Chapter 132: Reckless Thing
Emy looked at him with a somber expression, her lips parting slightly before she finally replied, "Sir, I'm sure I haven't met someone with those features before today either. Maybe we've never crossed paths before. But... if I ever meet her, I'll definitely tell her about you. Of course, that is if I go home. But, it isn't happening anytime soon, though. So, you'll have to wait for a while, can you?"
Kael stared at her with a calm, almost cold expression, his gaze steady and unreadable. "That wouldn't be much of a problem."
A quiet pause settled between them after that, a kind of silence that felt heavy but strangely steady. Emy's eyes shifted away, glancing at the floor, while Kael simply sat there, studying her small movements, the little tremors of her fingers, and the uneasy rhythm of her breath.
Eventually, he cleared his throat softly, the sound breaking the still air before he spoke in a collected tone, "Now, shall we begin the actual interrogation?"
At that, Emy's shoulders tensed slightly, her nervousness returning almost instantly. Her voice trembled as she nodded quickly, "Sure, sir."
Kael tilted his head slightly, letting his thoughts align before he began, "First of all, since when have you been working in this mansion? What exactly is your fair share of work? Also, what kind of duties are you assigned to when it comes to Arienne? And most of all, did you notice anything strange about any of the staff last night? Anyone acting differently than usual?"
Emy blinked rapidly, looking almost overwhelmed by the flood of questions. Her eyes darted around the room as if searching for a proper place to rest before returning to him.
After a moment of hesitation, she let out a nervous little laugh and said, "That's... uh, quite a lot of questions at once. Don't you think?"
Kael's response was calm and dismissive, his tone carrying no particular warmth. "Doesn't matter. You'll have to answer them eventually, whether all at once or one by one doesn't really make a difference. So just answer me."
Emy lowered her gaze again, her voice coming out quieter this time, almost reluctant. "Alright. I've been working in this mansion for a year now. Yes, I'm the youngest maid among all of us. I clean the mansion, help the cooks sometimes too. But most of my work is related to young miss. You could call me her personal maid. As one... I usually wake her up, help her brush her teeth, dress her, those kinds of things. And as for your last question, no, I didn't notice anything strange about anyone last night, at least not that I can remember. That should conclude my answers."
Kael touched his chin lightly, his gaze sharpening slightly as he leaned forward a bit. His voice grew colder than before as he asked, "I see. So, what you're telling me is that you spend most of your time with Arienne, and you also help the cooks from time to time. Then, tell me... are you the one who mixed the drug into the dinner last night?"
Emy's eyes widened almost instantly. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out for a few seconds. Then, slowly, she shook her head and spoke with a trembling voice that tried to sound composed, "Oh, gods, no. Why would you even think that? I would never dare to do something like that. I think of her like my own daughter."
Kael's face showed no change, only a soft sigh left his lips as he leaned back slightly, his tone still detached, "Alright."
The woman exhaled shakily, her fingers intertwining in front of her as if to steady herself. The tension in her shoulders loosened a little, though her eyes still held slight traces of fear.
Kael watched her quietly for a few seconds before his voice came again, colder than before, "Do you perhaps know someone who goes by the name 'Queen'? Someone who calls herself that way?"
At that very moment, Emy's entire body seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened before darting around the room, searching for something unseen. Then she quickly tried to mask her reaction, her lips curling awkwardly as she forced a small smile, "W-who is she? I don't know anyone by that name. And honestly, who would be foolish enough to call themselves something that unusual?"
Kael met her gaze immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly as he replied in a low voice, "Someone like her definitely would."
Emy raised an eyebrow, trying to hold her expression steady, "Oh?"
Kael let out a small smile before saying in an almost casual tone, "Alright. Your interrogation is finally over."
Emy's shoulders lowered a little as she exhaled deeply, the relief showing clearly on her face. "Already? So, can I go now?"
Kael nodded slowly. "Yes, you can."
Emy turned around and began walking toward the door, her steps small but hurried.
Kael, however, did not move. His eyes followed her from the side, waiting silently for Serelina's voice to echo in his mind. But she remained quiet. Not a single sound came from her.
