Episode 90
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 90
The next morning, Elysia had to reassure Evan, who had been hovering by her side, unable to sit still since dawn.
Thanks to Evan’s devoted care—and her own body, which recovered in an instant with a bit of healing—she was able to move about comfortably after just one day of rest. Ian, not missing the opportunity, immediately requested a conversation, putting Evan on edge.
“I told you, I’m fine.”
“My brother is a soldier. He can be a bit intimidating.”
“Well… Senior? I’ve done something similar to military work myself, you know.”
He rubbed his face again and again, muttering.
“Am I being overprotective?”
“I’m sorry, but yes.”
For her, who had personally stomped on and captured murderers, his level of concern was a little amusing.
Senior, even a serial killer who murdered 47 people fled in terror at the news of my arrival. Why on earth do you have so little faith in me…?
But considering he’d only ever seen her collapse at the drop of a hat, his worry was, in fact, justified. Elysia decided to lighten the mood and asked playfully.
“Do I look like someone who gets pushed around easily?”
“No, not at all.”
She let out a soft laugh at his immediate reply. As if to relieve his tension, she patted his shoulders and said, “Then what are you worried about? You should be worrying about your brother.”
The hand that was about to move away from his shoulder was suddenly caught. Elysia blinked, staring at him. The warmth of their clasped hands wasn't unpleasant, so she left her hand in his.
Seeing her puzzled expression, he gave a light laugh, squeezed their intertwined fingers, and said, “If he… asks for anything unreasonable, just walk out.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, of course.”
The grip on her fingers loosened. A laugh escaped her. Even though he claimed to have cut ties, Evan was being so fiercely protective of her, acting cold toward his own family.
Elysia squeezed his hand back and took a step closer. The already small distance between them shrank, their breaths mingling in the air. With a grin, she said, “We should talk too, after this is over.”
“Talk about what?”
“What else is there for us to talk about?”
The corners of the man's relaxed lips tightened with tension. She shrugged and pulled her hand away. As if they had never been so close, she moved back with a refreshing lightness, gave him a small wave, and followed the maid into the drawing-room.
This was the same room where she had met Blair, so the layout was familiar. But the presence of the man sitting at its center changed the room's entire atmosphere.
Perhaps it was the solemn mood, but the drawing-room seemed larger today. Elysia walked over and stood before the man, who was staring out the window, perfectly still. Despite his impressive height, Ian sat with a perfectly straight posture, not even crossing his legs.
This guy’s a real soldier. The brothers are practically a matching set… Elysia almost muttered it aloud but snapped back to attention when Ian nonchalantly turned his head and gestured to the chair across from him, indicating for her to sit.
“Thank you for your time.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I dislike beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. Do you know this man?”
With a blank expression, he placed a sheet of paper on the table and watched her reaction. Elysia looked down at the man’s face drawn on it and let out a sigh.
A man with a large scar on his cheek and cruel eyes, giving him a vicious look. She picked up the paper for a moment before setting it back down.
“I do.”
“Did you kill him?”
“…What?”
Elysia’s face contorted into a scowl before she could stop herself, and she glared at Ian. It wasn’t fear of being suspected, but indignation. Kill him? I was the one who almost died!
She scratched the back of her head in irritation and pulled down the high collar of her dress. Ian, without moving a muscle, noted the handprint on her neck and raised an eyebrow, as if telling her to explain.
“We had a run-in, yes, but kill him? Do you have any idea how huge that man was? I was the one who almost died.”
“Well… I’m not aware of his size.”
“What do you mean? Then how did you get this portrait—”
“Because we couldn’t find the body. The ones we did manage to capture alive were all murdered within a day. All that was left was the head.”
“…What?”
The man remained calm, despite the shocking words he’d just uttered. Elysia took a moment to ponder whether all Sylvesters were born with this kind of composure.
She never thought the day would come when she’d consider the ever-composed Evan to be the emotional one, but looking at this man, she did. It felt like talking to a rock, not a person.
“The Sylvester guards protect my brother and my brother alone. Therefore, I don’t know what happened to you when you arrived at that place first. All I know is that this man’s corpse was there when my brother arrived.”
“I’d like to know what you mean by ‘couldn’t find the body.’”
“The guards confirmed this corpse was being transported right after Evan entered the building. My order was delayed, so they gave chase late, and they barely managed to recover only the head from a body disposal site.”
“Then why do you suspect me?”
Elysia let out a disbelieving laugh and leaned back in her chair, putting more distance between them. Ian paid her no mind, continuing in the same unwavering tone as before.
“Evan started getting involved in strange incidents after meeting you. And you dragged my brother into a den of criminals. It is not strange for me to suspect you in this situation. Am I wrong?”
“Let me correct you on something. I didn’t drag him into anything; your brother came looking for me on his own.”
Ian paused for a moment before speaking in a monotone voice.
“It's common for women to be sent to extort money from the sons of nobles. The Sylvesters have many enemies, and—”
“I’ve been sitting here listening patiently, but… are you insane?”
With a bang, she kicked the underside of the table and glared at him, her posture defiant. I probably shouldn’t hit him, right? She recalled Evan’s last words. He did say to just walk out if things got rough…
Deciding this was that moment, she was about to stand without hesitation when his next words stopped her.
