Chapter 177
After leaving the hut, Bridget muttered with a bitter expression.
"...I never imagined that attendant had already been dead all this time."
For Bridget, the attendant boy who knew Felix well—Isaac Walker—was a precious source of information. Learning that he was already dead left her frantic.
"I thought that if I could get that attendant on our side, I might get closer to the truth..."
As Bridget groaned in frustration, Monica lowered her eyes and asked,
"...Um, what kind of person... was this Isaac-san?"
"He was an infuriatingly capable man. His Highness was practically attached to him like a brother... As much as I hate to admit it, he was far more beloved than I was."
From the way she ground her back teeth, she must have been extremely frustrated.
"To be honest, that attendant named Isaac was our biggest lead in the search for the real His Highness. He was the sort of loyal man who would do anything for His Highness. If His Highness had been replaced by an impostor... there was no way he would have stayed silent."
Bridget removed her glasses and rubbed the wrinkle between her brows with a finger.
"...Or perhaps Isaac Walker was murdered to silence him precisely because he was so close to His Highness. I have no idea about that doctor named Arthur who died with him, though."
Monica neither agreed nor disagreed with Bridget's mutter, merely lowering her gaze to the ground.
A single theory had just arisen in Monica's mind.
...But she still lacked the pieces needed to connect it all.
The two of them then walked around the manor in silence for a while, searching for any suspicious rooms visible from outside. However, there were no suspicious rooms hidden behind curtains, as Bridget had suggested.
Just as they returned to the garden in front of the manor, Raul, mud on his cheek, waved at them and called, "Hey! Hey!"
"We're going to look around inside the manor with the steward now, so come along!"
Of course, Monica and Bridget had no reason to refuse. When they nodded, Raul handed each of them a basket packed with cut flowers.
He picked up a flower basket of his own and led them toward the main entrance, saying, "This way, this way."
An elderly steward was waiting at the entrance. Raul spoke casually to the steward, who was far older than he was.
"We're going to choose flowers to decorate the manor, right? I thought it would be better to hear the opinions of some young ladies, too."
"...I see. In that case, I have no objection."
Bridget watched the steward's respectful attitude toward Raul with a puzzled expression. She was probably wondering why a steward, one of the highest-ranking servants, was being so deferential to an outside gardener.
To reiterate, Raul was one of the Seven Sages and held the rank of Magic Count.
"Then, this way."
The steward opened the door and ushered the three of them inside the manor.
The interior was decorated with the same tasteful beauty as the exterior.
On closer inspection, the scarlet carpet had patterns woven from threads in subtly different shades, while the reliefs on the pillars gave a different impression from a distance than they did up close. Every element that made up the manor harmonized with the others to create this space.
And Raul's role was to choose flowers worthy of this meticulously designed, beautiful space.
Monica had wondered, though it felt rude to think so, whether Raul—who mostly grew vegetables rather than flowers—could really choose flowers for the manor's interior. Yet Raul gave the steward instructions without the slightest hesitation.
"I think the front entrance would be best with the double-blooming roses that were successfully hybridized recently. They're a strongly scented variety, but the space is large enough for the fragrance to spread moderately, and they're showy enough to look good. They're rare, too, so they'll probably make a good impression on visitors."
"I see... Then, what about this room?"
"This is the room where purple foxgloves were displayed in early summer, right? In that case, I'd change the mood and go with flowers that have a softer impression. Make apricot-colored flowers the centerpiece, then add some white Orlaya, and I think it'll feel completely different."
Contrary to Monica's concerns, Raul continued suggesting one type of flower after another with the air of someone well accustomed to the task.
Monica understood less than half the words Raul used, but Bridget had murmured, "That man knows his stuff," so Raul's instructions were probably appropriate.
After circling the first floor, the steward led the three of them upstairs.
Bridget probably believed that the real Felix was confined somewhere above the second floor. Her eyes grew particularly sharp.
Generally speaking, the first floor contained rooms for entertaining guests, while the higher the floor, the more private the spaces became. This manor was no exception, and the second floor held many of the rooms used by its residents.
