Chapter 17
Isabelle stared at Amanda with a wary gaze. In the Celescio Empire, she was a rare sight: a woman with long, jet-black hair and deep navy eyes that carried a muted sparkle, her innocent appearance standing out.
‘No way… this woman is the Amanda I’ve been searching for. And yet, her face shows she knows nothing about what just happened.’
Truly, Amanda looked at Isabelle with a completely innocent expression, seemingly unaware of why she had been summoned or what suspicions were being cast on her.
Amanda spoke cautiously, her voice tinged with concern.
“I heard that someone in your group went missing… did you find them?”
“Yes. Luckily, we did. I have some questions about that incident—would you answer them?”
“Of course. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
‘Hmm?’
Isabelle raised an eyebrow and let out a low hum.
Despite how sudden the situation must have been for Amanda, she was astonishingly cooperative—and even seemed to know something.
Isabelle took a pen and notebook from her coat pocket and began investigating, starting with the most basic alibi.
“The estimated time your group disappeared is between midnight and one a.m. What were you doing during that time?”
“I was just in my bedroom, staying still.”
“Staying still?”
“Yes. As you can see, there’s nothing much to do here. And I was too worried that something might have happened to you to get any sleep.”
“…To me?”
Amanda nodded and continued.
“I was the one who told your companions that you might be in danger. I followed you and saw the owner of that house plotting something.”
“Ah.”
‘So that’s why Adolf told me to find you.’
Of course—it makes sense that Adolf would only give that order out of genuine concern.
Suddenly, the awkward pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. But strangely, instead of feeling relieved, Isabelle felt a small, inexplicable heaviness.
“…Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. Let’s move on to the next question. Did you truly not notice my group going outside?”
“Actually…”
Amanda hesitated briefly, then reluctantly spoke.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I saw your group leaving the inn through the window.”
“You saw them? I heard you told Mr. Kezepf you didn’t see anything.”
“At the time, I was flustered and didn’t realize it could be them. But thinking back, I believe it was.”
Isabelle scribbled in her notebook and met Amanda’s gaze, silently urging her to continue.
“When I first met him, he seemed unapproachable, but the man I saw through the window looked completely different. He seemed like he was being chased.”
“Chased by someone?”
“Yes. He kept looking back and even stumbled at one point…”
Isabelle fell into quiet thought.
Had she not witnessed Adolf earlier, she might have thought Amanda was lying. But having seen it herself, she couldn’t doubt her words.
‘The real question is… what did Adolf see that shocked him so much?’
According to Isabelle, the only person near Adolf was Rosie.
A wry smile spread across Isabelle’s face.
‘Adolf is the kind of man who tears people apart. And yet he’s supposedly scared of a ghost? Ridiculous.’
She drew a bold line through her scribbled notes.
“Um… have you finished your questions?”
“So you didn’t notice anything else unusual afterward?”
“No. That was all.”
“Alright.”
If everything Amanda said was true, there was no sufficient reason for her to have opened the bedroom door.
Isabelle turned the page of her notebook, having gained little concrete information.
“Let’s move on. You have something to tell me, right, Amanda?”
“….”
The moment her name was called, tears welled up in Amanda’s eyes, which had remained calm until now.
“Good heavens… why are you crying all of a sudden?”
Startled, Isabelle handed her the whole box of tissues. Amanda dabbed her eyes with them, quietly sobbing as her delicate shoulders shook irregularly.
“Calm down first. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Sniff… sob…”
“If you keep crying like that, you’ll get dehydrated.”
Though Isabelle wasn’t sure her words could comfort Amanda, she needed to soothe her to continue the conversation.
After a while, Amanda took deep breaths and gradually stopped crying.
“I’m sorry… I just can’t stop thinking about him…”
“It’s okay. When you’re ready, you can tell me.”
Some time later, Amanda seemed ready and nodded. Isabelle began her questions in earnest.
“I heard you were married to Mr. Hibert. Is that correct?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Actually, it was more like a common-law marriage… about five years.”
Isabelle let out a bitter laugh.
‘Amanda was his third wife… so he must’ve married 33 women in just five years? What a remarkable man, in every sense.’
“What kind of person was Mr. Hibert?”
“He was very kind. When we were together, I could feel how much he loved me more than anyone else.”
“Did he give you trouble with other women?”
Amanda shook her head without hesitation.
“Not at all. He would never do that. If anything, he felt sorry for not being a better person and would apologize to me.”
Isabelle suddenly thought that Hibert might be more extraordinary than she imagined.
‘33 wives, and not once was he caught?’
How was that even possible while living together?
Her question was soon answered.
“We only saw each other for about half a month each season, but he was the most important person to me.”
“Wait… what do you mean? Didn’t you live together?”
“No. He said his hometown was the capital, so except for the days he spent here, he stayed there. His work was there too.”
[Hometown → Capital (presumably how he lured women)]
Isabelle jotted down the information she had gathered so far. If Hibert wasn’t lying, he had stayed in the capital until coming to this remote village.
‘Then it’s likely his first wife was from the capital.’
Something must have happened there, which is why he left the capital.
Recalling her conversations with Hibert, it probably involved his first wife.
‘Could it have been a marital dispute?’
But judging by the depth of the emotion—even with lost memories—it seemed more than a simple argument. She’d need to investigate further.
“By the way, Detective, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead. What is it?”
“Could you tell me if anyone else is looking for him? I assume you’re investigating on behalf of someone.”
Isabelle narrowed her eyes instead of answering. She expected the question, but not so directly.
Unfortunately, she had a duty to protect her client’s identity.
‘And that person is His Majesty of the Celescio Empire. Could I even say that?’
If she revealed it, she had no way to handle the consequences. Though she understood Amanda’s curiosity, it was a question she had to refuse.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose my client’s information.”
“Ah… I see. I hadn’t thought that through.”
Amanda blushed and covered her face with her hands. Judging from the conversation so far, she was a pure-hearted person. It was unlikely she was the one who unlocked the bedroom for ulterior motives.
‘Amanda has no motive. I must have guessed wrong…’
Isabelle pursed her lips, thinking. No solution came immediately to mind, so she continued the conversation.
“Amanda, do you remember the last time you saw Mr. Hibert?”
“Of course. It’s been about six months and two weeks.”
“You remember that well?”
“There was a small argument before he disappeared. He’s not usually like that, but that day he got unusually angry and left home. And he never returned.”
