“Yes, you said you had something to tell me?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Molton, the head chef of the Grand Ducal House’s kitchen, swallowed dryly and parted his lips.

“Do not be nervous. Speak slowly.”

“The truth is, I was not the one who touched the tea that day. I was preparing the dessert that would be served afterward. I swear, I truly know nothing about it, Your Highness.”

“Is that so? Then who was in charge of the tea?”

“That is… To be honest, I do not remember exactly. If I had remembered, I would have confessed it to Your Highness right away.”

Rafez knew Molton well too.

Honest and somewhat clumsy, the only reason he had held the position of head chef in the Grand Ducal House was because his cooking skills were better than anyone else’s.

He was not good at lying, and he was the sort of person whose nervousness showed immediately.

* * *

“The truth is, I prepared the leaves for brewing the tea. I placed the tea leaves in the strainer, boiled the water, and poured it into the teapot.”

Another cook also came to Rafez and spoke.

Everything they had said about knowing nothing had been a lie.

No, perhaps they had simply not had the courage to tell the truth.

“Then who brewed the tea?”

“From what I remember, it was probably Scott. He was also the one who handed it to the butler at the end.”

“Then what was Molton doing at the time?”

“…The head chef was sitting in the corner, fast asleep.”

That differed from Molton’s claim that he had been preparing dessert.

So it turned out he had been deeply asleep?

“Is that so? Is that the truth?”

“Please keep what I said a secret from the head chef, Your Highness.”

“Very well.”

* * *

“I took the teacups and teapot out of the cupboard and set them up. Other than that, I did not touch the tea.”

“Then what did you do afterward?”

“I saw dust in the cupboard, so I was wiping it…”

Juni, the maid in charge of the kitchen, seemed so nervous that she could not even meet Rafez’s eyes.

Among the suspects, aside from the two cooks, the rest were also people who had worked in the Grand Ducal House for a long time.

“Then who was the last person to touch the tea?”

“Scott probably brewed the tea and handed it to the butler. He, well… he enjoys brewing tea and finds it fun.”

Juni’s words matched the cook’s.

“But why can you not look me straight in the eye?”

“…That is not it.”

“Are you hiding something from me, by any chance?”

Juni lifted her head and looked at Rafez, but even as their eyes met, she somehow seemed anxious.

“No, I’m not. Truly!”

Juni shook her head fiercely.

“Then there should be no reason for you to be uneasy. Do you remember what Molton was doing at the time?”

“The head chef was, um… I think he was bringing something out from the storeroom.”

Another statement about Molton had emerged.

So far, all three accounts were different.

It was strange.

Rafez sharpened his senses.

“What was it?”

“I wouldn’t know even if I saw it, and I don’t remember well, but I think there were several things. I think I saw some kind of powder too, like sugar…”

He had brought several things out of the storeroom alone?

What if poison had been among them?

Afterward, they had searched the kitchen thoroughly, but no evidence had been found.

“What else?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see it in detail. I only caught a glimpse as it passed by.”

“Ha…”

Rafez let out a sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Given how every statement about Molton’s movements differed so far, he seemed the most likely culprit. But even if he was not the culprit, it seemed like something that had to be addressed.

* * *

“If I may dare offer my opinion, I believe it was one of the two cooks!”

Scott admitted that he had brewed the tea and given it to Mollys, then shouted with a burst of confidence.

“Is that so? And what is your reason?”

“Juni, the head chef, and I have worked together in the Grand Ducal House for many years. We have reached the point where we can move without even speaking to each other. Honestly, I cannot imagine people like that putting poison in the tea!”

“…I see. If that is what you think, then very well.”

Rafez, who had expected a slightly more impressive answer, merely nodded.

He now knew that he could no longer trust anyone simply because they had worked here for a long time, but he could not explain all that to him.

“In any case, you are saying it was not you, even though you were the last one to touch the tea.”

“Of course! If you are going to suspect me, should you not suspect the butler as well? That is what I think.”

“What?”

“It feels wrong to say this, but the person who touched the tea last, strictly speaking, was the butler.”

Suspect Mollys.

Rafez laughed at the fresh shock of it.

