Chapter 8

“Ah, well, as you know, Miss Charlotte, I’m not very good at remembering names.”

Not very good? More like completely incapable.

“…Right.”

Charlotte answered flatly.

“But during interrogations, I can’t afford to let that show, can I? There’s the issue of maintaining authority, and if a suspect thinks the police are incompetent, they might not take the questioning seriously.”

“…And?”

With a mischievous grin, Henry held up his palm right in front of her.

May.

The ink had smudged slightly at the edges, but the name was still clearly visible.

Charlotte was momentarily speechless. She suddenly recalled that this was the same man who constantly got his subordinates’ names wrong—but during the interrogation, he had called the maid’s name perfectly.

So… he had cheated by writing it on his hand?

Wow.

Seriously.

What kind of person even does that?

Charlotte was so dumbfounded that her mouth fell open. Henry, his blue eyes gently crinkling with amusement, wiped his hands with the handkerchief.

Just then, sunlight streamed in through the window. Under its glow, his black hair took on a subtle bluish sheen, glimmering in the light. As Charlotte watched him smooth out the handkerchief, brushing over both the ink-stained section and the part where her name was embroidered, she tilted her head slightly.

Now that she looked at him properly… he was kind of handsome.

Her gaze trailed along his sharp jawline, his delicate yet defined features, and especially his soft, pale blue eyes. They carried a completely different expression from when he had been interrogating the maid. And then—those eyes shifted from the handkerchief to meet hers.

Charlotte suddenly realized she had been caught staring. Embarrassed, she quickly turned her head away.

“Just give it back already. I’m throwing it away.”

She held out her hand, signaling for the handkerchief. Henry, almost absentmindedly, extended it toward her—then pulled it back. A sly smile tugged at his lips as he spoke in a low, secretive voice.

“If you don’t mind, Miss Charlotte… could I keep this handkerchief?”

“W-what? Why?”

“Well…”

For some reason, Charlotte felt a nervous lump form in her throat. She swallowed.

Why? Could it be…

“If I keep this, I might finally stop getting your name wrong.”

“…”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Charlotte suddenly felt mortified at her own ridiculous thoughts.

“I don’t care if you keep getting it wrong—just hand it over. Right now!”

Charlotte wanted to get the handkerchief back no matter what—more accurately, she wanted to retrieve it so she could immediately toss it into the nearest trash bin. But in the end, she had no choice but to let Henry keep it. He was being stubborn.

Of course, Charlotte had an equally difficult personality, so if she had really fought for it, she probably would have won. But instead of dragging out a pointless argument, she decided to just let it go and return to the autopsy facility as soon as possible.

On their way back to the disaster zone Charlotte had internally dubbed a complete mess, the two of them bickered non-stop.

“How can someone be this bad at remembering names? Do you have some kind of cognitive issue? You should get tested.”

“Haha, I already have. They told me I’m perfectly normal.”

“…Can I ask which doctor gave you that diagnosis?”

“Dr. Watson. He runs a clinic on Basin Street. If you ever need medical attention, I highly recommend him.”

“He’s definitely a quack. I’m reporting him to the medical board.”

“Why? Dr. Watson is an excellent physician.”

“…Forget it.”

“Hmm… Oh, look, there’s Dory. Dory!”

Dan, who had been talking with Martin, greeted them with a resigned and exasperated expression.

“It’s Dan, Superintendent. Dan!”

“…My apologies.”

“Good grief… By the way, you weren’t caught with that name written on your hand, were you?”

“I wasn’t.”

While Dan was giving Henry what sounded like a half-scolding, Charlotte quietly tugged at Martin’s sleeve.

“Earlier… I’m really sorry, Martin. I just had to see how the investigation was progressing for myself.”

Martin looked a little surprised at her apology but soon smiled warmly, accepting it without hesitation.

“It’s alright, Miss Charlotte. I understand. I was like that too when I was younger—full of enthusiasm.”

“What do you mean? You’re still young.”

The two exchanged lighthearted conversation, and Charlotte felt relieved that he had accepted her apology. But then, a snippet of Dan and Henry’s conversation caught her ear.

“…Then the two of you focus on gathering information about Robert Turove. His financial dealings, his usual behavior, his reputation—dig up everything you can.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll be heading to the baron’s estate in an hour to meet this Sir Lau.”

“You’re going yourself, Superintendent? Why not summon him instead?”

“If I go to the estate, I can meet the baroness as well. I need to speak with her, too.”

Charlotte’s head snapped up. The baroness? Did he mean Lucy? Why was Lucy suddenly being brought into this?

“The baroness?” Dan asked.

“But Superintendent, didn’t you say before that she wasn’t someone we needed to worry about?”

Henry replied in an even tone.

“If Miss May’s words are true, then the baroness also needs to be looked into. Since it’s a bit of a trip outside the capital, I’ll head home after I’m done. You two can do the same once your investigation wraps up.”

“Understood.”

Henry gave a slow nod before continuing on his way.

