“A serial killer.”

Hailey lowered her gaze, deep in thought. Eddie, having finished his portion of cake, began staring at her plate, practically drooling.

Noticing his gaze, Hailey slid her plate over to him.

“Thank you!”

Eddie, having never tasted anything so delicious in his life, devoured the rest without hesitation. He even licked the cream off the plate before setting it down, then looked at her with eyes full of wonder.

“But Miss Hailey…”

Eddie’s eyes sparkled.

“You really are a saint!”

“Huh?”

At his sudden and absurd declaration, Hailey blinked blankly. Then, she burst into laughter. Apparently, all it took was food for someone to call anyone a saint.

Not knowing why she laughed, Eddie laughed along.

“Hehehe.”

As if just remembering something, Hailey said, “Oh, right.”

“The second victim—the singer named Misha.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where she worked?”

“Of course.”

Eddie smiled confidently, as if it were the easiest question in the world. The freckles on his nose seemed to lift with pride.

“I even saw her singing once. She had heavy makeup on and wore a dress with an open chest… Ah, no, it’s not like I went there on purpose! Tom and Jack said we could sneak a peek through a hole in the wall… I told them I didn’t want to go, but they said I wasn’t a man if I didn’t…”

Eddie stammered, his face turning bright red. He lowered his head and avoided Hailey’s eyes, looking like he might cry any second.

“I-I’ll never go again… No matter how much Tom and Jack tease me, I won’t go again. I swear.”

“That’s right. There’s no need to visit places like that until you’re an adult. Now, can you tell me where she worked, Eddie?”

“Yes.”

The boy hesitated, then slowly lifted his head and parted his lips.

***

Hailey waved to Mastis behind her as she stepped out of the mansion. The woman, who had followed her all the way to the front entrance, asked with a worried expression:

“Are you really not going to take the carriage?”

“We’re meeting just down the hill. No need to worry, Marty.”

“How about taking Jessie or Anna with you?”

“Wouldn’t people start whispering that I’m already acting like the Duke’s fiancée?”

“Well, you’re going to be engaged soon anyway…”

“If you’re that worried, Marty, why don’t you come with me? My brother would love that.”

Hailey cut off Mastis’s nagging. At her innocent suggestion, Mastis furrowed her brows faintly. Placing her hands on her hips, she firmly shook her head.

“Unlike you, Miss Hailey, I have a lot of work to do. Please send my regards to Mr. Daniel. And don’t forget to study the opera when you return.”

“Got it, Marty. I’ll be sure to send him your regards.”

Hearing the sound of the front door closing behind her, Hailey walked across the garden, trying her best to appear calm. She wanted to run, but Mastis might be watching.

She stopped in front of the gatekeeper’s office and glanced back. No shadows loomed in the windows.

It was too far to be sure, but the same would apply to Mastis as well.

Hailey quickly slipped into the gatekeeper’s office. Peter, who had been dawdling, lifted his head in surprise.

“Oh, Miss Hailey. That outfit… are you going out?”

“Peter, where’s the thing I left with you earlier?”

“Here it is. But what is it?”

Peter handed over a lidded basket. Nodding and saying, “Good,” Hailey opened the basket and spoke.

“I’m going to change clothes now, so keep a lookout, Peter.”

“What? You’re changing here? That’s—wait, Miss, please wait until I leave!”

Just as Peter tried to stop her, Hailey began untying the strings on her back, and he screamed, running out of the office.

Moments later, he let out another shriek of shock when Hailey emerged in commoner’s clothing.

“Miss! What is this…?!”

“I secretly took Anna’s clothes, but the chest area’s a bit loose.”

Hailey grumbled, sounding slightly indignant. She tightly tied a kerchief around her head, opened the oil lamp lid, and stirred it with her fingers before smearing the soot all over her face.

Peter’s eyes widened. His tightly closed mouth slowly dropped open. Hailey looked at him, urging him silently as if to say, Why aren’t you opening the gate yet?

Sensing something unusual, Peter tensed up and resisted.

“Miss Hailey, you mustn’t forget that you are the Duke’s fiancée.”

