"Can you take responsibility for that statement?”
The voice was low and heavy with anger. In contrast, a man with an expression devoid of any emotion slowly walked into the lobby.
Everyone except Yi Kyung bowed their heads toward him.
He seemed to have just returned from outside, as a cold breeze lingered on his collar. Dressed in a uniform adorned with golden insignia on the shoulders and carrying a long sword at his side, he exuded an overwhelming presence despite his young age.
“I asked if you can take responsibility for what you just said.”
Yi Kyung looked up at him with trembling eyes. For a moment, their gazes locked in midair.
Soon after, the butler quickly stepped between them and spoke.
“She arrived soaked from a sudden rain, so I allowed her to stay for a while. As the Head of the House was not present, I could not seek permission beforehand. I apologize.”
“I will hold you accountable for that later. Answer me. I asked if you can take responsibility for what you just said.”
At the man's question, Yi Kyung, without averting her gaze, replied, “What kind of responsibility are you talking about?”
“The claim that someone committed murder in my house. I'm asking if you can prove it.”
"If you mean evidence that he was murdered… I can explain that in detail.”
She barely suppressed the slight tremor in her voice and continued. Jet-black hair and eyes, even darker and calmer than his hair, made the man's aura even colder.
Meeting that unfathomably deep gaze, she felt an urge to flee the spot immediately. However, she couldn't back down here. Lifting her gaze to meet the man's eyes, Yi Kyung continued in an unwavering voice.
“The man named Ruidel had no marks on his neck. Even a person who attempts to take their own life instinctively struggles the moment their feet leave the ground, but his neck was completely clean. It was as if someone staged the suicide after killing him.”
"Is-is what this woman says true?”
The Captain's voice interjected. His gaze was on the butler, but Yi Kyung answered more quickly.
“Most likely. If you allow an autopsy, it will become even clearer. It’s highly probable someone murdered him and then hung him from the bathroom ceiling.”
“How could such a thing…!”
Before Yi Kyung could finish, the Captain covered his face with his hands and sank to the floor. The young knight who had been casting anxious glances from the side also stood deathly pale, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
Only the strange man stared straight into her eyes, showing no emotional disturbance.
“So. The evidence that the culprit is an insider?”
“Evidence… there is none.”
At her answer, the man's eyes sharpened. His chilling gaze felt like it was dissecting her.
But Yi Kyung, forcing down her trembling voice, continued, “The statement that he was murdered by someone within this mansion… is still just my speculation. If this place is so sensitive to outsiders that a stranger staying overnight causes such a commotion, it’s highly probable the culprit is an insider. But…”
“I see. Then seize her and lock her up.”
Before she could finish her sentence, he gave the order as if there was nothing more to hear.
Everyone looked at him in surprise, and one of the knights who had been standing behind the man stepped forward.
"Yes, sir!”
As the man with the sword at his hip strode towards her, Yi Kyung stepped back with a frightened expression.
She quickly dodged the man's hand trying to grab her shoulder and shouted, “What do you think you're doing!”
Yi Kyung glared at the man who had given the order in protest. But the moment their eyes met, Yi Kyung realized.
A person who had accidentally entered a place where outsiders couldn't come. And a murder that happened just then.
If she continued to insist this was a homicide, ironically, she would become the most likely suspect in this murder case.
“W-wait a minute!”
Yi Kyung's voice trembled faintly.
“That man, it must have been half a day since he died. I've only been in this mansion for barely an hour!”
“And how will you prove that?”
Even as he said this, the man gestured to the knight who was about to grab Yi Kyung's arm, as if to tell him to let her be. Yi Kyung quickly ran to the butler and clutched his coattails like a lifeline.
“Please say something! Butler, you can prove I didn't do it!”
“What this woman says is correct. Chronologically, she wouldn't have had the time to commit such an act.”
But despite his words, the man, with no change in expression, gestured with his chin to the knight. He strode forward and grabbed Yi Kyung's shoulder. Terrified by his rough touch, she gripped the butler's sleeve even tighter.
