Finding the Obsessive Young Lady (5)
“S-Sisilia Windsor.”
Sisilia blinked at the knight who was eyeing her warily and backing away. He looked familiar—he was Dick from the royal knights, the one she'd dueled once in the past. She'd remembered his name because it was amusing.
“Are you... feeling alright?”
Dick said, his voice trembling.
“How much time do you think has passed since then?”
“Glad you look healthy.”
“...You damn bitch.”
“I wouldn't mind another duel if you want. Doesn't matter to me.”
What'll you do? Sisilia rested her hand on her sword hilt and tilted her head slightly.
Dick clicked his tongue and turned away.
“I'm not saying I didn't accept my defeat in that duel. I lost to you back then. Overwhelmingly.”
He grumbled reluctantly, but surprisingly, he acknowledged the outcome cleanly.
“So, what are you doing here?”
“Came to see a friend.”
“A friend?”
Both their gazes naturally turned to Bianca.
Bianca looked utterly flustered. Dick was flustered for a different reason.
Close? The kingdom's biggest pain-in-the-ass lady and the famously pure Sword Princess?
What kind of ridiculous combo is this...?
Dick stared at Sisilia in disbelief.
“For real?”
“Yes.”
“W-Wait a second. Why are you suddenly my friend, Sir Knight?”
Dick glanced at Bianca, then back at Sisilia.
“She says no?”
“Must be the shock from the incident... Forgetting her one and only friend.”
“Wh-When did we ever meet to make you my one and only friend?!”
Sisilia looked genuinely sympathetic. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.
“...”
Dick was speechless for a moment, then waved his hands dismissively.
“We're in the middle of arresting a suspect in the kidnapping. Fortunately, Lady Charlotte has been found, and this isn't Windsor jurisdiction, so leave.”
“I told you it wasn't me!”
“Milady, as I said earlier, we'll hear the details at the station.”
“I said it wasn't me! Why should I get arrested?! From the start, why—why—would I kidnap that Charlotte bitch, and for what reason?!”
Dick sighed wearily.
“Even I, who knows nothing about high society, am aware you two don't get along. Plus, you were the last one to see Lady Charlotte yesterday, weren't you, Lady Bianca?”
“I just wanted to give that arrogant wench a little warning, that's all!”
Bianca shouted in frustration.
Sisilia nodded along. She had the gist of it now. Charlotte had been kidnapped, and Bianca—someone on bad terms with her—had become the prime suspect. The problem was that Bianca wasn't the type to go down easy, and true to her villainess lady persona, she was vehemently denying it in grand fashion.
“Then let me ask: where did you go after the ball ended last night?”
“I went for a walk.”
“With anyone?”
“I walk alone when I take strolls!”
“Without an escort?”
“Hmph, who in the royal capital would dare touch an Eisenberg?”
“In other words, no alibi.”
“Th-That's...”
Setting aside Bianca's image, the circumstances were indeed suspicious. But Sisilia knew Bianca wasn't the culprit.
“I can vouch for Lady Bianca's alibi.”
“What?”
“After all, it's true she went for a long walk last night.”
Sisilia stepped slowly in front of Bianca. Bianca flinched, wondering what absurd thing she was about to pull now.
Sisilia took a lock of Bianca's black hair in her hand.
“Milady. Were you unable to properly dry your hair before bed last night?”
Bianca's eyes widened slightly.
“Y-Yes... But how did you...?”
“The texture tells me so.”
Sisilia looked at Dick.
“You get it now, right? Lady Bianca is innocent.”
“...Why on earth?”
Dick's eyes were full of utter confusion.
Sisilia let out a soft sigh.
“The ball ended late at night. And there was a light rain last night.”
“I know it rained. So?”
“She would've felt grimy sleeping with wet hair from the rain, so she probably bathed. But after such a late ball, plus a walk, she wouldn't have had the energy to fully dry her hair. She just wiped off the excess water and went to bed.”
And the result was this: slightly split ends, dry and frizzy texture. No amount of brushing could fix the tips.
“If you're still suspicious, check Lady Bianca's shoes.”
“Her shoes?”
“The ball ended around midnight. The rain started near 1 a.m. That's at least an hour of walking, so it'll show.”
Dick immediately asked Lady Bianca.
“Milady, forgive me, but may I check your feet?”
“...Go ahead.”
How dare you check a duke's daughter's feet! That's what Bianca would've normally screamed. But now, she was overwhelmed by the peculiar aura Sisilia exuded. She obediently removed her shoes.
Sure enough, the heels of her feet were red and inflamed.
Dick couldn't help but be shocked. To deduce all this from a few words of conversation and a glance at her hair.
...Is this what the Windsor Knights are like? Or is it just the Sword Princess who's exceptional?
But—
This wasn't enough to fully clear her from suspicion.
