When Rosella woke up, she found the same feeling in her dream. Her heart beating faster and faster, feeling butterflies in her stomach. The blush in her cheeks extended to her ears and neck. She can't see it, but she felt hot.
Ashamed of her thoughts, she hides under the blanket, not daring to get outside with her current appearance.
Knock knock
The door's knock made her come back to her senses.
"Come in."
"Princess, we've found many clues." Lilith's voice came just as she gets inside the room.
"Hmm, help me change." Nodded Rosella.
She could understand what it means. Clues, not evidence. Which means, nothing in concrete.
"Yes, Princess." Lilith's expression did not change, but Rosella could tell from the look in her eyes.
A dead end.
Rosella got dressed with Lilith's help.
Today's dress is soft blue and has a very high waistline and a very fluffy skirt. With her blue shoes and her silver diadem. And her own crest.
"Princess, Nana is here." Lilith reported to Rosella.
"Let her come in."
After a minute, a petite girl came.
"Princess." Nana bowed.
"HM. What are your findings." Rosella did not bother to sit. Looking at her expression is not better than Lilith's. So, her findings are almost the same or less.
"After cleaning up the fountain, the maids and servants were paying attention to John Hazard's servant, Peter. And he brought Lady Elmira's body to his room. I sent one of the shadow knights and found that, he was…" Nana was reporting when she stopped.
Rosella felt something and raised her head to look at Nana. It stunned her, the expression Nana had on her face.
'W… what?' Rosella had a bad feeling.
"She was having close contact with the corpse, and neither of them were wearing clothes." Nana frowned, and the disgust was written all over her face.
A shiver run through Rosella's spine.
"They were doing immoral things?" Rosella wide opened eyes and her mouth trembled.
"Yes, fortunately, the shadow knight knocked the servant and took Lady Elmira's body and isolated it in the cold room."
Rosella's relief was too obvious that everyone was astonished.
Such action from the servant is frowned upon. Even if Rosella was against it and frowned, it would've been okay, but she never showed such emotion in her face.
"Lady Elmira's corpse is waiting for an autopsy and detailed information." Nana continues with her report.
"We did not find anything related to the Duke Hazard concerning his second son's attitude towards our Kingdom. But…" Nana stopped her report.
Seeing Nana's hesitation, Rosella's intuition told her that Nana knew something.
"It doesn't matter if the information is not important. Sometimes the insignificant piece of news is the key to unravel mysteries." Rosella encouraged Nana to continue.
"Well, I heard some rumors. One of the maids from Lady Elmira's side whispered with another about the second son of the Duke, Hazard's sexual orientation. Saying that he was bewitched by a man, J. And the same man was in love with the servant Peter, who had intercourse with Lady Elmira."
"…"
"J… J… J?" murmured Rosella.
"They don't know his background. Nor his current whereabouts. It's like he was just an illusion. John Hazard spends almost all his time with J. And when he needs to take care of his personal needs, he only says his name, J, and J always shows on time. J seems to speak and control everything about John Hazard." Nana explained.
"I heard this rumor." Lilith intervened.
"J, a mysterious man. He seduced the Duke Hazard's second son and always used his skills to sow discord between brothers and the rest of the family in the Duke's residence. He gives John Hazard ideas about the inheritance and about his status over his sisters. And how can he as the Prince Julian's brother-in-law suffer injustice under someone else roof, being under the prince's protection."
Lilith knows more details about the Duke's residence situation.
"This 'mysterious man' is a threat. He did not only sow discord between the Duke's residence. But wanted to sow discord between kingdoms. As for the reason… To know it… We need to meet this man. But if we don't know his whereabouts… then… leave it aside."
Rosella's analysis is spot on. The man, J, had disappeared from their lives, like he'd never been there.
Lilith and Nana nodded.
"What about Lady Elmira's personal maids?" asked Rosella.
Lilith took a step forward.
"Reporting to the princess… The maids left her when the servant Pete went to her room at midnight. When he left, they returned to clean Lady Elmira ad let her rest. After that, no one knows what happened."
"Such an ambiguous answer… I don't like it. Even if both of them were intimidate with each other, I want to know… if she was resting, why did her corpse appear at the fountain with the same clothes she wore at the ball?"
After a pause, Rosella continues.
"When a lady washes, she will never use the same dress. And knowing Lady Elmira's temper, she would never use the same clothes, not would she use them the same day. Her pride makes her compete with me. And I saw her luggage, she took five carriages full of her clothes."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
A couple of hurriedly knocks distracted their thoughts.
"Princess, something happened."
!!!
…
Standing in front of the small thatched hut, Rosella was a little speechless.
The small thatched hut is really an insignificant thatched hut. From the outside, it is only about ten square meters in size. Except for the several horizontal and vertical pillars supporting the house, which are rotten wooden boards, the rest are all weeds.
The roof's covered with dry weeds. There is nothing to say about it. Even the surrounding walls are made of a few pieces of bamboo and weeds are tied together to act as a wall. Even the door looks like it is made of grass. Block the door.
"So, who is the corpse's owner this time?" Rosella felt her head spinning and a headache coming.