The bar owner looked at Dane with very wary eyes.
He doesn't know about others, but it may be because Dane was clearly remembered in his mind.
“That day, a gunman broke down the door and knocked out all the mercenaries guarding the bar...”
The man who had been taken to the security guard had an expression on his face that made him completely unable to understand why he had come out so early.
His eyes were persistently following Dane out of concern that he might damage property or knock someone down again.
Dane, who had nothing to say about causing damage to an open store, stood next to Dorothea with his hood pulled down like a criminal.
Luke's mouth opened.
“Guide me to the scene.”
“There is nothing there anymore. Didn’t you take all the evidence?”
The owner, who was in tears, took the lead and led them back to the tragic scene once again.
Dorothea looked around with indifferent eyes at the room, which had not changed much since her last visit.
'There won't be any clues left anyway.'
So the Prince had no choice but to come and find her.
Sha-.
As she stretched out her hand with a faint smile, the refreshing, cool air that she might feel near a stream with flowing water swirled around her.
Everyone except Dane and Freed, who had already seen it several times, looked at the water spirit with admiration.
The spirit that had been rubbing itself several times in Dorothea's hand disappeared into thin air.
“Are you looking for clues?”
She nodded in response to Luke's question and placed something she took out of her sleeve onto his palm.
“...”
The Prince's eyebrows twitched as he looked down at the corner that had been torn from a piece of paper.
His mouth, which had been closed heavily, slowly opened.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was left in the secret space I discovered last time.”
Dane, who saw that there was death in the Prince's eyes as he looked at the piece of paper as light as a feather resting on his palm, sighed and took Dorothea a step back.
“What if you confess to arbitrarily taking evidence from the scene? You’d rather pretend to be looking for something and put it somewhere.”
“If that were the case, my head would have been blown off due to illegal activities and deception of the royal family during the investigation.”
Dane, who was preaching expedient methods, flinched when he heard a cold rebuttal.
Dorothea continued.
“You can smell a faint scent on that paper. It’s scented paper.”
This type of paper was usually made by applying several layers of oil extracted from plants or fragrant fruits.
Overnight, Philip discovered quite a few things.
“A transaction used by women in the flower world.”
At that moment, not only Dane but everyone present stopped.
Despite people's reactions, Dorothea continued speaking without stopping.
“It is an object specially used when guests are invited or there is work to be done, so the dead may be her guests or people related to her.”
“No, wait. A woman from the art world? Aren't the two dead men both male? How is that possible...”
At that moment, a water spirit flew in from the air, swimming around excitedly and relaying what it had discovered to Dorothea.
“Lily is talking.”
She tilted her head slightly to the side and spoke the words the spirit whispered in a calm voice.
“They said people were staying across from the room where the incident occurred.”
“What’s wrong with that?! We also have to make a living.”
At that moment, for some reason, the completely pale bar owner raised his voice as if he was having a seizure.
When they realized that the status of those who came here was unusual, their impatience and embarrassment were clearly revealed in their change from their usual servile attitude.
Dorothea reminded him of the ‘woman’ he saw in a fragment of his memory.
The frightened woman who was rushing out of the room was wearing a cheap dress, but her face was very beautifully decorated.
Pale skin, cheeks flushed like a peach, a wide, convex forehead, and raised eyes.
She looked at every corner of the space, which was heavily stained with mud even though it had not been long since the messenger had left.
The owner, who could hardly calm down, was clearly hiding something.
When Luke winked, the knights stormed into the room across from him.
“But what kind of people are there across from you?”
The girl's lips, as red and dense as a cherry, opened.
“Mating people.”
“...”
As the knights forcibly opened the door with a bang, someone's panicked screams could be heard from inside.
“They’re mating at the end of that hallway, too.”
“...”
“They say they show signs of frequent mating.”
'Lily', who was wandering around excitedly, soon entered her arms and slowly disappeared, and silence fell.
Even though the situation was revealed up to this point, there was no fool who didn't notice.
The Prince's sharp and cool eyes, like blades, were directed at the trembling bar owner.
Dane muttered as if he was dumbfounded.
“Then this place couldn’t be... Are you saying it’s an illegal business?”
