Chapter 3.9

The Crown Prince seemed to be highly conscious of Azrael. The reverse was likely also true. Azrael, too, probably paid some attention to the Crown Prince. But that wasn’t enough. She needed to ensure that Azrael could no longer ignore the Crown Prince, making him take him seriously. 

“Oh dear, I’ve lingered too long. I must be going. I came during work hours, so I need to return.” 

“Yes. Please go ahead. I’ll stay quietly here.” 

Satisfied with her words, the Crown Prince left the room with a contented smile. As before, the door was locked from the outside. Beatrice remained alone in the room, staring blankly into space. 

After a while, she returned to the bed and lifted the pillow. The silver scissors were still there, in the same spot. She gripped the scissors and stabbed her left arm with them. 

The blade pierced her soft flesh, creating a wound. Blood trickled down her arm, staining the white dress red. Though she could have screamed, she didn’t let out a single cry of pain. She simply stared emptily at her arm for a long time. 

At that moment, the sound of the door unlocking echoed. A maid entered, pushing a cart with a teapot on it. Upon seeing Beatrice, the maid gasped and rushed to her side. 

“Oh my, you’re here already.”

Beatrice greeted the maid with a calm expression. The maid’s lips moved frantically, but no coherent words came out of her mouth. 

Judging that this was something beyond her ability to resolve, the maid gestured wildly toward Beatrice before rushing out of the room again. She would likely return with medical supplies or bring another servant to assist. 

Although the maid returned faster than expected, Beatrice had already achieved her purpose. With such a wound on her arm, it would be impossible to dress her in the same attire again. 

***

Azrael personally visited the Earl Delphiniuml’s residence. The butler escorted him to the drawing room and asked him to wait for a moment. The atmosphere was markedly different from that of the villa. 

The mansion’s corridors and many other spaces were adorned with various portraits. These included paintings of the previous Earl’s family, the current Earl Delphinium, and Beatrice herself. Azrael stared at Beatrice’s portrait for a long time. 

Judging by her youthful appearance, the portrait seemed to have been painted several years ago. Somehow, the Beatrice in the painting looked like a completely different person compared to now. Her smile was calmer, and her overall aura was slightly different. While he was lost in thought, staring at the portrait, the Earl entered the drawing room. 

“Apologies for keeping you waiting. There were urgent documents I needed to handle.” 

“It’s fine. Please, have a seat.” 

Soon, a servant entered and poured tea for the two men. Azrael merely stared at the ripples in his teacup. In the end, he only pretended to take a sip before setting the cup down again. 

“I assume you’re already aware that the investigation has been ongoing for the past month.” 

“Yes, I’ve read the investigation reports you’ve sent periodically.” 

However, the Earl had never sent a reply. Nor had he ever inquired about the progress of the investigation or pressed for updates. 

Azrael found this peculiar. The Earl didn’t seem like someone who didn’t care about Beatrice. Yet, his apparent neglect of her safety was strangely unsettling. 

“We’ve been tracing her movements continuously, but the last trace we found was at the cliff. According to the testimony of the knight dispatched as her escort, the shoe found at the cliff was purchased at the boutique on the day of her disappearance.” 

“I see. You’ve worked hard.” 

“We also investigated the coastal area below the cliff but only found traces of a broken carriage. There were no bodies or any other evidence…” 

“But judging by the fact that you’ve come to see me personally, I take it that the investigation can no longer proceed.” 

The Earl’s words were correct. A month had already passed since the investigation began. The last trace had been discovered two weeks ago, and there had been no progress since then. 

The investigation team was growing exhausted from the repeated searches, and murmurs of the process being meaningless were starting to emerge. With no clues to follow, they had ultimately decided to conclude the investigation. 

Beatrice Delphinium had likely fallen off that cliff to her death. That was the conclusion of this case. 

“…You’re right, Earl. There’s no room for doubt. I’m sorry.” 

“There’s no need to apologize. You’ve done your best.” 

“But…” 

“Duke Hyacinth, there are things in this world that are simply inevitable. We call them acts of God, fate, or destiny.” 

“…Even so, this is your daughter we’re talking about.” 

