Chapter 37
“How to Prove Your Innocence”
“It must be very uncomfortable for her.”
Hearing Zember’s quiet words, Carriaire lifted his eyes from the documents he was reading and looked at him.
“Yes, it must be uncomfortable.”
“Then, shall I prepare another bedroom not too far from this room…?”
“Zember.”
The elderly man with graying hair froze at Carriaire’s voice and immediately stopped talking. He bowed his head when he saw the silent face of his master.
“My apologies, Your Grace.”
Carriaire turned his attention back to the documents in his hand.
Zember knew that his master’s silence meant he no longer wanted to discuss the matter, so the old man quickly changed the subject.
“And, as you instructed earlier, I summoned the magicians in the territory to examine the castle. But except for Miss Heidi’s room and the library where Wizard Laperre reappeared, they found no traces of magic anywhere else.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. Three people checked at different times, and they all gave the same result.”
“…”
“No matter how skilled Wizard Laperre is, it is impossible to completely erase all traces of magic after using it.”
Carriaire tapped his finger lightly on the desk, thinking.
“And as you said, we searched the courtyard and found the whistle that Wizard Laperre seemed to have given Miss Heidi. We showed it to the magicians, but they confirmed it is now just a normal object without any magic in it.”
“…”
“The magicians believe it might once have been a magical item connecting the two, but not anymore. Of course, it doesn’t make any sound either.”
Zember placed the crumpled whistle on Carriaire’s desk. It had been crushed like a piece of paper in his master’s hand earlier, and now it was nothing more than scrap.
Carriaire picked it up and asked,
“Do you think my reaction is too much?”
“You did react more sensitively than usual, that’s true.”
Zember understood Carriaire’s reaction, though.
If the wizard connected to Heidi was really Laperre, it could completely ruin his plans.
“I know what worries you. Of course, Wizard Laperre can be unpredictable, but this isn’t the kind of thing that could be dismissed as just whim.”
“…”
“If the plan fails, Wizard Laperre would also be accused of helping in Heidi’s kidnapping.”
Carriaire agreed silently. Laperre was whimsical, but he wasn’t foolish enough to ruin such an important matter on a whim.
“Zember.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Are you sure the magicians inspected every building in the castle?”
“Yes. Each of the three magicians checked it separately. There was no mistake.”
“Then what about the people?”
“Pardon?”
Zember blinked, surprised by the unexpected question.
“N-no, we didn’t investigate the people. But Your Grace, none of the people working in Esperos Castle are connected to Miss Heidi.”
“Why?”
“Because in recent years, anyone new who came into the castle was sent away with recommendations to other families or given severance pay before this plan even began.
The people who remain have been working here for at least ten years and have chosen to stay on their own.
And… all of them are Hestonians.”
Zember believed his master’s worries were excessive this time.
Sure, someone might help Heidi escape eventually, but the servants here valued the memory of Zion’s death more than Heidi’s life. Zion was just as important to them as he was to Carriaire.
“You seem to be misunderstanding me, Zember.”
“What do you mean, misunderstanding?”
“Someone who hasn’t been working here for ten years. Someone who isn’t Hestonian.
Someone who even has a connection with Wizard Laperre.
Such a person definitely exists in this castle, doesn’t she?”
“W-what? That’s impossible! Surely in Esperos Castle right now there’s—”
“Heidi Eliana.”
Zember froze at Carriaire’s unexpected words.
“Y-you mean Miss Heidi would try to escape using magic?”
“That’s impossible! Yes, I know she once met Wizard Laperre in Zeros, and the whistle is his item, and he was the one who gave it to her, but…
Even if Laperre told her about the kidnapping plan or gave her another magical item, it makes no sense for Miss Heidi to willingly cooperate with her own kidnapping.
From Heidi’s perspective, it makes more sense to avoid being kidnapped than to help it happen.”
That was the reason Zember believed Wizard Laperre wasn’t guilty of betrayal.
If Laperre had told Heidi about the plan, she would never have been kidnapped so easily.
The fact that Heidi was now imprisoned in Esperos Castle…
That alone proved Wizard Laperre’s innocence.
Zember was sure of it.
But when he looked up at Carriaire, he saw a strange smile appear on his lips.
“Yes, you’re right. That’s the logical conclusion.
But Zember, suspicion isn’t something you can erase with logic alone.”
Zember stared at his master quietly. Carriaire’s gaze was fixed on the crumpled whistle.
“Go and tell Heidi Eliana this:
If she wants to prove her innocence, she should join me for tea every evening after dinner for one hour.”
“…So, starting today, His Grace said you should have tea with him for about an hour after dinner.”
This is the worst.
Honestly, when Laperre told me that Delphian Zeros wouldn’t arrive here before the morning after tomorrow, I thought things couldn’t get any worse.
“…Turns out they can.”
“Pardon?”
I quickly shook my head at May’s questioning look.
I already suspected Carriaire would start doubting my connection to Laperre the moment he found out I still had the whistle… or rather, the moment he saw Laperre appear in front of me.
“Hey, May.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“…What would happen if I refused this tea time His Grace is talking about?”
May’s eyes darted nervously before she answered in a low voice,
“Well… normally, anyone who disobeys the Grand Duke’s orders is sent to the underground prison.”
“Underground prison…”
I sighed deeply, rubbing my face in frustration.
If only the whistle still worked, escaping from Carriaire’s bedroom would have been harder than escaping from the underground prison.
“…But that’s impossible right now.”
“Miss?”
“Ah, nothing. Do you know where the tea time will be held?”
“Probably in the office. His Grace usually has tea and finishes work there after dinner.”
“Really?”
I thought fast. If it was in his office, that was at least better than his bedroom.
During the return to the bedroom, I’d likely be alone or accompanied only by May.
“Good. So it’s the office?”
I stood up slowly.
Life never goes as planned.
And whenever a plan fails, what decides your fate is the choices you make in that moment.
If I can’t avoid it, there’s no need to delay. Let’s go, May.
My best option was to have tea with Carriaire and look for a chance on the way back to the bedroom.
“I heard you finished dinner quite a while ago, but you’re later than I expected, Heidi.”
The moment I saw Carriaire resting his chin on his hand in the chair, I thought:
Maybe refusing tea and going straight to the underground prison would have been the better choice.
“Don’t just stand there. Sit down.”
“…Yes, I will.”
Damn it, nothing is going my way.