Everyone already understood ‘what’ was illegal without having to say it specifically.
Dane's face became cold.
“You run a place like this and report me to the security forces for trespassing?”
At that moment, cold sweat ran from the forehead of the innkeeper next to him, down his chin, and dripped down.
Dane, who was taken to the police station with his dignity and pride drained, was dripping with murder in his eyes.
Luke, who had been contemplating something at Dorothea's words, opened his mouth.
“One of the bodies was ‘that kind of guest,’ so the statement that the room was never looked into could also be false.”
If the owner of this bar was also arranging 'other business' that was prevalent in the store, there was no way he wouldn't have looked into the room for two weeks.
Hearing the Prince's soft words, the owner quickly fell flat on the floor.
"No! I really didn't know! Well, I just rent a room to these people and collect the rent, and I’m not involved in what they do.”
The trembling voice did not seem to be telling a lie.
“Well, sometimes there are kids who want to make more money without the pimps’ knowledge. They rent a room somewhere else and personally invite guests under the pretext of ‘going out.’ Instead of giving up the room and keeping my mouth shut, they paid a small fee...”
“It’s either that. How is what you do different from that of a pimp?”
“The fee I receive is very small compared to theirs...!”
Dane, who was responding irritably, then covered Dorothea's ears with both hands.
It seems like he's already heard everything worth hearing, but he has to protect his cousin.
Most of the 'guests' who crawled out one after another in a half-naked state were of the middle class.
Well, there would be no reason for a noble to visit a place where a murder occurred.
Luke opened his mouth quietly.
“Name the woman who rented the room where the murder occurred.”
The man quietly raised his head with hope and anticipation.
“So, are you letting me go?”
Dorothea looked at the man who seemed to want to make a 'deal' without saying anything.
What the man said a little while ago, ‘I collect fees with good conscience,’ was all a lie.
He rented rooms to women who were heavily in debt, had them deal with customers in secret, and extorted twice as much money by threatening to tell the pimp.
He even urged women who wanted to pay off their debts and leave to work.
Even though countless shadows were weighing down on the greedy building owner's shoulders, he was only afraid of the Prince in front of him.
'The resentment of the living is as deep and intense as that of the dead.'
She would have to hope that Luke would punish him severely.
If it weren't for a dungeon where people couldn't go in and out, the resentment towards him would sooner or later come back with murderous intent.
After a while, Dane, placed in a familiar situation, blinked and opened his mouth.
“But why were we taken away?”
“...”
It was good enough to call the security forces to punish the bar owner who committed illegal activities.
However, Luke is currently excluded from the investigation.
Dorothea and Dane are outsiders without investigative authority, so they cannot tour the scene.
In other words, it wasn't just the bar owner who broke the law.
When the police captain saw the group being taken to the police station in good harmony, he held his head as if in pain.
“Why are you here again?”
“I didn’t come because I wanted to.”
Unlike Dane, who lowered his head as if he had no shame, Luke and Dorothea looked confident as if they had nothing to worry about.
Seeing them like that, the security chief sighed and shook his head.
“All I can do is separate you from that guy and lock him up.”
In the end, when Dane was told that he would contact his guardian again, he cried quietly and locked himself in a corner.
On the other hand, Dorothea, who had already been imprisoned for the second time, seemed to have adapted perfectly to this place and moved around well, showing off her friendship.
“Young lady, would you like some of this too?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Try this too.”
It was clear that she was not even nervous, let alone trembling with fear, as she was eating snacks with plenty of flavor from the prison guards who were rushing to hand him food.
Dane, who was looking at his cousin blankly, asked Luke with a haggard look.
“What were you planning to do if you were discovered?”
You got caught while conducting an illegal investigation, right?
Luke calmly lowered his eyes and responded to Dane's words.
“I was planning on paying the price. As Your Majesty punishes.”
“In the first place, what kind of dead people are these that the Prince is coming forward in person?”
“...”
Those who tried to cover up the incident also couldn't help but be concerned.
There wouldn't be many people in the empire who could exclude the Prince from the investigation.
Luke, who had been silent in response to Dane's question, naturally changed the topic.
“More than that, it’s the way that child deals with spirits.”
"Yes?"