Bridget also seemed to have memorized the general layout of the rooms. When the steward stopped in front of a certain door, her profile stiffened slightly.
"This is the room Prince Felix used when he was a child."
With that, the steward opened the door.
Since Felix had used it as a child, Monica had imagined a nursery, but every piece of furniture in the room was sized for an adult.
Raul looked around the room and asked the steward,
"The prince still uses this room, right?"
"Yes. He uses it when he stays here from time to time."
The furniture had likely been chosen in those sizes because Felix still occasionally used the room. Most of it looked relatively new, and almost none of the things Felix had used as a child appeared to remain.
Even so, Bridget gazed intently at the furniture with an expression that was both wistful and affectionate.
As though she were picturing Felix as a young child in this room.
"Hmm, what a refined room. Say, Steward, what flowers were displayed here the last time His Highness stayed?"
"Iiris."
"...Iiris?"
Raul echoed the steward's word.
It must have been an unusual flower if even Raul, a flower expert, did not immediately recognize the name.
As Monica wondered about that, Bridget muttered,
"...Iris."
The steward suddenly seemed to realize his mistake and corrected himself.
"My apologies. Iris. A man who used to work here called irises 'Iiris,' so I said it without thinking."
"Ah, you mean irises! Iiris was, um... what was it again? The Imperial way of saying it?"
Raul clapped a hand against his palm, while the steward gave an awkward, ambiguous nod.
──At that moment, something clicked into place inside Monica.
"Ah, um!!"
Monica had been silent until then, so the sudden force of her voice made the steward, Raul, and Bridget all stare at her in surprise.
Normally, she would have faltered, but Monica was desperate.
"The person who used to work here... could it possibly have been Ar..."
"Excuse me."
At that moment, the door opened as if to cut Monica off.
Monica turned toward the door and involuntarily held her breath. Bridget did the same.
The man standing there was the owner of the manor: Duke Clockford, Darius Nightley.
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An overwhelming presence that drew every eye simply by existing.
With a single word or the slightest gesture, he possessed the authority to make everyone present obey and act.
Duke Clockford exuded from his entire being a power that could only be called charisma, the kind possessed by only a very few people. Tracing his lineage back, he too was descended from royalty.
Come to think of it, Felix's occasional intimidating presence and his ability to make people obey him must have been learned from Duke Clockford as well.
Both Monica and Bridget froze at Duke Clockford's sudden appearance. They had not expected the busy duke to be at the manor.
Raul, however, smiled at Duke Clockford with the same cheerfulness he showed Monica and the others.
"Hey, Your Grace. Hello. Did you come by just to see us?"
"I thought I would come and pay my respects to you."
At those words, Bridget's eyes flew wide as she stared at Raul. Naturally. It would ordinarily be unthinkable for the most powerful man in the country to come and greet an ordinary gardener.
Raul's tone was somewhat more polite than usual, but he was still far from stiff or formal. That must have been another reason for Bridget's astonishment.
"Did you like this year's flowers, Your Grace? You told me that 'flowers newly developed in this country would be preferable,' so I planted more of those than usual."
"Yes. I want flowers that symbolize this country's technology and wealth."
Developing new flower varieties required enormous amounts of money and time. A new variety was a fortune in itself.
That was precisely why Duke Clockford likely wanted to fill his garden with flowers successfully developed within the country, thereby displaying his power.
Duke Clockford spared neither money nor effort when it came to showing off his authority.
Monica had learned at Serendia Academy that third-rate nobles were the ones who satisfied their self-esteem by flaunting their power.
To a first-rate noble, flaunting power was merely a means of preserving the stature and dignity of their house.
"...By the way, who are these two?"
Duke Clockford said this as he turned his attention to Monica and Bridget.
Monica swallowed hard. She had spoken with Duke Clockford one-on-one just after the New Year's Ceremony. She had hidden her face then, but she had spoken a single sentence at the end.
"I want nothing from you..."
(I-if I say too much, he might recognize me...!)
When Monica glanced sideways at Bridget, Bridget's face was stiff as well. Bridget had probably met Duke Clockford far more often than Monica had.
