No matter how many times I checked, the result was the same.
The inside of the safe was empty.
‘This is driving me crazy. Time is already tight.’
There was no telling when the conversation between the Baron and the Grand Duke’s subordinates would end. I had to find the marriage certificate and get out before then, but where on earth did it go?
“Could he have put it somewhere else?”
Marie shook her head at Lure’s question.
“No, Father is obsessive-compulsive. He wouldn’t have moved it! Besides, it was definitely in that safe until last night!”
There were only two possibilities.
“Either the Baron took it, or someone else got here before us.”
“Do you think Father took the certificate to the reception room?”
“Is there any reason to show the marriage certificate to the Grand Duke’s subordinates?”
“None. Not as far as I know…”
Marie trailed off, looking confused.
Certainly, there seemed to be no reason for Baron Menzel, who wasn’t even a party to the marriage, to go out of his way to show the certificate to the messengers sent to fetch the bride.
However, the other possibility was just as strange.
“About that marriage certificate.”
Lure asked as if to confirm.
“Marie says she needs the certificate to annul the engagement, but isn’t it useless to anyone who isn’t a party to the marriage? It doesn’t seem to have any monetary value.”
“True. In a normal situation.”
Generally, there was no reason to steal someone else’s marriage certificate. Of course, there was also no reason to take it to show someone.
‘Then it must not be a normal situation.’
From the start, this marriage was anything but normal.
“From now on, let’s assume there’s a backstory to this marriage beyond what we know. Something that, for whatever reason, gives great value to that missing marriage certificate.”
At my suggestion, Lure and Marie spoke in turn.
“Even if such a thing exists, it’s likely not a value known to many people.”
“The people who would target the marriage certificate would be very limited. If I had to guess…”
“It would probably only be the Grand Duke’s subordinates.”
I also thought they were the most suspicious. However…
“The method is the problem. How on earth would they have stolen the certificate? Do you remember how much trouble we had to go through just to break in here?”
Servants were walking through the hallways, and the office door was locked.
Unless Lure had distracted them by pretending to be a new maid, and I had climbed the outer wall of the building to break in through the window and open the door from the inside, intrusion would have been impossible.
‘Thinking back, it was a huge gamble.’
“Besides, both the safe and the safe key were hidden away.”
The safe was out in the open in the middle of the office, but it was hard to recognize.
It was disguised as a side table, covered with a tablecloth and even a flower vase.
Furthermore, the safe key was hidden inside the bishop of a chess set in the display cabinet.
If Marie hadn’t already known everything, there was no way anyone could have found it so easily.
“The Grand Duke’s subordinates couldn’t have known that information in advance. It wouldn’t have been possible for them to get their hands on the marriage certificate and disappear before we even arrived.”
“…Maybe the culprit is Uncle Bernard.”
Marie suggested a new possibility.
“If it’s Uncle, he would know the location of the office safe and how to open it. It would have been easy for him to clear out the servants, too. Since he’s desperate for gambling funds, it wouldn’t be strange for him to mess with Father’s safe.”
“But didn’t we agree the marriage certificate has no monetary value?”
Bernard had the means, but he lacked the motive.
The Grand Duke’s subordinates had the motive, but they lacked the means.
‘Maybe the two of them collaborated.’
Perhaps a subordinate of the Grand Duke paid Bernard to steal the certificate.
“With that, the likely suspects seem to have been narrowed down.”
Baron Menzel, the Grand Duke’s subordinates, and the gambling addict Bernard. The marriage certificate was likely in the possession of one of them.
“This is narrowed down? Aren’t there too many?”
Lure whimpered.
“We’re about to leave for the North, so it’s impossible to investigate all those people and find the certificate in such a short time!”
“…No.”
I shook my head.
“We don’t need to investigate everyone. We only need to check one person.”
“What?”
“Is that really true?!”
I nodded confidently. If things went as planned, it wouldn’t matter how tight the time was.
However, there was one essential condition for this impulsive plan.
“By the way, Lady Marie.”
“Yes?”
“Are you, by any chance, confident in your acting?”
At my words, the girl who was a severe theater addict’s eyes sparkled.
***
We walked boldly down the hallway and headed toward the reception room.
“The Baron said that this hallway is strictly off-limits.”
The passing servants tried to block our path, but it was useless.
“It’s fine, Julie. I’m on my way to see my father right now.”
