Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ryan hissed and he shivered as the grip on his wrist tightened.

“I was only trying to assist you, and yet you decided to leave without saying goodbye? How regrettable.”

“We were too busy to notify you beforehand, Doctor. We sincerely apologize—”

“Oh, no, do not be distressed. Ah, but the young lady named Leticia… She’s an intelligent one.”

Ryan froze. “Don’t tell me you—”

“I established a laboratory some time ago, and she came as a client. What a surprise it was to see the face of the lady I’d been dying to meet. I reckon it was fate! She has a very promising future ahead of her.”

Ryan gulped, then glared at the doctor. “You didn’t harm her, did you?”

“Of course not. If there is something you truly desire, what use is there in crushing it in your hand? Lady Leticia is the precise person I’ve been looking for, you see. Still innocent, and yet smart and beautiful.” Sibel’s voice rose and fell as he spoke, as if he were singing.

Liden tried to pull Ryan away.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Sibel continued. “There is the matter of the penalty fee.”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “The penalty fee?”

“We made a deal, no? That I would not seek monetary compensation for helping you get rid of that human filth named Percy. I only required that you commit the perfect crime, avoid being apprehended by the police, and leave a red flower at the crime scene. And yet you not only failed, but also refused to obey my last command.”

“But Percy—”

“My condition was that you carry out the perfect crime. You may have killed him, but the fact that you were caught renders your success meaningless. It was Duke Lewelton who caught you, correct?”

Ryan nervously bit his lip.

“So now you must pay the penalty,” Sibel hummed.

Liden took a hesitant step back. “Pardon me, Doctor, but our train is about to leave,” he said.

“And where are you headed? To the northern countryside of Centiac?”

“N-no, we’re headed south. We heard there are many jobs to be found there.”

“How strange…” Sibel scratched his head. “That’s not what your tickets say.”

He held up the two train tickets that Ryan had stuffed in his pocket.

Boom!

A deafening noise suddenly echoed throughout the station.

“There’s been an explosion!”

“The train! The train is on fire!”

People began shouting and fleeing in a frenzy.

“Everyone, evacuate the station!”

Amongst the hubbub, the twins and Sibel were the only ones standing still. Everyone else jostled against them while scrambling for the exit.

Ryan gulped. “Please return our tickets, Doctor.”

Liden took a step forward to stand beside him.

“If you insist,” Sibel agreed, handing them their tickets.

As Ryan grabbed them, he noticed that the doctor was smiling, as well as the glowing red flower tattoo on the back of his hand.

“I should mention that you will pay the penalty fee with your life. Thank you for introducing me to Lady Leticia. And you needn’t worry, for I will give her plenty of respect and affection in your place.”

Liden choked on a scream.

“Farewell, then. It was quite enjoyable, cleaning up scum with the two of you.”

Liden stared at the white particles floating in front of him.

This is just like what happened with Duke Lewelton… His vision blurred. At the same time, Ryan collapsed and his eyelids drifted shut.

“I respect your noble thirst for vengeance, so I will grant you a painless death.”

Soon, silence settled over the platform. Ryan gradually lost consciousness before his heart slowed and stopped. The twins lay alone in the abandoned train station, with only the crackling of the fire as their funeral dirge.

* * *

The train station fire made headlines in the capital’s newspapers. A fire of unknown origin had ignited in a vacant freight car and had been quickly extinguished. Unfortunately, a station clerk had arrived at work early the next morning to discover an even greater disaster.

“It says here that the bodies were decorated with blue roses,” Jade said quietly.

The twins’ corpses were said to have been hanging from the clock tower, their bodies adorned from head to toe with blue roses.

“It also mentions that their faces were cheek to cheek like conjoined twins, and their eyes were gently closed as if asleep… It was as though blue roses had come overflowing from their mouths.” Jade continued to scan the article. “Their identities remain unknown, but according to the Information Guild…”

“They must be Ryan and Liden,” Kallen said, gazing out the window.

“Poor Ryan,” Jade hummed. “He was finally able to avenge his sister. Only happiness lay ahead of him.”

“Do you really believe someone with such blood on their hands can be happy?” Kallen asked.

“I hadn’t thought much about it before, but now, I’m not sure…” Jade glanced out the window.

Leticia was playing in the garden. Her small feet smacked against the ground as she ran. Her strawberry-blonde hair fluttered around her as she chased around a ball.

“Life has been slightly more enjoyable lately. It’s thanks to you, Father.”

