As they stepped out of the room, two men were seen walking towards them. Judging by their uniforms and the swords at their waists, they appeared to be from the Public Security Bureau.
The knight commander, who was leading the Public Security Bureau personnel towards them, spotted Kaisern and Yi Kyung emerging from the room and looked at them both, bewildered.
“Why are you two coming out of that room?”
“……”
“Answer me! What on earth were you doing in a room where no one was supposed to be?”
When no answer came from him, the knight commander pressed him again.
“I clearly ordered that woman not to leave the room by even a single step. Is the Lord aware of this?”
The commander seemed like someone whose ultimate goal was to find fault and put Kaisern in a difficult position. However, Kaisern smoothly walked past him, ignoring his triumphant expression as he stood with his arms crossed, seemingly having caught them red-handed.
“You, you…!”
The commander’s face, thoroughly ignored, began to flush red, but Kaisern spoke without looking back.
“What are you doing? Not following.”
“Oh, yes…!”
Startled, she quickened her pace to follow him, and Jayden, who had been following them at a distance, also fell in behind her.
“Are you ignoring me now!”
Despite his shouts, Kaisern continued to walk silently down the corridor without stopping. The commander, left alone, stared blankly after them. The Public Security Bureau officers glanced at him and then proceeded into the room.
Finally, only the commander, left alone at the door, fumed and shouted.
“You, I’ve got you now! If you’ve done anything to Ruidel, I won’t let you get away with it!”
But his shouts scattered into thin air, reaching no one.
***
"Don’t mind him.”
As Yi Kyung kept looking back and slowing her pace, Kaisern said dismissively. It seemed such incidents had happened often before.
She quickened her steps to walk alongside him.
“There’s something I didn’t mention earlier.”
Yi Kyung whispered, lowering her voice. It was barely audible even to Jayden, who was following behind. Kaisern slowed his pace slightly, inclining his ear towards her.
“There was bruising on the left side of the body’s face. Bruises with different timings were also found on the sides and back. Could they be injuries from training?”
“Hmm… I don’t know about that. But if it’s necessary, I’ll look into it separately.”
“Yes. Also, please find out if there was any bullying or violence within the knight order.”
“Understood.”
Kaisern, who had been nodding in response, gradually slowed his pace and then stopped in front of another room. Jayden, who had been following them at a slight distance, took up a position right next to the door.
“From now on, use this room. The bathroom is connected to the room’s interior, as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Then rest for today. If you find out anything more later, quietly call me.”
“Yes. I will.”
As Kaisern was about to turn, I stopped him, my face showing unease.
“Um, but... is the person who ordered me locked up the owner of this house?”
“If you mean the head of the household, then yes.”
“What happens if he continues to suspect me? Will he really hand me over to the security bureau?”
“Well... maybe.”
My face darkened instantly. I looked up at Kaisern anxiously.
“But you believe me, don’t you?”
At this moment, Kaisern was the only person Yi Kyung could rely on. Allowing her to perform the inspection must have been possible because he was confident she wasn’t the culprit.
However, contrary to her expectation, he hesitated for a long time before speaking.
“I don’t completely trust you either. I just felt that somehow, you wouldn’t have done such a thing.”
“That is believing me. Please, talk to him for me.”
“When the true culprit is revealed… you will also be released soon.”
His tone was still blunt, but she could clearly sense his concern for her. The fact that someone believed in her, even just one person, gave her more strength than anything else.
Yi Kyung bowed to him in gratitude and then walked into her new room.
***
Yi Kyung was forced to open her eyes by the merciless sunlight hitting her face. The sun was high in the sky, so she knew it wasn’t early morning even without checking the clock.
How many days had it been already? As time passed, each day dragged by slowly with the fear that she might truly remain confined here and eventually die without clearing her name.
‘News has come from the Public Security Bureau.’
As Kaisern had anticipated, Ruidel’s death was ultimately concluded as an extreme choice made by a knight who failed to adapt to the order. But Jayden was still guarding her door.
Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that there was a bathroom inside the room. If she had to be with Jayden every time she wanted to use the restroom, she would have seriously considered breaking the window and escaping.
Knock, knock.
