Chapter 49
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Chapter 49
"Jane!"
"Terrence!"
Terrence and two soldiers entered the room where Charlotte and Jane were waiting.
The moment Terrence saw Jane's haggard appearance, his eyes began to glisten with tears.
"Jane, my love. I'm so terribly sorry—I never suspected there was anything wrong with the cider, and I told His Highness that the cider he drank was the one you sent!"
"No, you did the right thing. If you hadn't... you would have borne all the blame yourself."
Jane rushed toward Terrence and wrapped her arms around his neck in response.
"Sigh..."
Charlotte exhaled softly as she listened to their exchange. Just moments ago, she had resented Jane for muddying the investigation and casting a hex that could have endangered Charlotte herself. But watching the two of them worry for each other, her resolve softened.
"Wait, wasn't Miss Charlotte here with you the whole time?"
After examining Jane for some time, Terrence finally noticed Charlotte and exclaimed. As Charlotte observed Terrence's belated recognition of her presence, she realized that Jane's choice to involve her in delaying the hex had perhaps been a reasonable one from Jane's perspective.
"Now that the two of you have been reunited, we need to find a way to resolve this situation. If we remain idle, Jane will inevitably appear complicit in Prince Leopold's disappearance."
Charlotte spoke with a measured, businesslike tone. At her words, Terrence, who had been on the verge of tears, collected himself and whispered to Jane.
"Your sister is right, Jane. Something grave has clearly gone wrong. There was a sleeping draught in the cider you sent for me—and yet I've drunk the cider you've sent me countless times without ever experiencing anything amiss."
Fortunately, Terrence did not appear to suspect that Jane had added the sleeping draught to the cider. Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte quickly posed a question to him.
"If it wasn't Jane or you, then who else could have accessed the cider that was gifted to Prince Leopold?"
"That would have to be the kitchen maids... but it's inconceivable that any of them would commit such sabotage. The kitchen is staffed only by innocent young girls."
Terrence continued patting Jane's back with one hand as he answered.
"Then what about those porters who visited the Estate on the day His Highness Leopold went missing?"
"Ah, those porters...."
As Charlotte unleashed the question she'd been holding back, Terrence's expression shifted with surprise. The last time he'd seen her, Charlotte had been nothing more than a talkative lady interested in catching gentlemen's eyes. Yet the Charlotte before him now posed questions as sharp as any soldier from the Search Party.
"Philip Oslo's Search Party questioned me and the other mercenaries extensively about the porters. But they never managed to reach the vicinity of His Highness Leopold's bedroom—the nobleman I served."
Terrence spoke with a more serious tone.
"That's because the porters only stopped briefly at the first-floor Gallery where the Estate's owner had left his artworks. And that's not all—while those porters were moving the pieces, the other mercenaries and I stood guard at the door...."
"My goodness, Terrence. So those porters were merely common art thieves after all?"
Jane, who had been listening quietly to Terrence's account, asked with a look of disappointment. Terrence shrugged in response.
"That seems to be the case, Jane. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but when the porters tried to leave, they attempted to exit through the back door instead of the Entrance Hall. They said it would be easier to position their carriage closer that way.... It's a typical thief's tactic. If their carriage is spotted by people, they're more likely to be traced later."
Upon hearing Terrence's words, Charlotte shook her head quietly. Her thoughts diverged from his.
'That can't be right. Terrence doesn't seem to know yet, but if they truly were only stealing artworks, there would be no reason for someone to have murdered them all.'
Charlotte, who had fallen into thought for a moment, posed another question to Terrence.
"Those porters—was there truly nothing else remarkable about them besides taking the artworks?"
"Hmm.... I've told the Search Party this several times, but they seemed quite ordinary. Except for one man who appeared to be the oldest, the other four were all remarkably short...."
Charlotte recalled that the porters had been a father and three sons. So the oldest man must have been Homang, the father of the porters.
"Wait—"
Charlotte suddenly lifted her head as if she'd noticed something odd.
"You just said that except for one man, all four of them were short, didn't you, Terrence?"
Charlotte's dark brown eyes gleamed as she pressed forward with her question.
"Are you saying there were a total of five porters?"
Terrence Devois replied in a somewhat flustered voice as Charlotte fixed him with a piercing gaze.
"Yes... that's right. There were five porters in total. I remember clearly. The oldest one gave orders from the center of the Gallery, and the other four carried the large artworks in pairs."
Charlotte's expression shifted as though she'd been struck by a revelation. Perhaps she had truly uncovered something.
'But Armand said four porters were murdered. Homang and his three sons!'
At that moment, the soldiers standing silently beside the door straightened into a salute. Startled by the commotion, Charlotte turned her head to see Philip entering through the open doorway, his expression grave.
He acknowledged each saluting soldier in turn before slowly speaking.
"Miss Charlotte, I do hope you've had sufficient time to consult with your sister and Terrence Devois."
As Philip spoke courteously, Terrence, as though suddenly remembering something, added hastily.
