𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟗: 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭?
According to the Marchioness, it appears Irma had a poor sense of direction. Even when she was serving in the royal palace, she often got lost and had to ask knights and maids for directions, or so the story goes.
Despite the royal garden being guarded and not easily accessible, it seems she had mistaken her destination and inadvertently wandered in.
There, she happened to witness a secret rendezvous between the queen and a man she had brought along.
Of course, she probably didn’t realize that it was a precarious situation.
ㅤ
“Most likely, Irma went over to speak to Her Highness the Queen without realizing that it was a clandestine meeting.”
ㅤ
And from the flurry of the queen and her companion, she probably surmised they were meeting secretly, out of sight.
ㅤ
“The unknown part is what happened afterward.”
ㅤ
Who was the reporter, and from where?
Three years ago, it seems no scandal about the queen was reported.
ㅤ
“For starters, there is a possibility that it was not a reporter.”
ㅤ
That person might be from the Queen’s Faction, and might have lured Irma out by using a scandal about Lord Montyver as bait.
ㅤ
“So you’re saying that they might have killed Irma to keep her quiet?”
“It’s a possibility.”
ㅤ
If it really was a reporter, the queen’s infidelity would have been widely reported by now.
The fact that it wasn’t means that the primary goal was Irma’s life from the start.
ㅤ
“Only Her Majesty the Queen and the man she was with would know that Irma had information, but it’s probably the queen who would be troubled if the information got out.”
ㅤ
So, was Irma killed on the queen’s orders?
ㅤ
“Who was the other person?”
“It’s certain that it was a man close to Her Majesty the Queen. . . . . .”
ㅤ
The queen’s royal knight who visited me the other day, had been with her since their marriage, according to him.
It wouldn’t be surprising if there had been a relationship between him and the queen for many years.
ㅤ
“If he was the captain of Her Majesty the Queen’s royal guard, their ages are close and he’s always by her side, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they were close.”
“Indeed, during the investigation, he seemed to be overly zealous.”
ㅤ
Apparently, the captain of the royal guard is the third son of a certain noble family and is unmarried.
ㅤ
“So he’s not married.”
“Yes. Even though he was born a noble, the eldest son is the only one who inherits the title and property, so it’s not unusual for him to be single.”
ㅤ
There seem to be surprisingly many nobles in the country of Binemöer who have established themselves as knights and remained unmarried all their lives.
ㅤ
“That knight might not be able to rule out the possibility that he acted on his own to protect Her Majesty the Queen’s honor.”
“That’s true. He came to investigate on his own accord without any orders.”
ㅤ
If their relationship were exposed, it would endanger not only the queen’s honor but also the life of the knight himself.
If he was afraid that Irma would leak information and kill her, the motive for the murder wouldn’t be surprising at all.
ㅤ
“As for the royal knight, I will ask an acquaintance who is a detective to investigate.”
“Yes, please do.”
ㅤ
With that, the sorting of the personal effects was completed.
Perhaps because we had been shut away for a long time, both the Marchioness and I felt tired.
ㅤ
“Marchioness, shall I make some tea?”
“Yes, please. Let’s have it together.”
“Understood.”
ㅤ
We had some cherry cake made by a pastry chef and some strong tea.
ㅤ
The moment the Marchioness saw the cherry cake, she looked startled.
ㅤ
“Marchioness, do you dislike cherry cake?”
“No, I love it.”
“I’m glad to hear that. The pastry chef said that today’s cake was his masterpiece.”
ㅤ
The cherries were soaked in syrup, but they were incredibly delicious. It seems that freshly picked cherries are used when it’s cherry season, and they are even more delicious.
ㅤ
“We have a cherry tree in the garden. When it bears fruit, let’s harvest it with Ren and Leon.”
“Yes! I look forward to it.”
ㅤ
The Marchioness, looking lonely, murmured that she had no intention of going to the cherry tree again.
ㅤ
“Irma loved cherries. She couldn’t wait for the gardener to pick them and every year she would invite me to go cherry picking with her――”
ㅤ
She wouldn’t go home until the basket was filled with cherries, so the harvest was quite tough, she says.
ㅤ
“Moreover, there were so many caterpillars in the tree, so it was very lively with all the commotion every time we found one.”
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One year, the cherry crop failed, and there were not many fruits. It is said that they hired a cherry farmer to take care of it because Irma looked disappointed.
ㅤ
“After Irma passed away, I felt sad just looking at cherries. My chest tightened every time I saw them during my walks.”
ㅤ
It seems she considered cutting down the cherry tree, but they apparently called it off on the day.
ㅤ
“That day, it was raining heavily and there was a lot of thunder. . . . . .I felt like Irma was angry, so I stopped.”
ㅤ
It seems she ordered the chef not to serve dishes using cherries, but the one who baked this cake was a new pastry chef who had been hired.
They probably didn’t know about the Marchioness’s situation.
ㅤ
“I’m sorry for not being aware of this myself.”
“No, it’s okay. It was very delicious.”
ㅤ
Perhaps because they’ve been sorting out the inheritance, it seems that they’re starting to organize their feelings.
ㅤ
“Even though I used to hate just looking at cherries, I was able to eat them normally today. I can’t believe how I feel.”
ㅤ
Since she wanted another slice, I cut it up and served it on a plate.
After taking a bite, the Marchioness said it was delicious.
ㅤ
“I can’t believe I’ve been avoiding something this delicious.”
ㅤ
This must be proof that the Marchioness’ feelings are moving forward.
ㅤ
“Now, I want to uncover the truth about the incident.”
ㅤ
I feel the same way. We nodded strongly, encouraging each other to work hard so that we can enjoy delicious cherries in early summer.
ㅤ
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
ㅤ
A few days later, the detective hired by the Marchioness comes with the investigation results.
The Marchioness browses through the report with a frown and a stern expression.
What on earth could it say?
After reading it, it’s handed over to me to read.
ㅤ
What was written in the report was unexpected.
The captain of the queen’s guard, Jill・Von・Galdoberdo, age forty-five.
He had a woman he’d been dating for about fifteen years, and they’re currently living together as common-law wife and husband.
They have four children, and he’s dedicated to raising them, so he leaves all night duties to his subordinates.
ㅤ
In other words, he didn’t have time to have secret meetings with the queen.
It seems there’s another person who had a relationship with the queen.
I was inwardly at my wit’s end, but had the Marchioness anticipated this? She had continued to hire the detective.
ㅤ
“Can you investigate around Her Majesty the Queen?”
ㅤ
Although a higher reward was demanded than for investigating the captain of the royal knights, the Marchioness just raised an eyebrow and signed the request as it was.
ㅤ
“Lara, now that it’s come to this, let’s thoroughly investigate!”
ㅤ
The Marchioness showed a reliable profile.
Just when I thought it was over, the Marchioness asks me.
ㅤ
“Do you have anything you’re curious about or want to investigate?”
ㅤ
When asked, I remember there was one thing I wanted to investigate.
ㅤ
“Well, I’m curious about a certain poison’s origin.”
ㅤ
It’s the poison that was in the royal concubine’s safe.
At one point, it was circulated as a weight loss drug, but later it was found to contain poison.
Currently, its trade within the country seems to be banned, but there seems to be a route to obtain it.
ㅤ
“Could you find out where it’s sold and who purchased it?”
ㅤ
The detective nods and drafts a new contract.
The fee wasn’t so high, so I sighed in relief.
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