Luca, Michael, and Killian1In the early chapters, Killian was known as Kyle, but I had forgotten that I had used that name before and had already given the name to Hera's cousin. were gathered around the big table. They've been reading the report about all the horrible things that have happened to Alicia and her mother these past few years, which of course had something to do with Hera.
The dusty and grimy reports were finally scattered across his desk after years of being tucked away in the hidden corner of a shelf that surrounds Luca's study. These reports had been Luca's main concern for the previous week.
They discover some unexpected facts every time they re-read the reports, such as the fact that Killian was able to imprison all of the culprits of the accident, all the way up to the fact that the man had no opportunity to question anyone before they all committed suicide.
Suicide. No one questioned anything at that time. Killian simply shrugged and didn't seem to mind their strange death. As a result, none of those cases are being pursued any longer. The culprits are no longer alive. Apart from closing the case and concentrating on other matters, what else should they do?
Moreover, the Duke was burdened himself with tens, if not dozens, of cases per month at the time, forcing them to prioritize public cases above private ones.
If the Duke hadn't suddenly become interested in Hera and chosen to read all of the records on the case involving his daughter, they might not have discovered anything unusual about what had occurred all those years.
“How do they commit suicide?” Michael was baffled by the absurdity of the reports he was holding. “They were seated in this mansion dungeon’s closed interrogation room. Before leaving them in the room and calling Killian to initiate the interrogation, the guards had already checked them and found no ways for them to take their own lives.”
“They all died using the same methods. Poison. They swallowed the same poison as Alicia, but this time they drank a hefty amount and didn't dilute it with water.” Another fact was added by Killian. “We found nothing near them when they were dead.”
“Poison?”
Killian nodded and switched his focus to Michael while Luca was preoccupied with his own thoughts. “The symptoms were similar to when Alicia was poisoned, but worse, they vomited out all of their blood. We have no idea where the poison came from, nor do we know its name. Fortunately, at that time, Alicia was quickly dealt with otherwise…”
Michael gave Killian a fierce glare that made him quickly stop talking. The two of them then glanced at Luca and made eye contact with him, who raised his head to look at them.
“All of them.” Luca pointed to the photos spread out in front of him. “Their names and faces were familiar. Who are they?”
The two men exhaled a sigh of relief when they realized Luca hadn't heard Killian's last words.
Luca didn't want to hear anyone talk about the accident right now, since it reminded him of Hera's blank and emotionless face when she was punished.
“You may know them, Your Grace.” Killian replied, then pointed to the photos one by one. “Gail, who used to work as a gardener. Ume, who used to work as a maid on the eastern side. Lina, who used to be a chef. And the others were all previous employees of this mansion who had quit not long after the accident involving them.”
A long silence before...
“Killian…” Luca gave Killian an icy stare, he then pushed a file with reports concerning Alicia's poisoning towards him. “Set up an interrogation room in the dungeon for the former Eastern Side servants individually. Ume, this girl, they surely know about her. You just have to find out if they know why she dared to poison Alicia and Hera and find out why they fled.”
Receiving Luca's commands, Killian didn't have to stand around for long before bowing his head and leaving Luca's study.
“They were assassinated.” After the door closed, Michael said what was on his mind.
“I know. But who did it, why did they do it, and how did they do it?” Luca sat down and leaned back against the chair, pressing his temple with force.
“All the servants in this mansion were changed every year except for the few who worked in the main house and also... the servants on the eastern side.”
Luca stared at Michael as if he knew what was on his guardian's mind. But it's hard to find out the things that happened years ago, because of his neglect of this matter, everything became like this.
“You dare to say that the eastern servant had anything to do with them being dead? If it is indeed true, we still need to know why and how they do it. And what was the real reason they fled?”
The questions brought another thought to his mind, realizing the lack of control over his household. He had allowed horrible people around his daughter all this time. Who knows what they actually did to the girl in all the years he wasn't around for her.
Luca stretched out his hand to reach the final report file and checked the date of the incident in which someone altered the carriage that Alicia and her mother were riding in.
“The 21st of October, 1xxx. Not long after, they all fled, took all the valuables and left Hera. All of the incidents that had previously hurt Alicia came to an end after that. What are your thoughts on that coincidence?”
Michael went completely silent.
Clearly, Michael and his master shared the same opinion on this matter. If they are right, Hera has been living with dangerous people and has been used as a scapegoat to conceal their presence on multiple occasions. However, the question of why they targeted Alicia and her mother and then abruptly stopped just like that still remains a mystery.
Suddenly a knocking sound was heard, then a man in a knight's uniform cautiously opened the door to Luca's study. He bowed politely before reporting about the ongoing interrogation, on behalf of his captain, Sir Killian.
“The servants reacted when Sir Killian uttered Ume's name and suddenly became hysterical. We had to sedate them in order to prevent them from hurting themselves.”
“What was Killian up to at this point?”
“Sir Killian is interrogating the final servant, Your Grace. But after several of them showed the same reaction, Sir Killian attempted not to mention Ume's name till he found out why they ran away first.”
...
The knight's head remained lowered as he awaited the Duke's response to his report.
“You can go and be sure to tighten the guard in the dungeon. Also, tell Killian that I'll question them directly tomorrow so he can stop now.”
“Alright, Your Grace.”
After closing the door, the knight raised his face and walked away.
Silence filled the room again.
“Michael... Do you know where Hera is now?”
“Hold on…”
Michael arranged the scattered files on the table so that the additional map of the Greene mansion could be seen. That man had promised to allow Michael to trace Hera's whereabouts since she left a week ago. It was one of Luca's few requirements for allowing Hera to leave.
So, during the week, Luca would inquire about Hera's whereabouts and make guesses as to what her daughter was doing. Something he had never done before.
“She's already inside…” Michael's voice was becoming quieter, the glowing blue dot with Hera's name beneath it began to fade. His breath was stuck in his throat; there was only one way it could happen.
Michael shook his head and closed his eyes before returning his gaze to the dimmed blue dot that was slowly glowing again. He exhaled a sigh of relief after seeing that.
Michael stood upright looking at Luca, who had his eyes closed. “Lady Hera was already in her room.”
There's no need to concern his master about such insignificant matters; something like that happens from time to time, and it could simply be an indication that his glasses needed to be replaced.