Whenever Marie showed her face, there was no path that remained blocked.
We quickly arrived in front of the reception room door.
‘I’ll see the Grand Duke’s subordinates once I open this door.’
I wondered if Taylor John would be among them or not.
Just as I was taking a deep breath and preparing myself…
“Who’s there! I told you not to let anyone near here!”
The Baron threw the door open and yelled.
‘Oops, he must have sensed our presence.’
“What—Marie?!”
“Haha… Hello, Father.”
Baron Menzel was startled to see Marie.
“What are you doing here…”
His eyebrows furrowed.
“This is unexpected. I thought you wouldn’t even come out, locking your room and saying you didn’t want to see any guests sent by the Grand Duke.”
He seemed suspicious of Marie’s unusual behavior.
‘It’ll be troublesome if we arouse suspicion from the start.’
Just as I was worrying, Marie looked back at me and gave a quick wink.
‘Hm?’
It was a blink so brief that I wondered if I had misseen it.
Marie quickly turned back toward the Baron and opened her pink lips.
“Father.”
Her voice rang out clear and melodious, like jade beads rolling.
“I heard that precious guests have arrived. As the lady of the Menzel family and the future Grand Duchess, how could I be so negligent in welcoming them?”
With her eyes downcast, Marie grabbed both ends of her dress and curtsied.
“Please allow me to greet the guests together with you, Father.”
‘Who is that person?’
Where did the theater addict I knew go, and where did this noble lady come from? If it hadn’t been for that flamboyant pink dress, I might not have recognized her.
‘Ah, is that the ultimate stage of theater addiction?’
The level where one moves beyond watching a play and becomes the play itself?
“Uh, um… I see?”
The Baron seemed quite bewildered, likely having similar thoughts as I did.
“But Marie, right now—”
The Baron looked like he wanted to send us back, but…
“Has the Lady Menzel arrived?”
A voice from inside caused him to sigh quietly and lead us in.
“Say hello, Marie. These are the people from the Grand Duke’s estate.”
“Greetings, Miss Menzel. It is an honor to meet you. We are the escort team dispatched to ensure your safe travels. I am the team leader, Riman. Please feel free to address me comfortably.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Riman. And to the rest of you as well. Thank you for your hard work. Oh, the people behind me are Lure, my maid, and the wonderful knight who will be guarding me during this journey. Please call him Sir Hays.”
“Haha, the Baron told me about you in advance. Nice to meet you, Sir Hays.”
My impression of the Grand Duke’s men, now that I finally faced them, was…
‘What? Their impressions are surprisingly decent.’
Starting with that man named Riman, he looked like a friendly neighborhood uncle. The ten or so members of the escort team standing behind him were the same.
There were a few who had somewhat large and rugged builds, but even they were smiling and didn’t look particularly threatening.
Also, I wanted to give them big bonus points for not laughing and maintaining a polite smile even after hearing that cringeworthy introduction.
And above all else.
‘I don’t see any black shadows at all.’
In other words, neither Taylor John nor the person who murdered the Grand Duke’s wife was in this room.
It was a relief, but a question arose.
‘Then who is the culprit who took the marriage certificate?’
Is the culprit not here? Is the culprit Bernard, who isn’t here either?
…Actually, I could see Bernard through the reception room window. He seemed to be busy moving something while scurrying between the line of carriages.
Of course, there was no shadow to be seen.
‘What’s going on?’
The Baron, the Grand Duke’s subordinates, and Bernard.
To think that none of the assumed suspects had a shadow. I almost panicked for a moment, but a new hypothesis suddenly came to mind.
‘No, wait. What I see is the “criminal”.’
I had already confirmed the conditions for shadow generation at the police station. First, a crime had to occur, and I had to be certain that the crime had been committed.
Only then would the culprit appear with a black shadow.
‘In this case… I know almost nothing. It’s not even certain if a crime occurred.’
It was true that the marriage certificate had disappeared. However, even I wasn’t certain that this incident was a theft.
The Baron himself might have taken the certificate or given it to someone. Maybe someone had picked it up after the Baron dropped it due to forgetfulness.
‘Right. There’s no way a culprit would be visible when I don’t even know what the incident is.’
I mustn’t forget.
My ability isn’t an all-purpose search engine.
‘I won’t be able to use my ability to find the marriage certificate.’
A situation where I had to find the answer solely through my own reasoning.
