Snort!
Grand Duke Catherine snorted.
“I know your kind very well. People obsessed with fame.”
“Obsessed with fame? That’s not the case.”
“Then how do you explain this situation?”
The Grand Duke gestured around.
“A garden full of noble guests. In the pitch darkness, only the stage where you stand is brightly lit. Just like when you first made a name for yourself at Madame Moss’s party venue. That ostentatious behavior makes you look more like a phantom thief seeking fame than a detective. Or perhaps the phantom thief’s accomplice.”
It was a barbed joke.
After all, I had played the role of the phantom thief’s accomplice to help the Grand Duke steal the Princess’s photo.
“In my eyes, you’re clearly desperate to boost your name by parading anyone with influence and good luck as Taylor John, as long as the evidence aligns. If you truly wanted to catch the culprit, you wouldn’t have barged into the festival preparations and harassed people—you’d have gone straight to court, wouldn’t you?”
Ridiculous.
Once again, I was certain.
‘If I had gone to court, the Grand Duke would have definitely pulled some trick.’
While tedious legal battles dragged on, wouldn’t the case have ended with my death?
Even if not, I couldn’t afford to be that relaxed when I couldn’t even confirm Lure’s fate.
But to those unaware of the situation, the Grand Duke’s words sounded plausible.
Voices of doubt about my credibility began to rise from all around.
“If you truly want to catch the culprit, then formally accuse me. And step down from that stage.”
Grand Duke Catherine gestured to summon the guards.
The guards, frozen by the sudden turn of events, quickly approached.
Just as it seemed I would be dragged off the stage—
“No. That won’t do.”
Grand Duke Kalan stepped forward.
Though there was a vast gap in power and status, they were nominally both Grand Dukes. When he blocked the guards, they hesitated, not knowing what to do.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Grand Duke Catherine frowned.
“Unfortunately, I share the detective’s opinion.”
Grand Duke Kalan stood his ground.
“Wilhelm, the Grand Duke’s Son, is Taylor John—the one who has terrorized the capital for years.”
“Amusing. The one who’s been suspected of being Taylor John for the past few years was you, not Wilhelm.”
“Did anyone truly believe that nonsense? Wasn’t it just a rude rumor that because Grand Duke Kalan ascended to his position without proper noble education, he might go around committing barbaric acts?”
He looked around with eyes colder than his age suggested.
Those who had been gleefully gossiping flinched and averted their gazes.
“The women who went north with me died one after another. But at that time, the common theory among them wasn’t that I was Taylor John. They said political rivals after my position killed them, or that the delicate ladies couldn’t bear living in the harsh north in a shabby excuse for a Grand Duke’s mansion. Do you think I really didn’t know?”
‘He shouldn’t be doing that.’
His anger was justified, but the timing was wrong.
Grand Duke Kalan had turned an unspecified number of people into enemies.
And he muddled the core issue.
He was clever, but immature due to his youth.
“It seems you’ve built up quite a bit of resentment from those who spoke rashly.”
Grand Duke Catherine said gently, as if soothing a child.
“But that doesn’t give you the right to vent indiscriminately. The fact that you suffered from rumors doesn’t grant you permission to spread the same rumors about others. Especially since Wilhelm and I have never spoken ill of you. What possible grudge could you have…”
It was a skilled provocation.
By trailing off, she stimulated people’s imagination.
People would easily find a reason for Grand Duke Kalan to frame Grand Duke Catherine.
Though both were called Grand Dukes, their influence was worlds apart.
They would believe the situation was enough for the young Grand Duke to feel inferior.
And they would be certain of that answer—because it was a conclusion they deduced themselves, not something they heard.
No matter how much Grand Duke Kalan denied it, it would be useless.
After all, Grand Duke Catherine hadn’t even mentioned the word “inferiority.”
“Isn’t it unnecessary to turn this into an emotional feud?”
Seeing the tide turn unfavorable, I couldn’t hold back and intervened.
“I have a rational reason to accuse His Highness of being Taylor John. I believe Grand Duke Kalan, who courageously stepped forward, does too. But since Grand Duke Catherine doubts our credibility on various grounds, how about introducing a mediator?”
“A mediator?”
“Yes. A third party who can make an objective judgment without being swayed by emotions. With so many people gathered here, can’t we find someone who remains neutral and wise, not leaning toward either side?”
In other words, I was proposing a makeshift trial.
With a judge, we would act as plaintiff and defendant.
“This proposal isn’t bad for Your Highness either. Now that suspicion has been raised, if it isn’t properly resolved and just glossed over, unnecessary rumors will spread. That wouldn’t be good, especially with a joyous occasion ahead.”
I said this with the upcoming marriage of the Princess and Wilhelm in mind.
“…If you insist, I’ll cooperate.” Grand Duke Catherine sighed deeply, as if reluctantly humoring a troublesome nephew.
Before Grand Duke Catherine could propose someone under her influence as mediator, I quickly took the initiative.
“How about Sir Albrecht as the mediator?”
“Huh? Me?”
The sculptor, suddenly mentioned, pointed at himself with a flustered expression.
I nodded.