That silence alone confirmed what he had suspected. Serelina must have found something while reading Emy's mind, something that she had decided to focus on.
But what intrigued Kael even more was what he had learned about her ability today. He had always wondered about the nature of her element, whether she could connect her mind to more than one person at the same time, perhaps link two or even three minds together.
But now, the answer was clear. She could not. Her ability allowed her to read only one person's mind at a time, and likewise, she could only speak to that person alone. To use that ability, she had to form an invisible thread between the thoughts directed toward her and her own consciousness. Once that link was formed, she could choose whether to simply listen or engage in mental speech.
However, once she needed to connect with someone else, she had to break that link completely and create a new one, which made it impossible for her to hear the former person's thoughts again unless they were consciously thinking of her.
That was precisely why she had not spoken to him. She was still linked to Emy, still listening. And there was only one reason for her to keep listening to Emy.
"So that's how it is, huh? Emy is the culprit I've been searching for. What an innocent performance she gave me. Just miraculous."
He scratched the back of his neck and sighed, letting his thoughts wander through the silence that hung in the room. "Since Serelina won't need to read the guards' minds anymore, I suppose I'll have to interrogate them myself. At least now I don't have to tell them that ridiculous story again."
Now that he had finally found the culprit, several questions still rose within him, each one louder than the other. How exactly was he supposed to reveal her truth to everyone? It was not like anyone would believe him just because he said so. Without proof, no one would trust his words, and even if he wanted to gather evidence through other means, he couldn't use his assassin form now. Not when Seraphina would be absent at that time. Which would only give Queen the perfect chance to observe his every movement without him noticing.
Whether he liked it or not, he needed Seraphina's presence this time. He needed her calmness, her sharp gaze, her authority to hold everything together. Still, that did not erase the fact that he had to find a way to make everyone believe his words or somehow force Emy to spit out the truth herself.
Both of those paths, however, were far more difficult than they sounded. He had no evidence with him right now, nothing solid he could rely on. Until his dear sister-in-law managed to gather something, he had no choice but to trust her.
"Well, I'll have to trust her for now. Let's just finish this interrogation."
As that thought came to an end, a guard finally entered, and the first one to be brought in was... Darian.
Seeing him, Kael's lips twitched slightly forming what could almost be called a smile. He was genuinely relieved to find out that Arienne's personal guard was not involved in this kidnapping. He would not have liked that at all, and it would have hurt Arienne the most. After all, this was the same man who always listened to her little requests and often brought her food whenever she wanted more.
He tilted his head slightly and spoke with a quiet tone, "Oh, Darian. It's you. Shall we begin the interrogation?"
At that moment, he heard a soft sound of something falling. Looking that way, he saw a bottle had fallen from the nearby table... which almost gave him a heart attack.
Time went on, and eventually, his so-called interrogation reached its end. By then, he felt as if a heavy weight had lifted off his shoulders. It was not guilt, nor was it regret; he had long become unfamiliar with such emotions. This weight was something else entirely, a mix of exhaustion from endless questioning and the strain of pretending to investigate while knowing full well he would not find anything through those questions.
He shook his head slightly and let those thoughts drift away as he called within his mind.
[Serelina. What did you find exactly?]
Soon, the familiar voice echoed back in his thoughts.
[Everything you need to know. This woman, Emy... her mind runs wild. You should know that. Though, from what I've seen, most human minds tend to work that way.]
He paused for a moment, then sighed in quiet relief.
[I see. So, she's the one who drugged everyone last night.]
Serelina's response came immediately, clear and sharp.
[Yes, and without a doubt, she is. But she didn't just drug everyone. She's also the one who kidnapped Arienne. And…]
---
Present time...
When Seraphina demanded evidence, standing right in front of Emy, Kael fell completely silent. His mind froze, and for a moment, everything around him blurred. What was he supposed to do now? He had gone and done it... he had accused Emy before everyone, out of pure anger, without even a single shred of proof to back his words. Not that he had any other choice at that moment, but still, it was a reckless thing to do.
'I better explain myself, otherwise I'll end up burned by lightning. And I don't even have the chance to run since there's a tendril user standing right behind me. Ah, I haven't felt this kind of dread in a long time.'
