Chapter 46
“Are you alright?”
I slowly opened and closed my eyes, then nodded. Only then did he loosen his grip on me.
“I think we should take a short break.”
Most shops had already closed, so he led me between two buildings. He pulled out a handkerchief and laid it on the dusty stone steps for me to sit on.
It was an unexpectedly thoughtful gesture.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure. I’ve never had any interest in places like that before… It just suddenly popped into my head.”
Johannes sat down next to me, frowning between his brows.
“Suddenly?”
“Yes. Maybe I read something about it in passing… Or maybe I just glimpsed it while studying pharmacology.”
“Are you a genius by any chance?”
Pfft. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. His voice was dead serious when he asked.
“That’s what I’m saying. I almost thought I was a genius too. Who knows, maybe getting hit on the head actually turned me into one.”
I tucked my falling hair behind my ear and replied playfully. I caught a faint chuckle near my ear.
Had I ever heard him laugh like that before?
Surprised, I turned to look at him and met his gaze. His face looked completely unguarded, which made me laugh again.
Johannes tied the loosened bonnet string at my neck and replied.
“Well, let’s go with that then. If it was just a bump on the head, it would be unfair otherwise.”
It had been an incredibly long day.
By the time we returned to Evanstein Castle, it was already getting dark outside.
Johannes immediately summoned the Schultz family’s private physician. After examining my head, the doctor stressed repeatedly that I needed to rest for a few days as the wound was quite deep.
“Absolutely no strenuous activities. You must rest, no exceptions.”
After the doctor left the bedroom, Johannes spoke to me as I lay there with my eyes closed.
“That’s what he says. I think it’s best for you to use the bedroom alone for now.”
I opened my eyes slowly at the ridiculous suggestion and answered with a frown.
“No. The master of this bedroom is you, Your Grace. I can’t possibly monopolize it by myself. The bed is wide enough anyway.”
Johannes looked a bit uncomfortable at that.
“You should be used to the fact by now that you’re also the mistress of Evanstein Castle.”
Was he worried I’d make some mistake if I treated him too formally outside?
“But it’s not like I’m completely bedridden. Really, it’s fine to sleep together. It’s not like you have any terrible sleeping habits, right?”
I looked up at him as if it were the most natural thing. But he didn’t reply right away.
Instead, he furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes, almost glaring at me.
If I could sense emotions starting to show in his usually flat gaze, it wasn’t just my imagination. We had spent enough time together by now.
So… was he feeling a little conflicted this time?
As I was trying to gauge Johannes’ mood, he finally answered in a low voice.
“You’re speaking as if you think I don’t have any… bad habits.”
“Of course. I sleep very quietly. I wouldn’t bother anyone.”
Johannes let out a hollow laugh.
“As if.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
I’d never heard my father say I had any sleep issues. I had never fallen out of bed while sleeping either…
‘What is this about…?’
Had I been snoring without realizing? That would be embarrassing.
Growing anxious, I quickly asked,
“Don’t tell me… do I snore?”
“No.”
Thankfully, he answered firmly.
Then what was with that strange question?
Had I perhaps hit him in my sleep or something? But that didn’t seem to be the case either.
“Then is there a problem?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. Johannes stared at me for a moment, then finally answered after a long pause.
“Aren’t you worried I might… do something to you?”
“…Huh? What’s that supposed to mean…?”
That was a completely unexpected question. I blinked slowly.
“Since yesterday, you’ve been making ridiculous jokes. You didn’t mean anything by it back then either. This isn’t funny at all.”
I patted the spot next to me on the bed.
“So stop joking around and lie down. You’re supposed to sleep in your own bed.”
Leaving Johannes scowling behind me, I quickly turned my back on him to hide my reddening face.
The next morning.
Johannes slowly opened his eyes to the sound of steady breathing next to him. Edith had turned toward him in her sleep.
With each soft breath escaping her full lips, her hair danced across her face.
Without thinking, Johannes reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. Even though his fingers touched her, she didn’t stir.
Perhaps because she was sleeping, her cheeks had gone pale, and her lips had lost their usual color.
He gazed at her quietly, as if studying her sleeping face, then let out a bitter laugh.
‘Sleeping so soundly, huh.’
After making it impossible for others to sleep properly.
His eyes then drifted to the bandages tightly wrapped around her head. His expression hardened.
When he found out yesterday that someone had deliberately damaged the train engine, and then when the engine started catching fire soon after…
Johannes had immediately thought of Edith.
The situation had been bad.
An anonymous letter had lured her to Bölln. There hadn’t been anything suspicious in the hotel room, but if he hadn’t been there, who knew what might’ve happened? And then, her train had caught fire.
In that moment, it occurred to him that someone might be targeting her.
When he rushed to find her, her cabin had been empty. She was nowhere to be seen.
He had mobilized the servants to search for her, but by the time they found her, the worst had already happened. Blood had been running from her head…
He knew Noah Weber didn’t like him, but he hadn’t thought the man would be bold enough to pull something like this.
Of course, there had always been a few people who used Noah Weber for dirty work…
‘Could it be Edward Windsor?’
But Edward had no reason to approach Edith.
Unless Edward also knew the secret about her that Johannes knew… but that didn’t seem likely.
Yesterday, Johannes had learned new things about Edith. Things that surprised him.
Yesterday’s Edith Prim had handled herself in the field with startling ease. Even after such a major incident.
Not only was she unfazed by the sight of a corpse, she had boldly examined the condition of the body and even deduced whether it was a murder case.
It was a side of Edith Prim that he never would have imagined before.
He needed to look into this.
Johannes stood up heavily and headed to his office. Pret Gunter was waiting for him.
Pret looked at the visibly exhausted Johannes with wide eyes, but quickly hid his reaction and spoke.
“Today’s newspaper, sir.”
The paper contained an article about both Edith and Johannes. Given the major train accident, it would’ve been stranger if there hadn’t been a report.
Thankfully, perhaps thanks to Pret’s intervention, the article didn’t go into detail about Edith’s kidnapping.
However, they couldn’t prevent the headline from covering another murder in Müssen.
The big headline featured the woman found dead in the basement.
So much for keeping the trip quiet…
“Not bad,” Johannes murmured shortly. He set the paper down on the desk and turned to Pret Gunter.
“It seems there are things about my wife I didn’t know.”
“I’ve conducted every possible background check, sir.”
“That’s unlikely. Didn’t you see today’s paper?”
“Of course I did. Are you referring to the article about Madam’s ability at the scene? I’m sure you know better than anyone that the article exaggerates…”
“Or maybe it understates,” Johannes cut him off.
“Do you really believe Madam has a knack for investigations?”
Pret blinked, looking skeptical. He clearly believed the article had embellished the truth.
Honestly, Johannes himself would have dismissed it as nonsense if he hadn’t witnessed yesterday’s events.
Johannes tapped his fingers on the table and said,
“That’s why I’m telling you this.”
“…Then I’ll investigate further. Though I don’t expect much to come from it.”
“Do it anyway. Also, I hear Edward Windsor has been appointed Chief of Police in Müssen.”
“We’re already looking into that.”
Pret always had a way with words.
The reason was obvious. The royal family clearly wanted to keep the Duke of Schultz under surveillance.
Tedious and tiresome.
Sitting down, Johannes gave Pret a brief dismissal.
“All right. You’re dismissed for now.”