Scott and Juni had both started working at the Grand Ducal House when they were quite young, and even now, there was not much of an age difference between them and Rafez. Perhaps that was why Scott could speak so boldly.

But in that case, his behavior was far too different from Juni’s, despite the two being the same age.

“Yes, your words are not entirely wrong.”

“Thank you for accepting them, Your Highness.”

Even Scott seemed to have been nervous while saying it, because his expression showed clear relief.

* * *

Of the five people, four had each given their own statements, but the last one, a cook, insisted only that they had nothing to say and that they were not the culprit.

Rafez’s head ached from this confusing situation, and yet he also found himself wanting to laugh.

During the first interrogation, all they had said was I didn’t do it, I don’t know, and I have nothing to say. And now, suddenly, they were all stepping forward, each claiming they had something to say.

“It is strange after all.”

And Nain watched all of this from beside Rafez.

“That maid in particular clearly seems to be hiding something. I cannot say whether it is related to this incident, but she was trembling far too much.”

“Yes, she was strange.”

Juni had certainly seemed different from her usual self.

Rafez appeared to fall into thought for a moment, then soon spoke again.

“How is the investigation going?”

“What we are focusing on most right now is the spy from House Bererian. We are also looking into whether the suspects have made any other movements behind the scenes. Ah, now that I think of it…”

Just then, there was a knock.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

The one who opened the door and entered was Mollys.

“Your Highness, Lady Mary has arrived.”

Rafez could not answer readily.

He had learned of Mary’s feelings, and at the same time, he had learned that the count’s family was watching the Grand Ducal House.

Both were confusing matters for Rafez.

* * *

“Welcome, my lady.”

“Yes, Glen. It’s a little hot today. Where’s Rafez?”

“He is working in his study. Shall I bring you some cool tea?”

Glen greeted Mary with practiced ease.

Lacy had always thought Glen was polite yet cold to everyone, but perhaps that was not necessarily the case.

From where Lacy looked down from the second-floor railing, Glen seemed warm toward Mary, and Mary also seemed comfortable with Glen.

“No, I’ll drink it with Rafez later. Rafez must have had steak again today, so cool tea with cake would be nice.”

Mary took out a fan and began fanning herself, then passed Glen and headed straight for the kitchen. Seeing Glen follow after her in surprise, Lacy also came down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen.

“But I don’t see Molton.”

“The assistant chef is here today, but there are no desserts prepared. Even if they make something now, it may be difficult for you to have any.”

“Molton never leaves his post, does he? I don’t see Juni either. Did something happen?”

“Well…”

Just as Glen hesitated to answer, Lacy appeared from behind.

“You seem to know even the Grand Ducal House’s kitchen quite well, my lady.”

“Lacy.”

Unlike the way she had always approached Lacy with a warm smile, Mary’s expression hardened, and she looked guarded.

“Of course I do. Do you know how many years I’ve spent alongside the Grand Ducal House?”

“Is that so? I suppose that’s why you even know what His Highness had for breakfast this morning.”

“That’s because Rafez usually eats steak for breakfast…”

Mary soon answered with a smile, but at Lacy’s words, she seemed flustered again and trailed off.

“There’s no need to be flustered. I only asked because I found it interesting.”

Lacy then tried to reassure Mary, brushing it off as though it were nothing.

It was understandable enough that Mary had been coming and going from the Grand Ducal House for so long, and that she knew the kitchen staff, as well as Rafez’s preferences and tastes.

But right now, it was also a time when everything felt suspicious.

“…Just how much of what I said were you listening to?”

“Probably from the beginning. I happened to be standing by the second-floor railing when you entered the lobby, my lady.”

Mary belatedly grew offended and snapped at Lacy, but Lacy answered calmly.

“What did you say?”

“Is that strange? I am the Grand Duchess, and I was standing by the railing in this mansion. I happened to hear what you said.”

“Exactly. Is that strange?”

Just as Mary was unable to answer and her face began to flush, the reply came from behind Lacy.

It was Rafez.

“Rafez!”

“More importantly, I’m surprised. To think you even know what I ate this morning.”

Rafez, who had apparently been standing behind them for some time, only now walked in and stood beside Lacy.

“To me, the one who seems strange is you, Mary.”