Episode 19
“She was a good person! I was a bit surprised when I first saw her, but…”
The maid hesitated and trailed off.
She must have been surprised by the burn scar.
“She was a very cultured and wonderful lady. Even when the master was away, she waited without any complaints, and she even brought gifts for the servants from time to time!”
“I see.”
Elisa had a strong personality, strong enough to step on the feet of those who insulted her, but at the same time, she also had a delicate side that knew how to take care of those around her.
A young lady who waited eagerly for the return of her fiancé, and even took care of his employees.
That pure love came to an end with a one-sided notice of annulment.
A typical noble lady might have hidden away for a while, feeling sad and ashamed, but…
‘Would someone like Elisa run away for such a reason?’
I did not think she was so weak.
So, what could have possibly led her to decide to disappear?
You have entered the reception room of the Relint mansion.
500 cash has been awarded as a first-time entry benefit.
Importance: B
Danger Level: F
Hidden Cash Amount: 2000
When I asked the maid to take me to the place where Elisa and Karl met most often, she led us to the reception room.
The two mainly conversed in the reception room, it seemed.
‘So they only ever met in the reception room even though they were engaged?’
Didn’t it seem like he was drawing a line, saying that their relationship was merely that of a guest and a host?
Did they not even go on proper dates?
This guy already had a pile of karma accumulated.
“…”
As the maid stepped away, Damon took off his hat, which he had been pressing down firmly, and looked around.
“There’s less dust than I expected.”
“Yeah.”
He was really into housekeeping, wasn’t he?
It was fascinating how he was only closely examining the window frames even after coming to a place like this.
“The furniture isn’t worn out, either.”
“That’s true.”
Soon, Damon looked straight into my eyes and said,
“The roof doesn’t seem to leak, either.”
“…”
I got it, I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it, okay?
Now he was even using the indirect way of speaking the nobles of high society used?
“I’ve felt it since the moment we entered, but this mansion really isn’t well-managed. The decorations in the hallways were all in poor condition.”
Whether it was due to a lack of staff or the owner’s lack of interest, the management certainly seemed inadequate.
Damon seemed to have noticed those aspects as well.
“But this reception room is pretty decent except for a bit of dust. It seems like some effort was put into the furniture and indoor decorations.”
Well, it was a space usually shown to guests, so they would naturally pay more attention to it.
But then again, Karl wasn’t someone who was particularly interested in socializing.
The only person who consistently visited the mansion was Elisa.
‘Was it consideration for her?’
Did Karl put in some effort to ensure she could stay in a good space?
…No, if that were the case, he would have met her in a better place than the reception room.
Or he wouldn’t have made her wait.
In any case, the ‘consideration’ or ‘care’ of people with regrets was hard to understand with ordinary rational thinking.
Found 300 cash at the ‘window where you can see the waves that remind me of my loved one.’
Found 200 cash on ‘the sofa where I sat absentmindedly.’
Found 200 cash on ‘the poetry book I read while waiting.’
Found 300 cash on ‘the clock that moved agonizingly slowly.’
Found 300 cash next to ‘the pen I used to write letters filled with longing.’
‘What are these heart-wrenching system messages…?’
It seemed Elisa suffered greatly while waiting for Karl.
The insensitive regretful male lead had accumulated quite a bit of karma here and there.
‘Now, it’s about time some decisive evidence came out.’
While investigating here and there, I gathered 1300 cash out of the 2000.
Clues worth 100~300 cash mostly served to show the protagonist’s lifestyle.
That meant there must be an important clue worth the remaining 700 cash somewhere.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
Remembering how I found a clue under the bed before, I immediately got down on the floor.
Then I started rummaging under the furniture.
“…”
Damon silently watched my actions.
“…”
“…”
“…This is part of the job.”
“I see.”
“You have to be a little rough when it comes to detective work.”
“I see.”
‘I didn’t ask’ was written on Damon’s face, yet I was making excuses because I was worried I probably looked unsightly.
Please, let there be some other maniac obsessed with rummaging under furniture somewhere in the world. I feel lonely doing it alone.
As I was hanging my head in shame, Damon knelt on one knee and met my eyes.
“Do you really need to do it yourself?”
His dark eyes were right in front of me.
“Huh?”
“Let me handle the rough stuff.”
Damon suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled it out. His touch was cold against my skin.
‘Did his hands grow with his height too?’
His hands, which I hadn’t seen in a while, had grown large enough to envelop my hand and wrist.
‘When we held hands and escaped the harbor, they were about the same size as mine….’
Did boys really grow this fast?
Feeling awkward for some reason, I squirmed, and during that time, he fearlessly reached under the decorative cabinet.
“You don’t have to do it yourself.”
“…Aren’t you afraid your hands will get dirty?”
He looked at me with an indifferent expression.
“It’s fine. I didn’t grow up so delicately that I’d worry about such things.”
A moment later, something white was pulled out by Damon’s hand.
“A letter?”
What? It didn’t come out when I searched?!
Why did it come out when he searched?
“You…”
Was he secretly a mom?
Although I never had a mother, I’d heard other people say that no matter how much they searched, things they were looking for would somehow only instantly appear when their mother looked for them.
“…Assistant.”
“Huh?”
“Does that make me look like a useful assistant?”
He asked in a low, absent voice, his eyes cast down.
‘Did I seem like a useful assistant?’
It seemed he wanted to help me like the assistant he had read about in the book.
‘Just like the old me.’
I remembered my old self, who desperately struggled and wanted to be recognized as a member of society somehow.
‘…What’s the point of being recognized by a boss who just sits around waiting for you to do the work?’
I felt stuffy and uncomfortable.
As I was pondering how to respond, I received the letter.
Found 700 cash within the ‘letter I lost while writing.’
“Of course. You were very useful.”
I patted him on the shoulder and nodded my head.
He found a letter worth 700 cash, so I should acknowledge that.
It was only right to repay Damon who’d gotten me cash. He deserved praise!
“…”
I could see Damon’s eyes widen slightly.
He then quickly turned his head away, as if he didn’t want to show me his expression.
Did I say it too energetically?
Feeling awkward for no reason, I shifted my gaze to the letter I was holding.
The ‘letter I lost while writing’…
I carefully unfolded the letter and read it.
「(The beginning is torn and cannot be read.)
…Will it be long before you return?
It feels as though your warmth still lingers in this room.
The garden where we sometimes sat and talked, the beach where we walked together, the waves that resemble your blue eyes….
There are traces of you everywhere.
You said you had to protect the world, but my world was already filled with you.
I don’t know what meaning a world without you would have for me.」
The letter ended with this sentence.
It seemed she couldn’t bear to write any more and just left it as it was.
And then she dropped it and completely lost it, perhaps?
‘Judging by the content, it must have been written by Elisa to Karl, right?’
Elisa spent a long time in the reception room.
Judging from the poetry book and pen that were left behind, she must have read books and written letters here.
Maybe Elisa even wrote love letters to Karl while waiting for him…
‘He dumped his fiancee who waited for him like this?’
I put down the letter and looked into the distance.
Lord Karl.
You’re a little b…
‘I need to roll around for this.’
Cleared the Reception Room of the Relint Mansion!
Karl and Elisa mainly met in the reception room.
However, it seems the time spent waiting was longer than the time they actually spent together.
The traces of longing for the other person are deeply embedded everywhere.
– Job experience has increased.
“Is he secretly a mom?” I laughed at that when I read it. Thanks for the translation as always. You seem to choose interesting ones.
I appreciate her evaluation of this guy.