Chapter 5
“W-What should I do?”
Seeing the gruesome corpse turned my mind completely blank. I had to report this first…
But contrary to my thoughts, my legs wouldn’t lift off the ground. Just standing was hard enough. My hands trembled, and a flood of thoughts swirled in my head.
Was I even supposed to be a witness in the original story? No matter how much I thought about it, I wasn’t. I didn’t expect the original to go off the rails like this.
First, I had to get out of here. I slowly stepped backward toward the door. As soon as my body touched it, I turned around and hurried out of the shop.
Outside, twilight had already fallen, and darkness was beginning to settle.
I rushed toward the guard station. The moment I stepped outside, my pace gradually quickened until I ended up running.
“Haah… haah… Excuse me!”
By the time I arrived at the guard post, I could taste metal in my throat. I guess I was more exhausted since I never had a reason to run inside the duke’s residence.
“What’s the matter?”
A large man approached and asked.
“At the apothecary! The man there—!”
“What about the man at the apothecary?”
“He’s dead! Please, go quickly!”
“…….”
The guards all jumped up from their seats, their faces filled with shock. The previously quiet guard station suddenly became a flurry of movement.
“Can you tell us what you witnessed?”
I nodded at the man’s words, and he approached with pen and paper. Soon, he began asking various questions, and I answered honestly, just as I had seen it.
“There wasn’t any dried goat liver. So I went to find it using the directions the apothecary had drawn for me…”
“Do you remember what time it was?”
“The sun was already setting, so probably around four.”
“And after seeing the body, you came straight here?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. It’s late, so you should head home now. Where do you live? We’ll escort you.”
“The Duke’s estate.”
The man paused for a moment at my answer before slowly speaking again.
“The Duke’s estate… What do you do there?”
“I work as Dr. Scott’s assistant.”
“Ah, you’re a physician. Got it. Let’s go.”
The man took the lead and guided me, and I returned to the Duke’s residence under the guard’s escort.
By the time I arrived back in my room, night had completely fallen, and I was utterly drained.
“Ugh… I’ll just wash up and sleep.”
I was so tired that I went straight to bed without even eating dinner. But I couldn’t fall asleep. The thought that the original plot had really gone off the rails—and that my turn might be next—kept haunting me. I’d never had such a chaotic night.
* * *
“Elena! Dr. Scott is calling for you!”
I was woken by someone knocking on the door early in the morning.
“……”
I had barely slept at all the night before. I think I only managed to doze off around dawn.
When I opened the door, the red-haired maid from before was standing there.
“Did you sleep well? The Duke returned yesterday, so you’ll need to attend the morning checkups again starting today!”
“Oh… Okay.”
“You’ll need to get ready and come out right away!”
“Okay.”
I closed the door and changed clothes. As I moved, the drowsiness began to fade.
“The Duke returned? Yesterday?”
He definitely hadn’t been there before I went out.
So he must have returned either while I was out or afterward. Don’t tell me—did he kill the second victim and then come straight back?
The timing felt suspiciously coincidental. If only I knew what time the second victim died, it would be clearer—but I didn’t know.
The second victim had appeared sooner than expected, and the weight in my chest grew heavier. That probably meant my turn was coming even faster. Now there were only two people left before me.
I was convinced again—leaving this place as soon as possible was the only answer. I should tell them I’m leaving today.
When I opened the door after getting ready, the maid was still waiting outside.
“If you’re ready, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
The maid walked ahead with quick, light steps. Her neatly tied hair bounced cheerfully as she walked.
After quite a walk, we arrived at the third floor of the main building. Dr. Scott was standing outside the Duke’s room, just like when I’d first met him. He looked me over with a dissatisfied expression.
“You’re slow.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Let’s go in.”
Dr. Scott knocked on the Duke’s door and opened it.
Duke Calix stood inside, sunlight shining behind him like a halo.
So dazzling…
I couldn’t tell if it was his looks or the sunlight that was blinding me.
But then I looked more closely… something seemed off.
He looked… tired?
Once my eyes adjusted, his face became clearer. At a glance, he didn’t seem that different—but if you looked closely, he did. His skin seemed a bit dehydrated, and his expression looked oddly weary.
