Chapter 45
When I hesitated, Johannes gently wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“You can speak. You’re my wife, and no one here has the right to silence you.”
Even if that person were royalty. Johannes added the remark as he cast a dry glance at Edward.
That gave me courage. I slowly opened my mouth.
“Then… I hope you’ll consider this as the words of someone who’s only read a few books.”
Of course, I had never actually read any relevant books.
But if I didn’t say something, no one would even pretend to listen.
“To be honest, I don’t know. I haven’t seen the body.”
Pfft. I heard a snicker nearby.
“Duchess, this isn’t the place for women to be—”
The mocking voice gradually trailed off and then stopped altogether. Must’ve met Johannes’ gaze.
I continued, undeterred.
“So I think we need to take a look.”
As I took a step forward, silence fell over the basement.
“Do you really want to see it?”
Edward erased his surprise and narrowed his eyes.
It was an obvious provocation. He was asking if I could maintain my composure after seeing the corpse.
I didn’t know anything, but I didn’t want to back down from such a childish provocation.
What, did they think I’d faint?
I braced myself and nodded. Edward signaled with his eyes, and one of the officers lifted the cloth covering the body.
Fortunately, the body was much cleaner than I’d expected. But I couldn’t tell how she had collapsed.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and asked.
“There are no signs of assault. It’s unlikely she slipped because of the boxes either. How exactly was this woman lying when you found her?”
I asked the officers. I made eye contact with all of them, but no one answered.
In other words, none of them had actually observed anything properly.
I let out a deep sigh and squatted down to examine the body more closely.
“From the bright pink livor mortis on the right cheek and limbs, it seems she collapsed on her right side. The stiffness only appears in the joints, so it hasn’t been more than five hours since death.”
Huh?
Even I was surprised at how smoothly the words came out. But I also felt oddly familiar with this kind of situation.
My body moved on its own. Instinctively, I placed my hand near the corpse’s neck. There was still warmth.
“Judging by the minimal drop in body temperature, I’m likely correct. And…”
I examined the woman’s body closely, then stood up and said:
“Wasn’t the cause of death poisoning?”
I glanced around the room.
The officers stared at me in shock. Edward’s brow furrowed. And Johannes…
Still expressionless, but I thought I saw a flicker of admiration in his blue eyes.
Or maybe not.
I stood up from my crouched position and continued.
“It would be best to investigate the people she usually associated with. Also, find out what she did for a living.”
“Duchess, sorry to interrupt,”
Edward gently cut me off.
“That’s quite the deduction. But isn’t it too early to assume she was a victim?”
“…Still, she doesn’t look like someone who came down to a basement alone and suddenly died. It’s possible she had tea with the culprit at that table over there.”
I pointed to the table placed in the center of the basement. But Edward, despite claiming he’d listen, looked displeased.
“There’s already chaos because of the murder in Mussen. Jumping to the conclusion that this is another homicide is reckless.”
“That teacup you’re holding, Director—wasn’t that found at the scene?”
I gestured toward the teacup he’d been holding since earlier.
“It’s unlikely you’d be casually drinking tea from the deceased’s cup at a crime scene. Especially not someone like you, Director.”
Then I shifted my gaze toward a corner of the room. Next to a dusty gramophone, shards of glass glinted.
They matched the cup Edward was holding.
“There was probably poison in the tea. When the victim realized it, she must have thrown the cup at the culprit… There could be a wound on the body.”
I added, gesturing to the scratch on Edward’s cheek that had been bothering me since earlier.
“Like that cut on your cheek, Director.”
Edward smiled softly at my final comment, and the officers burst out laughing.
“But the surroundings are too clean for that. We don’t know when that shard appeared, and there are no signs of a struggle.”
Edward looked regretful as he said:
“If we didn’t already have a forensics department, I’d hire you as an officer on the spot, Duchess. What a shame.”
When I looked at him with a confused expression, he turned to the officers.
“But that’s a separate matter. You guys—firing you is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”
He slowly walked around the dark basement, then turned back to me and continued:
“A true officer of Dochilia should investigate based on deductions like these. But you guys? Touching the body carelessly and being rude to the Duchess—truly disgraceful.”
Tsk. Edward clicked his tongue, and the officers stopped chuckling. Only much later did they realize they’d been fired, and they stiffened like statues.
I looked away from them and faced Edward.
“As I said earlier, that deduction was quite convincing, Duchess. But…”
“But what?”
“We already tested for poison using a chemical reagent. Nothing was detected.”
My face hardened immediately, having spoken so confidently. Edward added with a faint smile:
“Maybe it was sudden death. A heart attack. That happens often, doesn’t it?”
He shrugged.
“That can’t be. Her muscles are stiff, there are signs of vomiting, and her pupils are constricted.”
“Usually, when someone dies of a heart attack, their pupils are dilated.”
Another voice cut in—it was Johannes. He supported my theory.
“And they don’t vomit, either.”
That gave me courage. Even Edward, who had looked like he was dismissing my theory, fell silent.
I looked back at the limp body. There was definitely dried foam around her mouth.
Even as I wondered how I was saying such professional things, I asked in a confident voice:
“Then how could this possibly be a natural death?”
* * *
I let out a bitter laugh.
Edward said he’d take my opinion into account, but insisted it wasn’t good for outsiders to stay too long and sent us away.
It was true that after the first murder, Mussen Police had temporarily lost jurisdiction to the navy. But now that Edward Windsor, the former Police Director of Barden, had arrived, it was time for them to reclaim it.
Apparently, the navy soldiers guarding the entrance had been there because of that power struggle.
The navy men who had so boldly let Johannes in now slumped their puffed chests as he returned seemingly empty-handed.
On the other hand, the officers looked smug and lifted their shoulders high, casting glances at the navy men and smirking.
Johannes, however, didn’t seem to care about their little power games.
We were walking toward the carriage. Once we had moved quite a distance from the building, Johannes, who had remained silent until now, finally asked:
“What was that?”
There was no sarcasm or disbelief. He was asking sincerely.
“Do you always enjoy making deductions? I had no idea.”
Of course, I wanted to answer. Desperately, even.
But I couldn’t say anything. Even I had been confused by what had just happened.
It’s true that I studied pharmacology and know a bit about poisons. But I swear I never had any interest in crime scenes.
It’s not that I was scared, but…
How did I estimate the time of death? How was I able to examine the body so calmly? How did I deduce it was poisoning?
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck my head. I reflexively clutched it, and Johannes quickly caught me.