When Monica and Bridget fell silent, Raul came to their rescue.
"These two are members of my household."
"...I believe I told you to refrain from bringing unnecessary servants into the manor."
Duke Clockford glared sharply at Monica and the others.
His gaze held an intimidating force, as though a cold hand were trying to crush the hearts of those before him.
Raul, however, did not seem particularly bothered as he said cheerfully,
"They're also my apprentices, so I wanted to teach them how to decorate a manor with flowers. There aren't many manors more rewarding to decorate than this one."
"...That is a lesson too advanced for apprentices."
"Well, my family's motto is to use only the finest teaching materials for education!"
Raul laughed heartily at the lighthearted remark, which was impossible to tell whether he meant seriously or in jest, and Duke Clockford's intimidating presence eased slightly.
"...I see. Coming from the greatest magician in this country, that is persuasive, 〈Thorn Witch〉-dono."
Seeing Bridget struck speechless, Monica began worrying about how they would explain themselves afterward.
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After they finished all their work and left the manor, Raul took Monica and Bridget back to their inn in the Roseburg family's carriage.
Servants normally rode in the wagon carrying the tools, but Monica and Bridget were being given special treatment.
In the carriage, Raul asked Monica with a broad smile,
"Did you find any information that might prove useful?"
"...Yes."
When Monica answered clearly, Raul nodded in satisfaction and gave her shoulder a friendly pat.
"If you need help again, let me know! We're friends, aren't we?"
"Th-thank you..."
At Raul's loud voice, Monica flinched and glanced at Bridget.
Monica had expected Bridget to react somehow to the fact that she was friends with 〈Thorn Witch〉, but Bridget said nothing. She merely kept her head bowed and glared at the floor.
Even after they got out of the carriage and returned to their room at the inn, Bridget remained silent.
Without a word, she spat out the wad of cotton she had been holding in her mouth and wiped the greasepaint from her face with a cloth.
"...Um, Bridget-sama."
They had looked around inside the manor, but there had been no room that appeared to be holding the real Felix. Since they had visited almost all of the rooms with Raul, Monica was certain of it.
At the very least, the prince Bridget was seeking had not been in the duke's manor.
And Monica had reached one firm conclusion about that.
"...The real Prince Felix is... already..."
"Don't say it."
Cutting Monica off, Bridget buried her face in the cloth she had used to wipe her face.
"...I had more or less figured it out."
Clever as she was, Bridget had probably reached the worst possible conclusion the moment she sensed that the current Felix was an impostor.
In other words—the real Felix Ark Ridill was already dead, and that was precisely why he had needed to be replaced by a double.
"...Even so, I wanted to verify the truth for myself, with my own hands and feet."
Bridget covered her face for a while, but eventually wiped it roughly again and let her golden hair, which had been pinned up, spill loose. Then she spoke in her usual manner.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Monica Norton. I have many questions about your mysterious connections, but I will let them pass for now."
"I-I am honored..."
"I know it will be difficult for me to probe the truth of this matter any further. Even so, I shall consider our next move... even if His Highness is already gone. I want to know the truth."
What a strong person, Monica thought.
Even when confronted with a cruel reality, she refused to stop moving forward, still trying to grasp the truth.
(...Even so, I still can't tell Bridget-sama everything.)
Monica clenched one fist and asked Bridget in a hard voice,
"Bridget-sama, you know a great deal about foreign languages too, don't you?"
"What of it?"
"...Do you know... how the name Arthur would be rendered in the Imperial language?"
Bridget drew her brows together slightly in suspicion and answered curtly,
"Artur."
Monica had heard that name at the school festival.
'Euan, were you able to confirm the matter?'
'Yes. I pretended to catch a spider and checked from close range, so there is no mistake. That was the traitor Artur's work... That man's judgment was correct.'
(...It all came together.)
Monica clenched her hands to keep them from trembling and spoke to Bridget in a hard voice.
"Bridget-sama, before we return to the academy, there is somewhere I would like to visit."
"As a reward for helping me, I will take you anywhere you like. So where do you want to go?"
After thinking for a while, Monica opened her mouth.
"...The capital."