The Detective Agency for Regretful Male Leads Is Open for Business!

Chapter 3

Under a desk meant for light office duties lay a drawer. I pulled it open, and found three unopened letters inside.

Letters in drawers… Can’t get much more obvious than that.

You have discovered 700 Cash from [Unwanted Letters Left in a Drawer].

With a “ding!” the system notified me that I’d gained some Cash.

“So I get cash when I find clues?” I asked.

I was doing precisely what a real detective might do. Thankfully, since the system provided most of the information I needed, the going wasn’t difficult.

All right. I’ve got this. The difficulty level was just right, and I was having fun. It put me in a good mood. With a simple movement, I opened the letters and read them.

⌈Sent some peaches harvested this year.

Respond if you need cherries.⌋

⌈The viscount wants a reply.⌋

⌈Visit the Larmin mansion the moment you read this.⌋

That’s it? These “letters” seemed much too short and dry. And they were worded like orders issued to a subordinate.

Or like they were written by a robot. Even the system messages seemed more human than this.

They’re from the House of Larmin… the family Chelsea’s mother belonged to. When I saw the Larmin seal on the envelope, everything clicked. An ordinary family would not be so heartless to their married daughter, but the House of Larmin was different.

Viscount Larmin, Chelsea’s guardian and uncle, had abused her from a young age. Chelsea had entered the marriage with Marquess Graydon to get away from her family home. The novel had given a detailed account of the arrangement.

“Marquess Graydon, you wish to find a woman who will adequately play the part of a wife. You intend to do this for the sake of your mother, the previous marchioness.”

“And?” the marquess asked.

“If you agree to enter a contractual marriage with me… I will be your marchioness until the day your mother passes. You won’t hear a word of complaint from me. After that, I will agree to a clean break with you, and make no demands on your title or wealth.”

“And what do you gain from this arrangement?” he asked coldly.

His tone made Chelsea draw back fearfully, but she soon spoke with newfound resolve. “The dowry. It is the only money I will ever receive from House Larmin. I’ll strike out on my own with that.”

At the time, Marquess Graydon’s mother didn’t have long to live, and he’d wanted to grant her a last wish. And all Chelsea could expect from her mother’s scornful family was a dowry since it was something guaranteed by civil law. Their needs had been compatible, and their marriage had been the result.

It looks like the marquess’s mother was very pleased that he’d married, just like he wanted, and Chelsea got her dowry. Contract complete. Chelsea had been right. There was no reason to continue the marriage.

But the marquess had fallen in love with her, and refused to let her go. He’d forced her to care for his sick mother at first, treating her like a useless addition to the household, but now he couldn’t seem to release her. He aligned with his genre’s tropes perfectly.

I can see why she chose to run. But I didn’t know she’d still been in contact with her mother’s family… Judging from the contents, it seems like they’d sent her quite a few similar letters before. So she’d been in touch with them even after she’d received her dowry.

Why was that? I thought she got married so she could get away from them? Why did she continue exchanging letters with people she didn’t like? I thought things over carefully, while continuing with my search.

You have discovered 200 Cash from [Ring Gifted by Mother-in-Law].

You have discovered 100 Cash inside [Teacup Often Used by the Couple].

You have discovered 200 Cash from [Cookie Baked for Husband].

You have discovered 200 Cash inside [Bathtub They Once Shared].

You have discovered 100 Cash from [Husband’s Favorite Scented Lotion].

I’d gathered a total of 1,500 Cash by exploring various parts of Chelsea’s living quarters, with the exception of the bedroom. Except for the letters from House Larmin, nothing else in particular had been a clue. Earlier I’d wondered if she’d also been abused in this place, but that did not appear to be the case.

In fact… They were extremely close! You call this a contractual couple? More like a couple of real newlyweds in love. The evidence that was popping up incessantly left me speechless. Tutting to myself, I entered Chelsea’s bedroom.

“I’ll be done with her quarters after this.”

The remaining 1,500 Cash was probably hiding inside. Surely there was some kind of important clue to be found in the room. With that thought, I began my search.

