Chapter 10

Kallen bent down to check the woman’s pulse. After a moment, he lifted his head and murmured, “She’s dead.”

My mouth dropped open. “Sh-she’s dead?”

This was a dangerous city. I covered my mouth in shock. With each beat of my racing pulse, I could feel my heart crawling further up my throat.

“But… She doesn’t seem to be wounded,” I said.

“People can die suddenly, even when there are no obvious wounds. From a heart attack, for instance,” Kallen explained. “You’re very intelligent, aren’t you, child?”

The coachmen helped me into the carriage, my legs still trembling from shock. I had almost forgotten that this was the nature of the world I now inhabited. According to the novel, the kingdom’s capital had the world’s highest crime rate, as well as the greatest number of unsolved deaths.

“Someone’s died!”

“My goodness, it’s a young lady!”

“Dear God!”

People quickly flocked to the body. The shrill cries of the boutique workers who dashed outside continued to echo in my ears and head. Kallen appeared calm, but my limbs wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Afternoon, sir. I’m with the police. You witnessed the woman collapse, correct? Would you mind telling me your name?”

“I’m Duke Kallen de Lewelton.”

“Oh, Your Grace! Please forgive me.” The patrolman promptly bowed before the duke. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Formalities, you understand.”

The policeman interrogated His Grace for a while.

“The deceased’s name is Benet Alleim. She was the daughter of a man who runs multiple stalls in the fish market. I’ve seen her before, the poor thing. She was plagued with no chronic illnesses, therefore I’m left to assume she died of a heart attack.”

“Unfortunately, things like this do happen.”

“Right, right. Well, I apologize for taking up Your Grace’s valuable time.”

As our carriage drove away, the policemen removed their caps and bowed. Was it really just a heart attack? It can’t be. I wish I could recall something from the book, but my memories remain fragmented. I tightened my hands and gulped back my disbelief. Kallen sat still, staring at me.

“You were quite brave the first time I met you, but you seem frightened now,” he said in a kind, low voice. “What are you scared of?”

“I’m fine. Anything can happen in this world,” I gritted out through my teeth. Was it because I had feigned illness? I felt like my head was on fire.

“Wouldn’t you like your fortune told?”

I kept reflecting on the toy store and the mysterious lady who had tried to drag me away. Her voice haunted my mind.

When we arrived at the manor, Kallen and I returned inside.

“Welcome back, Your Grace,” Sion said as he opened the front door. He then glanced at me with surprise. “How did you two...”

“I retrieved her from the streets.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Welcome back, Father,” Jade said, descending the stairs. “The two of you returned together?”

“There was a bit of an incident,” Kallen said.

At the sight of Jade, the shocked fog over my mind sunk into despair. His every glance felt like a reprimand for losing the balloon.

“Jade,” I spoke up hesitantly. He watched the butler take Kallen’s hat and coat and lead him to the second floor, then swung around to face me.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I’m so sorry. I lost the balloon.”

“How?” After I briefly explained what had transpired at the dress shop, Jade looked at me curiously. “You cry and laugh over the simplest things. It’s fascinating.”

“But it was my very first gift. A gift from you…”

“You liked the balloon that much?”

“Yes. Lady Marianne tied the string around my wrist. I liked how when I was tired, I could look up at the sky and see the balloon. It made me very, very happy. I planned to look at it until bedtime, but…”

Jade gently brushed his hand over my hair. I was still sad, but my heart felt more at ease because he didn’t appear angry. “Don’t cry over something that can be so easily replaced,” he said finally. “Oh, we can go boating later. How does that sound?”

Is he trying to comfort me?

“But aren’t you busy?” I asked.

“It’s all right.” Jade’s words were curt, but they oddly reassured me.

It had been an eventful day—hearing Lady Rosé’s venomous remarks, seeing a woman die right before my very eyes, and losing the balloon. But relief replaced my apprehension. I rubbed my eyes and smiled.

“Why not get some rest before dinner? Father may request that we congregate in the wine room after we eat to listen to music,” Jade said softly.

I nodded without grasping his meaning.

I think I might be remembering something. As I continued to consider the face of the woman who’d collapsed, I felt vaguely like a memory was loading in the back of my mind. Even as I changed clothes, my left arm felt strangely sore.

What’s wrong with my body? It was then that my arm started to burn.

Am I just imagining things?

* * *

“So far, nothing seems suspicious,” Kallen hummed, holding a glass of dark whiskey on the rocks.

“The only thing I’ve discovered about Lae is that she’s rather adorable. So all will be well, whether she’s useful or not. Wouldn’t you agree, Sion?” Kallen emitted a plume of pitch-black smoke from the fingertips of his other hand.

Sion, who stood motionless beside him, didn’t answer.

“It’s a good thing we were able to send a piece of you to locate the missing child right away,” Kallen continued, staring into the smoke in his palm. “It’s difficult to raise a child, isn’t it?”

The black smoke slowly wriggled into the shape of a snake before vanishing. Kallen set down his drink, a grin on his face.

* * *

It had been quite a while since I’d seen a dead body. The day my mother had died, the day a plague ravaged the slums, killing the children in the street—that was the last day I’d seen one. Looking back, my life has been quite harrowing, hasn’t it?

“Are you all right, my lady?” Sion inquired as he served me a drink.

“Oh, yes…”

The duke most likely told him about today’s incident, right? However, His Grace acted as if nothing had happened. Dinner was quiet. As the end of the meal approached, Sion handed Kallen a piece of paper.

