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“Something suspicious?”
“I cannot disclose that information.”
Marie tilted her head in confusion. Without being told specifically what “something suspicious” referred to, she couldn’t grasp what he was talking about.
“Anyway, this area is under investigation, so go back, Miss.” The knight spoke gruffly.
Marie hesitated. ‘What should I do? If I want to save Jane, I must investigate the fire scene.’
However, with the Imperial Guard knight blocking her way, she had no means of entering.
But then suddenly, an unexpected voice reached her ears. “Uh, Miss Marie?”
“…!”
It was a familiar and friendly voice. Marie turned her head in surprise, while the Imperial Guard knight hastily saluted. “Knight Philon of the Imperial Guard greets Your Lordship!”
The one who appeared was none other than the handsome man with silver hair, Marquis Kierhan, the commander of the Imperial Guard!
“Ah, yes. You’ve worked hard. Is there anything unusual?”
“No, nothing out of the ordinary!”
Marie was astonished to see the knight, who had been imposing towards her, freeze up and respond stiffly.
‘He truly is the commander of the Imperial Guard.’
She had never truly realized it before, as he was always kind to her, but the silver-haired man was a prominent figure, known as the strongest knight in the empire.
“By the way, Miss Marie, what brings you here?” Kierhan asked kindly as usual.
“Ah… Well… I came here to check if something I’d stored is still there.”
“Oh, I see. Unfortunately, there weren’t many belongings left behind,” Kierhan said with a hint of regret.
“Um… Would it be possible for me to go in and check personally? It’s something that’s important to me.” Marie tentatively requested. Although she was reluctant to rely on her friendship with Kierhan, she had no other choice. She had to inspect the fire scene for Jane’s sake.
Fortunately, Kierhan nodded his head.
“Since it’s an important item, it can’t be helped. Please go in for a moment, and come back quickly.”
“Commander! It is not allowed for outsiders to enter the fire scene…” The knight opposed firmly. He had a point, and so Kierhan pondered for a while.
“Ah, yes, unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering the fire scene.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then, what if we do it like this?”
“Yes?”
“I will accompany this maid personally. If any issues arise, I will take responsibility.”
“…!”
That way, Marie was able to enter the fire scene. Marie bowed her head to Kierhan, whom she had burdened. “I… I’m sorry. I caused you unnecessary trouble.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was planning to come in and see for myself anyway. I have something to check.”
Marie felt puzzled by his words. Both the knight earlier and now Kierhan himself seemed to be observing something suspicious about this fire.
“Are you considering arson as the cause of the fire?”
“…!”
When Kiel made a startled expression, Marrie hurriedly continued, “Well, a knight is guarding the storage area, and Your Lordship personally came to investigate.”
He shook his head. “There’s no evidence of arson yet. However, the timing is coincidental, so we are currently investigating it. It’s strange how a fire broke out right here, of all places, just before the grand banquet.”
Marie immediately caught his drift. ‘This may be bigger than I thought,’ she thought anxiously. If that was arson, then who could the culprit be? It could’ve been someone who intended to ruin the grand banquet.
‘Whoever the culprit is, there’s a high chance they’re an enemy of the Crown Prince.’
Suddenly, she felt troubled. If she made a mistake, she could get tangled up in political desputes.
He then shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, Miss Marie. The Imperial Guards will take care of it.”
“Yes, Your Lordship.”
Kierhan had a dissatisfied expression as if something didn’t sit well with him.
“Kiel.”
“Pardon?”
“You can call me Kiel when it’s just the two of us.”
Upon hearing those words, Marie had an awkward expression as she couldn’t bring herself to do that yet.
While they were chatting like so, the two arrived at the scene of the fire.
“This is it.”
“Ah…” Marie’s face stiffened as she looked at the completely charred storage area. She had to find clues there, to find out whether it was Jane’s fault or an arson.
‘Let’s do this.’
Was it because they were at the scene of the fire? She felt a surge of adrenaline, as if she’d become the man in her dream.
‘First, let’s start with the position of the lamps.’
On the walls of the unlit storage area, there were designated spots for lamps to serve as lighting. ‘As expected, it’s completely burned down.’
She shook her head. Not only was the spot for lamps covered in thick ashes, but the entire wall as well.
‘If this part had been untouched by the fire, Jane would’ve faced severe consequences.’
She meticulously examined not only the spot where the lantern had been but the entire storage area. She inspected the charred musical instruments, touched the piles of ashes, and checked the direction of the fallen pillars. After a thorough investigation, she reached to a conclusion.
‘This fire wasn’t Jane’s fault. It’s clearly…’ She swallowed a lump in her throat. ‘Arson.’
“Miss Marie, have you found your belongings?” Kiel asked.
“Ah, no.” Marie quickly shook her head.
He made a pained expression and said, “You mentioned that it was an important item, but it’s not here. Is it something irreplaceable?”
Responding vaguely to his worries, she quickly thought to herself, ‘This is clearly arson. I’m sure of it.’
It wasn’t mere speculation. The evident signs at the scene pointed directly to arson. ‘But what should I say?’ She was just a maid. She didn’t have the authority to intervene in the investigation of the Imperial Guards. ‘But…’
She looked at Kierhan’s ceaselessly kind face. She thought that he would be willing to listen to her story without prejudice.