It wasn’t a situation I had anticipated, but it wasn’t one I couldn’t handle.
‘It’s fine. As long as everything goes according to plan.’
Marie and Lure, who didn’t know about my ability, also agreed that this plan would allow us to secure the certificate.
So, there would be no problem.
“Mr. Clinette, I’ll be counting on you for the carriage.”
“I’ll be counting on you too, Mr. Jackson.”
While I was lost in thought, Marie seemed to have finished greeting each member of the escort team.
“So the ten of you will be heading north with me. I feel reassured thanks to you. I’m grateful to all of you, and to Grand Duke Kalan for sending you.”
“The honor is ours, Miss.”
Having finished her impeccable greetings, Marie turned toward the Baron and smiled like an angel.
“Father?”
“U-Uh, yes?”
‘Ah, he’s flustered.’
The Baron stood there awkwardly with a strange expression.
He was probably thinking something like, ‘Get out of my angelic daughter’s body right now, you demon!’ Or perhaps, ‘Get out of my demonic daughter’s body right now, you angel!’
“Are you curious about why I suddenly changed my attitude?”
When Marie threw the direct question, the Baron froze.
“You probably guessed it, Father, but saying I came to greet the people sent by the Grand Duke was just an excuse. Actually, I…”
Marie whispered as she cast her eyes down shyly.
“I came here because I wanted to reconcile with you, Father.”
“…What? Is that true?”
The Baron seemed surprised, but his eyes were still full of suspicion.
‘Well, I suppose so.’
It was natural to be suspicious of a child’s sudden change in attitude.
But how long could he keep that up?
“Thinking it over, I realize I was being far too immature. All of your decisions were for my sake, Father. I finally realized how much you love me and how much you’ve suffered because of me. I’ve been too embarrassed to say it, but I respect you, Father. I always have.”
Take that! The top ten things parents of teenagers want to hear from their children!
“More than anything, I didn’t want my last memory of Father before leaving to be our argument. That’s why I wanted to show you my change in attitude. I thought that if I greeted the people the Grand Duke sent politely, I could show you my sincerity.”
After a clean explanation for the change in behavior, here comes the final punch!
“I love you, Father.”
“M-Marie…!”
Ah, K.O.! Baron Menzel is completely unable to resist!
He has been completely brought down!
“Oh, honestly! Are you just going to stand there, Father? What are you doing?”
When Marie pouted and spread her arms, the Baron hugged his daughter tightly.
“Sniff, Marie! I love you too! I would do anything for you!”
The Baron wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
A long embrace followed.
I suddenly felt uneasy.
‘It seems Baron Menzel’s love for his daughter is genuine.’
Even though he was trying to marry his daughter off to someone suspected of being a serial killer. And even though he seemed genuinely pleased by the death of his daughter’s close friend.
That Baron sincerely believed he was doing it for his daughter’s sake.
“Wow, isn’t this a beautiful sight?”
Lure cried out awkwardly. I also stopped my useless thoughts and joined in.
“It truly is a beautiful sight. Everyone! Applause!”
When I incited them, the Grand Duke’s subordinates, who had suddenly become extras in a cringeworthy father-daughter reconciliation show, also began to clap knowingly. A shower of applause poured down.
“A-Anyway, we’ve made up now! Do you understand?”
With a bright red face, Marie pushed the Baron away and hurriedly left the reception room.
No one tried to stop her.
They just watched her back with fond smiles.
“How was it?”
That is, except for the two rogues who hadn’t learned how to be considerate of a shy lady.
“Did you check, Marie?”
“I checked the coat pockets, the lining, and even his back.”
The shy acting was nowhere to be seen as Marie muttered with a cold face.
“I didn’t feel the texture of any stiff paper.”
“There was nothing on the reception room table either, Teacher!”
That was enough.
“Then we can rule out Baron Menzel.”
Baron Menzel, Bernard, and the Grand Duke’s subordinates.
As long as it wasn’t the Baron who took the marriage certificate, the rest didn’t matter. One way or another, whoever had the marriage certificate would be traveling north with us.
“We’ll steal the marriage certificate on the way to the North.”
Who stole the marriage certificate? Why did they steal such a thing? What exactly is the backstory hidden behind this marriage?
I would uncover every single detail on this journey to the North.
If I failed to do so, only death would be waiting for us at the end of this journey.