At the entrance of the mansion, Mild and Blanc were waiting for me, standing by the fourwheeled carriage adorned with a checkered ribbon.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Wow!”

Mild, who greeted me politely first, was dressed in a black shirt, black suit, and beige checkered necktie.

Blanc was also wearing a black shirt collar made by the maids, tied with a beige checkered necktie.

Seeing the two of them all dressed up, a satisfied smile came to my face.

“Did you have a peaceful night?”

A bitter smile followed the question.

“Except for some people… rather well?”

My response made Mild’s eyes twinkle.

“Who? Can I handle it?”

Laughter sprung up at the thought that anyone would be taken care of if I only commanded it.

“Hmm, maybe not?”

A noble can’t be taken care of so easily, can they?

Mild slightly bowed his head at my response.

“My status… I apologize.”

He was quick to catch on.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Let’s go.”

I took my seat in the carriage with Blanc.

Soon the carriage started to shake as Mild led the way. I slowly stroked Blanc’s head as I looked out the window.

The garden bathed in morning sunlight was unusually fresh and dazzling.

Usually, I would have enjoyed the scenery, but remembering the previous night, I was not entirely in the mood to be immersed in pleasure.

“Dalina Sor.”

Murmuring her name, a hollow laugh escaped again.

Last night, before I went to bed, I looked around the room that Dalina had entered, but I found no signs of anyone having touched it.

‘Did I go to the wrong room?’

However, I recalled Dalina’s calm demeanor even after our eyes met.

It was easy to know if a room was being used. Usually, a white cover is put on the empty rooms.

‘She realized it was my room too late, didn’t she?’

It was too late to be flustered and watchful, but there was no sign of that at all.

‘Should I just let it go… or ask her what she did in my room?’

Sitting on the bed, I soon realized that I had not looked in one place.

The safe under the mattress.

I didn’t think it was there anyway, but I had to check to make sure.

I pushed the bed sheet and touched the safe.

I knew it when the blue light swirled, and the safe opened. The key that was supposed to be inside was gone.

There was only one person to suspect.

Three questions came to mind.

First was how Dalina knew about the bedroom safe.

‘Hmm, maybe there’s a safe in every noble’s bed?’

I conveniently dismissed one question and wondered how she opened the safe.

‘Is the magical device weaker than I thought? Can anyone open it?’

It seemed a bit absurd, but I decided to understand it that way.

‘But why did she take the key?’

The key is just a key, not a treasure.

Even if she opened it for valuables, there was no need to take it if the key was all that was inside.

When I came to that conclusion, my thoughts shifted in a different direction.

‘Did she come after the key from the start?’

Knowing that it’s the key to where Ellen’s artwork is stored.

However, I went to sleep with a lightened heart, realizing it was meaningless.

“A step too late. Pfft! What will she do in an empty room?”

Even if Dalina knew the use of the key and took it, it was a futile act.

I didn’t lose anything, so my next concern was whether to pursue Dalina.

It was clear that pursuing her on suspicion alone would be futile. By now, she would have smuggled it, making it hard to find.

“Hmm… if I pursue without evidence…….”

Philip would think I was making a fuss since I was quiet for a while.

“And Dalina will become Philip’s spouse, so… Kkeung?”

Blanc let out a low sound when my hand, which had been stroking his hair, stopped altogether.

“Ah, it’s all bothersome, let’s just leave it.”

It’s a useless key, just put in out of habit.

“This is not the time to worry about that, is it?”

Above all, the most important thing is the boutique opening.

Of course, Dalina will be on guard. She might take advantage of the busy gap to steal my lovely candles, after all.
“If you have a bad habit, be careful, customer, you’ll be blacklisted.”

Thinking that I should secretly assign an employee when she comes, I once again stroked Blank’s head.

“Blank, starting from today, you’re the boutique’s mascot and an employee in charge of security during emergencies. Your salary is two armsized bones. Good?”

“Woof!”

The carriage stopped in front of the red brick building on Main Street No. 5.

Upon getting off the carriage, the entrance of the No. 5 building, with its signboard and front windows covered with white cloth, revealed employees lined up in two rows.

A ribbon for the cutting ceremony had also been set up across the front of the firstfloor entrance.

“Have you arrived, madam?”

Standing before the employees who bowed in unison was Mrs. Polter, who would lead the candlemaking team and be in charge of the café.

I slowly walked past the rows, checking the employees’ attire with my eyes.

All the employees were wearing black suits with white shirts and beige checkered neckties.