“Your Lordship, may I ask you something?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Have you found any evidence of arson?”
Kierhan gave Marie a puzzled look and then shook his head. “No, it’s not easy to find clues due to the severity of the fire.”
“Then, are there any suspects?”
In response to her question, Kiel briefly closed his mouth and then opened it again. “There is.”
“…!”
Marie looked at him in surprise. It was an important information! However, he shook his head. “I cannot disclose who the suspect is.”
“I understand, Your Lordship.” Marie felt disappointed but nodded her head. It was only natural. He’d already shown great consideration by sharing this much information.
“But why do you ask?”
“Well… I have something to tell you regarding this fire.”
“Please, go ahead.” Kiel looked at her with a puzzled expression. Marie took a deep breath as she was about to share her findings.
“How’s the investigation going?” Suddenly, a cold voice emerged from the back!
Marie was startled and dropped to her knees. “I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
The one who appeared was none other than the iron masked Crown Prince Rael! Even Prime Minister Oren was with him.
‘Why is the Crown Prince here?’ His presence was just as puzzling as Prime Minister Oren’s.
For some reason, the Crown Prince was looking at him with confusion.
“Marie? What’s going on here?” Marie inwardly became anxious. ‘Oh no. Of all times, the Crown Prince had to come.’
The Crown Prince felt different compared to her friend, Kiel. She wanted to avoid the Crown Prince’s gaze at all costs, but here they were, meeting again in that situation!
The Crown Prince silently looked at her for a moment. Sensing that he wanted to say something, Marie became curious. However, before he could open his mouth, he quickly turned towards Kiel. “Have you found any evidence that the Western Empire bastards are behind this?”
Unlike when he looked at Marie, the Crown Prince’s gaze upon Kiel, his political rival, carried a faint chill.
“I apologize, Your Highness. There’s no solid evidence left due to the severity of the fire.”
The Crown Prince clicked his tongue. “How bothersome. It’s certain that someone was present at the scene of the fire, yet there is no evidence.”
Marie’s looked surprised at their exchange. ‘Was the suspect from the West Empire?’
She recalled Emperor Johannes III, whom she had met not too long ago. Indeed, the relations between the two empires were extremely hostile, so it was possible that they could’ve set the fire to sabotage the grand banquet. If it was truly their doing, it could escalate into a serious diplomatic issue.
However, in that moment, Marie felt something was off, tilting her head. Not only did she discover traces of arson, but she also found some clues that could ‘profile’ the culprit to some extent. ‘But I think the culprit is…’
Suddenly, Crown Prince Rael looked at her. “Marie, do you have anything to say about the fire? What is it? Tell me.”
Marie swallowed a lump in her throat. ‘Can I tell the Crown Prince? I’m sure it will attract attention again.’
She hesitated. ‘But I have no choice. If I don’t speak up now, Jane won’t be able to clear her name.’
With that thought in mind, she cautiously spoke up. “In my opinion… this fire is not just an accident, but rather, an arson.” They looked at her with surprise. Her voice carried not just mere speculation but a strong conviction.
The Crown Prince asked in a low voice, “On what grounds are you saying that? You may not realize it, but this is a very serious matter. If you make such a claim without solid evidence, you will face serious consequences,” he said in a stern tone.
He was right. In a situation where the Western Empire was being implicated as the culprit, she had no idea what kind of punishment a maid like her would face if she spoke carelessly. “I have one piece of evidence that suggests it was an arson.”
As she confidently spoke without wavering, the Crown Prince’s eyes lit up. Kierhan and Prime Minister Oren also seemed surprised by her conviction. Kierhan looked at her with an amazed expression, while Prime Minister Oren looked at her with an amused expression, as if he were entertained.
“Very well, speak up. Let’s hear it.”
“The reason why it’s arson and not an accident is simple: the ignition point.”
“Ignition point?”
Everyone wore puzzled expressions since it was an unfamiliar term.
She nodded her head resolutely. “Yes, the ignition point exists in a location that simply cannot occur in a mere fire accident.”
“Explain in detail.”
The ignition point, as the term implies, refers to the location where the fire originated. It is the most crucial clue in determining the cause of the fire.
“As you can see, the lamps were placed right against these two walls.”
“Right, everything was burned down. Naturally, the fire originated from this side, didn’t it?” Rael asked as a matter of fact.
“No, it didn’t. The fire didn’t start here initially. It started elsewhere, then spread to these walls, ignited the oils in the lamps, causing the wall to burn like this.”
“How do you know that?”
Marie took a deep breath. Speaking in front of Crown Prince Rael and his iron mask felt like her anxiety was worsening, not just doubled… but rather multiplied by ten.
Suddenly, just as she was about to speak, an unexpected voice resounded once again.
“Same, I’m curious too. Do tell.”
Everyone turned their heads in surprise. A man who looked gentle with his dark hair and eyes descended the stairs, wearing a smile on his face.
‘Emperor Johannes III of the Western Empire!’
First, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and now even the Emperor of the West Empire was around.
Marie cried inwardly, ‘H-How did things escalate like this again!’ It all started with the intention of rescuing her friend Jane, but within less than an hour, it had turned into a diplomatic issue between the two empires.
Indeed, her life was becoming more and more complicated.