Episode 24

The night after meeting Duke Adler at Restaurant Sholto. I lay in my bed in the princess’s palace, tossing and turning.

Somehow my mind was cluttered. I couldn’t tell why.

“This isn’t the time for this. The cause of the victim’s death was tampered with!”

I forced myself to shake off thoughts about the Duke and decided to focus on what was more important to me.

The cause of Viscount Breguet’s death was not strangulation but poisoning.

This leads to two possibilities: 

1. The killer of Breguet staged it to pin his crime on a serial killer. 

2. Not just Breguet, but also the victims of previous incidents were poisoned, not strangled.

I hadn’t seen the victims of the previous crimes, but I was more inclined towards the second possibility. 

This was because of the crime tools confirmed by the Investigation Bureau. 

A unique knot and the same rope used in all five incidents.

I quietly watched the maids packing, under the pretext of asking Martha to tie up and throw away all the terrible dresses. The bundles they packed all had ordinary knots.

The details of the crime tools are not made public. Yet, if the same rope and knot were used in all five incidents, it highly suggests the same person is the perpetrator.

Why did they go to the lengths of disguising the poisoning as strangulation?

“If it’s not strangulation but poisoning, then the Investigation Bureau’s suspect estimation is wrong.” 

I murmured to myself, frowning deeply.

With poisoning, there’s no need for the perpetrator to be physically stronger than the victim. 

Even a frail woman could poison someone and then stage it as strangulation.

Thus, the range of suspects, previously narrowed down to men over 180cm and robust, has completely changed.

Therefore, one strong piece of evidence suggesting Duke Adler as the culprit of this serial killing has essentially vanished.

Stroking my chin slowly, I recalled the information Lady Blair had shared with me.

“He was somewhat neglectful of his tutoring, so my brother fired him. He was more engrossed in his own research for a paper than in tutoring me. My stepmother opposed it, saying that much could be understood. I also thought it was perhaps unnecessary to go as far as firing him… Anyway, it was regrettable that he passed away after taking a job as Miss Mosston’s home tutor.”

And also what Duke Adler said.

“Two months ago, the head chef here arbitrarily changed my menu.”

It was certain that there was a connection between the two victims and Duke Adler. Both victims had indeed crossed him.

But was that really a motive for murder? The person I met, though of a cold disposition, didn’t seem like someone who would kill over such a matter.

And a serial killer with a trauma related to the smell of blood…

Of course, this fact doesn’t completely exclude him from suspicion. The victims’ causes of death were strangulation or poisoning, which don’t require seeing blood.

However, as these facts accumulated, doubts about Duke Adler being the real culprit began to arise in my mind.

The reason I concluded that Duke Adler was the perpetrator of the serial killings was due to a brief overview I read of the original work.

“…Princess Charlotte becomes the eighth victim of a serial killer on her wedding night. The suspect is her fiancé, and two investigators fall in love while probing the case…”

“If he’s not the culprit but merely a suspect…” 

Then, who is the real perpetrator?

Feeling the case slipping further into a maze, I closed my eyes.

*

Before long, the breakfast contest, which had been halted due to the Emperor’s assassination attempt, resumed.

After Frederick’s plan to trouble me in the last contest failed, this time it seemed Camilla was up to something.

Duke Dost, who attended as Minister of State instead of Count Laienback, was a person of Princess Camilla.

The Marquis, presenting a topic so difficult that it caused the Emperor to frown, demanded an answer from me first.

Honestly, Prince Felipe looked like he didn’t even understand what the question was.

Camilla had a very smug look on her face. Duke Dost also seemed satisfied, thinking he had troubled me as Camilla had instructed.

However, both of them chose the wrong topic.

Duke Dost was the Minister of Justice, and the topic he presented was about ‘the judicial system of the Empire.’

I smiled slightly at Duke Dost. 

“So, where shall we start?”

It was only natural that I would deliver a clear and eloquent response in the competition. After all, it was my field of expertise.

Even Duke Dost stumbled to counter my opinion properly. Surprised by the unexpected turn of events, Camilla looked at me, pale-faced.

“Charlotte has been focused on studying in the library these days, very satisfying indeed.”

The Emperor was beaming, not knowing what to do with himself today.

My other siblings, unable to add anything to my response, had to helplessly watch the Emperor’s praises directed at me.

