Chapter 85
At first, I didn’t quite understand what Giltheon meant.
When he said this case was an exception, he meant the culprit was someone of high status. When he mentioned that someone had purchased the information exclusively, it was clear he meant: I wasn’t going to be told anything.
“The culprit might’ve bought the information themselves, then.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t comment on that either.”
Giltheon smiled faintly. A scar under his eye that hadn’t been noticeable before showed when he smiled.
He didn’t seem to have any intention of handing over the information, so I didn’t bother pressing further.
When I glanced over, Ahin was still slumped over in the chair. She probably wouldn’t remember anything when she woke up.
Just when I was thinking maybe that was for the best, Giltheon spoke again.
“Now,” he said, leisurely crossing his legs.
“It’s time I told you why I came to find you, Duchess. I’ve wasted more time than I intended.”
“……”
“To start, I was sent by someone who is deeply concerned about you.”
“Someone concerned about me?”
Was there even such a person? The only one who truly cared about me was my father. But my father…
“…Don’t tell me it’s my father?”
I shot up from my seat, asking on instinct.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that. I’m simply carrying out my client’s request, and I’m not allowed to speak about anything beyond that.”
Only a cold response came back.
Giltheon glanced at his watch, then began speaking more quickly, saying there wasn’t much time.
“The reason I risked coming here is simple. You’re in danger, Duchess.”
“What?”
“You’re basically standing in the middle of a swamp without a weapon.”
My expression twisted instantly. And then came the line that left me even more stunned.
“If you keep doing nothing, you’ll be poisoned to death—just like your father. By that man.”
Poisoned…?
At the mention of poisoning, my eyes widened.
I had never told anyone—not even Johannes—that I suspected my father had been poisoned.
I had also hidden Father’s letter in a place no servant would ever find. Even if someone did discover his notebook and letters, they wouldn’t take the time to read through everything.
They wouldn’t hold the pages up to candlelight the way I did.
So who was this man…?
Up until now, the only people who knew my father had been poisoned were me—and the killer.
Or… my father, if he was still alive.
But even for a fixer, it should’ve been impossible to know that.
The thought flashed through my mind that maybe this man was somehow connected to the person who killed my father.
I narrowed my eyes and asked coldly,
“Where did you hear that? The thing about poison.”
But Giltheon remained completely unfazed. Instead, he glanced down at my skirt and said,
“You’re carrying something dangerous. A gift from the Duke, perhaps?”
“Stop dodging and answer me—”
“All I can tell you is that I heard it from someone who can’t reveal themselves to you directly.”
“…What?”
He observed my face with a strange expression. When I bit my lower lip, he said quietly,
“And if you’re thinking of calling for guards, I suggest you don’t.”
Then he added with a smile,
“Because if you do, you’ll never get the answers you’re looking for.”
I didn’t plan to shout anyway. Right now, he was the only person who seemed to know anything about my father.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you contact Lady Russell either.”
What nonsense was this? I narrowed my eyes.
“Of course, I’m not going to forcibly take you anywhere. But where you’ll be getting off… isn’t in Völlen.”
Giltheon continued spouting cryptic remarks. Then he even added that it was lucky Johannes had been busy with a recent murder case.
“The timing worked out perfectly. I’d been wondering how to get you out.”
He said it would be dangerous if the Duke found out, but his tone didn’t sound frightened at all.
So, to summarize…
Despite all Giltheon’s talking, I hadn’t learned a single useful thing.
“Why can’t I go to Lady Russell…?”
“Because she’s also after you.”
Lady Russell… is after me? What was that supposed to mean?
I grew more confused.
“You look curious, but I’m sorry. I can’t explain everything right now.”
“…You talk as if you know everything.”
“Of course. I’m the best fixer in Dothilia.”
Giltheon chuckled lowly, then his expression hardened.
“Avoid danger. Right now. Otherwise, your fate will be the same—death.”
“You expect me to believe that? When you haven’t explained a single thing? Are you just trying to get close to me because you know I still miss my father?”
“Just as my client said—you’re a very difficult person.”
He sighed.
“I can’t tell you everything. But my client told me to give you this note if you didn’t trust me. And if you believe what’s written on it, you’re to head to the address provided.”
He pulled out two slips of paper from his inner pocket and handed them to me.
I took them with a skeptical look and opened the first one. My face instantly drained of color.
“…This is…”
My fingertips trembled. I could barely hold the paper.
I clenched my hand tightly to keep hold of it, and the paper crumpled effortlessly.
I blinked slowly and stared at the words written clearly on the note.
Miriam Camps
And beneath it, in smaller writing:
Army Uniform
It was a code only my father and I could decipher.
I slowly lifted my head and stared directly at Giltheon, who was watching my reaction.
“Who… the hell are you?”
I pulled the revolver from my thigh holster and aimed it straight at his temple.
“He said you’d recognize it right away. Looks like he was right.”
“…What?”
He sounded like he was talking about my father.
“As I said, I’m a fixer.”
He shrugged.
“I understand this is all confusing. But I need you to know this—right now, you need to act alone. That’s the only way to survive, according to him.”
He had just told me not to ask about my father, but now he was handing me a note that clearly came from him. He was practically confirming it:
Your father sent this.
No one else would’ve known about the anagram game my father and I used to play.
It was just our little hobby, something we did since I was a child.
‘Miriam Camps’ unscrambled spells out “I am Issac Primm.”
And the second line:
Army Uniform
Uniform… Could that be referring to Johannes Schultz?
If Father really sent this message, then that line likely contained the most urgent warning he wanted me to know.
“Again, I was sent by someone who cares deeply for you. He insisted you go alone.”
He spoke as if he had truly met my father. And the evidence supported it.
Mentioning poisoning. Handing over a note with an anagram.
It was all knowledge only my father and I shared.
I pressed the gun harder to Giltheon’s temple.
“So is it him? My father? I’m asking you directly. You’d better answer truthfully. I can wait—but a bullet won’t.”
“If I was afraid of dying, I wouldn’t be doing this job.”
Giltheon smirked. He lightly pushed the barrel away with his finger and met my gaze.
“Please lower that. Couples really do resemble each other. You’re terrifying.”
He chuckled and continued.
“In any case, you have a decision to make.”
“……”
“Are you going to go to Lady Russell, who might want you dead? Or will you follow this and find the answers you’re so desperate for?”
I swallowed hard. He was pushing me to decide.
“The choice is yours, Duchess.”
If you make the wrong decision, it could get you killed. So believe in yourself.
I made up my mind and slowly lowered the gun. Then a sudden thought hit me.
“…Now that I think about it—if you’re here, who’s driving the train?”
