“Leave the shawl here.”
“Thank you.”
While Lure took Miss Christine’s wrap to organize it, I focused on gathering my thoughts.
In two weeks, the empire’s celebrities who had been staying in the provinces would arrive at the capital to prepare for the New Year’s Festival. Among them was a prime suspect in the Taylor John case—Grand Duchess Catherine of the East.
And now, a client involved with the Grand Duchess’s son had coincidentally walked into my office.
‘What an incredible coincidence.’
“Here, have some tea.”
Lure handed Miss Christine a teacup and stepped back.
As soon as the client emptied her cup, I threw out a question.
“So, Miss Christine. What exactly brought you to a detective agency?”
“I am currently facing a grave threat from the Grand Prince. It is all because of a youthful fling from several years ago.”
“A youthful fling from several years ago?”
“Yes. As you may know, Master Hayes, there was a major war in the East until just five years ago.”
I knew. Mr. Walter had even mentioned seeing me during that war in the East.
“Grand Prince Wilhelm came up to the Imperial Capital to escape the fires of war. There, he met me while I was still an unknown singer, and we shared a whirlwind romance.”
‘What a piece of work.’
I wouldn’t say it out loud in front of the client, but the man sounded pathetic. In the midst of war, instead of standing on the front lines as a Grand Prince should, he had fled to the capital to play at love. All while his mother was likely commanding soldiers in the middle of the battlefield.
‘He doesn’t seem like a very good person.’
Sure enough, my suspicion was confirmed.
“I thought Wilhelm and I had promised each other a future, but it seems I was merely a momentary diversion to him. As soon as the war ended, he left me behind and returned immediately to the East.”
“Oh dear…”
Lure gave her a look of pity.
“Wilhelm didn’t contact me once for several years after that. At first, I denied being abandoned and waited for him, but eventually, I accepted reality. I forgot about the man who threw me away and threw myself into my music. That is how I managed to reach the position I hold today.”
It was a beautiful story of growth. However, if the story ended there, she wouldn’t have sought out a detective.
“A few months ago, an article about Wilhelm appeared in the newspaper. It said he was to marry a princess from a certain allied kingdom to ensure complete peace in the East. I was a bit unsettled reading it, but that was all. If it were five years ago, it might be different, but now, I don’t have a shred of lingering feelings for him. More importantly, I have a fiancé whom I recently promised to marry. So, I just read the article and moved on as if it were someone else’s business, but that evening, a letter arrived at my house. It demanded that I return the photo.”
“A photo?”
“Yes. A photo we took while we were dating. It’s a photo where we’re facing each other with our heads together—anyone could see we were lovers. There is even a signature Wilhelm wrote himself in the corner.”
“And so, he asked for the photo back?”
Christine nodded.
“He said he was afraid the princess would find out about his past romance. The princess’s country is very conservative, and he said the marriage talks would be canceled if news of his affair with an opera singer broke out. He wrote that for the future of both nations, the past must be erased, and that I should obediently send the photo if I didn’t want any trouble. I suppose he remembered his fatal weakness right before the wedding. Or did he think I would use that photo to blackmail him?”
“What a terrible man!”
Lure, who had already fully empathized with her, cried out.
“And? Did you obediently send the photo?”
“No. Actually, I didn’t care what happened to the photo, but in that moment, a thought occurred to me. If he’s desperate enough to send a letter and threaten me just to hide a past relationship, would he really leave an ex-lover like me in peace?”
Christine continued, her body trembling slightly.
“I started to think that maybe that photo was what was keeping me alive. Perhaps Wilhelm hasn’t killed me yet because he’s afraid the photo will be discovered among my belongings after I’m dead?”
“That’s a very plausible thought.”
“I felt that for my own protection, I must keep this photo. I wrote back saying that I would never show it to anyone and that I was keeping it purely to protect myself. But… apparently, that reply wasn’t enough for Wilhelm.”
“What happened?”
“Quite a lot.”
Christine let out a heavy sigh.
“When I returned home, the furniture had been subtly rearranged. At first, I thought I was mistaken, but then the same thing happened again. My handbag was frequently snatched by unknown assailants. But worst of all, I was subjected to a sudden body search right in the middle of the street.”
“Good heavens!”
“But Wilhelm failed to find the photo he wanted to the very end. He must be livid by now. He is undoubtedly planning to find that photo by any means necessary. What’s even more unsettling is that the constant attacks suddenly stopped recently.”
“Could it be that the Grand Prince has grown tired and given up?”
“That’s impossible. According to the news, the very princess Wilhelm is supposed to marry is visiting the empire for this New Year’s Festival. Naturally, that means she’ll be coming to the Imperial Capital to participate in the events. Wilhelm will also come here with the princess, and I live right here, in the heart of this capital.”