“Wait, please listen to me! The culprit is very likely someone inside this mansion. Are you going to let the real killer escape?”
“How can you be so sure? Didn't you just say with your own mouth that there's no evidence?”
“I only saw it briefly, but there was definitely a blue flower petal on that man's hair. If my memory serves me right, it's the flower that blooms abundantly in this mansion's garden. Why would that petal be on his hair? And caked in mud at that.”
The man merely stared at her without a word. She felt the grip of the knight on her shoulder loosen. Seizing the opportunity, Yi Kyung quickly continued.
"I heard it poured heavily last night, for the first time in ten years. Due to the rain that fell all night, many petals must have fallen to the ground. If so, the place of his death is likely the garden, not the bathroom. A dead man couldn't have walked in and hung himself, so naturally, someone must have done it to cover up their actions.”
“And how will you prove that it wasn't you?”
“Th-that's…!”
The more she spoke, the more she felt like she was being sucked into a labyrinth. No matter how much she struggled, there was no way to prove her innocence in this situation.
She should have listened to the butler from the start. If she had stayed quietly in her room as he said and left as soon as the sun rose, would this have happened? But regret, no matter how soon it comes, is always too late.
Tears of fear began to well up in her eyes. Just as the moisture that instantly filled her eyes was about to fall, the man turned his gaze towards the butler.
“Kaisern, is what this woman says true?”
“I was too flustered and haven't been able to check yet. I will go and verify it immediately.”
The butler, called Kaisern, bowed his head briefly at the man's words and immediately turned to leave. But the man raised his hand to stop him.
“No, I'll do it myself.”
The man brushed past Yi Kyung. As Yi Kyung let go of Kaisern's sleeve, which she had been clinging to like a lifeline, he too followed the man.
After walking some distance, the man, without looking back, ordered the knight.
“Jayden, keep a close watch on her. She is not to take a single step outside until we catch the culprit.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight, who had been following the man like a shadow, replied and immediately turned towards her. As he grabbed her arm, Yi Kyung twisted and shouted.
“I'm not running away!”
It was unfair. Running away? She had no reason to flee. Not only did she have no intention of escaping while falsely accused, but there was a bigger reason.
In any case, she had nowhere to go right now.
“We'll see about that.”
Leaving those words behind, the man turned and disappeared, as she was powerlessly dragged away.
***
Kaisern followed the Head of the House into the study. Though he must have been tired from just returning from a trip, he walked towards the desk piled high with documents, as if intending to deal with overdue work.
“Master. How did your trip go?”
At Kaisern's words, he stopped walking and slowly turned. Feeling his gaze upon him, Kaisern quickly lowered his head.
Ruan Crusene. Even if his face looked too young to be called the Head of the House, he was the one and only master of the Crusene family.
“Didn’t you have appointments until tomorrow?”
"Perhaps I knew beforehand that a rat would sneak into my house.”
“I apologize.”
Ruan, without a word, took off his jacket and tossed it carelessly onto a chair. He perched on the edge of the desk instead of the chair and spoke to Kaisern, who still stood with his head bowed.
“That's enough.”
Only then did Kaisern raise his head to face his master. Seeing his tense expression, Ruan's face softened slightly.
“If you did it, there must have been a reason.”
"I apologize. I will ensure this never happens again.”
“Alright. You may leave.”
Finishing his words, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was likely because he had pushed to advance his schedule to handle the piled-up work.
Ruan, who had closed his eyes for a moment, sat at the desk and picked up the topmost document.
Kaisern knew he shouldn't take up any more of his master's time. Even without him adding to the workload, his master was always short on sleep. But Kaisern soon opened his mouth, hesitatingly.
“She… is not Ruidel's killer.”
Though he had clearly heard him, Ruan continued to flip through the documents without a word. A moment later, Kaisern's voice broke the silence once more.
“Master.”
“That's not important.”
This time, the answer came immediately. But Ruan, his eyes still fixed on the documents, merely said so in a monotone voice.
No more questions would be allowed. He knew that no matter what else he asked, he would get no further answer from Ruan.
Bowing deeply, Kaisern quietly left the study.