Was he worn out from committing murder?
Unaware of my thoughts, Dr. Scott sat down and began speaking to the Duke.
“Did your retreat go well?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Retreat? I hadn’t heard about that. Even the original story never mentioned anything like that.
“Did you have any discomfort while you were away?”
“I brought the medicine, so I was fine.”
“That’s a relief. I always worry since you go without medical staff.”
“There’s no need to worry so much. Ah-choo!”
“You’re still sneezing, I see.”
“My nose is always itchy. It never seems to get better.”
While they were talking, Luka suddenly approached me.
“Woof! (Hi! You came too!)”
“Hi. Long time no see.”
Seeing Luka—large but adorable—made me smile. Dogs are never at fault.
I reached out and petted him without thinking about the ongoing checkup. Luka began licking my hand.
“Hehe, that tickles.”
“Pant pant. (I love you, Elena!)”
“So cute.”
I was completely distracted, petting and playing with Luka, when I noticed the silence around me.
Oh, right. This is during the Duke’s checkup.
Slowly lifting my gaze, I saw both men watching me.
“Ahaha, sorry. Luka was so cute I got carried away.”
“How curious. Luka’s never been so affectionate with anyone else.”
“He’s right. That dog usually doesn’t even look at other people.”
“Dr. Scott is correct. It really is unusual.”
“Huh.”
Both men looked at Luka and me with fascination. Luka, meanwhile, kept wagging his tail, nudging me to keep playing.
“Ahem, for now, I’ll prescribe the usual medicine to help with symptom relief.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
Dr. Scott quickly finished the checkup and left the Duke’s room.
“Huh? Doctor! Wait for me!”
I tried to follow him out quickly, but—
“Elena.”
A deep, gentle voice called from behind me.
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you play with Luka a bit longer?”
“Ah, well…”
I liked Luka, but I really didn’t want to be alone with the Duke!
“Luka seems to really like you…”
With his eyebrows slightly drooping, the Duke looked like a pleading puppy himself.
Ah, my heart. Please don’t make that face, Your Grace. A shallow person like me is weak to things like that.
I couldn’t resist his expression and ended up babbling under the weight of my own foolishness.
“T-Then, would it be okay if I played just a little?”
“Of course. Luka would love that. Here, take this—his favorite treat.”
Duke Calix smiled brightly as he handed me a treat from the drawer.
The moment I took it, Luka leapt toward me.
“Luka! Wait! Sit!”
To my surprise, Luka immediately obeyed and sat down.
Ahh, adorable. Look at those sparkly eyes.
I waved the treat back and forth, and Luka’s head followed it intently.
“Woof woof! (Gimme the treat! Now!)”
“Okay, okay. Here you go.”
I pulled the treat from the pouch and handed it over. Luka gobbled it up instantly.
Then I heard a soft whimper from the bed.
“Huh? Tofu?”
The little puppy Tofu seemed unable to get down from the high bed on its own.
“Tofu wants some too. But he’s still too young.”
The Duke picked Tofu up and gently set him down, offering a softer treat.
The squirming puppy looked just like a fluffy cotton ball—it was unbearably cute.
I was so charmed by the peaceful scene that I spoke without thinking.
“You must really love dogs, Your Grace.”
“Yes, very much. My first dog… has already gone far away.”
“Oh…”
How old was the Duke again? According to the original story, Duke Calix was 22 when he was executed. So that would make him 21 now.
“How old is Luka?”
“Six.”
“I see…”
An awkward silence fell. The Duke looked lost in memories, perhaps thinking of his departed dog.
I didn’t know what to say either, so I just quietly petted Luka. Losing a loved one is a sorrow I can’t even imagine. If he could feel emotions, that is—separate from being a serial killer.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed.
Someone knocked on the Duke’s door.
“Elena! The guards are here to see you!”
“…Ah.”
“The guards? Is something wrong, Elena?”
Hearing the maid’s words, Duke Calix’s expression turned puzzled.
What was I supposed to say now? I kept my mouth shut, unable to utter a single word.
