Grand Duke's Beloved Granddaughter

“Daniel? Are you talking about… my great-grandfather?”

Elliot widened his eyes and looked at me, questioning.

I was surprised by calling Daniel by his name.

Unintentionally, I got excited and blurted out Daniel’s name instead of “great-grandfather.” I felt a little awkward, but since I couldn’t take back what I said, I tried to convey a positive attitude towards Elliot.

“Yeah, my great-grandfather.”

I nodded my head and replied, and Elliot looked around as if to make sure no one was listening. After confirming that there was no one nearby, he looked back at me.

“No matter what, if you get caught calling him that way, you’re going to get in trouble. Be careful next time. Besides, it’s not that far away from the restaurant.”

Elliot advised me. It was advice that I could understand well. If Daniel finds out that I called him by his name, he would probably be very displeased.

Even so, because of Duke Crichton, I wouldn’t be able to take any specific action.

“I understand. I’ll be careful. Anyway… Elliot, don’t you dislike him?”

“Of course, I do. You know that. Who he is. But why are you suddenly asking about it?”

“If I have to explain, it’s a long story, but I’ll tell you briefly. Did you hear that Mom wrote a letter to my great-grandfather to seek forgiveness?”

Elliot nodded in response to my question.

“I heard. Aunt sent a letter to the Duke, but it didn’t reach him. I heard it took a long time to clear up the misunderstanding. Mirabel, if it weren’t for you, it would have been difficult to meet again…”

“Yeah, what I want to talk about is precisely related to that incident.”

Elliot, being part of Duke Crichton’s circle and knowing in detail about the matter between Duke Crichton and my mother, didn’t require a complicated explanation.

“About that incident? Because of the letter, or because of you, we returned to Duke Crichton’s residence?”

Looking at the puzzled Elliot, I let out a sigh.

“Because of the letter.”

“Yeah. Tell me.”

Elliot urged me, and I briefly thought about where to start the story.

“I want to investigate why my mother’s letter didn’t reach my great-grandfather.”

“You want to investigate that? You, Mirabel, personally? Why? Is there some problem? I heard it was a private letter sent by post, so it might have been lost or missing.”

“Everyone thinks that way. But I don’t. Listen, my mother wrote and sent at least two letters every week. How can so many letters not reach him?”

“Well, it’s because they were sent by post… There could be a possibility of loss…”

Elliot, who was responding, suddenly shut his mouth.

“It does seem strange. If what you say is true, at least one letter should have arrived. If even one letter had arrived, it wouldn’t have taken this long to resolve the misunderstanding.”

Even Elliot, who tried to interpret the situation favorably, soon noticed something was amiss and furrowed his brow.

“If she sent two letters every week, in a year, it would be a hundred letters. Even if there is a possibility of loss because they were sent by post, they wouldn’t all be lost, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So I’ve thought about it. Maybe someone in the mansion took the letters.”

“It’s a plausible thought, but if that were the case, the Duke must have already investigated.”

I crossed my arms, listening to Elliot’s words. It was already something I had mentioned to Duke Crichton. However, considering the conversation I had with Duke Crichton at that time, he believed that there was no one within who would specifically take the letters.

Unaware of someone hiding dangerous intentions right next to him.

“Well, I did mention it to my great-grandfather. I thought he might investigate. But since Mom has already safely met him, it seems he doesn’t think there’s anyone in the mansion who would take the letters.”

Letting out a sigh, I spoke, and Elliot shrugged his shoulders in response.

“That could be true. But what does it have to do with your great-grandfather? Are you suspecting that your great-grandfather is the one who took the letters?”

“Yes.”

In fact, it was not just a suspicion. I knew from Daniel, the person involved in all these events in the future, that he was the mastermind behind it all. I also knew why he had to take the letters.

But I couldn’t tell Elliot all those stories. If I revealed everything I had experienced to someone else, they would surely think I was talking nonsense.

And even if it wasn’t the case, I didn’t want Daniel to find out that I knew about future events. It would be problematic if he found out and took any precautions.

Elliot stared into space for a moment, seemingly contemplating the credibility of what I said.

I patiently waited by his side until he finished his thoughts.

And after some time had passed, Elliot looked at me again.

“Mirabel, if what you’re saying is true, why would your great-grandfather take the letters? Even if he took Aunt’s letter, he wouldn’t gain anything from your great-grandfather.”

