Two days after returning from Lady Sinclair’s mansion, Eloise was alone in the mansion that supposedly had been left to them by her father’s godmother.

“Pfft! Oh my, dust!”

With each step she took, dust swirled up, causing Eloise to frantically wave her hand as she opened a window.

Perhaps the window frame had rotted from being neglected for so long. The window made an irritating creaking sound and refused to budge.

Just as she started to worry that the window might break rather than open, the frame finally lifted slightly, allowing the cold outside air to rush in.

“Whew…”

Finally able to catch her breath, Eloise turned her head while coughing. Once her coughing subsided, she could properly see the inside of the mansion.

“It’s actually in better shape than I expected.”

Perhaps it was because the exterior was covered with ivy, making it look like a collapsing house.

Though the interior she had struggled to enter was dusty, it wasn’t as disastrous as Eloise had prepared herself for.

But that assessment only applied to the second floor.

When she first opened the front door, she had seriously considered turning back because the floor right in front of her had caved in.

Fortunately, that turned out to be the worst part of the mansion.

Thanks to that, there were no further disappointments as Eloise explored the mansion alone and made her way up to the second floor.

“With a bit of work, this could actually be quite nice.”

The problem was that “a bit of work” in the capital was by no means an easy task.

If this mansion had been in Feltham, she could have quickly completed repairs with help from family and villagers, either hired or volunteered.

But in the capital, she had no such resources to call upon.

‘I could hire people here for repairs, but it would cost so much!’

Eloise looked at the table. There lay newspapers and magazines she had bought on the street.

On her way, she had browsed through the newspapers and found plenty of advertisements from people looking for work. Naturally, there were several ads for mansion repairs and cleaning.

The advertisements boasted what they claimed were reasonable prices.

The problem was that for Eloise, accustomed to the wages in Camborne and Feltham, these amounts were so high she had to count the digits again.

‘It’s not that I have no money at all, but I can’t spend recklessly.’

She had thought her savings might be enough to cover minor repairs to the mansion, but that was a serious miscalculation.

Eloise approached the table and rummaged through her bag that was placed on top of the newspaper.

Soon finding a letter in the innermost pocket, Eloise sighed.

It was a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Surberton to her.

The letter began with concerns about Eloise going to the capital alone and instructions to be respectful and courteous to Lady Fairfax, with whom she was staying.

The content that followed was about this very mansion.

…The property transfer has been completed. Since you might need funds while you’re there, I’m sending money along with the house deed. Look into the taxes that need to be paid, and if it’s not enough, send us a letter.

Seeing the words “property transfer,” Eloise let out another deep sigh.

According to someone living nearby, the godmother’s son and other family members had visited this mansion.

Calculating the timing, it was after they learned that the house would be inherited by Mr. Surberton through the godmother’s will. They had clearly come to check what kind of house it was, even though the funeral proceedings weren’t yet complete.

The real estate agent Eloise had hired to sort out the paperwork related to the house clicked his tongue as soon as he saw the property.

“Oh dear, you’ve been had.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say they initially contested the inheritance but suddenly changed their attitude?”

That was true. Thanks to that, Mr. Surberton had been able to quickly resolve what could have been a prolonged dispute and return home.

“A house like this only brings more taxes. In the capital, if you neglect a property like this, you have to pay fines. You either have to demolish it completely or repair it properly—one or the other.”

The agent explained that since the property transfer was complete, all responsibilities now fell to Mr. Surberton, including repair costs or fines.

‘I’ll have to contact home again.’

Eloise pressed her fingers against her throbbing temple.

‘Why on earth did Father’s godmother decide to leave this mansion to him?’

From what she’d heard, the godmother had been clear-minded until the day she passed away.

Moreover, she had shown displeasure toward her children who had been arguing about the inheritance in her presence.

That’s why she had many conversations with Mr. Surberton, who stayed by her side until the end, and when she drew her last breath, she had held his hand tightly.

‘So why did she leave such a troublesome property behind?’

The real estate agent had mentioned that sometimes people deliberately pass problematic assets to distant relatives to prevent their children from suffering losses.

But no matter how she thought about it, Father’s godmother didn’t seem like someone who would do such a thing.

That’s why Eloise was now exploring the mansion, prepared for the effort it would take.

‘She must have had some other intention.’

Why would she give something like this to her godson who had come to be with her in her final moments?

Initially thinking the mansion was completely empty, Eloise discovered that there were actually quite a few items remaining as she walked around.

“These are… detective novels.”

Judging by the godmother’s initials on the spines, they appeared to be books she had read while staying in the capital.

Eloise was somewhat surprised as she examined the remaining books.

Not only was an entire shelf filled with detective novels, but among them were quite a few rare first editions.

If someone had recognized their value, they would surely have taken them, but nestled among the worn-looking books, visitors had probably mistaken them for similar, less valuable editions and passed them by.

Among them, there was one book shelved backward.

Wondering what kind of book would be placed with its spine facing inward, Eloise pulled it out and found no title on the cover.

Thinking it might be a new way to attract readers’ interest, she opened the cover and saw handwritten text inside.

To whoever discovers this book. Would you like to embark on a treasure hunt?

“Huh?”

Eloise was startled and examined the writing again.

Looking closely, it was unmistakably her godmother’s handwriting.

“…A treasure hunt?”

Wondering what kind of prank this was, Eloise continued reading.

But unlike her initial amused reaction, her expression gradually became serious.

“This is… a cipher!”

Eloise’s voice rose with excitement as she looked at the paper filled with dots, lines, circles, squares, and triangles.

Come to think of it, when she first learned cryptography, hadn’t her father mentioned that he had been taught by his godmother who loved such things?

Before she knew it, Eloise had temporarily forgotten about the mansion’s tax issues and was examining the text that followed the cipher with a pounding heart.

…For the one who reaches the end of this puzzle, a reward befitting your effort and wisdom awaits. May God’s blessing be with you.

Though she didn’t know when this had been prepared, the handwriting in the notebook was strong and firm.

She must have prepared it before falling ill, perhaps for an enjoyable event.

Eloise remembered the games she had seen at Lady Sinclair’s mansion. A popular game at gatherings was solving puzzles using military ciphers that were no longer in use.

When she had asked about it, she was told such games had been fashionable for several years. If that was the case, it made sense that her godmother might have prepared a game before falling ill.

‘If she didn’t retrieve the treasure she prepared afterward!’

Perhaps solving this would lead to something that could help pay the taxes.

At that thought, Eloise gave a wry smile.

At Lady Sinclair’s house, the reward for solving a puzzle had been a not particularly expensive gemstone.

It had been a simple cipher that Eloise had easily solved and shared the answer with Beatrice, allowing her to claim the reward.

So even if there was a reward left here, it would probably be a larger banknote or something suitable as a gift.

Eloise put the book in her bag and closed the window.

Having been exposed to the cold wind for so long, she was starting to shiver. She needed to return quickly.

‘Besides, Beatrice asked me to attend another gathering with her this evening!’

Perhaps because Eloise had been accommodating her preferences and had helped her with the puzzle answer at Sinclair’s mansion, Beatrice had been treating Eloise quite well.

After closing the window and leaving the mansion, Eloise hailed a carriage and hurried back to the Fairfax residence.

The moment she entered after getting out of the carriage:

“Eloise!”

Beatrice’s excited voice came from upstairs.

“Lady Sinclair has sent you a letter!”