At his nagging, Hailey made a fed-up expression.

“I know. That’s why I disguised myself so no one would recognize me.”

“Disguised? What in the world are you planning to do in the village dressed like that? More importantly, what about Madam Mastis—”

Hailey, unwilling to listen any further, started to open the door herself. Peter screamed again in horror.

“Miss Hailey!”

Through the slightly opened gate, Hailey slipped out nimbly. She peeked back through the crack and issued a light threat.

“I trust you’re the type to keep your mouth shut, Peter. You’re not going to tell Marty, right?”

“Miss!”

Peter tried to catch her with a pale face, but Hailey was already running down the hill.

“I’ll be back soon!”

Peter glanced between the open gate and Hailey and shouted, “Miss Hailey!” But she didn’t look back.

Reaching the bottom of the hill in one breath, she bent over with her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

“Huff, huff… ugh, I’m dying.”

She took several deep breaths, feeling like her heart would burst out of her chest.

“Whew… Haa… Haaaa…”

After a moment of heavy breathing, she finally straightened her back. The village at the foot of the hill was as bustling as ever. Watching the people come and go, Hailey headed straight for the plaza.

“Central Street, right?”

She didn’t actually plan to do anything. She definitely didn’t believe she could solve a case the constables couldn’t.

She just didn’t like how the rumors about the Duke were growing.

It made her angry that people thought she might be the Duke’s next victim.

That’s why she couldn’t just sit still. That would be like agreeing with the rumors.

“I’m the Duke’s fiancée, so I think I’m allowed at least this much meddling. And besides…”

As she mumbled a flimsy excuse with a sheepish expression, Hailey gradually slowed her pace. With an unreadable face, she stared into the distant sky.

“I can’t keep living with this trauma forever.”

She had to deal with her own problems on her own. There was no one to help her.

Hailey braced herself to face her trauma head-on. And to do that, she had to solve this case. That conviction was growing stronger within her.

She arrived at the plaza where the grand temple stood, then cautiously looked around. At the edge of the plaza was the tearoom Eddie had mentioned.

She peered through the glass into the shop. It was a simple café she had once visited with Daniel.

Gentlemen shared tea with their companions, and noblewomen enjoyed their teatime with their maids.

Hailey turned her gaze from the shop and headed straight for the back alley.

Eddie had been right. No matter how busy the area was, alleys always existed—and this one was a completely different world.

The stench from garbage piles and spoiled food assaulted her nose, nearly numbing it.

“Ugh.”

She covered her nose with a handkerchief and looked around. It wasn’t a residential area, so there was no sign of people. Between thick stone walls were rear doors of shops and tiny windows, barely the size of a palm.

Suddenly, her brow furrowed.

“This is strange. Even if she ran into the killer here, it’s not a dead end—she could’ve escaped the other way. No matter how deserted, if she screamed, someone would have come… Did she not scream? Or did people not hear her?”

It didn’t make sense that no one heard anything suspicious.

With deep wrinkles forming between her brows, Hailey scanned the alley repeatedly.

With a sigh, she turned her back. There was nothing more to find out here. In that case, she had to check the victims.

Three victims—what did they have in common?

Deep in thought, she was walking with her eyes on the ground when—

“Wah!”

She collided head-on with someone just entering the alley.

“I’m sorry.”

As she rubbed her stinging nose bridge and apologized, she suddenly fell silent.

“Huh, you’re…”

At her words, the man slowly lowered his gaze. Holding a cigarette in one hand, he stared intently at Hailey.

The faint smell of cigarette smoke tingled at her nose. At the same time, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her.

‘When did I smell that before?’

With her brows furrowed in thought, a faint memory floated up in Hailey’s mind. The moment she found Misha’s body and lost consciousness—the firm arms that had embraced her.

And the faint smell of cigarettes.

“Wait, no way…”

But that can’t be. It was Anderson and the constable who found me.

Hailey looked at him with confused eyes. The man pressed the cigarette out on the wall and threw the stub into a pile of garbage.

“Shorty?”