Chapter 16 - More Suspects

 I was dumbfounded to hear of myself being put in a special relationship with someone I hadn't seen in a few days. I laughed in disbelief, but Eloise maintained her gaze. She seemed unwilling to reverse the words that had left her mouth.

She seemed to honestly believe me and Amon developed a special bond, or at least wanted to.

'Are you planning to try me again in the absence of Amon?'

My gaze naturally shifted to Carlyle. Amon said I could trust Carlyle, and seeing he liked Eloise this much... Could I trust her as well?

Moreover, she was also the Vice-captain of the Blue Knights.

I was debating whether or not to satisfy her curiosity when Eloise continued.

“Do you know how to play chess?”

“I am aware of the rules, although I can't go against you. I don't have money or anything of the sort."

“Then how about we bet something else instead of money?”

“Something else?”

“Something, like granting the other person’s wish.”

Eloise took the chance and threw her bait. It was clear to me what she intended to ask as a wish. I pondered for a while, then replied.

"I'll think about it after Sir Yuste comes to my side."

"Pardon?"

Carlyle gaped at me as his name was unexpectedly mentioned.

"I believe that, no matter how hard I try, it will be my loss if Sir Yuste keeps standing there."

“I was also planning to clean things up a bit, so that's good. Get out of here, Carlyle."

“What? How harsh—"

Carlyle raised his eyes and tried to express the unfairness of the situation when a knock resonated against the door.

It was strange to me why anyone would bother knocking on a door that was constantly open. I turned my head in dismissal when Eloise and Carlyle suddenly jumped up from their seats.

'Huh?'

Marvin, the knights observing the chess matches, and even those jumping up and down all did the same. As the large and towering knights stood up while leaving me slumped down, my surroundings instantly turned dark. It felt like I was trapped in a dense forest.

The lively resting room became quiet in an instant, and then—

"Salutations, Captain!”

The voices of the knights merged, and gradually, I could discern a familiar face staring directly at me amidst the crowd.

“Sir Spencer!”

I jumped up from my seat.

“When did you arrive?”

"Just now."

Amon replied as we climbed the stairs to the third floor.

“How did you know I was there?”

"You weren't in your room or the library."

“How did you know I go to the library often?”

As we arrived before the door to his office, Amon stopped walking and looked back at me. A light smile was drawn to his lips.

"You seem very curious."

"Ah… I know, right."

I guess it felt nice seeing him after a few days. I smiled awkwardly while Amon opened the door and let me in.

After we situated on the sofas opposite each other, Amon served tea and began speaking.

“Carlyle informed me. You both often met at the library.”

“Sir Yuste seems to be mostly living inside the library these days. He said it was because of the Captain's order, so maybe…”

"That's right. I need information regarding the Bolev case."

I gulped and corrected my posture. It was evident that whatever progress was being made the three days he had been absent bore fruit, seeing he came all the way here looking for me.

“Did you come back with anything new?”

Amon nodded. He took a sip of his tea before proceeding to the main point of discussion.

“The perpetrator used an undetectable poison and committed murder after more than a decade."

'Is he fully convinced the culprit is the same as the one who killed his parents?'

So far, that notion could be nothing more than a possibility since there was no evidence. The murderer might be a different person who utilized the same poison and technique.

“The reason the Lady was suspicious of the Duchess was because of the relationship between the couple. You thought it was a plot for revenge."

"That's right."

“But the Duchess…”

He lightly moistened his lips and continued.

“She wouldn't have any motive to murder my parents, so I put her off the list. That's what I believed in the beginning."

“That's correct, however—”

“I know what you are thinking. Please listen to me for now.”

I didn't know too much about Amon's feelings, so I could only keep my mouth shut. He continued.

“The real culprit requires a motive to murder again after more than ten years. If that is figured out, we could easily pinpoint their identity."

“But what would that motive be, after more than a decade? Russell Bolev was nothing more than our age back then..."

"You're right. Nothing matches between my parents and Duke Bolev. I don't believe the perpetrator murdered out of personal feelings.”

Why else would murder occur if not for personal feelings?

Amon seemed to have read through me as he answered.

“There are three main grounds that drive people to murder others. Revenge, infatuation, and interest.”

“Interest? Are you referring to a case where one can benefit from the murder?”

"That's right. The only commonality among the victims is their shared title of duke, which supports this idea."

“That means it could be a crime attempted for the property. Or for a political purpose.”

"That's right. Perhaps it could be intended to silence the person as well. In any case, there is something the perpetrator can gain through murdering the person.”

As I nodded silently, Amon continued in an attempt to persuade me more.

"Often, the motive behind a murder is reflected in the method used. Impassioned motives typically do not involve the use of poison. This is true even in the case of the Lady..."

