Adel too was so shocked that her mind went blank.

He was Doctor Marvin!

(This is a time separator.)

Christine entered a room filled with a musty smell.

There, a woman in her midthirties with heavy makeup was drinking alone. She beamed a wide smile upon seeing Christine.

“Oh my, you look like a beautiful noblewoman doll.”

The woman, possibly drunk, twisted her tongue as she spoke. She stumbled towards Christine, who seemed to catch her eye.

“Heh, to come to a place like this with such an innocent face, you must have been in quite a hurry.”

Clang!

However, the woman couldn’t approach any further as she was blocked by Zimmer’s sword.

“Eek! What, what is it! You scared me!”

Christine pulled a chair from beside the table, dragging it to sit.

“I am in a hurry. So, if you satisfy me, I’ll get you out of here.”

At his proposition, the woman asked with a slightly frightened face.

“IIs there anything special you want…?”

He leaned close to the woman and asked,

“I want to hear your story.”

“My story?”

“What you saw the night Oswald Duke died.”

“……!”

The woman staggered back with a pale face.

“WhWho are you?”

Instead of answering, Christine placed a heavy bag on the table, making a clinking sound.

“You have two choices. Tell me everything about that night and take this, or remain silent forever through death.”

Zimmer tightened his grip on the sword handle, his once delicate face now exuding a fierce aura.

Thud!

The woman seemed to lose strength in her legs and collapsed onto the bed.

This was the room where she received guests, with a shabby bed, a wornout table, and two chairs being the only furniture. She had struggled here for years, accumulating debt.

It was all because of Stone that she had fallen from being a maid of Oswald Duke’s household to a prostitute.

No, if she hadn’t seen that incident that day.

If she hadn’t pretended to know…

The woman opened the heavy bag on the table with a resigned face, her eyes widening at the sight of the glittering gold coins inside.

“Are you really giving all this to me?”

“I promise.”

(This is a time separator.)

“Back then, the Duke seemed to be getting better. He spoke, though faintly, and moved a little.”

The woman’s name was Vanessa. She had been a maid in the Oswald household for almost five years.

“That day must have been well past midnight. I heard the bell from the Duke’s bedroom ringing continuously, so I went to check. During the day, the Duchess would take care of him, but looking after the Duke at night was my responsibility. The Duke asked me to go to Stone’s room. It was strange. Asking to go to his son’s room at such a late hour. But if I had accidentally awakened Stone, I would surely be beaten.”

“Beaten?”

Vanessa smiled bitterly.
He would flog the servants on a whim. So, I pretended to knock on Stone’s door and lied that I was asleep. The Duke then told me to check the Duchess’s room. The Duchess’s room was a bit far away from the Duke’s bedroom, far away in the basement.

“In the basement, I guess.”

“How did you know?”

Startled, Vanessa looked up, and Christine frowned.

“Continue.”

“So, I went down to the basement. But it was empty. Then I seemed to understand what the Duke was thinking.”

“That Stone and the Duchess were together at that time?”

“Stone always made sure no one entered his room. He left all cleaning and laundry to his stepmother, the Duchess. Although she was called the Duchess, she was nothing more than Stone’s personal maid. Among the maids, it was considered fortunate. Yet, she had never called him at such a late hour.”

Zimmer caught his breath, looking at Christine. He wondered whether he should let him continue to listen.

If Adel had an illicit relationship with Stone, he might go crazy seeing it.

If something bad happened to Stone, he would become twice the madman.

While Zimmer was pondering, Vanessa continued to talk.

“Then I heard something breaking in Stone’s bedroom. At that moment, the Duke rolled his wheelchair and broke down Stone’s bedroom door. And the door opened. He was really with the Duchess.”

The muscles on Christine’s jawline tightened. Zimmer also tensed up.

“But the atmosphere was a bit strange. The bedroom was intact. There was a slight smell of alcohol, but that woman… she was too calm to have been robbed, too pale to have enjoyed an affair.”

Vanessa still tilted her head, unable to understand even now.

“And there was blood on her clothes.”

“Blood?”

“Yes, she said she cut her hand cleaning up a broken wine glass. But the Duke suddenly slapped Stone on the cheek in rage and spoke with a slurred voice that he would not give a penny for his inheritance. I saw him angry for the first time. However, the Duchess just left, watching the two fight. Like it was none of her business. No, thinking about it now, was her face soulless? People started waking up and coming outside. But I was the only one who saw all this. I should have run away then.”

Vanessa trembled, recalling that day’s events.

“And the next day the Duke passed away after drinking the tea served by his wife. Stone and a woman named Sei shouted that they poisoned my father. But I thought it was Stone’s doing. He must have killed him for fear of not inheriting.”

“So who did you tell this story to?”

“I secretly told the inspector who came to investigate. But they were in league with Stone. Not only was my testimony not delivered, but I was also attacked on the way to the funeral, and when I came to… I was sold to the brothel.”

Vanessa was silent for a while, holding back tears. Then she looked at Christine with reddened eyes.

“Is my story… satisfactory?”

Christine stood up.

“Give her the money as promised.”

Her face brightened instantly.

(This is a time separator.)

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Zimmer asked, coming out of Vanessa’s room.

“I’m more and more confused.”

“What is it?”

But Christine kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing.

“……!”

Then he suddenly stopped, looked around, and hurriedly began to run down the stairs.

A woman, with her hood pulled over her head, was just leaving the shoe store. As he quickly chased after her, she was getting into a carriage parked outside.

Although it was dark, Christine, with his bright eyes, saw her clearly. That beautiful face halfhidden by the hood.

Even after the carriage left, a familiar scent lingered in the place.

‘Adel…?’