“Is this how you normally treat spirits?”
"Yes... What if I don’t?”
Since spiritists were not very common, the only spirit person he had ever met in person was Dorothea.
Luke, who was confused by Dane's words, kept his mouth shut without asking any more questions.
His sharp eyes turned to Dorothea, who was turning her back on him.
He doesn't know about others, but it may be because Dane was clearly remembered in his mind.
“That day, a gunman broke down the door and knocked out all the mercenaries guarding the bar...”
The man who had been taken to the security guard had an expression on his face that made him completely unable to understand why he had come out so early.
His eyes were persistently following Dane out of concern that he might damage property or knock someone down again.
Dane, who had nothing to say about causing damage to an open store, stood next to Dorothea with his hood pulled down like a criminal.
Luke's mouth opened.
“Guide me to the scene.”
“There is nothing there anymore. Didn’t you take all the evidence?”
The owner, who was in tears, took the lead and led them back to the tragic scene once again.
Dorothea looked around with indifferent eyes at the room, which had not changed much since her last visit.
'There won't be any clues left anyway.'
So the Prince had no choice but to come and find her.
Sha-.
As she stretched out her hand with a faint smile, the refreshing, cool air that she might feel near a stream with flowing water swirled around her.
Everyone except Dane and Freed, who had already seen it several times, looked at the water spirit with admiration.
The spirit that had been rubbing itself several times in Dorothea's hand disappeared into thin air.
“Are you looking for clues?”
She nodded in response to Luke's question and placed something she took out of her sleeve onto his palm.
“...”
The Prince's eyebrows twitched as he looked down at the corner that had been torn from a piece of paper.
His mouth, which had been closed heavily, slowly opened.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was left in the secret space I discovered last time.”
Dane, who saw that there was death in the Prince's eyes as he looked at the piece of paper as light as a feather resting on his palm, sighed and took Dorothea a step back.
“What if you confess to arbitrarily taking evidence from the scene? You’d rather pretend to be looking for something and put it somewhere.”
“If that were the case, my head would have been blown off due to illegal activities and deception of the royal family during the investigation.”
Dane, who was preaching expedient methods, flinched when he heard a cold rebuttal.
Dorothea continued.
“You can smell a faint scent on that paper. It’s scented paper.”
This type of paper was usually made by applying several layers of oil extracted from plants or fragrant fruits.
Overnight, Philip discovered quite a few things.
“A transaction used by women in the flower world.”
At that moment, not only Dane but everyone present stopped.
Despite people's reactions, Dorothea continued speaking without stopping.
“It is an object specially used when guests are invited or there is work to be done, so the dead may be her guests or people related to her.”
“No, wait. A woman from the art world? Aren't the two dead men both male? How is that possible...”
At that moment, a water spirit flew in from the air, swimming around excitedly and relaying what it had discovered to Dorothea.
“Lily is talking.”
She tilted her head slightly to the side and spoke the words the spirit whispered in a calm voice.
“They said people were staying across from the room where the incident occurred.”
“What’s wrong with that?! We also have to make a living.”
At that moment, for some reason, the completely pale bar owner raised his voice as if he was having a seizure.
When they realized that the status of those who came here was unusual, their impatience and embarrassment were clearly revealed in their change from their usual servile attitude.
Dorothea reminded him of the ‘woman’ he saw in a fragment of his memory.
The frightened woman who was rushing out of the room was wearing a cheap dress, but her face was very beautifully decorated.
Pale skin, cheeks flushed like a peach, a wide, convex forehead, and raised eyes.
She looked at every corner of the space, which was heavily stained with mud even though it had not been long since the messenger had left.
The owner, who could hardly calm down, was clearly hiding something.
When Luke winked, the knights stormed into the room across from him.
“But what kind of people are there across from you?”
The girl's lips, as red and dense as a cherry, opened.
“Mating people.”
“...”
As the knights forcibly opened the door with a bang, someone's panicked screams could be heard from inside.
“They’re mating at the end of that hallway, too.”
“...”
“They say they show signs of frequent mating.”
'Lily', who was wandering around excitedly, soon entered her arms and slowly disappeared, and silence fell.
Even though the situation was revealed up to this point, there was no fool who didn't notice.