Amon slurred his sentence, but I recognized what he was trying to say. He must've referred to the dagger secured beside my calf.

'Because if it were me, I wouldn't desire to comfortably end Russell's life with poison. Rather, inflicting pain...'

I shook my head to brush off the terrible thoughts.

“I get what you're trying to say. However, even if you did figure out the motive, wouldn't it still be difficult to identify any suspects? How will you pinpoint who could benefit from Russell's death?"

Was it because the main plot of the original work was centered around romance and mainly highlighted the fact that Russell was a madman in love? Even while I pondered over it, no potential suspect came to mind. The murder case of the Duke and Duchess Spencer was ever more blurred to me.

“It is difficult, but not impossible.”

Amon stood up from his seat and returned with the papers he picked up from the desk.

“First of all, while I'm not sure the culprit is the same person who killed my parents, the data we have collected from recent events seem much more credible than that from decades ago. These are the people who could potentially benefit from Duke Bolev's death.”

"Benefit..."

My eyes gaped open as I looked back and forth between Amon and the stack of papers in his hand. It was incredible that he had gathered so much information in 3 days.

“You already found them?”

Amon calmly nodded his head.

"Didn't I tell you I would do it my way from now on?"

The papers that Amon handed were brimming with names. We went through the dossier together and singled out the three most suspicious suspects.

Number one, the younger sister of Russell Bolev's father, his aunt Selena Bolev.

Number two, a distant relative, Baldi Bolev.

Number three, Hayden Bolev, the younger brother of Russell Bolev.

We were presently on our way to interrogate the three of them in person. It was currently the morning after the day we reviewed the documents.

I gazed blankly out the carriage window when Amon spoke up.

“You can sleep if you are tired.”

I shook my head. Although exhaustion overwhelmed my body after having spent the entire night identifying suspects, I was also quite nervous.

One of them might be the culprit. Perhaps today everything would be revealed and I could return to my original world.

“Will we meet each of them according to the list here?"

Amon nodded as I waved the document in my hand.

"Right. Lady Selena and Lord Baldi are staying at the Bolev duchy, while Lord Hayden is residing separately inside the outer mansion. I plan to meet the previous two first.”

I would once again set foot within the Bolev residence. A mixture of emotions overwhelmed me at the thought. While I swept over the paper, a question arose in my mind.

"Do you happen to be familiar with any of these three?"

"No."

"Why is that? You are both of ducal lineage. Wouldn't you have encountered each other during social gatherings?"

Amon's expression subtly diverged. Ah, I must've spouted some nonsense unrelated to the basic common sense of this world.

“Of course, it's not that there's a zero possibility of encountering each other during banquets, but the fact that we are both of ducal lineage does not contribute to how linked we are. Especially in my case…”

In my case? I waited for him to continue, but Amon seemed to think otherwise as he altered the conversation.

“Anyway, we are not close. I met Lord Hayden once, but that was a long time ago. It was before I joined the Knights. But why are you asking that?”

“I was just curious what kind of people they were.”

“Everything you wish to know will be recorded on the paperwork."

“That’s true, but there are some things you can only pick up once you meet them in person."

I stared at the papers once again. There were no lies in this document fact-checked by Carlyle, but that didn't mean everything written was true. Perhaps certain aspects could not be fully conveyed through words or sentences.

I peered out the window. The carriage was passing by the fountain I had grown accustomed to. It wouldn't be long before we arrived at the residence.

While I pondered what Selena would be like, Amon suddenly opened his mouth.

“I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“The Lady's first memory. When you stabbed Russell. At that time, the Lady claimed that she broke into the Duke's bedroom through a secret passage.”

“I did say so. Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“Isn't it strange? How did the Lady know the existence of the secret passage?"

I had also been contemplating it. The passage that led to the Duke's bedroom was undivided and couldn't be found elsewhere. Additionally, it was equipped with a distinctive code.

I was able to utilize it with the help of the voice, but how did Julia find the passage?

“I can’t answer that question because I don’t remember. Though I have an idea in mind.”

"What is it?"

I hesitated for a moment.

I had three theories. First, Julia did not use the secret passage. While it was unlikely that she would, someone like her could have sent a formal rendezvous to Russell.

Second, the voice that I was able to hear was also accessible to Julia.

I was still uncertain regarding the source of the voice, so no assumptions could be made about it. Although the likelihood of this proposition was low, it was still a possibility that I took ahold of Julia's ability.

Finally, the third theory. Someone who also knew of the secret passage aided Julia. In short…

“I thought there might have been an accomplice who helped me. Someone aware of the Duchy's internal affairs well."

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