Chapter 38
Roil went down to the investigation room in the basement with Benner, while Ellen stayed alone in Diana’s bedroom.
Hmm… so Silla really isn’t the culprit? Am I just trapped in my prejudice, or do I dislike that girl and want to blame her?
Ellen was lost in thought when she reached to switch the hot water bag Marsha had brought with the one Diana was holding.
“Ugh…”
Diana let out a small groan.
“Auntie!”
Ellen called out excitedly and clutched Diana’s bed.
“Auntie, are you awake?”
“…Ellen?”
“Yes, it’s me. Ah, would you like some water?”
Diana closed her mouth and nodded weakly at Ellen’s offer, and Ellen quickly pulled the drawstring. Just then, Marsha entered Diana’s room.
“Marsha, auntie is awake. Please bring her some water.”
“Yes, miss.”
After Marsha left, Ellen immediately wrote a note:
Auntie is awake.
“Now, Nesh.”
Nesh, sitting next to Diana’s pillow and looking at her face, turned his head at Ellen’s call, understanding that she wanted him to attach the note to his necklace.
“Go to Roy.”
Before Ellen even finished speaking, Nesh had already headed toward the door as if he knew exactly where to go.
“He’s quick-tempered, just like his father, huh?”
Ellen laughed awkwardly at Diana, who responded with a weak smile.
“Now that Nesh has been sent, Roy will come soon too.”
Soon, there was a knock on the door, and Marsha entered again. She remembered that Ellen didn’t have many people she could trust and had come herself with water.
“Thank you, Marsha.”
Ellen, knowing Marsha’s kind heart, expressed gratitude on Diana’s behalf.
“It’s nothing. I’ll also bring some food. Would soup be alright?”
Diana smiled and nodded.
After Marsha left the room again, Ellen asked the question she had been meaning to ask.
“Auntie, Roy checked the servants’ duty logs yesterday, and Silla was out of the mansion. Then she came back in the middle of the night—did you know she left?”
“Yes. Since the night before, she hadn’t been feeling well and wanted to see the doctor. Her lips had turned pale, so I told her to do so. I don’t think she returned until nightfall.”
Doctor?
Ellen immediately thought of Dr. Reeve and noticed something strange. But seeing Diana still looked unwell, she kept quiet.
“I see. But why hasn’t Roy come yet?”
Ellen had brought up Roy’s name to change the topic but realized belatedly that she had accidentally called him “that boy.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Ellen shrugged her shoulders and stuck out her tongue slightly. Diana just laughed softly, patting her head.
Ugh, this habit of mine… I really need to fix it.
Ellen felt even more embarrassed as she mentally scolded herself. Recently, she had realized how difficult it was to act gracefully in front of others without fixing her speech habits.
“Mother!”
A hurried knock came from outside the door, followed by Roy’s voice.
“Come in.”
“Come in!”
Diana’s reply was weak, almost too quiet to hear, so Ellen repeated it. The door swung open immediately after.
“Mother!”
Roy rushed to Diana’s bedside, checking on her.
“How are you feeling? Are you alright?”
Diana, smiling, touched his cheek.
“I’m fine now. You must have been very worried.”
“I was! How could I not be?”
Ellen, sitting in the chair by the bed, stood up and pulled Roy to sit. Roy, guided by her, sat silently, fidgeting with Diana’s hand.
Diana still didn’t look well, and Roy couldn’t ask her more, nor could he explain the investigation or talk about the mansion or border affairs. His eyes wandered helplessly.
Noticing this, Diana held his hand.
“Roy, what day is it today?”
“The 88th day of autumn.”
At her sudden question, Roy paused briefly before answering.
“The 88th day… Then the message your father sent this afternoon will arrive. It’s not wartime, so you can manage things yourself. If I’m awake, I’ll help; if not, consult Benner. And about the southern part of the territory…”
When Diana started talking about the estate, Ellen quietly left the room, feeling it was impolite to listen to someone else’s estate affairs.
I’m curious about how the interrogation is going… Should I wait for Roy or not?
Standing outside the door, Ellen decided to go to her room.
First, I should let mom know that auntie is awake.
Ellen collapsed onto her bed, rolled over, stretched, and pulled a sky-blue box from her pocket.
“Oh?”
The box contained a note from Gloria.
I completely forgot this obvious fact, but if there’s an elemental, it might help investigate the case. I didn’t have time to request cooperation from Edelheim, so I sent a messenger to the nearest elemental temple just now…
Ah, right? Why didn’t I think of an elemental? Mom really is different.
I’d like to visit Karzelga again, but there’s too much work. Please take care on my behalf and don’t overdo it.
The note also had Gloria’s date and time. Ellen calculated the time for the messenger to reach the elemental temple and the teleportation office, concluding the elemental would arrive soon.
I need to tell Roy.
