TCBUP 60

Chapter 60

 The Suspect

“I told you I didn’t do it. How many times do I have to say it?”

In one of the many rooms of the Count of Charet’s mansion, a small interrogation room had been set up.

It’s already been thirty minutes since I started trying to prove my innocence.

The reason I became a murder suspect boiled down to two things.

One: I was one of the few people present in the mansion when Count Charet was killed.

Two: I happened to be alone in the lounge at the time, so I couldn’t prove my alibi for the murder’s timeframe.

“Then provide us with an alibi.”

“I told you, I was in the lounge the whole time. The Countess told me to wait there because she wanted to talk with Lily.”

“Oh, I see. So you were having a friendly conversation with Miss Lily, who was on bad terms with you over Duke Ortiz, when the Countess insisted on taking her away—and you ended up in the lounge?”

“…”

Was she implying that I’d been pestering Lily again, and that the Countess had stepped in to separate us?

Well… in the past, yes, that kind of thing had happened.

But not this time. This time I had been perfectly calm, composed, and—yes—even brazen in my self-control.

Still, no matter how much I emphasized it, they wouldn’t believe me. I was so frustrated I could jump up and down.

Ping—

As if I wasn’t already at my wits’ end, a status window popped up.

[UNEXPECTED MISSION]

A murder has occurred at the Charet mansion.

Unfortunately, you are the prime suspect in the Count’s murder.

If you’re not careful, you’ll be facing the dreaded triple combo of imprisonment, trial, and execution.

You still have a bright future ahead of you and much to accomplish—surely you don’t want to vanish in disgrace on the executioner’s block?

No one believes you, so there’s only one way out: conduct your own investigation and clear your name.

Sudden mission “My Name Is Sienna. I’m a Detective.” begins now.

Success: Return home in one piece.
Failure: Suffer all manner of hardship in prison and court… before execution.

“I’ll solve it.”

The words came out the instant I saw the status window.

No need to think it over—this was something I absolutely had to do.

“What did you say?”

“If I catch the real culprit, then problem solved, right?”

“Don’t be absurd. You think we’d just let the prime suspect wander freely around the crime scene?”

“I may not have an alibi, but you don’t have any proof I’m the killer either.”

“Oh, but there is an alibi.”

The man who suddenly flung open the door made both me and the interrogator jump.

With neatly combed blonde hair, a crisp black suit over a red shirt, and a black silk tie, he frowned immediately at the sight of my bound hands resting on the table.

“Duke Ortiz, what brings you here?”

“It’s disrespectful to treat a young noblewoman like this. She’s only a suspect, not someone caught red-handed. What is this treatment?”

“N-no, that’s—”

“Release her immediately. Or the House of Ortiz will lodge a formal complaint with the watch.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

The officer hastily untied the cord from my wrists.

Even though it wasn’t rough rope but a softer binding—out of courtesy for my status—it had still left red marks in that short time.

“Are you all right, Sienna?”

“Yes, more or less.”

Still dazed, I looked up at him. He reached out toward the marks on my wrist, then hesitated and pulled his hand back.

“Your Grace… forgive me, but we’re in the middle of questioning—”

“Sienna was with me. In the lounge.”

“…What?”

What? Me? And more importantly—when did you even arrive?

Lily had said you were too busy to come.

Duke Damian stood beside me and set one hand on my shoulder.

His large hand lightly clasped my bare shoulder, and I shivered involuntarily.

“So her alibi is confirmed. I’ll be taking her.”

“You can’t, Your Grace. We have a witness.”

“A witness? Who?”

“The Countess of Charet.”

“Don’t you think this is reckless?”

“I have no choice. No one believes me, so I have to find the truth myself.”

I stopped abruptly in the corridor, making Damian—who had been following me—halt with a puzzled look.

“Are you seriously going to follow me around?”

“Thanks to me, you were released.”

“No, I mean—why? The alibi, all of it—why are you doing this?”

“Because I believe you.”

Damian stepped closer, meeting my eyes with steady sincerity.

“Above all, there’s no way you were having an affair with Count Charet.”

Ha. Just hearing it made my blood boil again.

Honestly—when I’m surrounded by so many accomplished men, why would I have an affair with a middle-aged man?

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I know. You’re not the type to love someone while straying to another, or to be promiscuous.”

“Well… hmm.”

Granted, Damian would know from experience that I’m not that kind of woman—he’d been so possessive that he might have even wished I would look elsewhere, just for variety.

“Besides, I don’t even know who Count Charet is.”

“He’s one of the Empress’s close aides.”

“Huh?”

“Not a high-ranking noble, but apparently trusted for taking care of… unpleasant tasks.”

So it could have been someone with a grudge against him.

Just then, a message notification popped up.

<MESSAGE>

Ahem. Long time no see, Sienna. I am Watson—your assistant.

From now on, I’ll help with your deductions. I’ll do my utmost to clear your name.

What the heck? Watson? That Watson—as in Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick?

I couldn’t believe this random mission was dragging famous names into the mix.

<MESSAGE>

The basics of any investigation begin with examining the crime scene. Perhaps we should start there?

I was going to do that anyway. What kind of “help” was this supposed to be? I glared at the status window in irritation, when something bumped against my hand.

Damian was handing me a stack of documents.

“Statements. Read them.”

“How did you get these?”

“I used the name of House Ortiz.”

“…Is that even allowed?”

“I said I was looking at them.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, shaking the papers slightly as if urging me to take them.

I hesitated, then accepted them.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“By the way, aren’t they going to assign guards to watch me? They made such a fuss about me being a prime suspect.”

“I told them I’d take responsibility.”

I could only stare at him in surprise.

He normally despised flaunting noble privilege, yet here he was, using it on my behalf. No matter how much he trusted me, it still seemed strange.

Is this the result of high favorability?

That was the only explanation I could think of.

“What?”

“No, nothing.”

I quickly lowered my gaze and turned the first page of the statement.

If I wanted to get home in one piece, I needed to complete this mission first.

As we walked toward the crime scene, I checked the statement from the Countess of Charet—the very testimony that had made me a suspect in the first place.

[Statement of the Countess of Charet]

Q. Please calm yourself and tell us exactly what happened at that time.
A. [sobbing] We were running low on champagne, so I was going to call for a servant. But everyone was busy entertaining guests in the garden. I hurried inside the house.

Then, by the grandfather clock on the second floor, I saw a man and a woman in an embrace. I was going to pretend I didn’t notice, but they began arguing. When I heard the man’s voice, I realized it was my husband. I was so shocked that I hid behind a pillar.

Their voices grew louder and they began to struggle physically. I decided not to intervene. Above all, I didn’t have the courage to face my husband’s infidelity. I never imagined he would do something like that behind my back. What am I to do now?

Q. Did you see the woman’s face?
A. No. Her back was to me. But she was wearing a violet dress. Since this banquet had a set dress code for guests, you could compare the list and find out who it was.

Q. Do you remember when you left the scene?
A. Yes. I saw the grandfather clock. It was exactly 11:10.

Hmm. If it’s about jealousy, then the Countess herself could be a suspect.

And a few words in her statement… felt off to me.