Episode 151. Let's Go to the Department Store
Rose left the mansion with Gwen.
They were to tour the department store building under construction on the Arteum estate.
Rose climbed into the carriage with Gwen.
"How far along do you think it is? They said it'll be completed in a few months... The exterior work seems almost finished."
Due to a busy schedule, she hadn't been able to visit the construction site recently.
As the horse's hooves quickened, Rose's heart pounded in unison.
A spring breeze blew in through the open window.
Rose ran a hand through her fluttering hair and looked out.
Trees lined both sides of the carriage path.
"This place is so neat and tidy now."
It was a place where ghosts could easily appear if left alone at night.
Not only were the trees unkempt, untouched by a gardener, but the surrounding area was devoid of residential or commercial areas.
During the day, it was fine, but when the pitch-black darkness, devoid of any light, descended, it was chilling enough to make even the carriage shiver.
And that wasn't all. The roads were so bumpy that a day's tour of the Artaeum estate would be so tumorous inside that your buttocks would ache.
But that was all in the past. Things were quite different now. The roads the carriages ran on were smooth, and the well-manicured trees were a beauty that evoked admiration.
Hotels and mansions were being built in areas where no one had lived, and a beautiful lake park had sprung up in the center.
In a mere six months, if that's even a short time, everything had been accomplished.
This was possible because the Grand Duke, the owner of the estate, didn't ignore Rose's words and actively pursued the changes.
Rose, looking out the window, suddenly wore a bitter smile on her face.
'...I wish I could have been with the Grand Duke.'
She missed the daily routine of holding hands and chatting with the Grand Duke.
Rose turned her gaze to Gwen, who was sitting across from her. Then, cautiously, she opened her mouth.
“Gwen, you still haven’t found the person who first discovered Cedric’s body, right?”
Gwen nodded slowly at Rose’s words.
Eric was not cooperating in finding the real culprit and was blaming the Grand Duke for the culprit, so a new breakthrough was needed.
‘The person who first discovered Cedric’s body, that person must hold the key to the case.’
“I found out who that person is.”
“Who is it?”
Rose’s gaze sharpened at Gwen’s words.
“Rose, you must have seen him as you passed by.”
...Someone I know?
Rose’s thoughts quickly turned to Gwen’s words.
‘Then... Could it be someone from the Count Wens family?’
If both Gwen and Rose were to guess who they both knew, it was most likely someone from the Count Wence family.
“Baku. Do you remember him?”
“Baku?”
...Who is it?
It was an unfamiliar name.
Rose shook her head.
“Oh, you might not know his name. He’s the man who was always by Cedric’s side. Would you know if I told you he wore an eyepatch over one eye?”
“Oh,”
Rose muttered quietly at Gwen’s words.
“I remember.”
A vague image surfaced in her mind. He had many scars, large and small, and a rather fierce impression.
“His gaze was always sharp.”
Although they hadn’t really spoken, he was the one who had stuck to Cedric’s side, sending her a look she didn’t like.
“That person... discovered Cedric’s body?”
For a moment, a strange sense of unease filled her.
“What?... Why...”
She felt as if she was missing something.
However, Rose couldn’t easily conclude what she was missing.
“...Isn’t that person Cedric’s bodyguard?”
At Rose’s words, Gwen quietly raised his monocle. Then he slowly nodded. Gwen, too, seemed to sense something was off.
“There’s more than one thing that’s strange.”
Rose leaned forward slightly and listened intently to Gwen.
“The day Cedric died... his behavior that day was very strange.”
Gwen had been Cedric’s assistant for over 30 years. That’s why he was confident he knew him better than anyone else.
“According to the case log, it says that on the day Cedric died, he went out on horseback alone and met with disaster.”
Gwen clasped his hands together and continued speaking softly.
“But the Cedric I know would never do that. He has so many enemies that he would never travel alone. And to ride alone... that part is also strange. Cedric suffered a fall from his horse during a hunting competition and hasn’t ridden a horse since.”
Gwen swallowed hard, his lips moving as he spoke cautiously.
“...It’s not a simple murder.”
“What do you mean it’s not a simple murder?”
“It’s possible that he was trying to frame someone for the murder from the beginning...”
Gwen lowered his eyes, then closed them again.
When he fell silent, a silence fell over the carriage. Rose didn’t press him, but waited quietly for Gwen to speak.
“Or it could have been someone very close to Cedric who accidentally did it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gwen raised his eyelids and met Rose’s gaze with a blank look.
The moment Rose met Gwen's eyes, her breath caught in her throat.
Even though he hadn't said who killed Cedric, she felt like she understood what Gwen meant.
Thump, thump.
Rose's heart began to pound irregularly.
'No way...'
