Chapter 1

Case 1. Doubt Everything.

The maid woke up in the dim light of dawn. She desperately wanted to sleep a little longer, but if she didn’t get up immediately, she would only get scolded. With a grumble, she forced herself to sit up.

The first thing she did was head down to the kitchen to fetch hot water. A fellow maid, one she was quite close with, had once suggested she simply wash up in the communal bathroom near the kitchen. But she had only given an awkward smile and shook her head.

“What’s with you these days? You don’t even hang out with us properly.”

Her friend voiced her disappointment, but the maid simply smiled awkwardly and picked up her water bucket. Hurry up and wash. I’ll save some bread for you.

Touched by her friend’s kindness, the maid quickly hurried away.

That evening, the maid crouched in a corner by the stairs, secretly massaging her aching legs. This is exhausting. I’m going to die at this rate. She pouted and grumbled under her breath.

“Hey!”

Startled by the sudden tap on her shoulder, she quickly turned around. Seeing her friend’s bright, smiling face, she let out a deep sigh of relief and whispered,

“I thought you were the head maid.”

“Why would the head maid be here right now? The mistress is about to return soon.”

Her friend glanced toward the entrance. Curious, the maid peeked out as well. Standing at the front, a stern-looking woman was waiting to greet the lady of the house.

Who knows how much time had passed when the front door finally opened. A woman dressed in a lavish gown entered the mansion with graceful steps. The head maid, who had been wearing a stern expression, immediately softened her face into a warm smile as she took the lady’s outerwear with care. She then followed closely behind, nodding along to every word the woman spoke.

Watching the scene, the maid’s friend let out a sigh.

“Ah, I’m so jealous.”

“Huh?”

“Our lady, I mean. She’s beautiful, has noble blood, and her husband is ridiculously wealthy. On top of that, our master treats her so well. What could she possibly have to worry about? It’s only commoners like us who fret about making a living and taking care of our families. Don’t you think?”

“But… she still doesn’t have a child yet.”

The maid murmured, placing a hand over her stomach. At that, her friend shrugged and countered,

“They’re both still young. What’s the rush? It hasn’t even been three years since they got married. A baby will come when the time is right.”

“You there!”

A voice as cold as ice suddenly rang out, making the two maids jump to their feet.

Before they even realized it, the head maid had appeared, glaring at them sharply for slacking off.

“Have you finished all your work? Or are you just standing around here wasting time?”

“I-I’m sorry, madam!”

“We were wrong, madam. Please forgive us just this once!”

The head maid let out a deep sigh. She knew all too well how exhausting the work was, so after a brief scolding, she decided to let it slide this time.

“The lady is looking for the master. Is he still in his chambers?”

“I-I’m not sure. He was there this morning, but…”

“Go check if the master is still asleep. If he is, wake him up. Let him know that the lady wishes to have dinner with him. If he’s not in his chambers, come find me again.”

The maid bowed her head and hurried away. She was certain the head maid was watching her from behind, so she nearly ran, moving as fast as possible until she reached the bedroom door. Catching her breath, she carefully knocked.

“Master, are you awake?”

No response came from within.

Cautiously, she opened the door and stepped inside.

A man lay sprawled facedown on the grand, luxurious bed. The thick, white blankets covered him completely, his face buried deep in the soft fabric. He appeared to be deeply asleep.

“Master, the sun is already setting. It’s time to wake up.”

Despite the maid’s calls, the man didn’t stir.

In the end, she reached out, intending to shake his shoulder—but the moment she touched him, she froze.

Something felt… off.

His thin clothing was unnervingly cold, with no trace of warmth beneath it. And his shoulder—it wasn’t soft and pliant like a person’s. It felt rigid, like wood.

“…Master?”

Her hand trembled as she pressed against his body, pushing him slightly.

As his face slowly emerged from the blanket, the maid’s expression twisted in horror.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room.

The man’s mouth was smeared with vomit, as if he had choked on it. His lifeless eyes were wide open, pupils dull and unfocused.

He was dead.

* * *

The darkness was absolute.

She had no idea where she was. No matter how much time passed, her eyes refused to adjust. When she reached out, her fingers grasped nothing but empty air. She couldn’t even be sure she was standing on solid ground.

As fear seeped in from the void, it slowly twisted into something else—resignation. Just as she was about to surrender to the endless abyss, a faint light appeared in the distance. It flickered, swaying up and down as if beckoning her forward.

She hesitated only for a moment before stumbling toward it.

The closer she got, the more defined the once-indistinct glow became.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her trembled. A sharp gust of wind rushed past, forcing her eyes shut. It sliced through the air like a blade, so sharp it made her flinch and instinctively hunch her shoulders.

When she finally dared to open her eyes again, the once-distant light was now right in front of her—clear, vivid, undeniable.

Startled, she gasped and collapsed onto the ground.

