Chapter 4 – The Skill Of Making A Move (Part 5)

Once their parents left the living room, Victoria collapsed onto the sofa, feeling drained.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to write a letter….”

She grumbled, kicking the innocent sofa. Diana adjusted her glasses and responded.

“Father keeps making you do it because you make it so obvious that you hate writing.”

“…That’s evil.”

Victoria pouted at Diana’s accurate observation.

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Your composition scores were probably the worst.”

When Lorraine joined in the nagging, Victoria shuddered with betrayal.

“So, this is how it’s going to be? Neither of you need my help anymore?”

Though her words were meant to sound threatening, they didn’t come off that way. Victoria’s small stature and cute appearance made it hard to take her seriously.

Diana stood up and replied nonchalantly.

“Use that help to write the letter. Lorraine, aren’t you going up?”

At Diana’s question, Lorraine also stood up.

“Yeah, I should.”

“…….”

Victoria looked at Lorraine with a pleading face, but Lorraine raised her hands in surrender.

“I’m out of this.”

As she slowly backed away, Victoria called out loudly.

“Sister!”

Diana mercilessly closed the living room door.

“Let’s go.”

By the time they reached the landing on the second floor, the living room door burst open.

“Are you really going to do this?!”

The Wiig household was lively as ever.

***

In the pitch-black night, the Emperor’s private office in the grand and splendid imperial palace of Lantil was as bright as day.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave yet, Marquis.”

Jamie, with his hands clasped under his chin, smiled as he continued.

“No matter what you say, the result will not change. Whether you call it detention, suppression… it doesn’t matter.”

“…You won’t find anything.”

Jamie shrugged and replied.

“That’s something we’ll only know after seeing the results.”

The Marquis of Gillas’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at Jamie’s nonchalant attitude. However, Edwin noticed the faint quiver in the Marquis’s mustache.

‘He always enjoys riling people up when he’s angry.’

There was no one to stop Jamie in this situation. Edwin sighed and shook his head.

Jamie continued to tease the Marquis until Philip and Zero escorted him out.

“Take care.”

Jamie waved his hand, but the Marquis walked briskly without looking back.

Once the door closed, Jamie wiped his face with his dry hand, his expression turning cold.

“You’ve made a habit of teasing.”

“You’re one to talk, Duke.”

Snorting, Jamie got up from the sofa and walked over to his desk. Spinning the chair around, he sat down and got to the point.

“So, have you narrowed it down?”

“We’ve narrowed down the region, but since it was so long ago, there aren’t many who remember them.”

“…Just give me the conclusion.”

“We’ve narrowed it down to about ten families. Families that had daughters at the time or suddenly had heirs.”

Edwin handed Jamie the documents that Lorraine had organized and submitted that morning. Jamie’s blood-red eyes casually scanned the papers.

Watching Jamie review the documents, Edwin recalled the conversation from that morning.

「…If you have something to say, just say it.」

Lorraine Wiig was stubborn.

With eyes tired from fatigue, she should have gone home after finishing her work, but she waited for him. Despite his permission, Lorraine hesitated several times before cautiously speaking.

「Ah… Well, you see.」

「…….」

Her uncharacteristic hesitation made Edwin’s eyebrow twitch. Unable to wait any longer, he opened his mouth and started counting slowly.

「10, 9, 8….」

「B-Baron Price, Baron Price.」

The name that popped out was unexpected. Mentioning someone he hadn’t considered made Edwin’s eyebrow rise.

「Why him?」

「He… he has some connection with the Marquis of Gillas, right?」

「…….」

Edwin looked at Lorraine silently. Unable to wait any longer for a response, Lorraine spoke first.

「If it’s him, I’m worried someone might get unintentionally involved.」

Her earnest tone and the unusual situation made Edwin sigh and shake his head.

「…We’ll know more once we get additional reports, but for now, he is related.」

‘Oh dear.’

Lorraine sighed and held her head. Edwin put down the documents. With his hands clasped under his chin, he watched Lorraine’s solo performance and asked.

「So, who is it?」

[…It’s…]

After a long hesitation, Lorraine closed her eyes tightly and blurted out the name.

「Olivia Wiig. She’s engaged to Erich Price and is currently traveling around the Moses region.」

The familiar name made Edwin frown. Lorraine reluctantly added the most crucial piece of information.

「…She’s my sister.」

“Duke!”

A loud voice accompanied by a clap snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yes.”

Jaime’s eyes, tilted to the left as he looked at him, gleamed with a sense of having caught something.

“If you’re tired, go home. Think of how I’m always treated as an obstacle to your marriage by aunt.”

“I know you’re tired of hearing about your own marriage too, Your Majesty.”

Edwin’s pointed remark made Jamie cough awkwardly.

“…Ahem, if you know, then do better.”

“I’m not the only one of marriageable age.”

Despite his retort, Jamie clasped his hands under his chin and smiled.

“You have no sense of romance, Duke.”

‘Was that an insult?’ 

Edwin frowned, but Jamie nonchalantly turned his attention back to the documents and added.

“It’s a compliment. It means you’re realistic.”

It didn’t sound like a compliment at all, but the other party was the Emperor.

“Anyway, how long will it take to narrow it down among these ten families?”

Though it was clear Jamie was trying to change the subject, Edwin decided to let it slide and blinked once before answering.

“If we’re quick, it could be within this week.”

Jamie’s response was immediate.

“That won’t do.”

He firmly shook his finger, tapping the documents on the desk.

“Extend the investigation period as much as possible. Keep the Marquis tied up here for as long as you can.”

Jamie’s blood-red eyes gleamed with cruelty.

***

Standing in the center of the desk, Lorraine began to pinpoint locations slowly.

“…The itinerary goes from Rochester, Lotger, Dunant, and Duncan, then back to Lantil.”

Philip quickly marked each point she indicated.

“A few days ago, we received a letter from Porturellu in Lotger. It was sent via express delivery.”

Philip added cautiously.

“Express delivery takes a maximum of two days.”

“Two days… So, they must have moved on to Dunant by now….”

Edwin murmured as he looked down at the map. Lorraine shook her head.

“No, they’re likely still in Lotger.”

She then took out a flyer from her pocket and handed it over. It was an advertisement for an <Erich Price Concert>.

The flyer featured a light sketch of Erich Price’s face, along with a detailed tour schedule and his credentials.

“They’ve started distributing these in Lantil as well. I picked this up in front of the venue where the last concert will be held.”

“A week….”

Edwin murmured as he scanned the flyer with his eyes.

At that moment, Philip cautiously raised his hand and voiced his opinion.

“But, sir… Is it alright to draw conclusions like this when the investigation is still ongoing?”

“The investigation is over.”

Edwin’s answer made Philip’s eyes widen as he asked.

“What? When?”

“Baron Price confessed willingly.”

It was Lorraine who answered him.

“It seems the previous Baron, blinded by wealth and power during chaotic times, handed over his daughter to the Marquis.”

Philip’s face involuntarily twisted at Lorraine’s explanation. His voice, muttering under his breath, was icy cold.

“That damned lust for wealth and power….”

Lorraine awkwardly smiled as if to say, “What can you do?”

Edwin, who had been rubbing his temples, continued speaking.

“And the brother accepted his sister and nephew when they returned in a hurry later on?”

“Yes, well….”

Lorraine shrugged, as if to say it was a common story. Philip leaned back, covering his face with his hand.

“…What a mess.”

His muttering made Lorraine respond with a wry smile.

“Exactly.”

Just as Philip said, it was a mess.

Lorraine sighed deeply, rubbing her temples.