Kallen looked over it with an apathetic expression on his face. “His Majesty has sent us a riddle,” he stated. “I trust you haven’t forgotten the unfortunate incident that occurred just before we returned, child?”

I cringed and nodded.

“Well, it appears that today wasn’t the first time.”

“The first time for what?”

“For someone to succumb to a mysterious heart attack. This is reportedly the third time a woman has died abruptly of heart failure. Three different women, three separate locations. They determined it to be a coincidence after the second case, but the third has changed things. The police have started to keep watch. They even belonged to different socioeconomic classes: a merchant’s daughter, a noblewoman, and a commoner. The only thing these women shared was their red hair.”

The duke smiled—a smile so perfect that it sent chills down my spine. “I hope it’s a satisfying chase,” he mused aloud.

For His Grace, a murder case was a wonderful thing because it was an opportunity to hunt. But only he finds it wonderful.

I blinked instead of asking what he meant. Then I said, “I wouldn’t know, Your Grace. As long as you’re happy.”

Kallen gave a slow nod. “You’re very kind, though I wish you would address me as Father one day. After all, I am your guardian.”

I tightened my lips. I couldn’t call him that yet. It’s too embarrassing…

“She’ll call you Father once she’s settled in with the family. She’s quite shy, it seems,” Jade said. Then he turned to me and gently asked, “Isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. I was a little sad after losing the balloon, but your comfort cheered me up.”

“Good. Eat slowly. There’s plenty of food to go around.” Jade pushed several platters of delectable food towards me.

Kallen stared at us with wide eyes, as if startled to find his son taking care of someone else.

* * *

“A gramophone is extremely expensive, hence few nobles in the kingdom own one,” Jade explained. “Once a week, Father and I sit down to drink wine and listen to music. The butler joins us too.”

Kallen turned on the gramophone with its trumpet-shaped horn. He picked up one of the records sitting nearby and placed it on top. After he moved the needle, the record slowly began to spin.

Wouldn’t a gramophone controlled by a mana stone be a highly valued artifact? It’s amazing. It’s my first time seeing a magic tool.

There was a crackling noise, and then the sound of a languid melody floated through the air. It was a slow piano piece.

This music… is wonderful. It was my first time listening to music in this world. The song drew me in as I focused on the melody.

“I like it,” I said.

“I’ll play a different record next time,” Kallen remarked, leaning against the gramophone.

Sion passed Jade and Kallen a glass of wine each. Then, he gave me a glass of peach juice.

“Thank you, Mr. Butler,” I said.

Kallen smirked. “Don’t give out your thanks so easily. He follows every order he’s given, so you needn’t be so polite.”

Despite Kallen’s unfriendly remarks, I knew the master and servant had a cordial relationship.

“He can’t make a move without my permission, since he’s indebted to me,” Kallen added. He wiggled his fingers in front of Sion’s eyes, but he didn’t blink. Sometimes, Sion reminded me of a handsome statue.

“But I’m still thankful,” I said with a smile.

Kallen sat on the sofa and beckoned me with his hand. As I sat next to him, I looked at Jade, who was sipping wine across from us.

“Are you really allowed to drink wine, Jade? You’re not an adult yet…”

“It’s fine. Our family is barely affected by drugs or alcohol. In fact, I’ve been drinking since I was ten.”

“Then can I—”

“No,” Kallen interrupted. “You’re still too little. You can drink when you’ve grown to half the size of Jade.”

“How old is Jade now?” I asked.

“Fourteen,” Jade responded.

I stared at him in disbelief. He looked to be at least seventeen to me.

“Then how tall are you?”

“Not sure. Last time I checked, I was around three tinas tall.”

How tall is that? Just eyeballing it, I’m estimating it’s about 180 centimeters. It’s difficult to guess his age by looking at him, but he’s already handsome, and monstrously tall. Was he blessed with genes that aided his growth, or cursed with genes that made him appear older than his age? Just as I thought, the Leweltons aren’t your typical family. Or maybe I’m just short. I raised my hand above my head to estimate my height.

“What are you doing?” Jade asked.

“I want to grow taller,” I said.

Puzzled as to why Jade was smiling, I arched my eyebrow.

Kallen examined my face, then leaned closer. I started to feel drowsy. My head nodded toward my chest without realizing it, as the sound of music continued to fill the room.

“You can sleep if you’re tired,” Kallen whispered. “Your face is still pale.”

My eyes were still closed, but I shook my head. “I’m fine. I want to be here with everyone, not sleeping all alone.”

Kallen always wore his gloves, even when indoors, but in the next moment, he began to remove them. He pressed his bare hand against my forehead.

I gasped. It was happening. An electric current ran through my body, and a vision shot through my mind. Not again…

Thursday, August 9th. This time, the target was a young girl from the slums named Lae. The girl, whose sole asset was the name her mother had given her, tragically fell into the woman’s trap.

“Come here, child. Let me reveal your fate. You lost your mother, didn’t you? She can reach out to you from heaven through the art of fortune-telling,” the woman promised. “Yes, this way. Very good.”

After being carried away, Lae didn’t meet the same fate as the other women. Unlike the others, there was no one coming to look for her. The fortune-teller force-fed her a drug and locked her up in a cage.

“Your hair color is very pretty.”

These were the last words Lae heard before her arm was severed.

I panted, my heart racing out of my chest, and clutched my left arm tightly. If what I’d just remembered was accurate, today was the day Lae, the beggar girl from the slums, was meant to die.

And that beggar girl was me.