Chapter 34

“Once they got a taste of their share, they grew greedy. But when things escalated to the point the royal casino had to shut down, they panicked.”

Of course, Carmine Pierce—the one who had bribed the dealers—took no responsibility.

All he did was offer them a safe hideout under the excuse of “waiting to see how things play out.”

The dealers then shut themselves in there, half-willingly.

“You’ve worked hard. With this, we’ve gathered nearly everything we need. I knew it was right to entrust this to you, Detective.”

When Diana smiled in satisfaction, Orlando smiled too.

It was then that the parlor door opened.

“Uh, um… pretty noona—no, I-I mean, Lady Diana.”

“You’re here, Tita?”

“Oh my, look at you. You’re like a young gentleman now—I barely recognized you.”

Tita, dressed neatly in shorts and a smart outfit, looked far cuter than usual.

Whether it was the clean clothes or the fact he had properly washed, the scruffy air about him was gone.

“I-I’ve never worn clothes like these before!”

“They suit you well. I’m glad the size fits. Please accept them.”

“I-It’s fine, really… clothes like this are just… too much!”

“I heard you helped the detective a lot.”

Indeed, persuading the dealers quickly had surprisingly been thanks to this boy.

“Since the detective helped me, that means you helped me too.”

Tita hesitated, but in the end, his face brightened and he nodded enthusiastically.

He then ran over to Orlando, proudly showing off the red bow tie he was wearing for the first time.

The clothes Tita wore were Diana’s gift.

It was also her way of thanking him for delivering news to her at the Wellington estate during the three busy days when Orlando couldn’t come himself.

Many of the dealers had children. When Tita, being about the same age, delivered letters from their daughters, their hearts softened quickly.

Indeed, a child could break down barriers more easily than a bearded, square-jawed man.

“I also prepared apple pie, so don’t forget to take some. I tied your sister’s portion with a yellow ribbon. The one with the blue ribbon is yours, so make sure you eat it, alright?”

“B-But you always give me so much already! I can’t eat that much!”

“No excuses. I heard you always give your share to your sister.”

Diana put on a stern face.

“This one is from me. If you give it away, I’ll be sad. I believe you’ll eat it yourself. Got it?”

“…Got it. I’ll definitely eat it! Thank you so much, Lady Diana!”

“You’re welcome. Then I’ll leave the rest to you, Sarah.”

“Yes, my lady. Tita, come with me. Let’s go down to the kitchen.”

Without another word, Sarah led Tita away.

Diana and Orlando watched the boy go with warm smiles, noting how much brighter his expression had become.

A little later, after announcing her return time, Diana went out.

Her mother didn’t stop her—after all, she was invited to the Crawford ducal estate.

On the way, she deliberately took the long route to pass by the royal casino.

It’s starting to look decent now.

Rody Corner and Benny Corner—who had been caught for construction fraud and nearly killed—had gathered every connection they had.

They summoned every carpenter they knew to repair the building.

Naturally, all expenses were being covered by Simon Rexler.

One doesn’t always need to commit murder directly—sometimes using other people’s hands can achieve the goal.

That trio of interior fraudsters was surprisingly useful in that sense.

Of course, once this is done, I’ll have them arrested.

Even in modern times, genuine repentance could reduce sentencing.

There was no rush—she could decide their fate after seeing how far they went.

After checking the site, Diana arrived at the Crawford estate right on time.

As the carriage halted, the waiting butler stepped forward and opened the door.

“Welcome, Lady Diana.”

“We meet again, Herman.”

The mansion was as grand and intimidating as ever.

Unlike other noble houses, every servant they passed bowed deeply, and Diana couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed.

“Today, we’ll be guiding you to the annex.”

Even the usually formal butler seemed more deferential than before.

So the news of our relationship has reached the ducal house too?

Though she had braced herself, the treatment still felt burdensome. Diana gave an awkward smile and agreed.

The annex resembled a refined hotel, meticulously maintained.

A grand piano stood in the middle of the parlor, befitting the ducal family.

But what stood out most was the tea and dessert already prepared, timed perfectly with her arrival.

Madeleines, tarts, smoked salmon with spearmint, cucumber sandwiches, soufflés, brioches—

Every detail had been prepared with care, and the tea, served with jams, still steamed as proof it had just been brewed.

“Lady Monica gave special orders for this.”

“Ah…”

“She was greatly looking forward to meeting you today.”

“I’d like to greet her in person. Will I have the chance?”

“Of course.”

Even at the Lancaster marquisate, Lady Monica had welcomed her warmly.

Despite her stern appearance, she clearly had a kind side.

As Diana looked around the room, her gaze landed on a mahogany box.

Inside was a pair of brooches—leaf-shaped and strikingly beautiful, impossible to ignore.

But why were accessories placed in the parlor?

“Did Lady Monica prepare these too?”

“As for that…”

“That brooch was prepared by me.”

By now, Diana was no longer surprised at his sudden entrances.

She turned slowly toward the man who had entered through the side door.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Diana.”

Crossing the room, he bowed smoothly and pressed a kiss to her gloved hand.

“A single day apart felt like a year.”

She wanted to scold him for spouting nonsense, but refrained—Herman was still there.

Diana alternated her gaze between the brooch and Ian.

“What is this?”

“I prepared it for the royal banquet.”

Saying this, Ian guided her to the tea table.

When she sat down awkwardly, he pushed in her chair for her.

“I prepared it as best I could. What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s very pretty.”

“I’m relieved. If you don’t like it, there are plenty of other designs I can bring.”

“For someone of your standing to fuss over things like this… I appreciate it, but please leave it to me next time.”

“I did it because I wanted to. That hurts to hear.”

She hadn’t meant it like that, but Ian’s sad act was something she couldn’t bear to watch.

Diana turned to Herman, who was pouring tea, and thanked him, pretending not to notice Ian.

At a mere gesture from Ian, the butler understood and quietly left the room without a sound.

The moment Herman left, Diana asked,

“Alright, what’s your real intention?”

“My real intention?”

“The brooch.”

Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe for a moment he would prepare such jewelry without meaning.

Ian tilted his head in mild puzzlement.

“I already told you. I prepared it for the royal banquet.”

“And that’s all?”

“I don’t see why you think otherwise. My tuxedo also needs an accent, so I prepared it in advance. Is that wrong?”

“…”

“As your partner, of course I should prepare things for us.”

His bright smile as he said this only made it worse.

Diana shivered, goosebumps rising.

“I appreciate it, but I’d prefer you focused on other things. Please don’t suddenly cause a scene in front of my mother again.”

Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of that?

When she glared resentfully, Ian exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

There was no point arguing further—it would only tire her out.

Diana removed her gloves to drink her tea.

“How’s your hand?”

“It’s much better. Still a little inconvenient, though.”

Even after treatment from the physician, it hadn’t fully healed.

Fortunately, it was her left hand, so the inconvenience was minimal.

“I hope no scar remains.”

“The ointment you sent works very well. It’ll be fine. Thank you—though it’s late.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

Ian’s gaze lingered on her left hand for quite a while.