The Prince's sharp and cool eyes, like blades, were directed at the trembling bar owner.
Dane muttered as if he was dumbfounded.
“Then this place couldn’t be... Are you saying it’s an illegal business?”
Everyone already understood ‘what’ was illegal without having to say it specifically.
Dane's face became cold.
“You run a place like this and report me to the security forces for trespassing?”
At that moment, cold sweat ran from the forehead of the innkeeper next to him, down his chin, and dripped down.
Dane, who was taken to the police station with his dignity and pride drained, was dripping with murder in his eyes.
Luke, who had been contemplating something at Dorothea's words, opened his mouth.
“One of the bodies was ‘that kind of guest,’ so the statement that the room was never looked into could also be false.”
If the owner of this bar was also arranging 'other business' that was prevalent in the store, there was no way he wouldn't have looked into the room for two weeks.
Hearing the Prince's soft words, the owner quickly fell flat on the floor.
"No! I really didn't know! Well, I just rent a room to these people and collect the rent, and I’m not involved in what they do.”
The trembling voice did not seem to be telling a lie.
“Well, sometimes there are kids who want to make more money without the pimps’ knowledge. They rent a room somewhere else and personally invite guests under the pretext of ‘going out.’ Instead of giving up the room and keeping my mouth shut, they paid a small fee...”
“It’s either that. How is what you do different from that of a pimp?”
“The fee I receive is very small compared to theirs...!”
Dane, who was responding irritably, then covered Dorothea's ears with both hands.
It seems like he's already heard everything worth hearing, but he has to protect his cousin.
Most of the 'guests' who crawled out one after another in a half-naked state were of the middle class.
Well, there would be no reason for a noble to visit a place where a murder occurred.
Luke opened his mouth quietly.
“Name the woman who rented the room where the murder occurred.”
The man quietly raised his head with hope and anticipation.
“So, are you letting me go?”
Dorothea looked at the man who seemed to want to make a 'deal' without saying anything.
What the man said a little while ago, ‘I collect fees with good conscience,’ was all a lie.
He rented rooms to women who were heavily in debt, had them deal with customers in secret, and extorted twice as much money by threatening to tell the pimp.
He even urged women who wanted to pay off their debts and leave to work.
Even though countless shadows were weighing down on the greedy building owner's shoulders, he was only afraid of the Prince in front of him.
'The resentment of the living is as deep and intense as that of the dead.'
She would have to hope that Luke would punish him severely.
If it weren't for a dungeon where people couldn't go in and out, the resentment towards him would sooner or later come back with murderous intent.
***
After a while, Dane, placed in a familiar situation, blinked and opened his mouth.
“But why were we taken away?”
“...”
It was good enough to call the security forces to punish the bar owner who committed illegal activities.
However, Luke is currently excluded from the investigation.
Dorothea and Dane are outsiders without investigative authority, so they cannot tour the scene.
In other words, it wasn't just the bar owner who broke the law.
When the police captain saw the group being taken to the police station in good harmony, he held his head as if in pain.
“Why are you here again?”
“I didn’t come because I wanted to.”
Unlike Dane, who lowered his head as if he had no shame, Luke and Dorothea looked confident as if they had nothing to worry about.
Seeing them like that, the security chief sighed and shook his head.
“All I can do is separate you from that guy and lock him up.”
In the end, when Dane was told that he would contact his guardian again, he cried quietly and locked himself in a corner.
On the other hand, Dorothea, who had already been imprisoned for the second time, seemed to have adapted perfectly to this place and moved around well, showing off her friendship.
“Young lady, would you like some of this too?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Try this too.”
It was clear that she was not even nervous, let alone trembling with fear, as she was eating snacks with plenty of flavor from the prison guards who were rushing to hand him food.
Dane, who was looking at his cousin blankly, asked Luke with a haggard look.
“What were you planning to do if you were discovered?”
You got caught while conducting an illegal investigation, right?
Luke calmly lowered his eyes and responded to Dane's words.
“I was planning on paying the price. As Your Majesty punishes.”
“In the first place, what kind of dead people are these that the Prince is coming forward in person?”
“...”
Those who tried to cover up the incident also couldn't help but be concerned.
