Chapter 22: Personal Circumstances (7)

Chapter 22: Personal Circumstances (7)

Thankfully, one of the staff members must’ve taken pity on me, drowning in embarrassment, and lent me some coins. I made a vow then and there: I’d buy up to three of whatever that staff member recommended today. With that resolution, I stepped back into the booth.

The ivory-colored phone had a rotary dial. This was my first time actually using one. After a few fumbles, I finally dialed the number on the card.

Click. The faint signal cut off, and a confident voice came through.

– Hello. Meyer Taylor Detective Agency. 

“Um… I got your card earlier.”

– Oh, the lady with the mansion around her neck!

His voice brightened immediately.

– Such a prompt call! So, is there something I can help with?

“Well… I’d like to request an investigation.”

– An investigation! That’s my specialty.

There was a strange confidence in his tone as he asked,

– Are you trying to dig up dirt on that creepily perfect fiancé of yours?

I mean, yes, our main male lead is freakishly good-looking, but calling it a background check feels a bit much. This guy keeps trying so hard to leave an impression that he might be overdoing it.

“No, not him. I’d like you to look into a certain family.”

– Hm, which family exactly?

“Well… they live in a huge mansion near here with a massive Rose garden…”

– The Aubert family?

He guessed it instantly. They really must be that rich.

“Yes, that’s the one.”

There was a brief pause on the other end. When he spoke again, his voice sounded a little… shaken.

Wait, don’t tell me, he’s going to say something like, ‘That’s a bit of a privacy issue,’ or ‘Investigating that might be ethically questionable,’ even though he tried to poach my dessert earlier?

– Hmm… This is… how should I put it…

“Yes?”

– May I ask why you want to know about them?

If I said I was the daughter of that family but my memory was fuzzy so I was gathering information… wouldn’t that end up in the local paper the next day? Something like: ‘Heir to Conglomerate Becomes Mentally Unstable!’ I can already see the headline.

Better to just keep it vague.

“I’ve taken a bit of interest. I’m not asking you to dig into anything too deep, just public rumors or facts from the past that are commonly known would be enough.”

I heard the faint scratch of a pen, as if the detective was jotting something down.

– Hmm, rumors and past events…

He responded in a cheerful voice.

– Not difficult at all. Sure, I can do that.

“Yes, thank you.”

– Then shall we aim for a first report in about two days? You can decide after that whether you’d like to continue.

Faster than I expected. Not bad.

“Sounds good.”

– Great. Normally, I take advance payment assuming three rounds of investigation.

He added, with a tone that bordered on playfulness.

– But since we’ve just become friends, I’ll give you the first report for free. Consider it a gesture of goodwill.

“I’ll just pay.”

This feels exactly like getting stopped by one of those phone salespeople on the street. Absolutely not. To my surprise, the young detective let out a hearty laugh. It rang through the receiver.

– Haha, hey, if you want to pay, that’s great for me. But just know, I’m always ready to be your friend.

“Sure, sure.”

We then had a brief conversation about the payment method and how I’d receive the information.

I decided to wire the money via the bank sometime tomorrow. As for the report, I would call this number again in two days to hear it. This decision was based on a combination of logical and practical reasons: one, calling him might help avoid tipping off that I was part of the family, and two, I had absolutely no idea what the house’s phone number was.

– Then I’ll talk to you in two days.

“Okay. I’ll be counting on you.”

I ended the call and quickly stepped out of the phone booth. More time had passed than I expected, so I decided to skip the restroom and head straight back. As I thanked the staff who had waited for me and returned to the room with them, I was greeted by a surprising sight.

“Rose. Is this the item you ordered?”

“Wow.”

I eagerly accepted the camera my fiancé handed to me. It was even bigger and heavier than it looked in the catalog, just the right kind of solid feel. It was the model I had ordered first to test its performance between the two final candidates.

“May I try it out?”

“Of course. It’s working properly.”

With the employee’s polite confirmation, I raised the camera and pointed it at my fiancé. His eyes widened a little, but instead of protesting, he gave me a faint smile. There was something crisp and wistful in that smile, yet somehow subtly sensual, in the lines beneath his eyes or along his jaw.

This thing could sell at a ridiculous markup. I was certain of it. I had to fight to keep my hands from shaking. Image stabilization technology hasn’t hit the market yet!

Only when I was sure I had captured the perfect shot did I finally lower the camera. I was determined to photograph every side of my fiancé and make a full photobook. This was one more step toward that magnificent dream, and it felt amazing.

My fiancé gently guided me to a chair after I set the camera down. Then, gesturing toward several other models that had been brought in by the staff, he said,

“I didn’t know much about cameras, but it turns out there are quite a few types. So I went ahead and ordered a few more and had them sent to the mansion.”

Incredible.

“If there are any others you want, feel free to take a look.”

Thank you. All of this will become assets for your photobook.

I bought three more cameras on the spot. I was shocked at how easily I slipped into shopping mode, all because my fangirl urges were going wild.

* * * 

By the time we left the department store, it was nearly midnight. I clutched the camera I had opted to keep with me rather than send to the mansion, thoroughly satisfied. I was planning to photograph my fiancé as he drove us home. Mwahaha.

But my fiancé had a different suggestion.

“It might be dangerous to walk across the garden in this darkness.”

“But last time I made it just fine from the main gate…”

“Well, we can’t always count on luck.”

That didn’t seem like luck last time. You really did navigate it perfectly…

Actually, why is there no driveway cutting across the garden? Was the garden built before cars became common? Or maybe it was originally part of the estate’s medieval defense design?

Anyway, this was his proposal. 

“How about spending the night at that hotel? I can let the mansion know.”

Wait… is this that classic ‘Wanna come in for some ramen?’ kind of situation…?

“You don’t need to worry about safety. There are only two rooms on the top floor, and I’ll take the one opposite yours.”

Oh. Never mind. Eh, whatever. I couldn’t tell if I was feeling relieved or disappointed, but I accepted the suggestion. Spending a night at a fancy hotel’s top floor didn’t sound bad at all.

And so, in a luxury suite that reeked of capitalism, after getting a massage and falling asleep in bliss, an unexpected guest burst in early the next morning.

“Wake up!”

I opened my eyes at the sound of someone shouting and there he was: my stepbrother, fully dolled up in drag, standing there pale as a ghost.

Gah! What the hell! How did he know I was here? Who let him in? And why the heck was he freaking out at this hour? I glanced at the clock. 6:30 a.m. Ugh. Sleepy.

“What is it… it’s so early.”

“This is morning already! Get up and get ready to head back.”

He gulped.

“Mother’s returned.”

— — — 

Workplace Guidelines

12. Cameras are strictly prohibited in all areas, including staff lodgings. If found, film will be immediately destroyed and must never be developed.

— — — 

……

T/N: Not that ‘wanna come in for some ramen’ hahahaha and Rose feeling disappointed after hahahaha