CHAPTER 9

A moment later.
 
“So, you’re saying they were trying to rob the Duchess’s carriage?”
 
“Yes.”
 
I said, wrapping myself in the thin shawl I’d gotten from the officer.
 
“I’m from the bank, and these men may have seen my purse and followed me from there.”
 
“Hmm, strange. It’s quite unusual for people like them to target a Redron’s fine carriages. It’s hard to cover up afterwards…”
 
It was a sharp point. In novels, the capital’s law enforcement is always incompetent, but this one was spine-chillingly clever. Trying to counter with logic would only expose the weaknesses of hastily concocted lies.
 
There was only one thing to do. I immediately narrowed my eyes viciously and glared at the chief officer.
 
“Are you accusing me of lying?”
 
My conscience tingled a little, because I was lying.
 
But the effect of the threat was immediate. The Chief Guard flinched.
 
“Oh, um, no, of course not. It’s just that it’s so rare, such a thing, I mean. Haha. I’m not suspecting anything. Absolutely not. How could I dare suspect the Duchess Crestwell…”
 
As he cowered and spoke, I wrinkled my nose in disdain, like a thorn being driven in.
 
“What the hell, whatever, just watch your language.”
 
“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
 
The chief officer bowed immediately. He seemed to think it was the best way to avoid conflict with the capital’s mad dog, Marlena.
 
I coughed lightly.
 
“Anyway, those people seemed not quite right. It seemed like they were up to no good.”
 
“No good, indeed.”
 
The chief officer, responsible for Eveleth Street, nodded in agreement, perhaps just trying to match my tone.
 
“Perhaps they were drugged.”
 
The chief officer muttered seriously, looking at them.
 
“Maybe they are. One minute they’re looking at the wrong thing, and the next minute they’re fighting amongst themselves. Good thing for me.”
 
I jerked my chin at the group of thugs, who were stacked like sandwiches.
 
“I hope you send them to the detention center as soon as possible. It’s quite unpleasant, even if I’m not hurt.”
 
As if to appease me, the captain gave me a ceremonial bow.
 
“Thank you very much for your tip. It’s been a great help in keeping the peace. And … I’m glad you’re not hurt anywhere.”
 
“Well…”
 
I rolled my eyes slightly. I wasn’t their target, so of course I was unharmed. But I couldn’t let it show. I grunted and cast a disdainful glance at the group of ruffians.
 
“I’ll have to be careful not to take shortcuts out of fear in the future. Do you have any wanted posters on you? If there are any suspicious people among those I saw on the way here, I’ll check. Please hand them over.”
 
I extended my right hand to him as if handing over a wanted poster. The Chief Officer, still under my momentum, handed over a montage of criminals in the area.
 
“Well……. not one of these.”
 
I handed the papers back to the chief officer. I’d checked.
 
“I’ll be off, then.”
 
“Now, wait a minute, Your Grace. Can you come with us ……. and do a reference check.”
 
I hadn’t thought of that. No. Not now.
 
I glared back at the chief officer with a quick glare. Like a total b*tch. I even mimicked Oscar’s smug tone and high-pressure logic.
 
“What? You should’ve reported it. Are you trying to bother me with something like that? If you bother me like this for doing something good, who would report a bad person?”
 
“Ha, but…….”
 
“What kind of a but are you trying to utter now?”
 
“I will correct it!”
 
The officer saluted with a questionable military bearing.
 
“Hmmm, hmmm.”
 
I coughed and said.
 
“I’ll just take a rest for the day, and tomorrow morning I’ll show up at your station. That should do, right?”
 
The officer’s face lit up instantly at that. While others might have found it unacceptable and refused, hearing it from Marlena’s lips made it sound like the words of a fairy.
 
“O-Of course, Your Grace! Thank you so much.”
 
“Well, then, I’m tired, so goodbye.”
 
“Thank you, Duchess!”
 
“Go in, Duchess!”
 
I received their greetings as casually as if I were the chief officer.
 
Near the carriage, the coachman was staring at me like a peeing puppy. I casually approached the carriage.
 
“My Lady…….”
 
“Coachman.”
 
I looked straight into the coachman’s eyes. The coachman gulped.
 
“Why is it that the Redron Company’s carriages are number one in the premium market?”
 