There wouldn't be many people in the empire who could exclude the Prince from the investigation.
Luke, who had been silent in response to Dane's question, naturally changed the topic.
“More than that, it’s the way that child deals with spirits.”
"Yes?"
“Is this how you normally treat spirits?”
"Yes... What if I don’t?”
Since spiritists were not very common, the only spirit person he had ever met in person was Dorothea.
Luke, who was confused by Dane's words, kept his mouth shut without asking any more questions.
His sharp eyes turned to Dorothea, who was turning her back on him.
The back of her head might have been itchy, but she was engrossed in a card game with the guards as if she didn't feel anything.
It looked very friendly and unsightly.
“Ahaha. Lady, you must not draw this card.”
“Here, right here.”
Someone suddenly stepped into the game board, which continued in a happy atmosphere for a while.
Just as someone was about to glare at the person who had entered the exciting scene without permission, an unidentified person slowly removed his hood, revealing the face of an old man with graying hair.
With an indescribably complex face, he glanced at Dorothea and then again at the others who were trapped.
"Uh... !”
One of the guards widened his eyes and quickly knelt down.
At the same time, those in the prison and other guards bowed down at the old man's feet to show respect.
Dorothea, who was saddened that the card game had to be stopped, was the last to slowly stand up and slightly bend her knees to say hello.
“How have you been, Your Majesty?”
After giving her a polite greeting, the old man placed his wrinkled hand on her head and gently stroked it.
Then, he opened his mouth in a calm voice towards Luke, who was still kneeling and bowing his head.
“Luke, my son.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I understand that the investigative authority has already been taken away. Why were you there?”
“Unfortunately, I discovered the clue to the case by chance. I was concerned that someone might take action to cover up the problem, so I took action without reporting the situation.”
“The Marquis of Highclere said that you visited the mansion and took the Lady out in person. I don’t think it was a coincidence if you followed the case with the Young Lady.”
Luke closed his mouth in response to the Emperor's sharp questioning.
Perhaps reading something in his youngest son's eyes, the Emperor looked at Dorothea with a softer face instead of questioning her.
“I remember the first time I heard that you were a spiritist. I was greedy for you, but the Marquis made it difficult for me to speak out because of your health.”
Her dark blue eyes slowly blinked.
The neck, half-covered by silver-white hair, was still thin, but it didn't look so dangerous as before that it would break if you just touched it. The girl's flushed cheeks took on a pleasing peach color.
“It looks like you have regained his health.”
Dorothea was rarely shown in the Marquis of Highclere.
She kept putting off the debutante, which was essential for any noble lady.
Is it because the tragic death of his youngest daughter touched his heart?
It's as if he wants to give her a life where she can just enjoy happiness, without imposing any responsibilities or obligations on her.
The Marquis rarely let it out of her arms like that.
Thanks to this, no matter how much the Emperor wanted it, he couldn’t easily reach out to Dorothea.
Unexpectedly, he never thought they would meet again through a relationship like this.
“Even when you were first recognized as a member of the family, my son spoke to me for you.”
Dorothea tilted her head at the words he blurted out.
“It’s very rare for him to step forward for someone. It’s rare for him to be the first to reach out for someone’s help.”
There was a warm glow in the Emperor's eyes as he looked at Dorothea.
“Coincidentally, that kid does something unusual every time he meets you.”
Dane tightened his grip on the bars as if he had already anticipated the last words that would come out of his mouth.
The Emperor's mouth was about to open again.
The sound of urgent footsteps was heard from somewhere.
“Where is the crazy Prince who tricked our granddaughter into visiting an entertainment establishment in broad daylight?!”
The Marquis' loud voice rang loudly throughout the prison.
“At this point, I’m thinking about becoming officially engaged to my son...”
It must be difficult.
But is that in the Marquis’ hand a sword?
Did he pull out his sword in front of him to harm the Prince?
The Highclere family sword, known as the guardian sword that protected the empire for generations, was aimed at the Prince.
The Emperor's face hardened when he saw the murderous appearance of the old general, who was praised as the most loyal subject in the empire.
Seeing his friend's unfamiliar appearance, he just held the back of his neck and let out a deep, deep sigh.
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