Rose bit her lower lip, trailing off.
'Eric... You killed him?'
Thinking about it, Eric was really strange.
Even though his father was dead, he didn't try to find the culprit. From what Serun had told her, he didn't even shed a tear at the funeral.
'The reason he reacted so sullenly when I suggested we find the culprit together...'
Wasn't it because he was the culprit?
He was afraid that if the real culprit was revealed, he would be in trouble, so he tried to use the Archduke as a shield to avoid punishment... Wasn't it?
Rose met Gwen's gaze with wavering.
Gwen, as if he knew Rose's thoughts, simply nodded silently.
“Then wouldn’t it be faster if we investigated Eric first?”
“His Majesty the Emperor is currently leading the investigation. His Majesty isn’t interested in the truth of the case. He’s only thinking of using this incident as an excuse to punish His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Gwen sighed deeply and continued.
“If he had intended to investigate properly, His Highness the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been imprisoned in the first place.”
“Then wouldn’t it be fruitless to visit Baku, the so-called discoverer?”
Baku was a member of Count Wence’s family, so meeting him face-to-face didn’t seem like it would yield much.
“That’s not true. Baku...”
Gwen trailed off and looked at Rose. Gwen’s once blank eyes had suddenly taken on a mysterious certainty.
“Because he left Count Wence’s family.”
“Huh?”
Rose’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
“He showed Cedric’s body to Count Wence and then suddenly disappeared,”
Gwen continued.
“The Baku I know wouldn’t leave the Count Wence family. He used to say he would be buried in Count Wence’s house. But after Cedric passed away... he didn’t even attend the funeral.”
Rose, who had been listening to Gwen, nodded and joined in.
“Not even attending the funeral? I don’t know about anything else, but that’s really strange.”
“Yes. Baku wasn’t the type to turn his back on the Count Wence family just because Cedric passed away. He may have been cruel, but his loyalty to the Count Wence family was deeper than anyone else’s. To the point where he didn’t care about… his one eye.”
Baku lost an eye while working alongside Cedric. He was a man who wouldn’t hesitate to give his life to protect his master, Cedric.
He was a man who always prioritized the Count Wence family and Cedric over himself.
Therefore, Baku couldn't leave without even attending Cedric's funeral.
"Baku will definitely know everything,"
Rose nodded at Gwen's words. She agreed with Gwen.
"I will definitely find him and find out everything."
"But... even if we find Baku, will he tell the whole truth?"
He was Cedric's subordinate and had served the Count Wence family his entire life.
He would never reveal any actions that would be a burden to the Count Wence family... Rose looked at Gwen with a worried expression.
"It's okay. If it's the Baku I know..."
Gwen trailed off meaningfully.
Rose was quite curious about Gwen's thoughts, but she didn't ask any more.
“I see. Don’t be too concerned about finding Baku. Serun said he’s gathered quite a few people to serve as His Highness's alibi.”
On the day Cedric died, the Grand Duke of Artaeum was in the south.
Serun was planning to verify his alibi by asking around for anyone who had seen the Grand Duke in the south.
But that wasn’t all. Rose looked at Gwen with a mysterious smile and said,
“There are many other loopholes in the investigation. I will request a fair investigation from His Majesty the Emperor. Soon... I will go to see His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty will have no choice but to grant my request.”
Rose looked relaxed, as if she had a hidden tactic.
‘The Emperor’s secret biological experiments on Chicagor. We will negotiate using that.’
Gwen’s pupils dilated slightly at Rose’s words. He seemed quite curious, but like Rose, he didn’t ask any questions.
He trusted Rose just as much as Rose trusted him.
“I see.”
Gwen’s eyes widened as he answered.
Rose, and Gwen too. They had no doubt that the Grand Duke would be released from prison. The Grand Duke, who was in prison, felt the same.
The carriage wheels slowly came to a halt, perhaps arriving at the department store grounds.
"It seems we've arrived."
"I see."
Rose and Gwen exchanged a few words and slowly climbed out of the carriage.
Escorted by Gwen, Rose's eyes widened at the sight before her.
"Wow... the exterior looks quite nice."
It was no exaggeration to say the exterior of the department store was already complete.
She knew from reports that the opening was imminent, but seeing it with her own eyes was a new experience.
"It's finally starting to feel a little more real."
For her, an ordinary office worker, to become the owner of a department store.
It was something she wouldn't have dreamed of in Korea. She wasn't the type to take on new challenges.
Perhaps sensing the excitement in Rose's face, a pleased smile appeared on Gwen's face.
"Let's go, Rose."
Gwen reached out toward the department store and took a polite stance.
For a moment, a vision of a red carpet unfolded before Rose's eyes.
A smile curled onto her lips, and she took a big step forward.