“Hmm…”
No matter how optimistically I tried to look at it, it didn’t seem likely that Wilhelm had given up on finding the photo. If anything, it was more likely he was fuming and preparing a final blow.
“A friend of mine told me. She said Wilhelm would surely hire the best detective in the East as a last resort to find the photo. Yes, I’m talking about Janus of the East.”
“Janus of the East?”
It was a name I had never heard in my life.
‘What a cringeworthy nickname.’
However, Lure seemed to know something about it.
“Master, you don’t know Janus?”
“I don’t. Who is that?”
“The greatest detective in the East! He’s based in the East, so not much is known about him, but his deductive skills are said to be incredible. They say he can identify a criminal the moment he sees their face.”
Ah, that’s me.
That Janus fellow. Is he trying to imitate me? Good grief, people really do recognize talent when they see it.
“For some reason, he hasn’t been very active lately, so his detective ranking has dropped significantly, but there are rumors everywhere that the moment he resumes his activities, he’ll rise to the rank of a Great Detective. That’s how amazing Janus is. …Wait! Come to think of it…”
Lure looked startled as if he had just remembered something.
“I actually received a letter from a senior at school. He said Janus actually visited his house in the Imperial Capital to offer him a recruitment deal — “
“Just as I thought.”
Christine, who had been listening, muttered gloomily.
“Why else would Janus, who is based in the East, come to the Imperial Capital now? He must have received a request from the Grand Prince and come to take the photo away from me.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Christine!”
Lure clenched his fists and gave Christine courage.
“Master can definitely help you. Whether it’s Janus of the East or whoever, our Master Hayes is the best!”
I felt a bit embarrassed. I felt like a father hearing his child brag that he was the strongest man in the world.
‘I want to live up to those expectations, but… I need to grasp the situation first.’
If this was an endless defense game, we had no chance of winning. Eventually, a moment of exhaustion or carelessness would come, and at that moment, the photo would be taken and the game would be over.
“You mentioned earlier that the deadline for the request is ten days. Could you explain that in more detail?”
“Ah, yes. My fiancé is a trader. He lives his life traveling between Oswan and the Imperial Capital.”
‘Oswan?’
It sounded like a country’s name, but was there such a place? Fortunately, Lure chimed in beside me.
“Ah, Master. Do you remember? Sarah, whom we met in the Northern Region. She said she was going to go to Oswan. She said she would become a painter in a country famous for art and live a free and glamorous new life.”
“That’s right. Oswan is famous for its art. Since it’s a small, peaceful country located to the south, the people there seem to have gentle dispositions and a love for the arts.”
Aha, so that’s the kind of country it was.
“Anyway, my fiancé said that since he has a house in Oswan as well, we should start a new life there instead. He told me that since I’m a talented singer, I could carve out a brighter future in Oswan than in the empire, where singers are looked down upon.”
“Is this fiancé a trustworthy person?”
“Of course! He has a kind personality that doesn’t even compare to Wilhelm’s. I have been dating him for three years, and I know he wouldn’t hesitate to give his life for me.”
Christine let out a short sigh.
“The problem is that the merchant ships traveling between Oswan and the empire aren’t very frequent. The ship he sent will arrive at the pier on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital in ten days. I have to hold out and protect the photo until then.”
“Once you hold out until then, you’ll be free.”
“Yes, exactly. No matter how powerful Wilhelm is, he wouldn’t be able to chase me all the way to Oswan.”
I roughly understood the situation.
“Please accept my request, Master Hayes. If you do, I’ll give you anything I have. Money, gold, jewels. Anything!”
“Does that ‘anything’ include the photo in question?”
“…What?!”
“The photo. The one where you and Grand Prince Wilhelm are together. I’m asking if you can hand that photo over to me once you safely board the ship.”
Christine’s face turned pale, but she nodded after a moment.
“…Fine. Of course. Once I’m on that ship, what do I care about a measly photo?”
Lure cried out brightly.
“Then the request is established, right? Heavens, to think Miss Christine would become a client of our agency. I’m so excited! Let me introduce myself, I’m Lure, Master Hayes’s assistant. I look forward to working with you!”
“I look forward to working with you too, Mr. Lure.”
The two exchanged a handshake. The atmosphere was already such that my acceptance was taken as a given.
‘Well, I actually do intend to take it, so it’s not strange that it’s a foregone conclusion, but…’
With a peaceful mind, I looked down out the window, which looked exceptionally clean today.
“……!”
In the next moment, I realized a very important fact.
“Ma—Master, why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“Hold on.”
I know I look pathetic right now, but I can’t help it.
“I’m sorry, but could you give me some time to consider whether I should take this request?”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“There’s something I absolutely must check.”
The faces of Christine and Lure as they looked at me were filled with bewilderment.