“My brother said you would never do such a thing.”
Of course he did. Accepting this obvious fact with a sullen face, she retorted sarcastically, “So what, are you going to throw an envelope of money at me now?”
“He only said you wouldn’t, not that you couldn’t.”
He stood up to match her, looking down at her as he continued.
“It means you are more than capable of killing a grown man. And it seems my brother knows that as well.”
Ah, so that’s the important part. Elysia glared at Ian in silence. Ignoring her gaze, he went on.
“I have a duty to ensure my brother’s safety, and for that reason, I suspect you.”
“…I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”
“Everything I’ve said until now has been the basis for my argument that my suspicion is valid. I will ask again. Did you kill this man?”
The man, who possessed Evan’s composure combined with a level of coldness that was almost excessive, managed to freeze even her anger. Her lips parted, then closed. She slumped back into the chair with a thud and answered.
“Don’t make me say no twice.”
“Then describe it from your point of view. What was the situation, and who killed him?”
“I told you, I got unlucky and was dragged into it, then I lost consciousness. I was seeing triple. How was I supposed to know what happened while I was out…?”
In that moment, Elysia recalled what Alma had said when they spoke alone, her mind hazy at the time. The motive for killing Hertz, the process, no, something after that…
Racking her brain, she managed to remember the words Alma had spat out, unable to hide her fury.
“He died tonight for the crime of hurting you… Such a waste.”
“…Wait, what? That’s strange.”
She had been so focused on Hertz’s death that she had pushed the remark to the back of her mind. Died for hurting me? It was confusing.
He should have been praised for stopping a suspicious outsider, but instead, he was killed for it.
“What’s strange?”
She didn’t even notice Ian frowning at her. The conversation he had requested was forcing Elysia to re-examine her own situation.
He died for the crime of hurting me. What is this? It sounds like someone is pulling strings for me from behind the scenes. As if those people would… Elysia shivered and lifted her head.
The man before her suspected her. If she told him this, he would surely seize her, saying, ‘So you were one of them all along.’
This game is set in the 19th century, right? The rights of common people are already at rock bottom, so how much worse would it be for a criminal? I could just get my head chopped off… She rubbed her forehead and continued.
“It’s something I heard back then, when I was dragged into that building and spoke with the woman running this drug business.”
“What was it?”
“She said… he was killed for the crime of scratching my face.”
The man’s face twisted as if to say, Are you serious? Elysia skillfully wove together truths and delivered them with a straight face.
“When I first met that woman, I was dressed as a man. She was hitting on me even then, and she couldn’t let it go even after finding out I was a woman.”
“…What an absurd story.”
“Do you think the woman leading a criminal organization is sane? She’s got a screw or two loose, at the very least. This is someone who kills nobles without a second thought. For what trivial reason do you think she’d kill one of her own lackeys?”
A flicker of bewilderment spread across his perfectly impassive face. Looking utterly dumbfounded, Ian stroked his chin, sighed, and neatly gathered the papers scattered on the table.
Elysia jutted her chin toward the exit, as if to ask if she could leave now, but he gestured for her to sit back down.
“…Very well. I will set aside my suspicion that you are a person of interest and assume you were merely an unlucky bystander.”
Ian paused, then spoke with some difficulty.
“I plan to track them down to hold them responsible for daring to touch someone using the Sylvester name.”
“I’d recommend joining forces with the Linton family. They have business with that woman, too. I’ll be sending them a montage sketch soon, so you can cooperate or not. I’m feeling extremely unpleasant, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
As Elysia waved her hand dismissively, her bored expression making it clear she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, the man hastily stopped her with his words.
“For that purpose, there is one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it? Let’s make this quick, you’re wasting my time.”
She’d thrown any semblance of respect away the moment he treated her like some vixen who’d seduced his innocent little brother. It was her personal rule not to just stand there and take it when someone threw the first punch.
Ian’s brow furrowed for a moment in annoyance. Elysia saw the faint trace of irritation in his eyes before his expression went blank again and smirked. Well, who told him to treat me like that?
Ian’s gaze, which had dropped to the floor, rose to meet hers again. He seemed to be committing the woman his brother was so obsessed with to memory before he asked, “Do you know why Evan abandoned the Sylvesters?”
The moment she heard the question, the look on Elysia’s face, which had been broadcasting her powerful desire to flee the room, vanished as if it had never been there. With a low hum, the woman fiddled with a lock of her hair and asked, “This is the real reason you wanted to talk, isn’t it?”
He nodded and replied, “I spoke with my brother before you woke up. He refused to say a word. That’s why I called for you. I thought you might know, seeing as your bond seems strong.”
She had never imagined that Evan’s family, with whom he had supposedly cut ties, would be asking her, ‘Why is my brother acting this way?’ To the man awaiting her answer, Elysia replied.
“Yes, I know.”
“Then—”
“But why should I have to tell you?”
For one, it was the kind of secret she couldn’t tell, but first and foremost…
“Why should I reveal something he wants to keep hidden? What am I, a spy?”