Episode 6

According to the investigation records brought by John, there was a commonality that the method of murder was all strangulation.

However, beyond that, it was so random that no connection could be found in the identity of the victims and the time of the crime.

John opened his mouth to me, who was intently looking into the investigation records.

“There’s no one commonly known among the victims, and there’s no one around who would have a grudge, particularly.”

“So, it’s a random series of murders without a specific motive?”

“That’s the conclusion of the Investigation Bureau.”

Of course, it was a reasonable inference based on the cases so far. However, I know the last victim of this case. Exactly, the person who will become the victim.

That’s his fiancée, me.

Duke Adler is smart enough to be a minister of state affairs. Such a person would not target his ‘fiancée’, who would immediately become a suspect after the crime, as the subject of random violence.

Therefore, I speculated that this serial murder case must have a specific motive.

“They all died of strangulation, and their hands and feet were tightly bound. That’s why the suspect is presumed to be a robust male over 180cm tall.”

“That’s correct. Among the victims, the chefs and secretaries were quite well-built even for men. If it were not for a trained and robust man, they would not have been able to overpower and strangle them.”

Duke Adler was undoubtedly a robust man who had graduated from a military academy.

However, there would be more than one or two such men in the empire, so such speculation alone could not prove that the duke was the culprit.

It was necessary to ascertain specific motives or methods of the crime.

“It must be difficult to check the crime scene or the body now, right?”

“That’s right. Since the last crime was two months ago, the scene would have been cleaned up, and the bodies would have decomposed. All we can check is the investigation records.”

Although it was regrettable, I offered John a brief compliment.

“It seems it will be quite helpful, thanks to you.”

He nodded to my greeting and looked intrigued.

“May I ask why the Princess is investigating the serial killings?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

He chuckled as if amused by my response, which mirrored his words from earlier.

“Well, I just work as instructed, so the reason doesn’t matter. Is there anything else you would like to order?”

“I would like you to investigate Duke Adler.”

John’s face showed a slight surprise at my suggestion, and he looked at me with an ambiguous expression.

“The Duke is your fiancé, Princess. If it’s about him, you would know better than I would.”

There was a teasing tone in his voice.

I responded with an annoyed voice.

“Anyway, there must be things he would want to hide from his fiancée.”

“Are you curious about the Duke’s affairs with women, by any chance?”

“Everything. Anything he seems like he wouldn’t tell me first.”

“Sure, sure. I understand that sentiment. Then I shall take your order.”

John, with a playful nod, left my bedroom with a sly smile.

After John left, I let out a shallow sigh.

I couldn’t reveal the real purpose of this investigation to him yet.

In a world where I do not know whom to trust, only I had to know about this matter.

Thus, it was better to let it be known that the reason for investigating Duke Adler was just out of curiosity about a fiancé’s secret personal life.

That way, even if it were found out that I was investigating Duke Adler, it could be passed off as the nature of a villainess.

With that thought, I unfolded the investigation records John had left behind.

*

Since that day, I have sent a summons to Duke Adler every morning for investigation.

“I’m eagerly awaiting a date with you, Duke. Will you meet with me?”

“I’m going crazy wanting to see you, Duke. Will you meet with me?”

Duke’s handsome face keeps flickering in my mind, and I can’t sleep.

Of course, I will only see the Duke in my dreams as well.

So, will you meet with me?

Of course, to others, it might look like a letter of courtship filled with obsession.

“Once the Princess falls, she becomes obsessed… no, I mean, she must be the type to love very passionately.”

Martha clicked her tongue at me for sending letters to Duke Adler every day.

I sat in a plush chair, not taking my eyes off the investigation records John had brought, and answered vaguely.

“You didn’t forget to send it today, did you?”

“Yes, of course. But all I get back are replies saying he’s too busy to find time, what should I do?”

“Hmph.”

I snorted lightly in disdain.

As expected, for a serial killer who leaves no trace, he was not an easy adversary.

Whether he sensed something or not, Duke Adler has been repeatedly declining my summonses.

Excuses abound: there’s a state council meeting, household chores, busy managing the domain.

The excuses were varied. Now, I’m also running out of words to write in letters.

I looked at Martha with a spiteful eye.

“It seems I might have to use my father’s name this time to make it impossible to refuse.”

“Oh, dear. Princess! You must not commit an act of disrespect towards His Imperial Majesty!”

Just then, a young maid entered the room and handed a crisp envelope to Martha.

Martha made a fuss in a silly manner after checking the front of the envelope.

“Oh my gosh! It’s a reply from Duke Adler himself.”

“What’s the excuse this time?”

I said, unimpressed.

