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The lady expressed remorse for what happened last time and asked for a chance to make up for it. She also said she wanted everyone to have a good time together.
A smile formed on Keira’s lips. This must be an opportunity to stop being an outsider in society.
Coincidentally, Cosette’s presence at social gatherings also decreased, which was a bonus.
Miranda: “Are you going to attend?”
Keira: “Yeah. Cosette will be out for a while.”
Keira couldn’t miss this opportunity and immediately wrote a reply thanking her for the invitation.
Unfortunately, good news wasn’t the only thing waiting for Keira.
That afternoon, shocking news came to her–gunpowder had exploded in Johanna’s mansion.
Keira: “Gunpowder? Why did Great-Aunt have gunpowder?”
Keira was on a walk in the garden when she heard the news. Her expression became grave at the information she received.
“It seems that the people at the mansion tried to hold a small outdoor banquet in the fall. Apparently, the gunpowder was purchased to make firecrackers.”
Keira: “But it exploded?”
“Yes, it would seem so.”
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Keira: “But if it was for making firecrackers, it wouldn’t have been stored in large quantities… the fire wouldn’t have been that big.”
“There were no casualties other than six minor injuries. However, I’ve been told that the warehouse that stored the gunpowder almost collapsed.”
The damage was minor for gunpowder exploding inside the premises. Keira pressed a hand to her chest when she heard there were no fatalities.
Part of the mansion collapsed, but that’s something that could be rebuilt.
Keira: “How is Great-Aunt?”
“Lady Johanna wasn’t there at the time of the accident. Apparently, she was in the temple.”
Keira: “That’s a relief.”
After delivering the news, the servant bowed his head and withdrew.
‘Things always happen again when you want a little peace and quiet.’
Have such accidents happened in the past? After thinking for a moment, Keira came to a conclusion.
‘This has never happened before.’
Of course, the butterfly effect could have caused the gunpowder to explode like a one-in-a-million chance.
Keira turned around and said.
Keira: “Robert, I have to go see Great-Aunt right now. Prepare the carriage.”
Robert: “Yes? Ah, yes, milady.”
Usually, she would only visit after contacting Johanna via Ludwig, but right now, Keira couldn’t afford it.
She immediately got into the carriage and went to her Great-Aunt’s mansion.
Even from a distance, Keira could see the part of the main building that had been demolished. She was surprised that the accident only caused six minor injuries.
She approached the servants cleaning up the wreckage, too busy even to notice Keira.
Keira: “You look busy, sorry.”
They looked at her only when she spoke. Upon seeing Keira, the servants jumped in surprise.
“Ah, Your Ladyship! When did you arrive? I didn’t hear you coming…”
Keira: “I just arrived. I heard about the explosion, so I couldn’t stand still.”
“Fortunately, there were no major casualties. It happened at night, so everyone was sleeping in the dormitory at the annex. Lady Johanna went to the temple.”
Keira: “Where is Great-Aunt now?”
“She’s moved to a different room in the annex. Would you like me to show you around?”
Keira: “No, Gordon must have already told her I’m here.”
Keira left the workers behind and headed straight to the annex. She had a rough guess which room her Great-Aunt would temporarily use.
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But just as she was about to enter the annex, she encountered someone unexpected.
No, maybe it wasn’t really unexpected.
“Oh, Keira. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”
It was Cosette.
She seemed to have forgotten she’s been absent from social events since she was kicked out of the grand duchy.
As if such a thing didn’t matter anymore.
Keira: “I know. I don’t think I’ve seen you at any social event lately. It’s been a long time.”
Cosette: “I wasn’t feeling well.”
Keira: “What are you doing here if you’re feeling unwell?”
Cosette: “I think you came for the same reason. There was an unfortunate accident at Great-Aunt’s house. How can I not visit?”
The moment Keira bumped into her, she was convinced–the accident was caused by Cosette.
At first glance, there didn’t seem to be a connection between the gunpowder explosion that caused the collapse of part of the mansion and Cosette.
Keira would have brushed it off as an accident if she hadn’t remembered her past.
Keira: “I won’t see you off. I’ll be on my way…”
Keira walked past Cosette without even saying goodbye.
Cosette arrived here one step earlier than me. In addition, Cosette was on her way out after meeting Johanna.
‘It means you’re done with your business.’
Biting her lips, Keira stood in front of Johanna’s door.
Keira: “Great-Aunt, it’s me.”
Johanna: “Come in.”
