“Hello, Captain! I am Theo Capone of the Security Force!”
Theo stood up and bowed as soon as Charles sat down next to him.
The Penitus, a special unit tasked with guarding the imperial palace and borders, held a higher rank than the 5th Knights, the security force. Seeing them, Emily, too, had to rise and bow.
“Hello, my name is Stella Lovell from the Security Force.”
“Stella Lovell?”
Charles raised an eyebrow after hearing Emily's introduction.
'Did I get caught?'
Emily fiddled with her bangs. They were, of course, too short to cover her face.
“Do you know her?”
Theo asked, looking puzzled by Charles's reaction.
"...No."
Fortunately, Charles passed without a word.
“Everyone, eat comfortably.”
"Thank you!"
"Thank you."
Emily followed Theo and sat down, her gaze sharply fixed on Charles, who sat across from her.
'I think you know, but why aren't you saying anything?'
Emily glanced up again from her meal. Fortunately, Charles wasn't looking at her right now.
'Phew, I guess you didn't notice.'
Emily continued eating, not knowing whether the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
But it seems Emily wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable.
An awkward silence flowed over the table, and eventually, unable to contain his curiosity, Theo opened his mouth.
“Chief, may I ask why you came to the police station?”
Charles, perhaps impressed by Theo's courage, answered immediately.
“I came to inspect the recent murder of a member of the Giuliano organization.”
At those words, Emily quietly put down her fork. She was so startled she almost threw it at his face.
Why on earth is the Knight Commander of Penitus, who has no connection to anything, coming to investigate the murder case?
Theo tilted his head, as if puzzled by the fact, but didn't bother asking. If that's what the higher-ups said, then so be it.
Emily sighed deeply inwardly.
The remaining mealtime felt incredibly long.
Emily returned to her office and sat down, taking note of the situation. She wondered why one seat was empty, and it turned out to be Charles's.
Charles trudged to his seat and slowly flipped through the report on his desk. It seemed to be related to the murder case.
Emily wanted to ask why he was interested in this case, but she held back her words and opened the investigation log she had been looking at earlier.
'This is also strange.'
Emily, who had been reading carefully for a long time, compared the autopsy report with the investigation log.
It also seemed like a fabrication that Big was murdered on National Foundation Day.
'I should take this to John and show him.'
Emily meticulously recorded every single anomaly she discovered. Fortunately, Charles didn't speak to her until the end of her shift.
“Let’s go home now!”
As Emily was packing to go home, Theo approached her desk.
“Are you leaving now?”
"Yes."
“Then shall we go out together?”
"Os it so."
Emily was about to leave the house with him, carrying her bag without thinking.
“Just a moment, Stella Lovell.”
Charles called her over.
“I have something to say about the case, so please come see me.”
Theo gave Emily a quick greeting with an embarrassed expression and left first.
'Why on earth are you calling me?'
Emily forced herself to take unsteady steps and stood in front of him.
“...What do you want to say?”
“I don’t think this is the place to talk about it.”
Charles rose from his seat.
“Follow me.”
Emily followed him, her nerves racing. As she followed Charles, the Sadie family's carriage appeared.
“Get in.”
"Yes?"
Startled, Emily looked around. It was rush hour, so people were slowly leaving the building.
“But talking in a carriage is a bit...”
As Emily hesitated, Charles came closer to her and said.
“You don’t want me to reveal your identity here, do you?”
"As expected, you noticed." Charles smiled amusedly at Emily's surprised expression.
“Do you intend to fool my eyes with that kind of makeup...?”
Without hesitation, Emily pulled a vial from her pocket and sprayed it on Charles' face. In an instant, tears dripped from his face.
“...”
“...”
After a moment of silence, Charles's mouth opened.
“What the hell is this?”
Emily looked back and forth between his face and the bottle with a puzzled expression.
'John, what's going on!'
Charles had been trained to deal with poisoning since childhood, making him immune to all toxins. This level of drug was no match for him.
“Should I get in the carriage first?”
Emily asked, blinking her big eyes in feigned innocence.
The two people sitting facing each other in the carriage observed each other as if exploring each other.
“Why on earth did you go so far as to disguise yourself and join the police force?”
“What do you mean?”
Emily cast a grab spell.
“It’s no use. Do you think I’m such an idiot that I can’t recognize you because of that disguise?”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Emily Starr.”
Emily was left speechless by the words that were said so casually.
“...Did you know from the beginning?”
“Of course.”
"Now that the Duke of Sadie knows, it's over." Emily's expression quickly turned to disappointment.
“Are you going to reveal my identity to your superiors?”
“I was wondering why you came here in disguise before.”
“Well, that’s because no one is investigating it properly.”
“I heard that the Marquis Starr is the most likely suspect.”
"That!"
Emily wanted to say it was all the Crown Prince's doing, but held back. The Sadie family was a noble family loyal to the Emperor, so it would be best not to say such things.
"Anyway, my husband isn't the culprit. He was with me throughout National Foundation Day."