Charlotte stood there blankly for a moment before hastily bidding Martin goodbye and rushing after Henry.

As they reached the passageway leading to the autopsy facility, Henry came to a stop and turned to face her. With a soft smile, he spoke.

“Thank you for all your help with the investigation today, um… Miss Charlotte.”

Charlotte saw him subtly pull her handkerchief from his pocket to double-check her name but pretended not to notice, simply nodding in response.

“…Sure…”

“Well then, until next time…”

Henry gave her a slight bow and turned to leave.

At that moment, Charlotte, without thinking, shot out her hand and grabbed his arm.

“I—I’ll go too!”

“…?”

Henry’s expression turned bewildered.

Charlotte bit down on her lip, her face twisting in uncertainty.

Charlotte Lovern, what the hell are you doing? What more can you possibly do? If you push any further, this will be outright insubordination. Do you want to get fired?

But…

She clenched one cheek between her teeth, as if trying to ground herself, then forced the words out like a confession.

“I’ll go with you. To the Turove estate.”

“Are you serious?”

A slow smile spread across Henry’s face at Charlotte’s words.

Charlotte took a deep, steady breath—subtly, so it wouldn’t be obvious—and exhaled before nodding with determination.

“You said in an hour, right? Let’s meet here again then.”

“Sounds good.”

Henry nodded firmly, his black hair swaying gently with the motion.

But Charlotte didn’t notice.

She was too busy thinking about how on earth she was going to beg Eugene for permission.

* * *

Charlotte made her way to the meeting spot, carrying an absurdly large and heavy-looking bag, as if that weren’t enough, she was also clutching a thick stack of documents in her arms.

When she returned to the office, she was greeted by the sight of Eugene, buried under a mountain of paperwork.

The moment the door creaked open, Eugene—his dark circles sinking all the way to his cheekbones—lifted his bleary eyes in a daze. He stared blankly for a moment, then, upon realizing it was Charlotte, simply lowered his head again without a word.

Instead, he silently reached out, pulled out the chair beside him, and shoved a pile of documents and a pen across the desk toward it. It was a wordless command: Sit down and work.

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before carefully approaching and taking the seat he had prepared.

Her original plan had been to explain the situation to Eugene right away, grab her things, and leave. But after seeing him in his half-dead state, she found herself unable to get the words out.

So instead, she quickly flipped through the documents he had given her, sorting and organizing them at a rapid pace.

Eugene, seeing this, reached for another pile to hand her, but Charlotte moved faster.

Before he could burden her with even more work, she shot to her feet and called out with determination.

“Senior!”

“…?”

Eugene slowly lifted his head again. His dull, lifeless eyes met Charlotte’s.

She immediately lost her nerve.

“Uh… did you work overtime again last night?” she asked hesitantly.

“…No.”

Eugene muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I never left.”

Charlotte was in despair. Damn it, how am I supposed to ask to leave early? Father, please give me strength…!

She could feel the weight of her guilt pressing down on her, but she had no choice. Squeezing her eyes shut, she blurted out,

“Senior, I’m really sorry, but can I leave early today?!”

Silence fell over the room.

Eugene tilted his head slightly, as if he had misheard her.

Oh, screw it.

Charlotte crouched down next to his chair, clutching the armrest like a lifeline as she poured out a desperate plea.

“Please, just this once! I need to go somewhere with the police about the Baron Turove case. Please, keep this from the director and let me leave just for today!”

Eugene remained silent.

“In exchange, I’ll do all of these documents by myself tomorrow! You can just sit in your chair all day, pretend to work, and then go home! Please, okay?!”

Eugene listened to her heartfelt plea and finally spoke.

“Really?”

“Of course! Absolutely! I swear I’ll do it all! Just sit there and act like you’re working, and then go home early tomorrow!”

“…Those over there need to be submitted by tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll take them home and finish them tonight!”

Eugene still didn’t respond.

But in the end, Charlotte managed to escape the office and meet Henry at the designated spot.

Henry blinked at her a few times before asking, completely serious,

“Uh… what is all that?”

Charlotte shot back bluntly,

“None of your business.”

Henry had only been trying to show interest and grow a little closer to her, but being shut down so harshly left him feeling both embarrassed and flustered. He pressed his lips together and decided not to say anything else.

For the entire carriage ride to the Garrot region, where the Turove estate was located, neither of them spoke a word.

Charlotte was too busy sorting through the documents she had brought, and Henry, not wanting to be humiliated again, wisely kept quiet.

When the coachman finally announced their arrival, the two stepped out of the carriage. While Henry paid the fare, Charlotte’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the Turove estate.

The mansion was undeniably luxurious.

Of course, in the capital, there were far grander and more extravagant estates, but considering this was not the capital—and that Baron Turove’s title was newly acquired, and at that, the lowest rank of nobility—it was surprisingly lavish.

Well, they did say he had good business sense.

Charlotte nodded to herself, taking it all in.