“Everyone knows you’re a wanderer. You’re someone who has no involvement in the capital’s politics and devotes yourself solely to your own art world. I also know you as someone not bound by customs or regulations.”
At the same time, he was the only one among the audience who wasn’t of noble birth.
Considering the story that was about to unfold, I judged Albrecht to be the most suitable choice.
“If you take on the mediation, no one will complain.”
Albrecht looked genuinely flustered, but not displeased.
Rather, his eyes sparkled with curiosity and interest in this sudden event.
“Everyone, any objections if I take on the mediation?”
Both Grand Duke Catherine and Grand Duke Kalan nodded.
“Ahem. If everyone wants it, I suppose I have no choice.”
Though he said that, Albrecht immediately strode over to me.
Standing in the light together, he declared,
“Alright then. Can I first hear the Grand Duke’s story? I mean Grand Duke Kalan’s story! Why are you accusing Wilhelm, the Grand Duke’s Son?”
“I have a written testimony. Elise’s testimony.” Grand Duke Kalan replied bluntly.
“Elise… You don’t mean Lady Elise of Marquis? The late wife of the Grand Duke?”
“That’s what people think. But she’s alive. Lady Elise dramatically survived the serial killer Taylor John and asked me for help. I accepted that request. Before coming to the capital, I secured Lady Elise’s testimony in case of an emergency.”
I already knew what Grand Duke Kalan meant by “emergency.”
‘Marie said she convinced Lady Elise…’
‘She must have told her that with Detective Hayes, they’d catch Taylor John soon, so she needed to hand over the evidence.’
Thanks to Marie believing in me, I received the help I needed at the most crucial moment.
“What’s written in this testimony are events that took place last April, during the preparations for the January Festival.”
Grand Duke Kalan pulled out Elise’s testimony from his chest and handed it over.
Sir Albrecht slowly read through the testimony.
Its contents were largely the same as what Elise had told me before.
Elise had visited Grand Duke Kalan to call off their engagement.
She obtained information that he was visiting the McDowell Ducal Residence for a secret meeting.
There, she saw a black carriage and discovered Lady Arielle’s body collapsed in the garden.
Immediately after, she was chased by the culprit and suffered serious wounds—wounds later confirmed to be characteristic of Taylor John.
“This is… an interesting story. Very vivid.”
Albrecht trembled slightly.
“According to this testimony, there were only three guests who visited the McDowell Ducal Residence that day. And one of them includes you, Sir Albrecht.”
“Well… Didn’t you ask me to mediate? I didn’t expect to become a witness.”
He grumbled but readily nodded.
“Well, it’s true that I was at that residence that day.”
“Then did you also see the black carriage that day?”
I watched Albrecht intently, nerves taut.
‘He’ll definitely remember. He’s an artist.’
His profession made him more sensitive to visual information.
Indeed, after hesitating for a moment, he answered.
“I did see it. Because Grand Duke Catherine arrived in a black carriage.”
‘As expected…!’
I clenched my fist and listened intently.
“Even then, I thought it was strange. A black carriage of all things—it looked like a hearse, didn’t it? But that day was for a secret meeting, and since Her Highness had taken special security measures, I just shrugged it off.”
“In my view, the core of the story seems to be that secret meeting.”
Since appearing to side with Grand Duke Kalan would undermine the testimony’s credibility, I pretended to hear this story for the first time and laid out my reasoning.
“According to the testimony, Lady Elise discovered the body in the Ducal garden, and by the next morning, it was found on a main street. Logically, the actual place where Lady Arielle died was highly likely the garden of the McDowell Ducal Residence.”
“That day, because of the secret meeting, they weren’t accepting just anyone…”
“But did Lady Arielle know that?”
If she had, it wouldn’t have been a secret meeting.
“According to Lady Elise’s statement, the McDowell Ducal Residence was a place where parties were frequently held and many nobles came and went freely. Everyone knew the layout of the house. Also, a shortcut through the vast garden led to the street. And of course, the reverse was possible too.”
The rest was my speculation.
“Lady Arielle must have had a meeting with someone. They said to meet in the McDowell garden. The victim felt safe meeting in a place that was practically public. Following someone’s whispers, she entered the garden through the shortcut, and was then murdered. Contrary to her expectations, that day access was restricted due to the secret meeting, so there were no witnesses in the garden.”
I took a breath and continued.
“The dead body was likely transported via a black carriage—one that looked like a hearse—that had been waiting inside the Ducal residence beforehand.”
Committing murder in someone’s front yard.
Even thinking about it again, it was an extraordinarily audacious crime.
But if it succeeded, from the culprit’s perspective, nothing could be more convenient.
This was a secret meeting.
The fact that Grand Duke Catherine visited the McDowell residence that day was information the police could never obtain.
Even if they thoroughly investigated the victim’s alibi and found that she had been near the McDowell residence, they could never connect that information to Wilhelm or Grand Duke Catherine.
‘There was a high chance they never even got that far.’
The body was moved elsewhere.
The police probably never even discovered that the McDowell residence was the actual murder scene.
If the cleanup had been handled properly, even the McDowell family themselves wouldn’t have known a murder occurred on their property.