“I see.”
Charles didn't question Emily's words.
Emily asked curiously.
“Why, Your Excellency, are you so interested in this incident?”
At Emily's subsequent question, Charles looked at her with an incomprehensible look.
“I didn’t want people to talk about you because of bad things.”
And what came out of him was something Emily hadn't expected.
“Didn’t you say you were satisfied with your married life?”
"... Yes."
"Even I can see there are many flaws in the investigation. If it's true that Marquis Starr was falsely accused, I'll help."
“Really?”
“I also received permission from the Emperor.”
Perhaps Charles had paid a price to obtain the Emperor's permission. He felt both remorse and a sense of burden.
“So stop doing such dangerous things and go home.”
“That can’t be.”
Emily flatly refused.
“I only worked one day, but I’ve already learned a lot.”
Emily clutched the bag containing the materials tightly.
“Please pretend you don’t know. I won’t let you get hurt.”
“I’m not worried about getting hurt...”
Charles frowned as if he had a headache.
“Do you know what would happen if someone else recognized you like I did?”
"Your Excellency, you're the only one who recognized me. No one has ever recognized me before."
Charles looked at Emily in disbelief.
From the cold, haughty-looking black hair, straight bangs, and emerald eyes that somehow seemed impassive. Yes, her impression and atmosphere had definitely changed a lot.
But in his eyes, she is still Emily.
Are you really saying you don't recognize other people? Are you just wearing your eyes out for show?
“Well, that aside. What are you going to do about those flies?”
“Flies?”
“Didn’t you feel the eyes glancing at you all the time while you were working?”
As he said that, Charles's temper flared again.
“I didn’t really notice. I was so focused on work.”
“Especially that guy named Theo Capone.”
Be didn't like the way he pestered Emily all day long, even though he was half-and-half.
“Sir Capone helped me a lot to adapt.”
“It’s all because of selfishness.”
Charles said with an expression that said, 'Don't you even know that?'
"I didn't really feel that way. Even if I did, I could just ignore it."
Charles was left speechless by Emily's strong answer.
“Anyway, you will keep my secret, right?”
Charles was deeply troubled.
Even if Emily was left out of this case this time, it was obvious that with that momentum, they would somehow uncover the case.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to keep her by his side? Then, in case of an emergency, he could personally help Emily.
“Yeah, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Emily smiled brightly as Charles's permission fell with difficulty.
Charles looked at Emily's smile and thought.
If he could keep seeing that smile, he felt like it would be worth taking the risk.
Theo stood up and bowed as soon as Charles sat down next to him.
The Penitus, a special unit tasked with guarding the imperial palace and borders, held a higher rank than the 5th Knights, the security force. Seeing them, Emily, too, had to rise and bow.
“Hello, my name is Stella Lovell from the Security Force.”
“Stella Lovell?”
Charles raised an eyebrow after hearing Emily's introduction.
'Did I get caught?'
Emily fiddled with her bangs. They were, of course, too short to cover her face.
“Do you know her?”
Theo asked, looking puzzled by Charles's reaction.
"...No."
Fortunately, Charles passed without a word.
“Everyone, eat comfortably.”
"Thank you!"
"Thank you."
Emily followed Theo and sat down, her gaze sharply fixed on Charles, who sat across from her.
'I think you know, but why aren't you saying anything?'
Emily glanced up again from her meal. Fortunately, Charles wasn't looking at her right now.
'Phew, I guess you didn't notice.'
Emily continued eating, not knowing whether the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
But it seems Emily wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable.
An awkward silence flowed over the table, and eventually, unable to contain his curiosity, Theo opened his mouth.
“Chief, may I ask why you came to the police station?”
Charles, perhaps impressed by Theo's courage, answered immediately.
“I came to inspect the recent murder of a member of the Giuliano organization.”
At those words, Emily quietly put down her fork. She was so startled she almost threw it at his face.
Why on earth is the Knight Commander of Penitus, who has no connection to anything, coming to investigate the murder case?
Theo tilted his head, as if puzzled by the fact, but didn't bother asking. If that's what the higher-ups said, then so be it.
Emily sighed deeply inwardly.
The remaining mealtime felt incredibly long.
***
Emily returned to her office and sat down, taking note of the situation. She wondered why one seat was empty, and it turned out to be Charles's.
Charles trudged to his seat and slowly flipped through the report on his desk. It seemed to be related to the murder case.
Emily wanted to ask why he was interested in this case, but she held back her words and opened the investigation log she had been looking at earlier.
'This is also strange.'
Emily, who had been reading carefully for a long time, compared the autopsy report with the investigation log.
It also seemed like a fabrication that Big was murdered on National Foundation Day.
'I should take this to John and show him.'
Emily meticulously recorded every single anomaly she discovered. Fortunately, Charles didn't speak to her until the end of her shift.
“Let’s go home now!”
As Emily was packing to go home, Theo approached her desk.
“Are you leaving now?”
"Yes."
