Chapter 14
‘His presence alone is overwhelming.’
The charisma flowing from his golden eyes, well-defined features, and impeccable posture wasn’t something a person could simply grow accustomed to.
Just being in the same room as him naturally drew everyone’s attention toward him.
Wasn’t his mother said to be a famous actress?
While his physical appearance resembled his father’s side of the family more, that captivating aura was undoubtedly something he had inherited from his mother’s side.
I clenched my molars to steady myself before offering him a warm smile.
“Welcome, Inspector McCallen.”
“I never expected to see you in Tessis, but somehow, it’s nice to see you.”
“Thank you for welcoming me despite my unexpected visit.”
I invited him to take a seat and instructed a maid to bring us some tea.
“But what brings you to Tessis?”
“Did you come all this way specifically to see me?”
“You could say that.”
“And you could also say that I didn’t.”
“Whenever I speak with you, Inspector, I feel like I’m playing Twenty Questions.”
“Hehe.”
Just get to the point already.
How twisted does someone have to be to never answer anything directly?
Then, as if he had been waiting for me to let my guard down, he suddenly struck.
“The operation to eliminate the bandits that Miss Rosalyn personally led…”
“I found it quite impressive.”
“Huh?”
“You were watching?”
“It seemed to be quite a significant event for the territory.”
“How could I possibly miss it?”
Strange.
I couldn’t tell whether he was saying that because he knew something…
Or whether he was simply making conversation.
“For such a young lady, who had only recently lost her parents, it was an exceptionally bold operation.”
“I couldn’t help but admire it the entire time.”
Hold on.
Something about this felt off.
Every single word sounded as though he were mocking me.
I knew nothing about noble etiquette.
But my instincts were screaming at me to stay alert.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of it.”
“But judging from the fact that you brought it up, Inspector, I suppose my operation must have had quite a few flaws.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Oh, come on.”
“You already know.”
“That it was all staged.”
The moment I confessed first, he looked at me with genuine surprise.
Then, instead of denying it, he said,
“I happened to discover that you had hired mercenaries.”
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that any of the people in the territory noticed.”
Thank you for kindly confessing that you investigated me.
Very useful information.
“Do you also know why I went through all the trouble of putting on such a performance?”
“I assume the Merchants’ Association had become quite a problem.”
“They claimed imaginary bandits had stolen their goods, so they couldn’t pay taxes.”
“They kept taking subsidies under the pretense of maintaining a militia that didn’t even exist.”
“There’s only so many times I’m willing to let people fool me.”
He slowly nodded.
“You used that opportunity to bring the Merchants’ Association under control.”
“And at the same time, you solidified your authority as the new lord.”
“Impressive.”
“If you had been the lord, Inspector, you would’ve never needed to plan such a performance.”
“No one would have dared underestimate you.”
“I’m someone who could never become a lord in the first place.”
Just then, the maid brought in tea and a few light refreshments.
Seeing what had been served, I let out a faint sigh.
After spending about two months with the House of Brough, I understood.
The cookies the maid had brought weren’t something this man would consider delicious.
Ash, who had probably grown up eating premium cookies made with as much butter and sugar as flour, wouldn’t even touch them.
Hmph!
If he leaves them behind, I’ll eat them myself.
May those who fail to appreciate the value of food fall into the hell of eternal hunger.
Anyway, after hearing the way I had spoken in front of everyone before, there was no longer any point pretending to be meek and obedient in front of him.
Thinking it was actually for the best, I relaxed and continued speaking.
“Well, enough about that.”
“Why did you really come?”
“Did you discover an important clue regarding the fire?”
“I came here in hopes of finding one.”
“I believe the people of Tessis know more about the late Baron and Baroness…”
“…their maid, Emma Hampton…”
“…and the coachman…”
“…than anyone else.”
Somehow, it felt as though he had deliberately left one person off that list.
Namely, “Rosalyn Tessis.”
But I didn’t bother pointing it out.
“In that case, whom should I introduce you to first?”
“I’d like to interview the servants who worked here, one by one.”
Well, if I were a police officer, I would have investigated the servants at the baron’s estate too.
“Although, I dismissed many of the servants not long ago.”