She let out a big sigh, and then a knock was heard from outside. It was probably a servant bringing breakfast.
“Yes.”
She answered weakly, and a moment later the door opened and someone entered the room. Yi Kyung raised her head with a surprised expression.
“Butler!”
Could his face be so welcome? Yi Kyung shot up from her seat. It was the first time she had seen his face since hearing the news from the Public Security Bureau.
“Have you been well?”
“How could I have been well?”
Yi Kyung said, almost whimpering. It was unfair to be confined without any evidence, but the hardest part was spending time alone inside, knowing nothing.
The mansion’s servants would occasionally visit, bringing meals or clean clothes, but none of them would engage in conversation with her. They were probably already instructed not to say anything.
“I apologize. I had many things to take care of, so I was a bit late.”
“Has anything major happened in the meantime?”
Although she was helplessly confined in her room, she wasn’t entirely unaware of the subtly changed atmosphere within the mansion. When Yi Kyung asked about it, Kaisern said with a bitter expression,
“I just had some personal matters to look into.”
Kaisern saw Yi Kyung’s expression and showed a sorry look. Seeing her about to cry the moment she saw him, his tone implied that he understood she had been having a hard time for the past few days.
However, Yi Kyung, who was about to immediately question him about how things were progressing and how much longer she had to be confined, stopped short, feeling something strange. She felt something had changed in the past few days, but what was the reason?
Pondering her conversation with Kaisern, she made a surprised expression, then looked up at him again with a puzzled face.
“But Butler.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally to me? And calling me ‘young lady’ now...?”
He had certainly given off a stiff and cold impression during their first meeting. His tone often conveyed a peculiar indifference, like his unwavering gaze.
But now, the look in his eyes when he regarded her was much softer than before.
‘When did that start?’
Thinking back, he had used this tone even when he briefly visited her room the other day to deliver the news from the Public Security Bureau. Why hadn’t she thought it strange before? Even though her title had instantly upgraded from a suspected prisoner in solitary confinement to “Young Lady.”
"Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“Because I am indebted to the Young Lady.”
“What…? Indebted? You, to me?”
Yi Kyung looked at Kaisern with a bewildered expression. But he only met her gaze and offered a gentle smile.
“Please explain what you mean. I’m currently confined here, wrongly accused of murder. What exactly could you be indebted to me for…?”
“I have come precisely to tell you that.”
Kaisern changed the subject without giving her the answer she wanted. However, her frustration at his evasion was brief, for at his next words, Yi Kyung’s eyes filled with surprise and relief.
It was precisely the news she had been so desperately waiting for.
"Last night, the culprit who killed Ruidel was caught.”
“Really?”
“Yes. This morning, the Public Security Bureau came out and arrested the culprit.”
“Ha…”
At Kaisern’s words, Yi Kyung, drained of strength, collapsed onto the bed. She had imagined facing death here, unable to clear her name, ten times a day, so her relief was indescribable.
“So, my name is cleared now, right?”
“Most likely, yes.”
"Most likely? You said they caught the culprit!”
Yi Kyung pressed him, exasperated by his ambiguous answer, and Kaisern looked troubled.
“I’m not doubting the Young Lady, but the Lord has not yet given permission for you to leave…”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Until now, I’d stayed silent because I could understand suspicion. But now that the culprit was caught, there was no reason to be detained.
“If you’re holding me even after catching the killer, there needs to be a good reason. And doesn’t this head of the household know the presumption of innocence? You can’t just detain someone on suspicion like this...”
“Sorry. You’ll be released soon, so please wait a little longer.”
I vented my frustration, but all I got was Kaisern’s apologetic smile. I sighed resignedly. There was nowhere else to go even if I left here.
"So, was the culprit really someone from inside the mansion?”
“Yes. It seems so.”
“‘It seems so’… what does that mean?”
Earlier, he said he couldn't release her even though the culprit was caught, and now he kept giving ambiguous answers. Was there something unresolved? Yi Kyung asked cautiously.
“Are you perhaps doubting if he is the real culprit?”
“To get straight to the point… yes, I am.”
Yi Kyung, who had been looking up at him with a tense expression, bit her lip. It looked like things wouldn’t be resolved easily.