Just when it seemed the breakfast competition was ending, one of the Ministers of State presented a document to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, here is the list of the upcoming official imperial events.”

“Ah, is it already time for the Empire Union event?”

The ‘Empire Union’ was an event where high-ranking officials and leaders of the nations classified under the Asgard Empire gathered in the empire.

It was an annual event to foster camaraderie among the nations within the empire’s realm and to solidify the union.

But in reality, it was merely an occasion for the empire’s vassal states to periodically demonstrate their loyalty to the Emperor.

“Given the recent incident… Cortina has been excluded from the list of participating countries.”

The Emperor grimaced as if recalling the attempted poisoning incident. Then, in a stern voice, he addressed the Ministers of State.

“Ensure that this event is more grandiose than ever. And set a firm example with Cortina so that other countries do not harbor similar intentions.”

It was a message that those loyal to the empire would be amply rewarded, while traitors would face severe punishment.

“Yes, your command will be obeyed. And one more thing…”

A Minister of State, seemingly loyal to Camilla, cautiously asked the Emperor.

“Shall we prepare Princess Camilla’s birthday celebration at the Imperial Palace again this year?”

It seemed to be a question about the Emperor’s intent, but it was more of a confirmation of an already decided matter.

A faint sense of triumph lingered on Camilla’s face as she heard these words.

But at that moment, a slight wrinkle formed on the Emperor’s brow.

“The Imperial Palace is still unsettled due to the recent incident, so let’s have the Princess’s Palace prepare it this time. And…”

It was entirely unexpected. The Emperor flatly denied the Minister of State’s suggestion.

At the Emperor’s response, Camilla’s face hardened. The Minister of State also looked greatly flustered and broke into a cold sweat.

Tension swiftly flowed across the competition hall’s table.

The faces of the two princes, Frederick and Felipe, visibly lit up with immense anticipation.

Everyone in the competition hall, except for me, waited with anxious faces for the Emperor’s next words.

“This year, let’s hold Princess Charlotte’s birthday banquet at the Imperial Palace.”

“……!”

The hall stirred in an instant. Unable to contain herself, Camilla burst out loudly.

“Father!”

With a dry expression, the Emperor dropped a bombshell in the competition hall and left without making eye contact with Camilla.

I was just as stunned.

Normally, the birthday banquets for the princesses and princes were prepared by their respective palaces.

However, each year the Emperor would personally oversee the birthday banquet of one particularly favored child at the Imperial Palace, turning it into an official imperial event.

For the past few years, Camilla was the one invariably chosen by the Emperor.

People said it was the Emperor’s intention, soon to elevate Camilla as the Crown Princess.

However, after the poisoning incident, the Emperor’s attitude towards Princess Camilla had slightly changed.

“Come to think of it, if Charlotte hadn’t quickly noticed this, the only one among us who would have survived and ascended to the throne would have been Sister Camilla, wouldn’t it?”

This was due to a remark thrown out publicly by Prince Felipe during the resolution of the incident.

As he said, Camilla, who has a nut allergy, wouldn’t have eaten the pancakes with almond toppings.

After the other royals had died from the poisoned food, she would have naturally ascended the throne based on her accumulated influence and reputation.

Felipe’s clearly intentional remark seemed to have planted a seed of distrust in the Emperor’s mind.

The Emperor suspected that someone must be behind the spy’s entry into the Imperial Palace.

Of course, without evidence, the Emperor hadn’t overtly rejected Camilla. However, he was certainly keeping a greater distance from her than before.

But even so, why suddenly me?

Camilla, trembling and pale, shot me a wounded look of pride before quickly leaving the competition hall.

The other princes, who had secretly hoped to seize the opportunity instead of Camilla, also left the competition hall with furrowed brows, muttering curses under their breath.

The other Ministers of State also looked at me displeased, thinking that something had gone wrong with the lifelines they each were holding onto.

Feeling somewhat like a scapegoat, I scrunched up my nose.

What had I done wrong? It’s not like I had asked the Emperor for this.

As I was puffing my cheeks in indignation, a large figure approached me.

“Princess.”

It was Duke Adler.

My goodness, he initiated a conversation with me. It was nothing short of significant progress.

I stopped puffing my cheeks and looked up at him.

“Today is the day of our date. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

The Duke’s blue eyes, gazing at me, sparkled in the sunlight pouring through the windows of the competition hall.