“That’s precisely why I’m saying this. If the investigation team has decided to close the case, there’s nothing more for me to add.” 

Azrael found himself unable to respond to the Earl’s detached demeanor. Throughout his investigations, he had encountered countless individuals who begged or poured out their resentment to him. But the Earl’s reaction was entirely different from anything he had seen before. 

It was incomprehensible. The Earl calmly sipped his tea while flipping through the report Azrael had brought. At one point, his hand stopped at a specific section. For the first time, the Earl posed a question to Azrael. 

“What is this about the taxidermied corpses?” 

“Are you referring to the part about the perpetrators discarding the taxidermied bodies?” 

“Yes. I asked because the report states that this matter was also investigated.” 

“They were acting under orders from someone else. They were merely instructed to dispose of the bodies and had no knowledge of how the corpses came to be.” 

“In other words, they were pawns being used.” 

“Yes. We interrogated them, but they truly knew nothing. Why do you ask about this part?” 

The Earl closed the report lightly and placed it on the table. He picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into his tea. It felt as though he was buying time. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Is that so?” 

He answered casually and adjusted his posture. Even in passing, it seemed as though it wasn’t “nothing” at all. However, Azrael chose not to point this out. 

Nobles often had access to stray bits of information or rumors they heard in passing. The Earl was likely no exception. While the specifics weren’t clear, it seemed evident that he knew something. 

“This case will be treated as unsolved. However, if any clues emerge later, we will reopen the investigation.”

“I’m always grateful. You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“Yes. As for the Crown Prince….”

“I’ll speak to His Highness myself. You have other duties, don’t you? The investigation unit can’t be tied to a single case forever, so you may return now.”

“Understood. And before I go, there’s one last matter I’d like to mention.”

The Earl, who had risen from his seat to see Azrael off, leaned back into the sofa. Azrael naturally met his gaze, observing his reaction closely. 

“This is an uncertain hypothesis and has not been included in the official report… but some suspect that this case might be the eleventh Newethen Street serial m*rder.” 

“…What do you mean?” 

“Exactly as it sounds. During the tenth serial m*rder, the perpetrator sent a warning that Lady Delphinium would be the eleventh target. And just days later, this kidnapping occurred.” 

“…I see.” 

Though the Earl, who had not been shaken by any previous reports, showed a hint of doubt, it was fleeting. After hearing Azrael’s explanation, he nodded as if he understood and reached for his teacup. He drank deeply, as though parched. 

Azrael’s gaze fell on Beatrice’s portrait over the Earl’s shoulder. He recalled the various sides of Beatrice—different from the calm and gentle smile in the painting. Beatrice, laughing innocently, sometimes speaking or acting in ways he couldn’t comprehend. In the end, the fleeting images of her seemed precarious. 

He was seeing Maria in Beatrice. The person he had failed to save, the one he should have protected. The tangled feelings of guilt and responsibility muddled Azrael’s thoughts. Rising from his seat, he bid the Earl farewell and left the mansion. 

His chest felt tight, and breathing was difficult. Though there was nothing constricting his neck, Azrael unbuttoned his shirt collar as he walked through the streets. Only after walking for a long time did he stop in the middle of the road to catch his breath. 

‘….Miss.’

Beatrice’s voice calling his name echoed in his mind. The overlap of past events with the present weighed heavily on his heart. 

Maria had died before his eyes, and Beatrice’s body was nowhere to be found. The promises he had made to save them had been broken twice. A long-standing nightmare called out Azrael’s name. 

“Looks like I won’t be able to sleep tonight either…” 

Azrael’s steps, which had been heading toward the Ducal residence, faltered. For some reason, he felt he shouldn’t return to the mansion tonight. 

Yet, there was no other place for him to go. Azrael had no one to truly lean on. While Carlson was undoubtedly someone he could rely on, he couldn’t entrust his entire heart to him. 

‘As Azrael, not as Duke Hyacinth or an investigator, is there truly no one I can stay beside?’ 

With such thoughts, Beatrice’s face suddenly flashed in his mind. Her voice, familiar over such a short time, called his name with a smile.