Rose left the mansion with Gwen.
They were to tour the department store building under construction on the Arteum estate.
Rose climbed into the carriage with Gwen.
"How far along do you think it is? They said it'll be completed in a few months... The exterior work seems almost finished."
Due to a busy schedule, she hadn't been able to visit the construction site recently.
As the horse's hooves quickened, Rose's heart pounded in unison.
A spring breeze blew in through the open window.
Rose ran a hand through her fluttering hair and looked out.
Trees lined both sides of the carriage path.
"This place is so neat and tidy now."
It was a place where ghosts could easily appear if left alone at night.
Not only were the trees unkempt, untouched by a gardener, but the surrounding area was devoid of residential or commercial areas.
During the day, it was fine, but when the pitch-black darkness, devoid of any light, descended, it was chilling enough to make even the carriage shiver.
And that wasn't all. The roads were so bumpy that a day's tour of the Artaeum estate would be so tumorous inside that your buttocks would ache.
But that was all in the past. Things were quite different now. The roads the carriages ran on were smooth, and the well-manicured trees were a beauty that evoked admiration.
Hotels and mansions were being built in areas where no one had lived, and a beautiful lake park had sprung up in the center.
In a mere six months, if that's even a short time, everything had been accomplished.
This was possible because the Grand Duke, the owner of the estate, didn't ignore Rose's words and actively pursued the changes.
Rose, looking out the window, suddenly wore a bitter smile on her face.
'...I wish I could have been with the Grand Duke.'
She missed the daily routine of holding hands and chatting with the Grand Duke.
Rose turned her gaze to Gwen, who was sitting across from her. Then, cautiously, she opened her mouth.
“Gwen, you still haven’t found the person who first discovered Cedric’s body, right?”
Gwen nodded slowly at Rose’s words.
Eric was not cooperating in finding the real culprit and was blaming the Grand Duke for the culprit, so a new breakthrough was needed.
‘The person who first discovered Cedric’s body, that person must hold the key to the case.’
“I found out who that person is.”
“Who is it?”
Rose’s gaze sharpened at Gwen’s words.
“Rose, you must have seen him as you passed by.”
...Someone I know?
Rose’s thoughts quickly turned to Gwen’s words.
‘Then... Could it be someone from the Count Wens family?’
If both Gwen and Rose were to guess who they both knew, it was most likely someone from the Count Wence family.
“Baku. Do you remember him?”
“Baku?”
...Who is it?
It was an unfamiliar name.
Rose shook her head.
“Oh, you might not know his name. He’s the man who was always by Cedric’s side. Would you know if I told you he wore an eyepatch over one eye?”
“Oh,”
Rose muttered quietly at Gwen’s words.
“I remember.”
A vague image surfaced in her mind. He had many scars, large and small, and a rather fierce impression.
“His gaze was always sharp.”
Although they hadn’t really spoken, he was the one who had stuck to Cedric’s side, sending her a look she didn’t like.
“That person... discovered Cedric’s body?”
For a moment, a strange sense of unease filled her.
“What?... Why...”
She felt as if she was missing something.
However, Rose couldn’t easily conclude what she was missing.
“...Isn’t that person Cedric’s bodyguard?”
At Rose’s words, Gwen quietly raised his monocle. Then he slowly nodded. Gwen, too, seemed to sense something was off.
“There’s more than one thing that’s strange.”
Rose leaned forward slightly and listened intently to Gwen.
“The day Cedric died... his behavior that day was very strange.”
Gwen had been Cedric’s assistant for over 30 years. That’s why he was confident he knew him better than anyone else.
“According to the case log, it says that on the day Cedric died, he went out on horseback alone and met with disaster.”
Gwen clasped his hands together and continued speaking softly.
“But the Cedric I know would never do that. He has so many enemies that he would never travel alone. And to ride alone... that part is also strange. Cedric suffered a fall from his horse during a hunting competition and hasn’t ridden a horse since.”
Gwen swallowed hard, his lips moving as he spoke cautiously.
“...It’s not a simple murder.”
“What do you mean it’s not a simple murder?”
“It’s possible that he was trying to frame someone for the murder from the beginning...”
Gwen lowered his eyes, then closed them again.
When he fell silent, a silence fell over the carriage. Rose didn’t press him, but waited quietly for Gwen to speak.
“Or it could have been someone very close to Cedric who accidentally did it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gwen raised his eyelids and met Rose’s gaze with a blank look.
The moment Rose met Gwen's eyes, her breath caught in her throat.
Even though he hadn't said who killed Cedric, she felt like she understood what Gwen meant.
Thump, thump.
Rose's heart began to pound irregularly.
'No way...'
Rose bit her lower lip, trailing off.
