Chapter 132…
At Cynthia’s voice, Dale reluctantly approached her.
“What are you looking for? If it’s something I know, I can help.”
“Oh, I’m digging through old records… Anything that could be a clue is fine.”
“What kind of clue?”
“Anything related to Lady Elizabeth.”
Hearing her answer, Dale stopped moving. He slowly turned his head to look at her.
“Our Lady Elizabeth?”
“Wow, our? You’re still in loyal Bailey-butler mode, huh?”
“Why are you asking about the Lady?”
Hmm. Explaining that would take forever…
Explaining everything that had happened to her would be a hassle. Cynthia shook her head vaguely and replied.
“I’m just curious.”
“If it’s just curiosity, then don’t dig. There are many safer ways to satisfy intellectual curiosity.”
“It’s my choice, you know? Anyway, you haven’t seen any doodles or notes of mine around here, right?”
“Cynthia.”
Just as she reached out to search elsewhere, Dale grabbed her wrist. Cynthia flinched and stared at him.
What the—? Why is he so jumpy?
Looking straight at her, Dale spoke in a serious tone.
“Please stop any and all actions involving the Bailey family.”
“What’s with you…?”
“I’m asking you. They’re very on edge right now. The Retemper merchant group isn’t functioning properly, His Highness the Crown Prince is searching for Lady Elizabeth who isn’t even here, and even I—someone who served them all my life—have disappeared from their side…”
“That’s why I’m doing this.”
Cynthia pulled her hand free and answered sharply.
“When people are on edge, that’s the easiest time to uncover whatever they’re hiding. I’m doing all this for Lady Elizabeth.”
“You speak as if you knew Lady Elizabeth very well.”
“Think what you want. I’m going to dig into her death an—kya!”
Her body spun around in an instant. Cynthia glared at Dale, who had gripped her shoulders tightly.
“What are you doing?! That hurts!”
“What exactly do you know?”
Dale’s voice was rough. The calmness and cool-headed demeanor he always had were gone. Cynthia was startled by this unfamiliar reaction and blurted out:
“What…?”
“I asked how much you know.”
She silently stared up at him.
Seeing how sensitive he was, the uneasy suspicion Cynthia held—that something about Elizabeth’s death was being hidden—began to solidify into certainty.
“Dale.”
After a tense moment, Cynthia spoke.
“I’m sorry. I went too far.”
She grabbed him as he awkwardly turned his head aside.
“What are you hiding?”
“Nothing.”
“There is a secret behind Lady Elizabeth’s death, isn’t there? It wasn’t just a simple carriage accident, right?”
Cynthia bit her lower lip and turned his head back toward her. With a frown, he finally spoke.
“I just don’t understand why you’re suddenly investigating her death. What meaning could it have now?”
“It does have meaning.”
Cynthia spoke clearly.
“At least for the late Lady Elizabeth, it has meaning.”
She abruptly turned away and went to her bag. Pulling out Elizabeth’s notebook, she shoved it hard into Dale’s chest.
Startled, Dale grabbed it.
“What is this?”
“Lady Elizabeth’s notebook.”
“What? Where did you—?!”
He opened it. His expression gradually hardened as he read the handwriting inside.
“Dale, do you understand what this means?”
“……”
“The suspicious accident records and strange money transfers—those are connected to the Baileys’ weaknesses, aren’t they?”
Instead of answering, Dale silently turned another thin page. Cynthia continued questioning.
“Who is Sirius Eastern, the shadow of Duke Castelton Bailey? Do you know him too?”
“Cynthia, where did you get this?”
“Answer my question first! Do you know what all this is?!”
When she kept pressing him, Dale sighed and rubbed his forehead. After a troubled moment, he finally nodded.
“I don’t know the full picture, but if I combine this with what I know… something might come out of it.”
I knew it…!
“Then tell me what you know.”
“Now it’s my turn to ask. Where did you get this?”
“Where else would I get the Lady’s notebook? From her room.”
“From her room?”
Dale frowned.
He spoke again, puzzled.
“From where in her room? The Baileys never found it, so it must have been hidden where no one could easily find it.”
“Hidden? No way. It was just sitting right on the desk!”
Violet said something similar last time… Why is everyone acting weird? Cynthia wondered.
It had been placed neatly on the desk, visible the moment she entered. Why was everyone insisting it was hard to find?
“Maybe someone moved it in the meantime…”
“No one enters that room except Violet.”
“Then Violet—”
No, if it were Violet, she would’ve found it easily… Only now did Cynthia feel something was off.
She looked at the notebook in Dale’s hand.
Had it been placed there for her to find? As if it wanted her to discover it?
“Sigh… Anyway, that’s not the point. Besides this notebook, did you find anything else?”
“Why?”
“If there’s more, show it to me.”
Cynthia closed her mouth and looked up at him.
She didn’t know how much to tell him. Taking the notebook back, she clutched it tightly.
“What about you? What do you plan to do with this? You told me not to get involved with the Baileys.”
“That only applies to you.”
“What is that supposed to mean…?”
Dale stared quietly at the notebook she had taken back. Cynthia noticed and quickly hid it behind her back, on guard.
Just try to take it!
Seeing her reaction, Dale sighed.
“I’m trying to expose the corruption inside the Bailey estate.”
“Corruption? What are you talking about?”
Dale shook his head.
“I can’t tell you the details, but that is why I left the estate.”
“Why would you suddenly do that? You’ve worked there so long! I thought you were… just like them.”
“Considering I gave you a house, I can see why you think that.”
Ugh… Dale shrugged and glanced around at the house he provided.
She had nothing to say to that…
Then he looked back at her and spoke calmly.
“There’s no grand reason. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. It’s late, but I want to set things right.”
He wants to set things right?
Coming from someone who seemed so loyal and composed behind the Baileys… it was hard to swallow.
But thinking about how he paid from his own pocket to rebuild her house after it was burned down…
Maybe Dale was more principled and decent than she thought.
“Then work with me.”
Cynthia said firmly—but he immediately shook his head.
“I doubt I would be much help.”
“What? Just look at this notebook! Doesn’t that show I’m someone who gets things done?”
“Do you have any other materials besides this?”
“That’s…”
She shut her mouth. She didn’t.
Dale turned away as if to prove his point. Cynthia quickly grabbed him again.
“I’m a witness!”
“A witness to what?”
“I witnessed Lady Elizabeth’s carriage accident!”
He turned sharply. His eyes scanned her up and down with suspicion.
“No matter how desperate you are, you shouldn’t make things up.”
Ugh. Calling her a liar right away?
Cynthia pushed her hair back, annoyed.
“Did you forget where the Baileys found me? They scouted me after hearing my voice right at the accident site!”
“Weren’t you just passing by?”
“I saw Lady Elizabeth get struck by the carriage with my own eyes. Right after the accident, everyone acted like they needed to keep quiet, so I hid for a bit. But I couldn’t just leave it—so I returned to check the scene!”
“And? Was something suspicious?”
“…What?”
Dale stepped closer.
“I asked if there was anything suspicious about the accident.”