“Why wouldn’t he? Think about it carefully. Our mother left this mansion because she was in love with our father, but you also know who she was engaged to before that, right?”

“…It was His Imperial Majesty.”

“That’s right. When Mom left, the relationship between Duke Crichton and the imperial family became greatly strained. You know that better than me, Elliot.”

Finishing my words, I observed Elliot’s reaction. He simply nodded his head, accepting it.

“That’s true. It was difficult to meet His Highness the Crown Prince like we do now. Father occasionally interacted with His Highness the Crown Prince as his swordsmanship instructor.”

Fortunately, it seemed that my deduction was correct.

“So, what about now that Mom and I have returned? Mom came back and personally met the Emperor to apologize, and both the Empress and the Crown Prince came to the recent welcoming ball.”

“Since Aunt’s return, it became an opportunity to restore the relationship between her and the imperial family. It was proven through the ball. You also became friends with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Elliot immediately understood and replied.

“Yeah, if what you say is true, then Aunt didn’t want the relationship between the imperial family and Duke Crichton to improve. If the relationship between the imperial family and Duke Crichton becomes harmonious again, it means that Duke Crichton could receive help from the imperial family if anything happens.”

“What if something happens…”

Elliot, who was pondering my explanation, made an impression.

“Are you suspecting that your great-grandfather would do something in this mansion? That’s impossible. Besides, the Duke has your father here.”

It was certainly difficult for Elliot to accept from his standpoint.

It was because of Brian.

Brian had deemed it difficult for Daniel to reach Duke Crichton as long as he was in this household.

But in the future I had seen, Brian was not here.

I couldn’t know the specifics of what happened since it was an internal matter of the mansion, but at the very least, it was Daniel who executed his plans while Brian Crichton was absent.

The insiders were already under Daniel’s control, and in the end, they lost the mansion without even putting up proper resistance. The mansion’s owner, Duke Crichton, lost his life as well.

I couldn’t tell them that I had seen everything from the future…

Feeling frustrated, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“But there’s nothing wrong with investigating, right? If there’s someone who took the letters, we can ask them and find out the mastermind behind it. And if nothing comes up, it’s actually a good thing. Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah. If someone took Aunt’s letters, we have to find them.”

Fortunately, Elliot readily agreed.

“That’s why I need your help, Elliot.”

“What kind of help?”

“I’ve only been here for a short time, so I don’t even know who’s who. You know, right?”

When I looked at him for confirmation, Elliot nodded his head.

“That’s right.”

“Until now, I’ve been here without being discovered, so everyone working here is a suspect from my perspective. But Elliot, you’re different. You’ve been living here, so you have a general idea of who does what and what kind of tasks they have. You can help me narrow down the suspects.”

“So, I should narrow down the people who might be involved?”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

I held Elliot’s hand and made the request. Elliot’s hand was a little rough, unlike that of a child.

Elliot looked at me like that and readily agreed.

“Okay. Then, I’ll find the employees who could potentially be involved in taking the letters and let you know.”

“Thank you.”

I felt relieved to have Elliot’s cooperation.

From the beginning, it would be faster to receive Elliot’s help rather than figuring it out on my own.

However, just making a list was not enough. I needed an adult’s help to question and investigate them.

The first person that came to mind was Duke Crichton, but considering our previous conversation, it was unknown whether Duke Crichton would investigate the employees at my request.

In that case, it might be better to seek help from someone other than Duke Crichton.

For example, someone I could trust more than anyone else.

Brian Crichton.

After narrowing down the list, the next person I should visit was Brian.

Still, I smiled broadly, thinking that there would be some progress. Elliot faintly smiled in response to my smile.

“Until Aunt returns, you won’t know how barren and suffocating this mansion was.”

“Huh?”

I blinked slowly at Elliot’s sudden remark.

Elliot raised his hand and gently stroked my head.

“When my mother was here, it was somewhat better, but after she left when I was around your age… In my memory, this mansion was just desolate. I thought it was always like that, but I realized after you and Aunt returned that this place can also be warm and filled with laughter.”

Elliot looked at me with a mature gaze that was uncharacteristic of a twelve-year-old. It was hard to believe that he was just twelve.

“It’s fortunate that Aunt and you came back.”

“…”

“Well, it’s time for me to go study. Don’t worry, I’ll try to narrow down the list as quickly as possible and send it to you.”

Before I could respond, Elliot had already entered the mansion.

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Translator Note:

This chapter was translated by Bree.

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