Episode 7

Suddenly, I opened my eyes to find silence looming over the vast opera theater.

“Now… it’s time to get up.”

Startled by the low voice ringing in my ears, I jolted upright. Until that moment, I had been asleep, my neck craned awkwardly against the Duke’s shoulder.

Hastily smoothing my disheveled hair, I looked around to see the opera theater deserted by the audience. The cleaning staff moved about in the bleak auditorium below.

“Is it, is it already over?”

“It ended… quite a while ago.”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I just… haven’t been able to sleep at all lately….”

In haste, I wiped the corners of my mouth where saliva had slightly dribbled with my palm.

Honestly, the opera was truly boring.

Whether it was the cocktails or the classics, I must have fallen into a deep sleep as soon as the opera’s first piece began.

The Duke gazed at me with an ambiguous expression. He must think of me as an uncultured woman again.

I scolded my careless self and bowed my head deeply. It was absurd that I had dozed off, leaning against the shoulder of a murderer who could kill me.

Then, an indifferent voice dropped over my head.

“Is your lack of sleep because of me?”

“What?”

“Because my face haunts you.”

It seemed he was referring to the contents of the summons I had sent him three days ago.

“Ah, yes, of course. I stay up all night thinking of you, Your Grace.”

Once I got a hold of the concept and kept at it, it was like I brainwashed myself; now such words flowed out effortlessly.

“……”

The Duke, once again, asked only what he wished to inquire and then firmly shut his mouth.

So, we walked in silence from the theater to the carriage that was waiting for us.

“Then, I’ll see you next time, Your Grace.”

As I was about to board the princess’s carriage, regretting the grand failure of the second summoning investigation, I heard the Duke’s composed voice from behind.

“From now on, I will inform you in advance of our meeting times, so please get proper sleep.”

“What?”

“Well then, that’s all.”

With those brief words, he turned and strode swiftly to his own carriage.

Anyway, he’s someone who only says what he wants to say. I shook my head once and quickly climbed into the princess’s carriage.

*

A few days later, Martha handed me a pretty envelope along with the morning newspaper.

“Your Highness, the debutante invitation has arrived. What should we do with it?”

“Have I ever attended such an event before?”

I tilted my head towards Martha, questioning.

“Hmm… You usually attend social events only if Grand Duke Killian is also attending, right?”

“Ugh.”

I groaned softly. It seems Charlotte was a person of consistency; everything always led back to ‘Grand Duke Killian.’

I handed the invitation back to Martha without reading it. I didn’t have time to investigate, let alone attend every social gathering.

“Then I’ll pass. I think I’ll be tired.”

“But Grand Duke Killian will be attending this event, won’t he?”

“Martha, I’m not interested in him anymore.”

“Ah! That’s right, Your Highness is in love with Duke Adler now!”

Love… what nonsense.

But I nodded to Martha in line with my concept, forcing a smile so stiff that my mouth twitched.

“Then, I’ll write a reply to the Count Mosston’s house expressing your non-attendance.”

Wait. The Count Mosston’s house?

I lifted my head quickly. The first victim of the serial killings was the private tutor of the Mosston Count’s household.

“Is the debutante ball being held at the Mosston Count’s residence?”

“Yes, it’s for Miss Mary Mosston, the Count.”

I snatched the invitation Martha was holding and read it hastily, my eyes sparkling with realization.

Usually, the cycle of serial killings shows a certain tendency. For instance, the interval might decrease as the killer fails to suppress the rising urge, slow down as the investigation proceeds, or remain constant.

However, the crime cycle in this case had no discernible pattern. ’16 weeks ago ? 15 weeks ago ? 10 weeks ago ? 8 weeks ago.’

This means the crimes occurred with intervals of 1 week, 5 weeks, and 2 weeks, and now 8 weeks have passed without another incident.

Therefore, the perpetrator didn’t commit the murders based on his psychological state but acted whenever a ‘reason to kill’ arose.

Perhaps a clue that motivated the crime might be found at the location where the victim stayed.

“I’ve changed my mind. I will attend the debutante ball.”

“Then it will be the first time you meet Grand Duke Killian since the engagement!”

“Didn’t you say that person has no interest in me? I’m not interested either.”

I said with a pout.

Whether it’s Killian or Kilimanjaro, why should I care about someone who dislikes me?

Just then, Martha suddenly looked crestfallen.

“But Your Highness…”

“What? Is there a problem?”

“You don’t have a dress to wear to the ball.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I wore a bewildered expression.

Isn’t everything hanging packed in the dressing room a dress?

I sprang up from my seat and headed to the dressing room.

Swoosh-!

As I flung open the door to the dressing room, a pile of dresses appeared.

I turned to Martha and voiced my protest.

“Martha, there are plenty of dresses here, aren’t there?”

“Your Highness… Are you really planning to wear one of these dresses?”

