* * *
Dana’s POV
It was sometime later. Viego Windsor returned from his business trip. He wasn’t alone. He came back with a young priest, who annoyingly served the Moon God.
Who is that person?
Perhaps because of my past experiences with that religion, I couldn’t see the priest in a good light. However, Viego welcomed the guest with the priest by his side. The guest was Inspector Billord Lancaster.
“So, you’re asking for cooperation in the investigation?”
“That’s correct.” Billord Lancaster insisted, explaining the case so far. “We are starting to get a rough idea of the club members. You might not know, but Lord Carl Windsor has successfully joined the club.”
“…”
“However, since the murder, the club members have been laying low, so there won’t be any sales meetings for a while.”
“And?”
“We plan to conduct a sting operation.”
Billord Lancaster showed Viego a painting acquired from the deceased cadets.
“We intend to catch the murderer by spreading rumors that this painting is for sale.”
“…”
“Lady Danae has agreed, but what do you think, Duke?”
Viego silently looked at the painting.
I felt a bit embarrassed. Why was he staring so intensely?
“Go ahead.” After a while, Viego coolly responded. Then he added sarcastically. “She agreed herself. I have nothing more to say.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. We will catch the culprit soon.”
It was when Billord was about to leave with the painting.
“Leave it.”
“…Pardon?”
Billord hesitated at Viego’s words, but since there were many other paintings acquired as evidence, he left it behind and left the room.
I was flabbergasted. Viego had been unable to take his eyes off the painting until now.
“You should leave too, Danae Windsor.”
What an unpleasant person. Even though a direct descendant of Windsor was being insulted, he was just admiring the painting instead of being upset. I left the room, feeling annoyed.
Finally, only Viego and the priest remained. For some reason, the priest looked embarrassed and tense.
“Priest Nelten.” Viego stepped aside as if to show him the painting. “What do you think of this painting?” He then tapped the moonlight painting and the moon in it with the tip of his cane. “As you can see, it seems to be the work of your colleague.”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea who could have painted such a thing…”
When the priest carefully apologized, Viego put down his cane, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, and rolled them up. Then, slap! He slapped the priest across the face.
“Keugh!”
The priest fell to the ground. Viego nudged the fallen priest’s knees with the tip of his shoe. “Stand up.”
“Y-Your Grace…”
“I said stand up.”
The priest barely managed to stand up, and immediately, Viego slapped him again. Slap! The sound seemed to ring through the skull. The priest’s nose bled, his lip burst, and his teeth flew out. Thud! The priest, hitting his head against the wall, collapsed.
Viego walked over and stood in front of him again. “Stand up.”
“Y-Your Grace, please listen to me…”
“Do I have to make you stand?”
The priest, trembling with a face full of fear, stood up. And once again, a huge palm came flying. Slap!
“Stand up.”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
Slap!
“Stand up.”
“Y-Your Grace, please, sob…”
Slap! Slap! Slap! How many more slaps did he endure? The priest blinked. Had he fainted for a moment? The tip of the Duke’s sleek black shoe was right in front of his eyes. He had collapsed with his face pressed into the carpet.
“Stand up.”
“…”
It seemed like the technique of a torturer. Not enough to make one faint for long, but enough to cause excruciating pain.
The priest, with his face covered in blood, stood up. Fortunately, it seemed Viego had no intention of hitting him further as he was rebuttoning the cuffs of his pristine white shirt.
Viego glanced at the painting and spoke. “Explain.”
“I’m sorry. It seems like a radical priest caused this trouble.”
“No excuses. Bring them to me.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to educate them thoroughly.”
“Educate?” Viego wiped the blood from his palm with a handkerchief, lifting the corner of his mouth. “The education will be done by Diana, whom you so reverently worship.”
The discipline will be carried out by Diana, whom you so reverently worship.”
* * *
A few more days passed.
“Here, a letter from Lord Carl Windsor.”
Lethe handed over a letter from Carl.
[This club is too scary, Dana.]
[I’m very scared, but I’m gathering strength for you. Please wish for my safe return.]
Why is this person pretentious even in letters? I threw the letter into the fireplace.
Carl had indeed succeeded in becoming a member of that clubhouse. He had been leaking information by infiltrating it.
Who could be scarier than him? What could possibly scare the person who would gouge out eyes and break jaws when annoyed?
Still, he was quite diligent. Considering he’s busy with the Retillan mine development. Despite being so busy, he was also undertaking this task. No wonder I was completely fooled all this time. Even now, if I didn’t stay alert, I felt I could be deceived again. That’s how dedicated Carl was.
“Bazellan Caravaggio is still missing.”
I clicked my tongue as Lethe continued the report. It seemed like that person was the artist who drew those paintings.
“Where on earth did he disappear to?”
“Who knows. If he’s really the artist who painted that nude, he might have fled after seeing the cadets murdered. Or…”
Lethe trailed off, but I knew what he meant.
Or he might have been murdered too.
“Who on earth would do such a thing?”
“Who knows…” Lethe stared quietly at the fireplace before continuing. “Whoever it is, one thing is certain—they love you, Milady.”
“You think so?”
“Unless they’re a madman who enjoys killing, it must be. Of course, I’m not defending the murderer.”
“…”
After Lethe left, I lay down on the bed. For some reason, I felt uneasy and couldn’t sleep. Come to think of it, they said they’re going to conduct a sting operation today.
Who could the culprit be? The first face that came to my mind was, of course, Raios.
“You’ll be buried next to me even after I die.”
Crazy b*stard.
I gripped the blanket tightly. Funny. It’s coming from a coward who used to hide and whine.
Was he telling me to face execution or something? Such a prideful crybaby. How did he turn into such trash?
Raios thought of me as his possession. So, he might have committed murder out of dissatisfaction with his possession being insulted… or maybe not.
Stop thinking about it.
After all, the murderer would be caught when I woke up tomorrow. I would soon know their identity.
Feeling tired, I closed my eyes. But with the darkness, my thoughts continued to flood in.
Back then, I could have seen the face of the murderer. It was when I had glimpsed the land’s memories before. I had clearly seen the figure of the murderer who killed Justin Lancaster. Yes, it’s still vivid now.
Justin Lancaster running through the bushes. Bang! The bullet lodged in his shoulder.
“P-Please, hng, aaah…”
He begged like a worm, crawling as another bullet hit him mercilessly.
“Please, please, please…”
Justin begged with a tear-stained face, pleading with the murderer who approached him.
“I-I won’t approach Danae, that person, I was wrong, I won’t do it again, so please!”
He begged while crying, but the murderer was merciless, silently raising the muzzle.
“Please, please, please! Spare me!”
The killer placed a finger on the trigger, ready to fire. And it was that moment.
“―!”
…Come to think of it, Justin seemed to have shouted something then.
“Please!”
What was it? That final voice.
“Please, please―!”
The last word of Justin’s life. It definitely was.
“Noah!”
Ah. I remembered.
Happy New Year everyone!ヾ(´︶`♡)ﾉ