He exhaled slowly and turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to where Seraphina stood. "Have some patience, will you? Why are you always so impatient, woman? Look at our Lieutenant, standing straight and calm, her expression barely moving. She looks so composed, as if… uh, wait, is she actually sleeping with her eyes open?"
He blinked twice, squinting slightly, but there was no change in her expression.
Nothing at all.
'Seriously? Who does that?'
Before he could think any further, the sound of a tendril whipping through the air reached his ears, and a sharp pain tore through his back, forcing him to stumble forward. The strike stung deeply, and his jaw tightened as the realization hit him... it was Arwyn who had just lashed out at him.
He gritted his teeth as his body tensed from the impact, his mind already flaring with disbelief. Who gave her permission to hit him like that? How dare she?
But then, as the sting spread across his back, his eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, crap…"
Due to the sudden tripping, he lost his balance, and as if that was not enough, his mind spun for a brief instant, sending a wave of dizziness through his head that made him lose every trace of his senses.
When his vision finally returned, it was already too late to catch himself, and before he could even react, he found himself falling straight toward Emy's chest.
"Damn it. This headache doesn't have any decent time to come back, does it?"
He thought bitterly as his eyes caught the sight of her chest growing closer, the distance between them closing by the heartbeat. He could almost imagine his face sinking between her breasts, followed immediately by a well-deserved slap that would probably echo through the room.
But none of that happened. Just before the collision, several tendrils shot forward and coiled tightly around his arms and waist, stopping his fall in an instant and forcing his posture upright with a firm pull.
Arwyn let out a slow, exasperated exhale, her tone carrying a mockery which he didn't hear often. "You can't even take a little slap from a mere tendril, huh? How do you plan to take one from an actual woman?"
Kael turned his head and glared at her coldly. "Those are two entirely different things, you know."
Arwyn didn't respond immediately. She stood there motionless, her eyes carrying a strange glint of amusement that made it hard to tell whether she was serious or just teasing him.
His gaze shifted slightly, landing on Seraphina, who by all logic should have been furious at Kael for almost falling into another woman's chest. But strangely, she wasn't. Instead, her glare was fixed entirely on Arwyn.
Kael noticed it instantly, and it puzzled him. Why was she acting like that? Was she angry at Arwyn for hurting her beloved husband?
That thought almost made him smile.
It would have been quite adorable of her. Or perhaps she was angry because Arwyn had stepped in to save him, taking away her chance to scold or strike him herself. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because she was no longer Seraphina the Captain of the knight orders, but only a girl in disguise, stripped of her authority and forced to hold herself back. Whatever it was, something about her silence felt heavier than words.
The silence lingered for a long while until Arwyn broke it with a low, steady voice that carried more honesty than irritation. "Hear me out, Kael. I'll forgive you for the lack of manners this time. But listen carefully. To you, it might look like we're being impatient or unreasonable, or whatever you want to think. But that's only from your point of view, not ours. We've been following your lead for quite a while now without asking too many questions, and that's only because you seemed to have a way to find the culprit. I don't know what kind of method you've been using, and I don't need to know either."
She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in him, then added with a dark smile, "But from where we stand, what you've been doing looks exactly like what the knight orders have already tried before. So honestly, it feels pointless to keep repeating the same thing. And suddenly, out of nowhere, you tell us you've found the culprit without a single explanation. You can't expect us to take that calmly. I don't know whether you've lost your mind or if something else is happening, but either way, you should be grateful our Captain isn't here. If she were, she would've already beaten you half to death. I only hit you once."
Kael didn't speak right away. Her words stung because they were true, and he knew it. He had indeed been rushing, pushing forward without giving anyone a clear reason. But they had followed him anyway. It wasn't in his nature to act recklessly like this... he was usually far calmer when working alone, quietly figuring things out at his own pace.
But this time was different.
The situation forced him to work with others, and that change had unsettled him in ways he didn't understand. Maybe it was because of his anger toward the culprit, or maybe it was his struggle to explain things properly. Perhaps it was both. The truth was, he had never been good at speaking to people, not at convincing them, not even at sharing what he truly thought. When he was alone, everything came easily, but when others were involved, his thoughts tangled and slipped away.