'Eric... You killed him?'
Thinking about it, Eric was really strange.
Even though his father was dead, he didn't try to find the culprit. From what Serun had told her, he didn't even shed a tear at the funeral.
'The reason he reacted so sullenly when I suggested we find the culprit together...'
Wasn't it because he was the culprit?
He was afraid that if the real culprit was revealed, he would be in trouble, so he tried to use the Archduke as a shield to avoid punishment... Wasn't it?
Rose met Gwen's gaze with wavering.
Gwen, as if he knew Rose's thoughts, simply nodded silently.
“Then wouldn’t it be faster if we investigated Eric first?”
“His Majesty the Emperor is currently leading the investigation. His Majesty isn’t interested in the truth of the case. He’s only thinking of using this incident as an excuse to punish His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Gwen sighed deeply and continued.
“If he had intended to investigate properly, His Highness the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been imprisoned in the first place.”
“Then wouldn’t it be fruitless to visit Baku, the so-called discoverer?”
Baku was a member of Count Wence’s family, so meeting him face-to-face didn’t seem like it would yield much.
“That’s not true. Baku...”
Gwen trailed off and looked at Rose. Gwen’s once blank eyes had suddenly taken on a mysterious certainty.
“Because he left Count Wence’s family.”
“Huh?”
Rose’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
“He showed Cedric’s body to Count Wence and then suddenly disappeared,”
Gwen continued.
“The Baku I know wouldn’t leave the Count Wence family. He used to say he would be buried in Count Wence’s house. But after Cedric passed away... he didn’t even attend the funeral.”
Rose, who had been listening to Gwen, nodded and joined in.
“Not even attending the funeral? I don’t know about anything else, but that’s really strange.”
“Yes. Baku wasn’t the type to turn his back on the Count Wence family just because Cedric passed away. He may have been cruel, but his loyalty to the Count Wence family was deeper than anyone else’s. To the point where he didn’t care about… his one eye.”
Baku lost an eye while working alongside Cedric. He was a man who wouldn’t hesitate to give his life to protect his master, Cedric.
He was a man who always prioritized the Count Wence family and Cedric over himself.
Therefore, Baku couldn't leave without even attending Cedric's funeral.
"Baku will definitely know everything,"
Rose nodded at Gwen's words. She agreed with Gwen.
"I will definitely find him and find out everything."
"But... even if we find Baku, will he tell the whole truth?"
He was Cedric's subordinate and had served the Count Wence family his entire life.
He would never reveal any actions that would be a burden to the Count Wence family... Rose looked at Gwen with a worried expression.
"It's okay. If it's the Baku I know..."
Gwen trailed off meaningfully.
Rose was quite curious about Gwen's thoughts, but she didn't ask any more.
“I see. Don’t be too concerned about finding Baku. Serun said he’s gathered quite a few people to serve as His Highness's alibi.”
On the day Cedric died, the Grand Duke of Artaeum was in the south.
Serun was planning to verify his alibi by asking around for anyone who had seen the Grand Duke in the south.
But that wasn’t all. Rose looked at Gwen with a mysterious smile and said,
“There are many other loopholes in the investigation. I will request a fair investigation from His Majesty the Emperor. Soon... I will go to see His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty will have no choice but to grant my request.”
Rose looked relaxed, as if she had a hidden tactic.
‘The Emperor’s secret biological experiments on Chicagor. We will negotiate using that.’
Gwen’s pupils dilated slightly at Rose’s words. He seemed quite curious, but like Rose, he didn’t ask any questions.
He trusted Rose just as much as Rose trusted him.
“I see.”
Gwen’s eyes widened as he answered.
Rose, and Gwen too. They had no doubt that the Grand Duke would be released from prison. The Grand Duke, who was in prison, felt the same.
The carriage wheels slowly came to a halt, perhaps arriving at the department store grounds.
"It seems we've arrived."
"I see."
Rose and Gwen exchanged a few words and slowly climbed out of the carriage.
Escorted by Gwen, Rose's eyes widened at the sight before her.
"Wow... the exterior looks quite nice."
It was no exaggeration to say the exterior of the department store was already complete.
She knew from reports that the opening was imminent, but seeing it with her own eyes was a new experience.
"It's finally starting to feel a little more real."
For her, an ordinary office worker, to become the owner of a department store.
It was something she wouldn't have dreamed of in Korea. She wasn't the type to take on new challenges.
Perhaps sensing the excitement in Rose's face, a pleased smile appeared on Gwen's face.
"Let's go, Rose."
Gwen reached out toward the department store and took a polite stance.
For a moment, a vision of a red carpet unfolded before Rose's eyes.
A smile curled onto her lips, and she took a big step forward.
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