little about that he couldn’t even remember their name.

Or perhaps he already knew that Megan had died.

“You didn’t know?”

I wonder which it is. Lily asked the question while closely observing his face, wanting to know the truth. To this, Fredrick laughed as if he had heard an amusing story.

“You speak as if I must have known.”

His lips were smiling, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at her was cold and sharp. If looks could stab, his gaze would have stabbed her several times. At this fierce look, Lily shook her head, clutching the hem of her skirt.

“It’s fine if you didn’t know. Then I’ll be going now.”

Although there were still things she wanted to ask, it was dangerous to push further. Having heard the most important part about Megan, Lily judged it best to retreat at this point and quickly said goodbye before turning away.

“……”

Fredrick, who had come to the entrance of the bedroom, leaned against the doorpost with his arms folded, watching Lily’s retreating figure as she ran towards the bedroom. It was quite amusing to see her tucking her tail and running away at the first sign of danger, when just moments ago she had been boldly asking questions with wide eyes.

She was probably able to be brave for a moment because it was related to her mother. After all, Lily terribly cherished and loved her family.

Then would she be able to be brave about matters related to me? Fredrick suddenly felt curious, but not understanding why such a question had occurred to him, he shrugged and turned away. Lily returning to the bedroom was also one of the reasons he turned away.

By the way, that woman, Megan, is dead, you say.

Fredrick’s eyes, as he sat askew on the sofa, sank darker than the darkness surrounding him. When Lily had asked, he had pretended to be nonchalant, but inside he had been quite surprised. Another person he had employed had died. And the fact that they were all related to Lily bothered him.

“Did that man kill her?”

Herald Breyden, the Count. A man who, despite having everything one could want in terms of status, title, and wealth, strangely coveted what others had.

Of course, what others have often seems bigger and better, and given Lily’s personality, she wouldn’t easily give in, so perhaps that’s why he was burning with competitiveness.

Then, those two, they haven’t slept together yet?

He had naturally assumed that Lily’s body had already been defiled, but at the thought that this might not be the case, his tightly pressed lips loosened.

“I should take her before that.”

It would be rather unfair to have his wife’s first time taken by someone else. As it happens, Samantha had received a good date from the temple, so it seemed appropriate to set the date then.

First, I need to find out who keeps killing the people I employ.

“Your bath is ready, master.”

Fredrick gave an order to the servant who had arrived with perfect timing.

“Tell Robert to come here right now.”

I thought Fredrick would know who killed Megan, but my expectation was completely off. Lily was disappointed that her prediction had missed the mark, but at the same time, she was relieved. Perhaps it was relief that the husband she might have to spend her entire life with was not involved in murder.

Lily carefully wrote down on the stationery the conversation she had with Fredrick the previous night, as well as her own thoughts. She wasn’t sure if it would be helpful, but it was better than doing nothing.

Herald had said he would leave the letter at the restaurant by Monday morning. So Lily thought she could go after lunch, and around one o’clock in the afternoon, she went out under the pretext of buying a gift for her mother. There was an art supply store near that restaurant, so it was a very appropriate excuse.

Come to think of it, I didn’t check if mother had used the drawing tools she gave me.

Her mother had been sleeping, and she had been so preoccupied with the note in the monkey doll that she hadn’t thought about it at all. It was also one of the reasons she had completely forgotten seeing Margaret secretly talking with Fredrick’s assistant, Robert.

I must check this time. Along with that, she planned to ask if it was Megan who gave the monkey doll, and if she had said anything else when giving it.

‘Should I ask Margaret too?’

Now that everything she knew had been exposed anyway, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to ask outright. Thinking that she should also interrogate Margaret depending on the situation, Lily got off in front of the art supply store that had just arrived.

“I’ll be shopping around the area too, so it might take a while. Let’s meet here again in an hour.”

“Understood, my lady.”

After briefly sending away the coachman who was unusually compliant, Lily did some quick shopping at the art supply store. Since she hadn’t been able to check if her mother had used the drawing tools she had given before, there was no need to buy a lot.

Then, after briefly stopping by other stores, she headed to her real destination, the restaurant. Perhaps because lunch time had passed, the restaurant was as quiet as it had been that day. The large man who had been dozing off at the counter jerked awake at the sound of Lily entering.

“Welcome, customer!”

“Ah, I’m not a customer…”

But what should I say? Lily hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should say she came to pick up a letter left by Count Herald Breyden, or if she should mention Dillon Oppenheimer’s name.

“Ah, you must be here to pick up the Commander’s letter! This way, please!”

Before Lily could say anything, the man who had guessed the purpose of her visit offered her a seat. Lily sat down, feeling a bit dazed.

“Please wait a moment.”

The man disappeared through the inner door and came back with a sweet and sour strawberry juice in his hand. Lily, who had intended to just receive the letter and leave immediately, looked at the bright red juice cup with troubled eyes.

“Strawberries are in season these days. They’re very sweet and delicious, please try it.”

“Ah, I just came for the letter…”

“Please drink while I fetch it, young lady.”

Young lady, not madam. It seems Herald hadn’t properly introduced who she was to that man. While thinking that of course he should hide her identity, Lily smiled bitterly, feeling a bit dejected.

Even so, the strawberry juice was indeed very sweet and delicious. As she sipped it, her mood, which had sunk a bit, seemed to perk up again.

The man, who had disappeared through the inner door again saying he would fetch the letter, reappeared just as Lily had almost finished her strawberry juice.

“Here’s the letter the Commander asked me to give to the young lady.”

“Thank you.”

As Lily reached for the letter, the man subtly pulled back the hand that had been holding out the envelope. What is he doing? Confused by this inexplicable action, Lily looked at the man questioningly. The man, smiling like a mischievous boy full of playfulness, asked:

“If it’s not too rude, may I ask what your relationship with the Commander is?”

“…It is rude, so please don’t ask.”

She didn’t want to answer like this, but she had no choice. She didn’t know what kind of relationship she had with Herald either. The only certain thing was that it was a relationship that could never continue, and one that would have to be ended someday.

“Wow, as expected.”

Despite the cold answer that could have dropped the temperature, the man grinned and gave a thumbs up, delighted for some reason.

“They say lovers grow alike, and your personality is exactly like the Commander’s.”

By Commander, he must mean Herald, but me and that man… lovers?

“N-No, that’s not it!”

Startled by this absurd misunderstanding, Lily waved both hands frantically.

“The Br- I mean, Count Breyden and I are not lovers. We’re just acquaintances, so please don’t make such strange assumptions.”

The man nodded, still smiling steadily.

“I understand. If anyone else asks, I’ll say that the Commander and the young lady are nothing to each other.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Ding-

As a clear bell sound rang out, a man in his late 20s with brown hair and an ordinary appearance entered.

“Eric, the Commander left a letter…”

The man who had entered speaking trailed off as he saw Lily, stopping in his tracks. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Why are you here…”

“Hey now, calling the Commander’s lover ‘you’? That’s not right, Dillon.”

Lily, who had been looking strangely at the man, was startled when the restaurant employee called him Dillon, her eyes widening in surprise. She had thought Dillon Oppenheimer was a non-existent name, but it wasn’t!

“Who’s whose lover?”

As Dillon asked with a frown of disbelief, Lily cried out urgently.

“I said I’m not! I told him several times that I’m not, but this person keeps…”

“……”

She had worried what to do if this person didn’t understand either, but fortunately it seemed he did. The man, Dillon, let out a short sigh and then said to the man holding the letter.

“The lady here is already married, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to pair her with the unmarried Commander, Eric.”