"Ah, yes. Officer Philip Oslo was kind enough to arrange for me to see Jane based on his acquaintance with Miss Charlotte. Ordinarily, Jane would have gone directly to the interrogation room, but... I'm truly grateful for the accommodation, Officer Oslo."
Terrence's emotions welled up at the mere thought of Jane entering such a harsh place, and he wiped his face with his sleeve before bowing to Philip.
Philip responded politely, raising one hand in a gesture of dismissal.
"Not at all. I only regret I could not provide more time. And that your family, Miss Charlotte, has become entangled in such a matter... In any case, once the investigation proceeds, I'm certain the Search Party will be able to confirm Miss Jane Augusta's innocence within days."
Days? Charlotte shook her head firmly. While she was concerned about Jane remaining here alone for an extended period, more than anything, she could not allow the Search Party to waste investigative resources on this for days when they should be searching for Leopold.
"No, Count Oslo. Jane is not the issue right now."
Philip's expression shifted to surprise at Charlotte's urgent tone.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you know? Jane has been sending cider to Terrence Devois almost every week. Ordinarily, Terrence would share the cider with friends, and naturally, he decided to gift it to His Highness Leopold whom he serves."
Charlotte rose abruptly from her seat, sweeping the fallen strands of hair behind her ear. Then, speaking with the measured composure of one who had long contemplated this matter, she began.
"Even if Jane had known she could harm someone through the cider, there would be no way for her to know when Terrence would gift it to His Highness. Therefore, the sedative being added to the cider must have occurred not outside the Estate, but within it. For instance, through the porters who came to the Estate on the day the Prince disappeared..."
As Charlotte finished speaking, Philip opened his mouth with a hesitant expression.
"Miss Charlotte, I share your thoughts. However, at present, we have no clues whatsoever regarding those porters...."
Philip trailed off. He had not yet informed Charlotte that the porters had been murdered. The thought of disappointing her—already weakened by fever—with news that the investigation had returned to square one was simply unbearable.
Yet Charlotte, indifferent to the watchful eyes of those around me, paced the room as she spoke.
"First, there's something I'd like to ask you, Count Oslo. According to Terrence, the porters positioned their carriage at the back entrance of the Estate and spirited away the artworks through that route. Our household's back entrance is in the Kitchen, but I wonder—was His Highness Leopold's Estate arranged similarly?"
Philip answered Charlotte's rather unexpected question with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then the last people to see them departing through the back entrance would not have been the mercenaries who guided them toward the Kitchen, but rather the servants working within it."
Charlotte halted her pacing abruptly, her slender face composed with the serene intensity of deep contemplation.
"Did you question the servants? How many porters did they see?"
"The servants gave slightly differing accounts. They were busy finishing their day's work and had no time to observe the men carefully. The Search Party soldiers did compile their testimonies, but...."
Philip trailed off and glanced around at the soldiers nearby. Understanding his unspoken directive, the soldiers each offered their responses.
"From what I gathered, they said four."
"The servants I questioned said three or four."
Observing the soldiers' responses, Charlotte nodded. Then she turned to face Philip directly and spoke.
"Exactly. And...the murdered porters numbered four as well."
A wave-like ripple passed instantaneously through Philip's blue eyes. He had not known that Charlotte was aware of the porters' deaths. Yet Charlotte continued without regard for his reaction.
"Count Oslo, Terrence Devois here distinctly stated he saw five porters in the Gallery."
Terrence, who had been staring blankly at Charlotte's passionate exposition, snapped to attention at the mention of his name.
"Ah, yes...that's correct. The mercenary who stood watch with me at the Gallery certainly mentioned that the porters were an odd number."
At Terrence's words, Charlotte's expression brightened with the satisfaction of having obtained the information she needed. Terrence felt a flush of pride at having contributed, however modestly, to Charlotte's seamless defense.
Charlotte stepped closer to Philip and the soldiers. The soldiers flanking Philip abandoned their studied indifference, their eyes following her movements as though entranced.
"Don't you think it would be far more efficient to deploy the Search Party to find that fifth porter, rather than interrogate someone like Jane—who has spent the last six months receiving bride training at my Aunt's House in the Countryside?"
Charlotte spoke with a softer tone than before, yet with more deliberate enunciation. The soldiers exchanged glances with one another, for they too found merit in her reasoning.
Charlotte raised one hand, gesturing toward Jane sitting beside her with a trembling expression.
"If that porter doesn't exist, or if Terrence's account proves mistaken, then by all means, you may interrogate Jane again at any time."
The soldiers' and Philip's gazes turned toward Jane, who appeared as helpless as an ant. Charlotte, as though she had been waiting for precisely this moment, delivered her final argument in Jane's defense.
"Jane is a lady with her wedding only months away, and she would never dream of leaving Brentwood."
Charlotte wielded the worn cliché that a woman's finest hour is her wedding day, emphasizing that Jane, standing on the threshold of matrimonial success, could never commit such a heinous act.
The soldiers exchanged knowing glances. All of them were compelled to acknowledge the paramount importance marriage held for a lady.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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