You have discovered 200 Cash between [Bedsheets They Shared].

You have discovered 200 Cash on [Chair Husband Used While Nursing Her Through Illness].

You have discovered 200 Cash on the [Windowsill Where They Sat and Watched the Stars].

You have discovered 100 Cash inside [Jewelry Case Left by Mother-in-Law].

All right… So you were in love. Deeply in love. I get that now. You shared a bed, nursed each other when you were sick, watched the stars together, and she got along with her mother-in-law too… In other words, she wasn’t treated dreadfully like in other novels featuring regretful male protagonists.

I had a feeling that she might have felt satisfied with a life like this one, even if she’d been scorned at first.

It doesn’t sound half bad, even if you did start off on the wrong foot. But why had Chelsea been in touch with the family who’d mistreated her, and why had she run from the marquess who’d been good to her?

Well… I suppose finding more Cash and reading more chapters should tell me something. I had finished investigating most of the easy-to-find locations, but I still had 800 Cash to go. I reached under the bed, aiming to do a more thorough search, when my fingers came into contact with something.

You discovered 800 Cash in [A Box Full of ???].

Warning! This object is potentially hazardous.

Danger rating: C+

What…? Hazardous?! The warning nearly made me scream. Why was a dangerous object hidden in the marchioness’s room?

I thought this place had a danger rating of D-! There shouldn’t be something with a C+ rating in here!

However, this object will not pose a risk as long as you avoid taking a certain action. The danger rating of this location will remain unchanged if you return it to its place after you investigate it.

The system window elucidated further, as if it had read my mind.

Avoid taking a certain action? So it’s basically saying I’ll be safe as long as I glance at it and put it back? What was this thing that had a C+ danger rating and was hidden in a noblewoman’s room? I opened the lid, anxious about what would be inside.

“Seeds?”

I’d been nervous I might find something like a monster inside, but it wasn’t anything like that at all. The box simply contained unidentified seeds.

These are a threat to my life? What dangerous action could I possibly take with these seeds? Perhaps boiling them will produce a poison that could kill an elephant. Or maybe planting one will grow a man-eating plant… Those were the best guesses I could arrive at, even after considerable thought. I simply did not have enough information yet. I would leave puzzling everything out for later.

When I put the box quietly back under the bed, the investigation was complete.

You have cleared Chelsea Graydon’s quarters!

Through your investigation you have learned that Chelsea had a great relationship with the people of this family.

But it seems she had a secret she could not share with anyone…

You have gained occupational experience points.

“Did you find everything you needed?” the head butler asked gently when I walked out of Chelsea’s quarters.

“Yes. I’m done with this area. Next is…” I trailed off, thinking for a moment. The Cash was going to be in places that were highly relevant to the case. I could start with the rooms used by those who’d been close to Chelsea. “I would like to investigate the rooms of the marquess’s mother. Would that be all right?”

The previous marchioness, Chelsea’s mother-in-law, had wanted to see her son start a family. By this point she’d passed away, but there was a chance she might have somehow affected Chelsea’s mental state. I would just have to see what I’d find.

“Viewing the room of the late dowager marchioness is permissible. Please come with me,” the head butler replied.

“Oh, and one more thing…” I added.

The man turned back to me with a wondering look.

“May I see the marquess’s room as well? I will only examine the locations he shared with his wife and avoid any invasion of his privacy.”

The male protagonist was the most important person of all. I had to see his room. It might have seemed impertinent, but I needed to ask.

“Well…” The head butler looked troubled by my request.

Of course he’s troubled… Even if all this was for the sake of finding the marchioness, he would still be unwilling to let me invade the marquess’s private space.

“I will speak with the marquess, but I’m afraid I cannot provide any guarantees,” he said.

“I’m aware that I’m asking for a bit much. If it helps, I don’t mind if you accompany me while I check for any clues the marchioness may have left behind,” I said.

“Understood.”

The head butler nodded at my insistence reluctantly.