At Martha’s words, I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized the dresses closely.

All flashy and fancy… What the…?

“Good heavens… What is all this!”

As I took in the aspects of each dress, an involuntary shriek escaped me.

Martha covered her ears at my shouting, which echoed through the princess’s palace for the first time in a long while.

Truly, the dresses were literally sparkling and extravagant.

A wedding-dress-like beaded gown, as white as snow; an indecent dress revealing the chest and back; a gigantic cotton candy-like dress with mountains of lace…

Even at a glance, there didn’t seem to be a normal dress in sight.

“Have I, have I been wearing these all along?”

“Yes… You’ve always bought eye-catching dresses for the ball to attract Grand Duke Killian’s attention.”

“This isn’t just eye-catching, it’s…!”

I was at a loss for words, staring blankly at the dresses.

These dresses are insane, aren’t they?

They were the kind of bizarre dresses that would scream for attention in a ballroom.

“The dress you wore to the recent wedding of Lady Irina, the Baroness, was this one.”

My mouth fell open at the dress Martha held up.

It was a beautiful, splendid, elegant… pure white wedding dress.

Surely, it must have stood out twice as much as the Baroness’s wedding dress.

I furrowed my eyebrows and whined to Martha.

“Martha, why didn’t you stop me all this time?”

Martha raised her eyebrows as if she couldn’t believe my question.

“What do you think happened to Kate, who begged you not to wear even a bridal veil to the wedding as a guest?”

I sighed deeply, knowing the answer even before asking.

Since the possession, I hadn’t even seen the ‘K’ of Kate, so it was clear that my past self must have driven her away.

I pressed my forehead as my head throbbed.

“We need to buy a new dress immediately.”

At my words, Martha pouted her lips.

“We’ve already spent this month’s budget for the princess’s palace on Sir Watson’s jewelry and wages.”

“So, what should we do?”

I made a gloomy face.

The debutante ball at the Mosston Count’s house might have important information!

“You’ll have no choice but to wear this one.”

I stared at the dress Martha was pointing to, despairingly pulling at my hair.

In the crazy dress room, it was the most ‘normal’ one could say, a daringly sexy dress with a plunging neckline.

*

True to his word in front of the opera house, Duke Adler faithfully sent a reply containing the date for our date.

And on the day of our rescheduled date, we walked side by side through the well-manicured gardens of the royal palace.

Typically, Duke Adler wouldn’t speak to me unless I initiated the conversation.

Throughout our walk, he would only briefly respond to my questions before closing up like a clam.

It was obvious he was preoccupied with other thoughts while with me.

Nonetheless, today’s questions did yield a bit more information about him.

Of course, it was far from conclusive proof that he was the serial killer.

“Excuse me, Duke Adler?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

His response was quite swift for someone supposedly lost in thought.

I had something important to tell him today, but I hesitated, unable to say it.

So, I ended up beating around the bush, making other small talk.

“Do you not have anything you’re curious about regarding me, Duke?”

“Yes, I do. What exactly was the meaning of the letter you sent the day before yesterday?”

It was a polite inquiry, as it felt like I was the only one asking questions.

But his question came out rapid-fire, unexpectedly.

As if it was all he had been thinking about.

“The letter…?”

“I’m referring to this explicit letter.”

With a slightly excited voice, he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket.

It was neatly folded but quite worn, with many creases from being folded and unfolded.

Just thinking of you, my lord, makes my heart grow warm.

I would like us to meet quietly, just the two of us, this time.

Will you meet with me?

It was a carefully chosen sentence to avoid a mishap like the last time at the opera theater.

What seems to be the problem with it?

“It’s how I feel, what’s wrong with that?”

I smiled slyly.

At my response, the Duke closed his mouth with a slightly flushed face, and silence fell between us again.

The end of the garden path was now in sight.

Feeling anxious for not having said what I intended, I finally opened my mouth as if I had made up my mind.

“Duke, you have been invited to Lady Mosston’s debutante ball, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have.”

“I have something to discuss regarding being partners for the ball.”

I broached the subject cautiously.

The Duke then lifted his chin arrogantly, as if he already knew what I was about to say, and gave a slight nod.

“I understand what you mean. Of course, I don’t particularly enjoy attending such balls, but if you insist on going, I will accompany you as your partner.”

His tone was one of reluctance but resignation.

At his predictable response, I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly.

“That’s why I wanted to say, if you’re busy, you really don’t have to attend the debutante ball as my partner.”

The idea of conducting an investigation with the suspect by my side was not very appealing to me.

Besides, having a partner would restrict my actions.

To my surprise, the Duke, whom I had expected to be pleased, came to an abrupt halt.

As a result, I turned around to look up at the Duke’s face, having stepped ahead.

His furrowed brow twitched slightly.

Shortly thereafter, he uttered something unexpected.