Chapter 26: Twist on a Twist (4)

Would’ve been nice if the transmigration fairy had at least dropped me into a part of the plot I remembered from the original novel…

Screw it. I just want to go stare at my fiancé’s face and try to heal a little.

* * *

The entrance looked like a battlefield after a storm had blown through.

Just five minutes ago, I was the only one bewildered in a scene that resembled a meme of a confused frog surrounded by a chorus of crying frogs. But now, everything had gone quiet. Only then could I finally start thinking.

Let’s sort out the situation so far.

Stepmother? Highly suspicious.

Maid Sunset? Very suspicious.

Still, both only had circumstantial evidence against them, nothing definitive. My stepmother had seemed truly distressed and worried about me until the end, and Sunset genuinely looked sorry, too. So maybe this is just a misunderstanding that spiraled out of control, and maybe I’m the one who needs to resolve it in a cool and clever way. That’s one possible development.

Or, I could choose one of them to trust and bring them on as an ally to see things through. That’s another route. Hmm. But that’s the kind of choice a beginner in romance-fantasy stories would make. I’m way past that stage.

There’s also the option of cutting ties with both and ignoring them. 

Realistically, that seems safest, but narratively, it’s the most dangerous. It gives me this strange unease, like a twist could hit me out of nowhere.

Therefore, I’ll keep the possibility of befriending both wide open!

If I start getting close to them and one of them reveals their true villainous colors, I can always back out! I’ve got money, I can make it work. Still, just in case, I should probably keep a weapon on hand.

…But all that aside, I do feel a lot more at ease now that the authorities are involved. Even if the real villain isn’t among the suspects and someone else is pulling the strings, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to try to assassinate me now, not with an investigation already underway. Whew.

Which means there’s only one thing I need to do now.

I quick-stepped away from the entrance and headed into the largest parlor. There, I grabbed the telephone receiver from the console and dialed. A confident voice soon answered.

“Meyer Taylor Detective Agency.”

“I’m the one who requested an investigation into the Aubert family a little while ago.”

“Ah, miss! I was just about to get in touch…”

“I’d like to add a new request.”

I added firmly, “Please investigate Emma Zauer, the mistress of the mansion, and a maid who worked here named Hessa White.”

First things first, I need to get their profiles!

“Well… works for me, more business,” the young detective replied with a chuckle, before shifting to a more serious tone. “But first, you should hear this. I just wrapped up the first round of the investigation.”

What? Already?

We’d agreed the first report would come tomorrow, so this was early. Did he rush the job? I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, even though he couldn’t see me through the phone.

“Already?”

“Of course. I’m rather capable.”

A slightly smug voice came through the receiver. Yeah, yeah. Let’s hear what you’ve got.

“Let me start with a general overview of the Aubert family. They haven’t been in Vern for very long, right?”

“…Right.”

Honestly, I assumed they were some ancient, land-owning family that’s been entrenched here for centuries. I mean, just look at this estate. Anyone would think the same.

“According to precise real estate records, they moved here twenty-one years ago. Lord Russell Aubert relocated into a massive mansion with his heavily pregnant wife. There are also records of newspaper ads seeking to hire various staff, including a nanny.”

Whoa. That heavily pregnant wife, could it be…?

“The following year, she gave birth to a baby girl. The name listed is Rose Aubert. That would make her an adult by the end of this year.”

As expected, this body is mine!

Wow, it feels kind of surreal. Like I’m hearing someone else’s story, even though it’s about me.

“Unfortunately, Madame Aubert passed away after giving birth. It appears to have been due to complications, but… perhaps they kept a tight lid on things, because no one mentioned it at the time. There’s no remaining documentation.”

“I-I see.”

Oh dear… So she passed right after giving birth. Now I feel bad for even ordering this investigation. My deepest apologies to this body’s mother. I’m just trying to survive…

“After that, Sir Russell Aubert seems to have shut himself in the mansion for quite a while. To travel anywhere from that estate, you have to pass through Romantown. But for the next fourteen years, there were no sightings of him there. Then…”

There was a fluttering of paper over the phone, as if he were flipping through notes.

“Yes. Fourteen and a half years later, he suddenly resumed public life. People recalled him as a well-built, charismatic man, but by then he was gaunt and hollow-eyed. Everyone who saw him felt sorry for him.”

“Is that so?”

Hmm. I vaguely remember hearing that he had extreme mood swings. I guess he must’ve been struggling with depression during that time. Still, it sounds like he tried to recover. Knowing how things ended just makes it all the more heartbreaking. And it makes me worry about my childhood before I possessed this body.

“Yes. Most sightings came from major academic seminars or cafés popular among scholars… and that’s also where he met Emma Zauer, the woman he intended to remarry.”

Let me guess. An archaeology seminar?

“It was a fairly large anthropology seminar.”

So close! Still, not a bad guess.

“Prominent figures and rookie undergrads alike were in attendance. Emma Zauer was among them.”

“Oh, was she an archaeology expert?”

I couldn’t resist asking again, clinging to my earlier theory.

“Hmm? Well, she did have a degree… but it seems she had just recently moved to the area. News doesn’t travel far unless someone is really famous.”

Translation: more money and time are needed for a thorough investigation. Got it.

“Yes, anyway, the two of them seem to have gotten close very quickly… there’s even a witness who saw Emma Zauer traveling with Sir Aubert toward his mansion just one week after they met.”

“I see…”

Sounds like a passionate… blazing romance.

But surely he spoke to his daughter first, right? I mean, there’s a minor living at home. He wouldn’t just bring in a new partner without considering her adolescent feelings… right?

Still, in romance-fantasy stories, whenever a parent has a remarriage backstory, they often bulldoze ahead without listening to the protagonist, which wrecks the relationship. It’s worrying… Let’s just keep listening for now.

“Then, three months later, Emma Zauer moved into the mansion with her young daughter. We found records of her terminating a lease at that time.”

Oh no. Is this okay? This is veering into dramatic territory. I’m starting to sweat. I mean, he didn’t even remarry yet, and he’s bringing his partner’s kid to live in a house with his underage daughter… If this were serialized fiction, the comment section would be flooded with complaints about the dad.

“A-And then?”

“Another three months later, they set a wedding date. It seems they were planning something quite grand as wedding invitations went out to notable figures in Romantown. I even brought back a copy.”

The young detective read aloud the contents of the invitation. It was a typical, old-fashioned wedding announcement.

“But on the morning of the wedding, Sir Aubert’s death was suddenly reported in the newspaper. Guests who’d come to celebrate ended up attending a funeral instead.”

His voice took on an intentionally spooky tone. Please, let’s not dramatize someone’s death. This guy pulled something similar during dessert the other day. I responded curtly.

“I see.”

“Well… nothing much after that. Emma Zauer, citing the will, claimed she was to be Rose Aubert’s guardian until she came of age. She won in court against some distant Aubert relatives from another region. Five years passed, and Rose Aubert is said to have been reclusive in the mansion ever since.”

Actually, I went out just the other day and met someone… Seems like no one recognizes my face.

“That’s about all I can share over the phone for now. There’s more detail in the physical documents, but it’s too much to explain this way. Before we move on to the next phase of the investigation, do you have any questions?”

Oh, I have a ton.

It felt like I was back in a professor’s class, where participation in Q&A was mandatory to avoid losing points. I launched into my first question.