“As you can see, we couldn’t even afford the labor costs.”
“Was that dismissal your decision, Miss?”
“The butler managing the estate in my absence proposed it first.”
“I simply approved it.”
“Then would you like to speak with the butler, Glen, first?”
“That sounds good.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Instead of answering, I simply smiled brightly before calling for Glen, who had just returned from going out.
In the meantime, I noticed Ash take a sip of tea before picking up one of the cookies.
As he silently chewed and swallowed it, he didn’t frown or show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
Growing up in the wealthy House of McCallen, he probably had never eaten anything like this before.
Yet he didn’t discriminate over something as trivial as food.
Perhaps he wasn’t as rude as I had initially thought.
☆☆☆
Having no idea what was going on, Glen sat down in front of Ash.
Although he looked nervous, he answered every question calmly.
Without intending to, most of his answers ended up painting the late Baron Tessis as a rather unwise lord.
“So you’re saying there may have been people who held grudges against the Baron and Baroness of Tessis.”
“I can’t say that with certainty.”
“They certainly weren’t exceptional rulers.”
“But neither did they govern so poorly that they would inspire deep resentment…”
Ash quickly wrote down Glen’s answers.
“Then what about Miss Rosalyn?”
“I’m referring to things like her reputation and personal relationships.”
“Well…”
Glen, who had answered every question about the Baron and Baroness without hesitation, suddenly dragged out his words with an awkward expression.
Ash sensed there was something there.
“Our conversation will remain completely confidential.”
“Miss Rosalyn will never have the opportunity to retaliate against you.”
“So please speak honestly.”
“Otherwise, you yourself could end up in trouble for giving false testimony.”
Faced with the right mixture of reassurance and intimidation, Glen flinched before finally opening his mouth.
“M-Miss…”
“…wasn’t particularly well-liked.”
“She was the only daughter of the family and had been raised with great care.”
“So she tended to be rather arrogant.”
“She frequently replaced maids.”
“And occasionally…”
“…she became physically violent.”
“But to be fair, that sort of thing happens in many noble households.”
Once he started talking, accusations against Rosalyn poured out one after another.
Even so, Glen seemed to be trying his best to describe her in the most favorable light possible.
“What was her reason for replacing maids or resorting to violence?”
“Well…”
“It was usually because they were prettier than she was…”
“…or because they had the same hair color…”
“…or because they were popular with the male servants.”
“Hmm…”
“Young ladies at that age tend to be very sensitive about their appearance.”
“Our Miss…”
“No, our Baron…”
“…wasn’t exceptionally bad or anything.”
Ash couldn’t shake the feeling that the Rosalyn Glen described didn’t match the Rosalyn he himself had met.
Losing both parents and suddenly becoming the head of a noble family was certainly enough to change someone’s life.
But…
‘Based solely on the butler’s account, she sounds like a hopeless troublemaker.’
‘Yet I’ve met Rosalyn Tessis several times, and I’ve never once sensed anything like that from her.’
People like that usually couldn’t hide their true nature.
No matter how refined they pretended to be, their personality inevitably revealed itself through countless small habits.
Suddenly, a conversation he had once had with Louis came back to him.
“How can you be so certain that woman was Rosalyn Tessis?”
“When we brought her to the fire scene, the coachman—who was still barely conscious—clearly addressed her as ‘Miss Rosalyn.'”
“He had apparently served her for quite a long time.”
“He watched over her until his very last moments.”
“In what way?”
“The coachman was covered in black soot.”
“But she stayed beside him without caring that her clothes became filthy.”
“She cried for the dying man.”
“And she even promised to take good care of his family.”
And yet…
According to Glen, that same woman privately abused her servants and treated them as though they were nothing more than disposable tools.
Could both descriptions really belong to the same person?
‘But a servant who had worked for his master for so many years couldn’t possibly fail to recognize his own mistress…’
He wrote the unresolved question down in his notebook before continuing.
“Lastly, I’d like to ask about the maid named Emma Hampton.”
“What kind of person was she?”
“Ah…”
“Emma…”
Unlike when he had spoken about Rosalyn, Glen opened his mouth with a face filled entirely with sorrow.
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