Unlike the nervous Keira, Johanna looked relaxed. She didn’t seem to think of this as anything more than a coincidence.
Johanna: “I wasn’t injured, but strangely, a lot of people are looking for me.”
Keira: “Still, it’s common courtesy to visit you at a time like this. His Grace is also worried.”
Johanna shrugged at the remark as if she knew Ludwig couldn’t be that delicate.
Keira cut to the chase.
Keira: “Great-Aunt, do you think this was an accident?”
Johanna: “Hmm?”
Johanna’s forehead slightly furrowed.
Johanna: “You don’t think so?”
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Keira: “Even if it’s an accident, someone has to take responsibility. There’s no way a decent gunpowder can just explode. There must have been an issue with it. We have to check which merchant it was supplied from and whether there were any problems in the distribution process.”
Johanna: “Hmm… Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
She then nodded her head.
Johanna, who had been revered for the rest of her life, was somewhat naive.
Keira: “Actually, that’s why I came here. I had a feeling Great-Aunt would shrug it off as an accident. May I see the ledgers?”
Johanna: “If you want to see the ledgers, you should talk to Gordon.”
Johanna pulled the rope, and a maid opened the door and walked in.
Johanna: “Bring the butler.”
“Yes, milady.”
Not long after, Gordon entered the bedroom.
Gordon: “You called for me?”
Johanna: “Keira wants to see the ledger. Show it to her.”
Gordon: “Is it because of the issue with the gunpowder?”
Keira answered instead.
Keira: “That’s right.”
Gordon: “This way, please.”
Keira: “I’ll take a look at the ledger and let you know if there is anything strange about it.”
The books were kept in Johanna’s usually empty office. Keira, who had been checking the ledgers for a long time, looked up and asked.
Keira: “The plan to set firecrackers, who was the first to bring it up?”
It was impossible for ordinary people to trade gunpowder without permission in the capital. Buying as well as selling were the same.
This could not have been possible without Johanna’s permission. Sure enough.
Gordon: “That… Employees often did that when the weather got cooler. As you know, the people in the mansion here seldom go out.”
Keira: “Since when?”
Gordon: “It’s been quite a while. Of course, this was done with Lady Johanna’s permission. Sometimes, she’d even watch.”
So, it meant that the information that Johanna was buying gunpowder at this time of year was secretly spread.
It would have been easy to mix defective products if they expected that the mansion would buy gunpowder this year as well.
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Keira confirmed the name of the top-selling gunpowder.
It was a highly reputable place among the top suppliers that supplied daily necessities to the capital.
Last year and the year before last, there was a record of purchasing gunpowder from the same place.
‘Well, unless it’s a reputable merchant, there’s no way you can do business with the Grand Ducal family.’
However, there would always be individuals in any group who was desperate for money.
Unfortunately, examining the merchant without evidence was not within Keira’s authority.
Keira: “Tell Great-Aunt that I’ll think about it a bit more and let you know. It’s still just a hunch.”
Gordon: “Yes, I will let her know.”
Keira: “Oh, I met Cosette on the way here.”
Then she cast a subtle gaze on Gordon. Keira looked as if she wanted to know why Cosette visited Johanna.
Perhaps because of the incident that had occurred in the past, Gordon spoke gently.
Gordon: “It didn’t seem like anything special. It seemed like she visited to check on Lady Johanna when she found out about the accident.”
Keira: “I want to know what kind of conversation they had in detail.”
Gordon: “Um… First of all, she expressed her concern and shock about the accident, and then she talked about repairing the mansion.”
Keira leaned forward in interest.
Keira: “Repair the mansion?”
Gordon: “Yes, winter is coming, so why not fix it as soon as possible?”
Keira: “Then what? What did she say after that?”
Gordon: “Uh… that’s it.”
Gordon’s eyes turned slightly upwards as if tracing her memories.
Gordon: “There really wasn’t much to talk about. If they had any other conversation, it’s the first greeting to ask if you’ve been doing well, and the last greeting to say you’re leaving.”
Keira thought back to the information the butler had given her.
Except for the greetings, Cosette didn’t really say much other than recommending repairs to the collapsed building.
‘If she was after Great-Aunt’s life, she wouldn’t have chosen the day she left for the temple.’
In the first place, there was no way that Johanna, an elementalist, would get caught up in a small explosion and die.
In other words, it would be correct to assume that her goal was to damage the building from the beginning.
‘I don’t think it’s because you feel sorry about the state of the mansion… Are you thinking of mixing spies among the workers?’