“Well, it’s because…….”
 
“A coachman never reveals anything about the guest. Isn’t that the rule?”
 
So when Oscar secretly went to Serwen, he often used Redron’s carriage. Of course, he also disguised himself, but he had to pay triple attention.
 
The coachman nodded enthusiastically at my words.
 
I opened the purse and took out some bills, counted twenty, and stuck them into the coachman’s pocket.
 
“Keep your mouth shut. This is a tip.”
 
I counted out another twenty and stuck it in the other pocket.
 
“This is compensation for you, as you must also be investigated by the security station tomorrow.”
 
The coachman’s expression seems to say
 
“Are you trying to buy me money!”
 
But it’s too much money to refuse.
 
A little frightened, the coachman looked at me and counted the bills. Forty bills, apparently. His face was lighting up in real time.
 
I gave him a big smile.
 
“Thank you, My Lady.”
 
It must be a rare experience to receive a tip of 200,000 Acrons in addition to the fare and a double one. It’s not common for such customers.
 
The coachman’s voice quivered with pleasure.
 
“Shall we continue to go to your original destination?”
 
“Hmm.”
 
I was a little torn.
 
I opened the carriage door. There lay the reason why I couldn’t head straight for the security station. The man who had been attacked begged me to hide him. My coachman and I had managed to sneak him into the carriage before the officer arrived.
 
I don’t think I should take him back to the hotel. There are too many eyes on us.
 
Let’s buy some time.
 
“First, let’s take a ride around the government district.”
 
“Yes, My Lady.”
 
The excited coachman set the carriage off.
 
I tied the unconscious man’s wrists tightly with the shawl I hadn’t returned to the officer, in case he woke up and turned harmful like he had earlier.
 
It was a stiff cloth, not a soft, fine material, so it was tied fairly tightly. I also tied his ankles together with the same cord that sealed the man’s silk pouch. His sword was brought to my side, and I took a seat as close to the call button as possible.
 
Being as prepared as I could be at this point, I decided to go through the man’s belongings while he was down to see if there was anything identifiable.
 
First, I carefully groped the man’s body. I wanted to see if he was carrying any additional weapons.
 
But there was no weapon. Just unexpectedly toned muscles peeking through his tattered and dirty clothes.
 
Somehow, I felt like I was doing something naughty. I shrugged my hands away from his body.
 
That’s really…… unusual, by the way.
 
With a subtle feeling, I touched the sleeve of the man’s robe. Under the shabby cloak, it looked like he’d been wearing these clothes for a long time. So it was smelly and dirty, and the ends of the sleeves were torn off, but it was unmistakable.
 
‘Good clothes.’
 
Underneath that cloak, which seemed to be a random piece of clothing, he wore something like this. The fabric itself was of fine quality and fragile, and had suffered much damage, but the stitching was meticulous and strong.
 
Furthermore, the cuffs were turned inside out to reveal ornate decorative patterns. When the garment was clean, the patterns on the lining would have been subtly visible through the outer fabric in strong light.
 
This is what luxury is all about: putting effort into something that shouldn’t be obvious. I was sure of it, since I was playing the part of a luxurious villainess.
 
I stole a glance at his unconscious face.
 
He certainly looked like someone from a wealthy household… But he didn’t seem to be from the capital. If he were, I would have recognized him at a glance, no matter how shabby his attire might be, by his build, demeanor, and voice. And if a prominent figure from the capital had gone missing, it would have caused an uproar, yet I hadn’t heard of such a thing.
 
I looked at the sword first, thinking it might give away his identity. Noble families usually have their family crest stamped on their swords.
 
I pulled the sword out slightly and saw the engraving. Upon closer inspection, I saw an engraving of a beast’s eye with its pupil slit vertically, but no family name.
 
…I don’t understand anything.
 
With a perplexed expression, I carefully placed the sword back into its sheath.
 
Now, the only thing left was the silk pouch the man was carrying. Like the clothes, it was made of delicate material, but unlike the clothes, it seemed to have been handled with care, and was relatively intact.
 
Surely, nothing related to a crime would come out of it?
 
I picked up the strapless silk pouch with unnecessary nervousness. It didn’t feel very heavy. 
 
I shook out the contents of the pouch upside down.
 
“Is this……?”