“Well, well. Did you see that, little one?”

The man standing before her looked… ordinary. No, perhaps even kind.

The way he smiled, slightly troubled, made him seem all the more harmless.

With a small chuckle, he ran a hand over his chin and laughed softly.

In the next instant, the man’s expression shifted—his harmless facade melting away to reveal the cold, glinting eyes of a ruthless killer.

With a sharp clang, the knife in his hand fell to the ground.

He stepped forward, crushing the corpse beneath him without hesitation. Crack. The sickening sound of bones shattering echoed in the air.

The thick, metallic scent of blood clung to her, suffocating and vile.

She tried to run.

But her body refused to move.

The man grinned, baring his teeth, and reached out toward her.

“Ah—!”

Charlotte gasped, eyes snapping shut.

The next thing she knew, the world spun around her before—thud!—a dull pain shot through her waist.

Dazed, she blinked up at the familiar ceiling.

…A dream.

She had fallen off the bed.

Still lying on the floor, Charlotte buried her face in the blanket that had tumbled down with her. It smelled of sun-dried fabric and fresh soap—warm, comforting scents that starkly contrasted the cold sweat clinging to her skin.

She took a deep breath, biting down on her lip as she tried to steady her racing heart. A chill ran down her spine as the remnants of the nightmare lingered.

Chirp, chirp.

Birdsong trickled in from outside the window, a peaceful melody that slowly eased her frayed nerves.

Taking another deep breath, Charlotte sluggishly crawled back onto the bed, pressing her face into the pillow.

Then, all at once, she shot up.

What time is it?!

* * *

I’m doomed.

Charlotte groaned and collapsed onto her desk, clutching her head. A long sigh escaped her lips.

Today was just one of those days—where nothing, absolutely nothing, went right.

She had overslept. Then, in her rush to get dressed, her hair got caught in a button. On the way to work, a carriage wheel got stuck, delaying her even more. In the end, she arrived late and got scolded by her superior.

And now, on top of all that—she got stuck with this assignment.

As she flailed in frustration, someone clicked their tongue and patted her shoulder.

“Don’t be so dramatic. At least once you’re done with this, you can go home early.”

Charlotte lifted her head with a miserable expression.

Standing before her was Eugene, his face just as exhausted as hers—his dark circles proof that he hadn’t slept well either.

“But this is too much. How am I supposed to perform an autopsy, senior?”

“You’re the best fit for it. Besides, this isn’t just some run-of-the-mill noble family member—we’re talking about a wealthy baron. People like us wouldn’t normally get the chance to handle something like this.”

“But still…”

Charlotte knew Eugene was right.

The corpse that had arrived today belonged to the second son of a well-known noble family in Essenharn’s capital, Leopolre. Although he had lived independently after establishing his own household, he had settled in a city right next to Leopolre. Thanks to his sharp business acumen, he had amassed a great fortune—enough for the imperial family to grant him the title of baron. In a time when creating new noble titles was harder than plucking stars from the sky, that alone spoke volumes.

Under normal circumstances, an autopsy on a noble’s body would never have been considered. The doctrine of the faith strictly taught that desecrating a corpse would cause its soul to lose its way, preventing it from reaching the gods and forcing it to wander for eternity. No matter how much scholars argued that an autopsy was not desecration but rather a means to uncover the truth and ensure no injustice in death, such reasoning never swayed the aristocracy.

Charlotte stared at the name written on the file.

Alex Turove.

Under ordinary circumstances, this man should have received a proper burial—a solemn, extravagant funeral before being laid to rest in his family’s crypt. That would have been his fate, had his relatives in the capital not strongly insisted that there was something suspicious about his death.

And so, the body ended up in the autopsy room.

Someone had to conduct the examination and uncover the cause of death. But who?

Everyone in this room was either a commoner, a fallen noble, or at best, a low-ranking aristocrat. If they mishandled the situation, they wouldn’t just lose their jobs—they could easily face a lawsuit, or worse.

Everyone… except Charlotte.

She was the only true noble in this place.

The Marchioness of Robern, one of Leopolre’s most influential noble houses, had three children. The eldest son, who had inherited the family title at a young age, was now a member of the Central Parliament. The second son was a colonel in the Essenharn Imperial Army. And the youngest—was Charlotte.

Eugene watched as she opened her mouth as if to protest, then shut it again. With a sigh, he shook his head.

No matter how much they played the roles of superiors and subordinates here, the truth was inescapable—none of them should even be allowed to stand in Charlotte’s presence, let alone give her orders.

If the Turove family decided they didn’t like the results of the autopsy and caused trouble, it wouldn’t be a problem if Charlotte was the one handling it. The nobility wouldn’t dare push too hard against someone of her status.

Eugene felt a little guilty about using his junior as a shield, but at the end of the day, the director was right—there was no one else who could do this.