He took a shallow breath and let out a long sigh before finally speaking in a quiet but sincere tone. "I'm sorry about that, Lieutenant. I didn't realize that I was only making everyone more and more confused with each passing moment. I truly didn't mean to, I swear. But even so… I need you to trust me with this one."
Arwyn studied his expression for a while, and though she looked like she wanted to argue, she simply shrugged and said with a soft smile, "Alright. I can trust you a little longer, I think."
Kael's gaze wandered across the room, finding Seraphina again. She gave a small shake of her head, not in disapproval, but as if quietly acknowledging him.
Lastly, he turned to Albrecht, who had remained silent the entire time, merely listening with an unreadable expression. The old man nodded once, slow and deliberate, as though silently telling him that, for now, he still believed in him.
Getting everyone's approval, Kael slowly turned his attention toward Emy, who had been standing there quietly the entire time, her gaze fixed on him with a strange stillness that made the air around her feel heavier than before.
Until now, she hadn't spoken much, only listened to everyone talking to him as if she were some outsider in her own place, and he couldn't quite understand why she was so silent instead of trying to defend herself. She was not the type to stay quiet without a reason, that much he could tell, so there had to be something behind her silence.
Emy let out a soft sigh that sounded more indifferent than tired and finally opened her mouth. "So your little drama is finally over already, huh? That's a surprise. I was expecting it to go on a bit longer honestly. You really do know how to turn things around quickly, don't you? Tell me, how did you manage to gain so much support from everyone all of a sudden? Even from my master, who's supposed to be on my side? I've been working here for years now, yet he didn't even bother to trust me in this situation. Instead, he placed his faith in someone like you, someone he barely met a few weeks ago, someone who suddenly became Arienne's teacher. How funny, really."
Listening to her words that tried so hard to sound emotional but carried no true sincerity, Kael felt the urge to laugh, though he held himself back. Her tone made it sound as if she were the victim here, but to him, it only felt like a performance that lacked any kind of effort.
Of course, he did admit to himself that it was a bit strange how everyone had decided to trust him so easily, but when he thought about it again, it wasn't that strange at all. It was the weight of authority that made them believe. The authority of a Lieutenant. Since Arwyn had placed her trust in him, none of the others could question that decision, let alone go against it. Her influence in this town was far greater than people realized, especially considering her rather fierce and sharp personality that most tried to avoid provoking.
"Thanks for that... Arwyn," he thought quietly to himself with a cold smirk before returning his eyes to Emy.
He raised his hand and slowly placed a finger near his ear, circling it as if to suggest that every word coming from her mouth was nothing more than noise to him. "If your little sympathy show is over already, then would you mind telling me where exactly did you hide Arienne?"
Emy's expression twisted immediately, her voice rising as she threw up her hands in frustration. "How should I know? I didn't kidnap her! That's exactly what I've been trying to say this entire time, but you refuse to listen to me. You keep accusing me without even a single piece of proof. The truth is, I didn't do it. I would never dare to do something like that. And how many times do I have to repeat it for you to finally understand? How many more times?"
Kael exhaled through his nose slowly, a low breath that trembled slightly as he felt the familiar heat of anger begin to crawl up from within him. He tried, with what little restraint he had left, to remain calm, but it only made the fury inside him press harder against his chest.
Finally, he reached out and wrapped his hand tightly around her neck. He didn't lift her yet, though his grip was firm enough that she could feel how close he was to losing control. He simply wanted to silence that mouth of hers, the one that wouldn't stop spitting lies and complaints.
That mouth had run for far too long, and there was a part of him that truly wished he could just cut it off her face altogether. That would have been less troublesome, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, he couldn't do that... not yet at least.
He stared straight into her eyes, his own expression turning cold and lifeless, showing nothing but irritation mixed with disgust. His tone was cold, but the words were filled with threat.
"Shut the hell up already, will you? I'm tired of listening to your useless excuses. Now answer me properly this time. Where did you hide Arienne? Where. Is. She?"
---
(Chapter Ended)