Chapter 20: The Charm? — Part 2

I pressed close behind my brother again as we walked down a dim corridor.

We stopped before a door marked “Storage.”

“I’ll complete the checkout procedure, so wait here a moment.
This room smells.”

As I prepared to wait in the hallway, he returned almost immediately.
Brian-sama was with him.

He carried my small case in his hand.

“It has been a while, Lady Maria.
Thank you for coming all this way.”

“No, they are my belongings.
I am the one who should apologize for the trouble.”

My brother forcibly cut in again.

“Let’s not stand around chatting here.
Another man will come flocking over.”

What!?

I stared at him in disbelief, but Bell gave me a knowing look, as if to say, “See?”

We were guided into another room, where the contents of my case were laid out.

A guard who had been waiting spread a white cloth over the table and placed each item upon it one by one.

My comb.
My brush.
Ah… my nightcap.

Seeing them again after so long made my heart leap, but having my personal belongings inspected so closely was embarrassing.
Daily necessities are far too intimate.

I was grateful I had not packed garter belts or stockings.
If such things had been ceremoniously displayed, I would not have known where to look.

“Could you tell us what is missing?”

Bell and I checked each item carefully.
What was missing was the entire top tray that had held my jewelry.

“The top tray of this box is gone entirely.
It contained accessories.
Also solid perfume, a folding fan, pins, and ribbons.”

“Then perhaps the target was the jewelry.
If you’ll forgive the question, were they particularly valuable?”

Brian-sama asked delicately.
Understandably so.

This was not even a proper jewelry box.
The accessories had been stored alongside combs and brushes.
They hardly appeared to be priceless heirlooms.

“They are my favorites and were passed down from my grandmother, so they are precious to me.
They are not without value.
I simply packed rather carelessly.”

Now that I said it aloud, it felt mortifying.
I must seem terribly careless.

“I see.
Then could you describe each stolen piece in detail?
We will check whether they have surfaced at antique dealers or pawnshops.
You may take the remaining items home.”

I was grateful, but I doubted they would be found so easily.
Without meaning to, I lowered my gaze slightly.

“Is something the matter?”

“No.
Nothing at all.”

I described the pieces I remembered in as much detail as possible while a guard made a list.

Meanwhile, Bell neatly repacked my belongings into the case.

Afterward, we were escorted to Brian-sama’s office.

“Please relax while tea is prepared.
There are a few matters I must ask you about.”

His expression was firm.

“I would rather not ask these questions, but I did not wish to entrust them to someone else.
So I will conduct the questioning myself.
It concerns the murder of the maid who called herself Merry.
I heard from Jason yesterday after he brought the body in.
And from Eric as well.”

He paused and looked directly at me.

“I cannot avoid asking you about this matter.”

“Do you suspect me of being the culprit?”

“We are questioning everyone connected to the case.
Others are currently questioning the Deal Marquis household.
The same applies to the Kruse Count household.”

“I have remained inside the estate the entire time.
My only correspondence was with a young lady of the Palm Count family.
I did not know where Merry had gone.”

Brian-sama wrote this down and placed the paper inside his desk.

Then he sat back before us and relaxed slightly.

“That will suffice.
You will likely be removed from the list of suspects.
The perpetrator was certainly a man, and one accustomed to violence.
Thus, Jason and Eric, as the first discoverers, were the primary suspects and were thoroughly investigated yesterday.
However, both had remained at their estates and had no outside contact.
The next suspicions fall upon a cover-up by the Deal Marquis household or retaliation by the Kruse Count household.”

Retaliation by the Kruse Count household!

The idea was so absurd that I nearly laughed.
My lips twitched.

“Hey, Maria.
At least try to compose yourself.
I get how you feel, though.”

Brian-sama gently stopped my brother with a hand and smiled reassuringly at me.

“Please do not concern yourself here.
From what I have observed, the atmosphere is quite different.
This is merely the speculation of the general public.”

“My apologies.
If I had my usual fan, I could hide my face.
That, too, was stolen.
It is troublesome.”

It truly was.
A lady requires certain items.
One realizes their importance only once they are gone.
I had other fans, but none felt right in my hand.
Even now, Bell held one for me unused.

“Until the rumors subside, I intend to remain within the estate.
It would be better if I did not appear in public.
And I feel the estate itself may not be entirely safe, so I wish to strengthen our security.”

My brother spoke formally to Brian-sama.
It was strange to see him so serious.

Brian-sama regarded him carefully.

“Is there something you are concerned about?
Regarding the Kruse Count household?”

“No.
Nothing specific.
But with the recent uproar, we have drawn attention.
If we appear unsettled, we may become targets for thieves.”

Brian-sama considered this quietly.

“You seem different than usual.
And your relationship with Lady Maria appears much improved.
Did something happen?”

“No.”

He answered firmly.
I was startled by how reliable he seemed in the Royal Guard setting.

“Very well.
I will grant you leave for a while.
Considering public perception, it is best you remain out of sight.
I will inform the Commander.”

“Thank you.”

My brother smiled at me then.
For a moment, it overlapped with the smile he had worn as a child.
And I suddenly remembered biting him back then.

The tension made me almost burst into laughter, and I covered my mouth.

“Excuse me… Bell, the smelling salts.”

Bell quickly handed me the vial and a handkerchief.

The sharp scent steadied me.
I wiped away the tears that had welled up.

“I was simply too tense.
My apologies.”

I spoke demurely, and the gentlemanly Brian-sama—along with my unexpectedly gentlemanly brother—graciously pretended to believe me.