Perhaps I’ll soon be able to discover what true happiness is, Jade thought. Then he set his elbow on the armrest of his chair and placed his chin in his hand.

“There is a particular person who, no matter when or where I see her, fills me with such joy.”

There was no need to clarify that he was talking about Leticia.

“You’re my son, but I never know what you’re thinking,” Kallen said.

“That’s because I am your son, Father,” Jade replied bluntly. “I’m content enough doting on Leticia, so you needn’t pretend to care about me. In fact, it’s quite disturbing when you do.”

“Master Jade…” Sion muttered as he flinched at the young master’s harshness.

“Sion, did I not instruct you to be as quiet and still as the furniture while we’re talking?” Kallen said, handing the newspaper to the butler.

Sion received it with no further words.

“Ensure this article stays hidden from Leticia. If sympathy for a woman she had never met before brought her to tears, she will undoubtedly cry herself sick after learning what happened to Ryan.”

Sion blinked in surprise before bowing obediently. “Yes, Your Grace…”

“She will forget about everything soon enough. There is never a day in the capital without a bizarre murder case, after all.”

Sion narrowed his gaze at the duke. “Are you all right, Your Grace?” he asked cautiously. “You don’t seem to be in the best mood.”

“It’s strange,” Kallen said, clenching his jaw, before sitting in his chair and leaning back. “Why does it feel like I’ve been sent a challenge? There was no red morning glory this time, but I sense a shadow—some kind of trace that has been left behind.”

Kallen took a moment to think.

“How many sets of twins must there be? And yet it was the ones I let go that the murderer caught and killed. Not to mention they died in such a bizarre manner… Do you suppose the spirits of those I preyed upon targeted them to exact revenge on me?”

“That seems rather unlikely, doesn’t it?” Sion asked.

“Who knows?” Kallen shrugged. “For now, keep an eye on Leticia to ensure she doesn’t wander off on her own. And if Marianne wants to see her, tell her she must come to the manor.”

Sion nodded quietly. “As you wish, Your Grace.”

* * *

Winter arrived, and so most of our time was spent inside due to the cold. Kallen and Jade were busy as usual, but Sion had informed me I wasn’t at liberty to go out unaccompanied.

“Can’t I go outside and play for a little while?” I asked.

“It’s freezing, my lady. You could catch a cold. Besides, we went for a morning walk, did we not?”

“But the sun has come out. I promise I won’t stay out too long. Please?” I pouted and hugged the ball Marianne had bought me some time ago.

Sion cleared his throat, then rang the bell to call the maids.

“Only for a short while, yes?” he asked.

“Yes!” I threw on my coat before Sion could change his mind and dashed to the door.

“Wait, my lady,” Sion called out. “Please put on an extra layer first.”

“But then I’ll be as round as a snowman,” I whined.

“I assure you that being a cozy snowman is far better than being sick.” Sion gestured to the maids, who draped a sable fur cape around my shoulders.

Finally, I snatched up my ball and ran outside. “Playing indoors is fun enough, but it can get stuffy...” I mumbled, bouncing the ball with my gloved hands.

The warmly dressed maids smiled as they watched me.

“Oops!”

The ball suddenly slipped out of my grasp and rolled toward the wall. I chased after it.

“Stay here, my lady. We can retrieve the ball for you,” a maid said.

“That’s all right. I can get it myself. It will only take a second!”

I would feel bad if they had to run because of me. The ball struck the wall and stopped rolling. As I reached for it, I noticed something sparkling.

“Huh? What’s this?” I leaned forward. There was a tiny crack in the high wall that was even too small for a mouse to wiggle through. There I found a blue rose. “Hasn’t the season for blue roses passed?”

I set the ball on the ground and held the rose in my hands. The blue was the same mysterious shade as the roses on Lenoch Island.

Did they plant it with a preservative to keep it from withering? Or perhaps it’s been dyed blue. I tilted my head as I stared at the petals.

Did someone leave it here on purpose? My mind raced with memories of the mystical Lenoch Island where blue roses bloomed. The poor twins who had wished to avenge their younger sister. Ryan, who had kindly handed me a rose.

Did Ryan pay a visit? The rose’s petals had wilted slightly, but there was still life in them.

Could it be...? The maids then called my name.

“Lady Leticia! Please come back!”

“Coming!”

I placed the rose on the ground and stood. I felt troubled as I gazed back at the flower. It simply lay in the dirt, its petals continuing to brown. I bent down to scoop it up and set it on a rock instead. There was beauty in its loneliness.

<Resolving the Academy Grudge>

Case closed.