“Still haven’t found her?”

“I’m sorry. We’re on the trail, we should be able to find her soon.”

“Soon? When exactly is that?”

“We’re trying our best to find her quickly.”

“Any passerby could say that!”

With a sharp voice, Bake slammed the papers down on the desk.

“I’m sorry, your grace.”

“Do you know anything but apologies?”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“But don’t worry too much. It shouldn’t be a big problem. We haven’t found any trace, have we? We should be able to find it soon.”

Scepter quickly rubbed his hands, watching Bake’s mood.

He hoped that his words would somehow appease Bake’s discomfort, but the deep wrinkles of concern wouldn’t smooth out.

Bake glared at Scepter discontentedly and then leaned his torso against the chair.

Even though he knew there was no point in getting excited, his legs were shaking involuntarily.

Margaret didn’t know much. Even if they canned her, there would be a limit to what they could know.

But the anxiety was because they knew the persistence of Calix.

Everyone said Calix had forgotten the past. The previous emperor, who was the root cause of everything, died, and Calix became the new emperor’s sword, hand in hand with the son of his enemy.

Judging from Calix’s moves, the dominant opinion was that he had decided to forget the past and revive his family.

But that was just a guess from those who knew nothing.

Calix didn’t forget anything. Despite many opportunities to return, his return to the capital was delayed because of that.

In front of everyone, he consistently pretended to be indifferent to worldly affairs, but behind the scenes, he dug into the case.

He didn’t miss a single clue, dug up old things, and forced those involved in the case to open their mouths. If he hadn’t taken care of the key figures in advance, everything would have been discovered.

“……Are you sure there was no movement from Duke Pieren?”

“We’ve been watching constantly, but there was no movement. The same goes for the Emperor’s side, of course.”

“Sly bastards. They’re born to hide.”

“We can’t say there’s no chance at all, but it seems unlikely. They wouldn’t have let their tails get caught.”

Scepter firmly shook his head.

The kidnappers who kidnapped Margaret cleaned up their tracks to some extent, but it wasn’t perfect.

The traces they failed to erase became their tail, and thanks to that, there was a chance to pursue. The Emperor or Duke Pieren would never have made such a mistake.

“But who else could it be?”

The number of people escorting Margaret’s carriage wasn’t much, but they were all elite soldiers. It was impossible to overpower them with just any skill.

“But it didn’t feel like they were formally trained.”

“Then?”

“I suspect they might be irregular troops, like mercenaries.”

“……Didn’t the suspicions about him just get cleared recently?”

“Who?”

“Cheshire Cat. The crazy cat.”

If Cheshire is considered the culprit, it fits perfectly with all conditions like a wellconstructed puzzle.

Bake spoke again with a more confident voice.

“The case was concluded as a solo crime by a mercenary belonging to a mercenary group led by him. This much should be enough of a grudge. What do you think?”

“Shall we dig into it?”

“Keep an eye on Duke Pieren while you’re at it. They could have collaborated, using the investigation as an excuse.”

“I will take action as soon as possible.”

“Of course, you should. Once disappointed is enough.”

Bake finally leaned his torso against the chair and placed his clasped hands on his belly. Now that the outline of the criminal was clear, he seemed to be able to breathe a little, but he couldn’t let his guard down yet.

Bake squinted his eyes for a while and then got up again.

“Recruit a few good men and mix them among the servants. So they can be ready for any situation.”

“Understood.”

“Also, pick a few new maid candidates. If some stupid rumor tarnishes the ears of the landlady of Cretan, it would be a problem.”

He didn’t believe Margaret’s words, but he couldn’t just leave Riviana alone.

Leaving her alone, who has to visit the royal palace several times until the aftershocks end, was no different from entrusting fish to a cat.

“Oh, and get a letter ready.”

“A letter?”

“We need to reassure Riviana. She’s anxious because she hasn’t heard from Margaret.”

Margaret was finally persuaded, but her tenderhearted wife was still upset about having to say goodbye to her friend. After Margaret’s departure, there was a need to comfort the wife who had been waiting for her news almost every day.

“Ask the postmaster to write a letter for Margaret, saying ‘I’m doing well, don’t worry.'”

“You mean to create a fake letter?”

“Sometimes, a pure white lie is necessary. After all, for Riviana now, mental stability is more important than anything else, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course.”

Yes, it was all for his wife.

Bake bit his lips, holding back a smile as he tied his cravat.

The cravat he wore today was personally tied by Riviana.