Her mind said that, but her body sank deeper into the bed. She decided to lie down a little longer until Diana and Roy finished talking. Dr. Reeve’s words echoed in her head.
Earlier, the butler showed me the scene. Judging by the black soil, the poison was probably poured from about the second floor. If it were poured from the first floor, it wouldn’t have splattered that much.
Did the butler know whose room it was?
Yes. Liri? Ririn? That’s the name he muttered.
Could Ririn really be the culprit?
Ellen, who had promised to help Roy but had never actually done an investigation in her life, rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a bit dazed.
Am I letting personal feelings sway me? All the evidence points to Ririn. Could Silla really be innocent?
“Ellie.”
Lost in thought, Ellen heard a knock and Roy’s voice.
“Come in.”
Ellen got up from the bed, and Roy entered with a smile. They sat on the sofa.
“And auntie?”
“She ate and went back to sleep. I left her with Marsha for a while. Thanks for being there with mom.”
“I literally just stayed beside her, that’s all.”
Ellen sank into the sofa.
The doctor said, judging by how the poison splattered in the flowerbed, it seems it was poured from the second floor of the servants’ quarters. And Benner said that room belongs to Ririn.
Ellen briefly scratched her nose.
“Oh, I heard from Benner.”
“I see.” Ellen nodded and asked another question.
“What were the results of the investigation?”
“…”
Roy was silent for a moment.
“Nothing came up.”
“Nothing?”
“There’s no trace of Silla at all.”
“Not even a chance she was an accomplice?”
“Nope, none.”
Ellen folded her arms, staring silently at the table. Waiting for her thoughts to settle, Roy spoke again.
“Even before I went to the investigation room, Benner was focusing on Silla.”
“Really? Even when we hadn’t mentioned Silla, Benner already suspected her?”
“But nothing came up…”
“Investigations in this world have limits. There’s no scientific forensics, mostly just questioning and visible evidence. Finding something conclusive is harder than expected.”
“Exactly. That’s why we suggested CCTV…”
Ellen nodded.
“Any magical items?”
“There’s a magical observation orb, but it isn’t installed indoors.”
“And Ririn’s motive?”
Roy sighed deeply.
“She denied everything. She said she didn’t even know the cup had poison and cried hysterically, saying she could never do that to mother. The interrogation had to pause for a moment because she was sobbing so hard.”
“Ririn served tea to auntie, right? Silla was away, so she did it instead. And she even checked for poison in front of auntie.”
“Yes. The poison was on the inner wall of the cup and where the lips touch.”
Ellen imagined the cup and tilted her head.
“If that’s enough to knock someone out, it’s deadly poison. The doctor said it wasn’t professionally made. Could a regular person make something that strong?”
“Apparently, depending on how Shimpure is processed, it can be extremely toxic.”
Roy gently smoothed Ellen’s furrowed brow.
“Roy, look at this.”
Ellen handed him the note.
“What’s this?”
“It’s from mom.”
Roy opened it and raised his head.
An elemental… right. I completely forgot.
“Me too. But you know it won’t automatically solve everything just because the elemental comes, right?”
Ellen said cautiously, not wanting to be disappointed.
“I know. Still, it’s the best option for now.”
Elementals do not lie.
It was common sense in this world, as natural as believing the Earth is round.
Elementals were said to exist everywhere. Ellen had never seen one, so she was skeptical, but with their existence confirmed and many tasks performed using their power, disbelief was impossible.
Knock.
At that moment, Ellen and Roy turned toward the door. With Ellen’s permission, Benner entered.
“Lord Roilet, Miss Elenoa. Ember has arrived.”
Roy’s face brightened. One more trusted person had arrived at the mansion.
“I’ll go myself.”
Roy stood to go to the first floor. Ellen followed to greet Ember after a long time, with Benner trailing behind.
Ember, seen after a long time, seemed even younger, likely from a comfortable life in her hometown, though her face still showed fatigue and worry.
“Thank you for coming, Ember.”
Roy ran forward and grasped her wrinkled hand tightly.
“I had to be by madam’s side. How shocked and distressed you must have been!”
Ember’s eyes glistened with tears.
“Miss Elenoa is here too.”
“While Ember was away, Ellie took good care of mom, helped a lot, and was a big support.”
Roy praised Ellen, who smiled awkwardly, then noticed the boy behind Ember.
The boy, a few years older than them, stood straight with a serious expression.
Who is he? The one who came to fetch Ember?
“Ellie, this is Kashu. I mentioned him, right?”
Roy introduced him, noting Ellen’s gaze.
“This is Miss Elenoa Quinter.”
“I’m Kashu.”
Kashu bowed stiffly, expression unchanged.
“Nice to meet you.”
Though he was expressionless like Silla, he gave off a very different vibe. Ellen smiled lightly at Kashu.