“Then shall we go out together?”
"Os it so."
Emily was about to leave the house with him, carrying her bag without thinking.
“Just a moment, Stella Lovell.”
Charles called her over.
“I have something to say about the case, so please come see me.”
Theo gave Emily a quick greeting with an embarrassed expression and left first.
'Why on earth are you calling me?'
Emily forced herself to take unsteady steps and stood in front of him.
“...What do you want to say?”
“I don’t think this is the place to talk about it.”
Charles rose from his seat.
“Follow me.”
Emily followed him, her nerves racing. As she followed Charles, the Sadie family's carriage appeared.
“Get in.”
"Yes?"
Startled, Emily looked around. It was rush hour, so people were slowly leaving the building.
“But talking in a carriage is a bit...”
As Emily hesitated, Charles came closer to her and said.
“You don’t want me to reveal your identity here, do you?”
"As expected, you noticed." Charles smiled amusedly at Emily's surprised expression.
“Do you intend to fool my eyes with that kind of makeup...?”
Without hesitation, Emily pulled a vial from her pocket and sprayed it on Charles' face. In an instant, tears dripped from his face.
“...”
“...”
After a moment of silence, Charles's mouth opened.
“What the hell is this?”
Emily looked back and forth between his face and the bottle with a puzzled expression.
'John, what's going on!'
Charles had been trained to deal with poisoning since childhood, making him immune to all toxins. This level of drug was no match for him.
“Should I get in the carriage first?”
Emily asked, blinking her big eyes in feigned innocence.
***
The two people sitting facing each other in the carriage observed each other as if exploring each other.
“Why on earth did you go so far as to disguise yourself and join the police force?”
“What do you mean?”
Emily cast a grab spell.
“It’s no use. Do you think I’m such an idiot that I can’t recognize you because of that disguise?”
“Who do you think I am?”
“Emily Starr.”
Emily was left speechless by the words that were said so casually.
“...Did you know from the beginning?”
“Of course.”
"Now that the Duke of Sadie knows, it's over." Emily's expression quickly turned to disappointment.
“Are you going to reveal my identity to your superiors?”
“I was wondering why you came here in disguise before.”
“Well, that’s because no one is investigating it properly.”
“I heard that the Marquis Starr is the most likely suspect.”
"That!"
Emily wanted to say it was all the Crown Prince's doing, but held back. The Sadie family was a noble family loyal to the Emperor, so it would be best not to say such things.
"Anyway, my husband isn't the culprit. He was with me throughout National Foundation Day."
“I see.”
Charles didn't question Emily's words.
Emily asked curiously.
“Why, Your Excellency, are you so interested in this incident?”
At Emily's subsequent question, Charles looked at her with an incomprehensible look.
“I didn’t want people to talk about you because of bad things.”
And what came out of him was something Emily hadn't expected.
“Didn’t you say you were satisfied with your married life?”
"... Yes."
"Even I can see there are many flaws in the investigation. If it's true that Marquis Starr was falsely accused, I'll help."
“Really?”
“I also received permission from the Emperor.”
Perhaps Charles had paid a price to obtain the Emperor's permission. He felt both remorse and a sense of burden.
“So stop doing such dangerous things and go home.”
“That can’t be.”
Emily flatly refused.
“I only worked one day, but I’ve already learned a lot.”
Emily clutched the bag containing the materials tightly.
“Please pretend you don’t know. I won’t let you get hurt.”
“I’m not worried about getting hurt...”
Charles frowned as if he had a headache.
“Do you know what would happen if someone else recognized you like I did?”
"Your Excellency, you're the only one who recognized me. No one has ever recognized me before."
Charles looked at Emily in disbelief.
From the cold, haughty-looking black hair, straight bangs, and emerald eyes that somehow seemed impassive. Yes, her impression and atmosphere had definitely changed a lot.
But in his eyes, she is still Emily.
Are you really saying you don't recognize other people? Are you just wearing your eyes out for show?
“Well, that aside. What are you going to do about those flies?”
“Flies?”
“Didn’t you feel the eyes glancing at you all the time while you were working?”
As he said that, Charles's temper flared again.
“I didn’t really notice. I was so focused on work.”
“Especially that guy named Theo Capone.”
Be didn't like the way he pestered Emily all day long, even though he was half-and-half.
“Sir Capone helped me a lot to adapt.”
“It’s all because of selfishness.”
Charles said with an expression that said, 'Don't you even know that?'
"I didn't really feel that way. Even if I did, I could just ignore it."
Charles was left speechless by Emily's strong answer.
“Anyway, you will keep my secret, right?”
Charles was deeply troubled.
Even if Emily was left out of this case this time, it was obvious that with that momentum, they would somehow uncover the case.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to keep her by his side? Then, in case of an emergency, he could personally help Emily.
“Yeah, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Emily smiled brightly as Charles's permission fell with difficulty.
Charles looked at Emily's smile and thought.
If he could keep seeing that smile, he felt like it would be worth taking the risk.
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