Martha, who opened the envelope for me, sprang up from the chair like a jack-in-the-box.

“Princess! The Duke has finally accepted the date!”

“He’s finally responding to the summons.”

I muttered cynically to myself.

It seemed that the Duke was now willing to meet me at last.

He must have found it difficult to refuse any longer, having said something to the Emperor.

As I reached out to take the letter, a neat and tidy handwriting caught my eye.

“Let’s meet at 7 o’clock this evening in front of the Opera House.”

– Irenaeus von dem Adler

“Oh! Princess, aren’t you pleased? A date at the opera!”

Martha was more excited than I was.

She twirled around the room with a happy expression as if she were the one who had been asked on a date.

In Martha’s eyes, I must seem like someone crazed with love for Duke Adler.

“The opera is another matter though….”

I wrinkled my nose in displeasure.

I couldn’t conduct my investigation while watching a performance.

It was my mistake just to write ‘meet me’ in the letter.

At that moment, I resolved to send a summons in the future asking to meet ‘quietly, in a place where we can be alone’.

“Princess! You must hurry and get ready. You’re going to be late!”

I was drawn by Martha’s excited hand to start getting dressed.

*

On a typical date, it would be proper for the Duke to come to the Princess’s palace to escort me.

However, the Duke unceremoniously requested to meet at the designated place, in front of the Opera House.

He was disgustingly thorough and miserly.

Isn’t the basic principle of a date the escort?

Regretting the missed opportunity to investigate him in the carriage, I headed to the Opera House using the Princess’s palace carriage.

The Opera House, where we agreed to meet, was immensely splendid.

The luxurious building, supported by twelve colossal pillars, was gilded and gleaming, with all sorts of beautiful statues erected here and there.

As I was gaping at the Opera House, a dry voice came from behind.

“I greet you, Princess.”

Turning around, Duke Adler greeted me with a stiff demeanor.

The neatly dressed Duke Adler was, as always, breathtakingly handsome.

I hate to admit it, but in terms of appearance, he deserved not just 100 but 1,000 points, no, 10,000 points.

“You’re still wonderful today, Duke. I almost thought it was an opera house statue.”

I began with a compliment, as it’s easier to investigate when the subject is in a good mood.

However, the Duke simply pressed his lips together without a word in response.

Indeed, he was a difficult subject to investigate.

Following him with an awkward step, the two-person special box at the Opera House appeared.

The protruding terrace seat prepared by the Duke was as splendid as his face.

“Here, please take a seat.”

The Duke offered me the seat in a dignified manner.

The chair with the red velvet cushion was deliciously plush, and the marble table was set with an assortment of cocktails and finger foods.

But such things hardly caught my eye.

What was important to me was whether I could send this man to prison before the wedding.

I squinted, pondering how to coax a confession out of this man.

Then, the Duke spoke indifferently.

“They say it’s quite difficult to get tickets for the most popular show in the empire.”

He didn’t even turn his face towards me.

With that, he crossed his long, slender legs and opened the performance pamphlet.

And then he fixed his gaze on the pamphlet as if he didn’t want to be disturbed any further.

It seems the performance will start soon. At this rate, today’s summoning for the investigation was in vain.

I hurriedly spoke before the curtain rose for the opera.

“The truth is, I much prefer having a proper conversation with you, the Duke, over watching such an expensive performance.

Just looking at your face makes me happy.”

I meant that I’d rather do away with such pointless events and conduct a quiet, polite investigation from now on.

The Duke made no particular response to my words.

Embarrassed by being ignored, I downed the cocktail on the table in one gulp.

The bittersweet fruitiness lingered on the tip of my tongue.

“…Every day is too much.”

“What?”

I was about to pick up a canapé from the table but turned to look at him instead.

What’s this sudden, out-of-place remark?

“I mean to say, I cannot meet with you every day.”

The Duke answered in a low voice without taking his eyes off the pamphlet.

It seemed he was referring to the letters I had been sending him daily asking for a meeting.

“Oh, have I been troubling you too much, Duke?”

Light filtering through the dark theater fell across the Duke’s brows.

The shadows accentuated his profile, making it appear as if it were a well-carved statue.

“Given my work schedule, it’s not easy. So, once a week…”

As he answered and turned his head, our eyes met exactly.

I widened my eyes innocently and blinked several times, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

He seemed startled by my gaze and stopped mid-sentence.

I tilted my head curiously.

“Once…?”

“…Twice is the limit.”

He quickly finished speaking and turned his eyes back to the pamphlet.

“I would like to see you every day, but twice a week is quite enough!”

I smiled brightly.

Under the dim lights of the opera theater before the start of the performance, the Duke took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands.

And then… my consciousness began to blur.