“It does seem she was out for a long time. The rain part checks out, at least. But couldn't she have gotten wet while kidnapping Lady Charlotte?”
Sisilia eyed Dick lazily.
“What duke's daughter kidnaps someone personally?”
“...”
Dick fell silent.
“Hah, but then what's the point of an alibi? It's meaningless.”
“Exactly. Your investigation was pointless, Dick. Even if she were the culprit, there's no reason for her to act personally.”
“...Damn it.”
“I'm disappointed, Sir. But thanks to your investigation, we at least have proof she's not behind this incident.”
To the puzzled Dick, Sisilia explained simply.
“If she were the kidnapper, she wouldn't have done anything to invite suspicion.”
It was child's play for a duke's daughter to fabricate an alibi. Sisilia felt a petty annoyance at having to explain something so obvious, but she smiled sweetly.
“Shall we go find the real culprit, then?”
Charlotte Anastasia de Belmont.
She was a lady known to everyone in the capital, a power player.
“How is Lady Charlotte always so refined?”
“I'm so jealous. She was born with everything...”
“I hear she's close with Sir Edward too?”
Her family, the Belmont Earldom, was immensely wealthy. And Charlotte herself boasted not just stunning looks, but impressive intellect as well. Her poise went without saying. Her reputation was colossal.
People even whispered she was “prime saintess material.”
Such was the object of everyone's envy—but Charlotte herself was never satisfied with her own station.
“Of course. Just the other day, I had tea with Sir Edward. Speaking of which...”
The family. The family was the issue.
The Belmont Earldom was undeniably prestigious, but it fell short. A mere earldom. No matter the wealth or history, that was it. She could never be the pinnacle.
Charlotte wanted to be the most noble. She yearned to look down from the top.
Of course, she had no delusions of becoming queen. She wasn't the foolish type to chase impossible dreams.
Just—within allowable bounds, she could tolerate no one above her.
A mere earldom upstart with that arrogant glare? Clearly dreaming beyond her station. Ducks can't fly, Lady Charlotte. How pitiful.
Bianca Eisenberg was an existence Charlotte could not abide.
“Could Sir Edward possibly harbor feelings for me?”
Thus, Charlotte made the most rational choice available: marriage.
The only royal bloodline left was Edward. Marrying him would make her dreams reality.
For her ambitions, Charlotte would stake even her life. Her zeal for ascension was genuine.
“Sir Theo. Are preparations thorough?”
“Of course. Even the Windsor Knights won't figure it out. You're truly cunning, milady. How did you devise such a plan?”
Because it's beyond human imagination.
Even allying with demons. No pangs of conscience. To Charlotte, demons were mere tools.
She'd borrowed their aid for marriage to Edward, but the moment it was done, she'd sever ties cleanly.
“It's nothing special. More importantly, Sir Theo, handle this carefully. They must never discover this kidnapping was my own doing.”
“No worries. Even if they suspect, there's no evidence. It no longer exists in this world.”
Perfect. I panicked when Edward suddenly danced with that vulgar Bianca, but no major hitches.
Of course, Charlotte didn't expect Bianca to be “fully” branded the mastermind.
The Eisenberg Ducal House wasn't that easy. And the royal knights would likely uncover the truth.
But what Charlotte sought lay in the shadows.
“Bianca might really have done it.” A reasonable doubt.
Planting that seed in people's hearts was enough for her plan.
All that's left is marrying Edward. With an offer he can't refuse—
With her calculations complete, Charlotte headed to her room with light steps.
“Oh, right. Do you know Sisilia Windsor, Sir Theo?”
“Who doesn't? The famous Sword Princess.”
“Could you investigate her? Favorite foods, preferred personality types. I need to prepare a mask she'll like.”
“You're truly frightening, milady.”
Charlotte flashed a cold smile. On the path to her goal, Edward, Sisilia was useful bait.
A naive knight who's only ever swung a sword her whole life.
Turning her to her side wouldn't be hard.
Envisioning her brilliant future, Charlotte opened her door.
She was, after all, the kidnapping victim. Best to stay quiet for now...
“You have quite the tea collection, Lady Charlotte.”
“You...”
Charlotte panicked for a moment, her usual mask cracking.
Sisilia sat peacefully on her sofa, sipping tea.
She eyed Charlotte sharply and said,
“Sisilia Windsor. The detective.”
“D-Detective?”
Sisilia proudly pointed to her red ribbon-shaped hairpin.
What is she...?
Charlotte barely mustered her usual gentle smile.
“I haven't the foggiest what you're talking about, Lady Sisilia.”
But inwardly, she was in chaos.
Given her many secrets, she'd invested heavily in multi-layered magic barriers around this mansion.
How?
“How... how did you get in here?”
Sisilia pointed to the slightly ajar window with a look that said, why ask something so obvious?
“Through the window.”
“...”
Charlotte was at a loss for words.