Once they find out that they've crossed paths with a murder victim, the first thing they do is make sure they still have some sanity left to hold on to. Second, they soon went in and bombarded the chunky old chef in the tavern with lots of questions.
The Tavern was temporarily taken over by his daughter at the Crown Prince's insistence and power. The old man who owns the Idalia tavern put his chef's hat in front of his chest as he ushered his 4 guests into the staff room. He couldn't offer them to sit down because the room contained only two old wooden chairs and two single beds to rest on. So they had a question and answer session standing up. The first person to ask was Kirsi, since she was the second person who had the most contact with the victim after this old man.
Kirsi asked about the man who accidentally bumped into her as soon as she left her seat in front of the bar counter, and the old man thought for a moment before nodding three times. He explained while still hugging his chef hat. "Yes, I still remember him. That man often comes here while continuing to order the same menu. Apart from his tall stature and fierce appearance, the most impressive thing about this customer is that he is very friendly and polite."
Kirsi, who a moment ago was bumped by the so-called friendly and polite man so hard that she almost fell, felt disapproved. Not to mention the annoying smile the man gave when she turned her head in a huff.
Alastair who witnessed how the man did the opposite with a friendly and polite verb shortly represented Kirsi to ask, "Friendly and Polite? Can you explain briefly?"
"Uh, that one customer does look clumsy and often bumps into someone by accident, even dropping beer glasses and breaking bowls here a few times. But he always pays the loss twice the price and explains that his motor system has been a bit messed up lately. "
Cedric asked in turn, "Have the customers ever come here with anyone else?"
"No. "
"Is there any of his acquaintances that you know of?"
The old man seemed to think for a moment, "As for acquaintances, I don't think he has any. But he is quite familiar with one of our staff."
"Who is that? "
"Viona Winslow. But since it's the weekend and Viona is off, the customer came early and left before it was too late, like just now."
Cedric frowned. He remembered very well the guests who came to his house this afternoon. He glanced at Kirsi beside him who kept a calm expression on her face before he turned back to the old man and asked furthermore, "How long have the two been close?"
"Uh, I think a month? I don't know exactly when. I'm just guessing."
"Okay, thanks for being cooperative." Cedric felt he had gotten enough information from this man. The police who came to attend were tasked with recording this brief testimony session before an official interview was conducted at the police station.
Kirsi raised her hands to shoulder height, asking for a bit of audience. "Excuse me, may I ask one more thing?"
The old man nodded four times. Kirsi asked somewhat doubtfully, "Just now, I smelled a thick bloody smell from his body. You... Did you smell it too? You looked normal when you faced him, even though the smell was so strong it was hard to ignore. Could it be that customers often give off the same smell so you are quite used to it?"
The old man looked confused. A tavern is a place where anyone with the time and money can enter. Whether it's rich, poor, old, young, bathing, or even not bathing, everyone is welcome as long as they pay. If asked about the body odour of his customers one by one, old Idalia would answer honestly that almost all of them gave off a disgusting bastard smell. Whether it's the smell of alcohol, the smell of dust, the smell of sweat, or even the smell of vomit. Throughout the decades he had opened this food stall, he had always been surrounded by all kinds of unbearable odours. But if asked about the smell of blood, this is the first time old man Idalia has to give a shake in response.
Old man Idalia honestly answered after taking about half a minute to recollect. "Impossible. Even if I had gotten used to the dirty smell around me, there was no way I wouldn't have noticed the smell as thick as blood."
After all, the capital was the safest area when it came to crimes like violence and murder. Although many say that the capital is much more violent than other areas because of its capitalist system, at least in the capital people prefer to kill and bring down other not literally. Even if they did, they would at least be doing it deep behind the scenes to keep it out of the public gaze.
Not to mention that every crime is always dealt with quickly by the authorities, which at least has reduced the interest in crime by the local community. That's what old man Idalia thought without being aware of his surroundings. He is a third-generation child who inherited several shops belonging to his ancestors. His simple life and not lack of anything made him not think about the pettiness of the world.
Kirsi on the other hand, knowing that she was the only one who could smell the blood of the alleged victim's body, could only hug herself in fear. Her face didn't imply any fear, but someone who had lived with her for some time would know how uncomfortable she was. Kirsi, who was still trying to make friends with the horror reality, didn't realize that her husband was looking at her with a gaze full of implication. Those blue eyes seemed to glow coldly in the dim lighting of the room. If Kirsi turned her head and met those gazes, she would instantly know that she was in danger.
Cedric suppressed his thoughts and officially closed this interview session. They soon came out of the tavern after thanking old man Idalia once again for the umpteenth time. The police in charge of taking notes also added notes to the interview with Viona Winslow. Since Kirsi is one of the eyewitnesses regarding the whereabouts of the alleged victim, her statement is also very much needed so she may be a little involved with this case.
Since it was known that the alleged victim was still in the area around here now, the police returned to work overtime and moved to comb the local area. The Grand Marshal decided to go see the murder scene with abundant police personnel, while Cedric decided to take his wife home first. Kirsi who felt her role was over for today didn't protest when she was told to get into the horse carriage.
Cedric said to the coachman sitting on the front side of the carriage while tapping the carriage with his finger bones, "Don't stop no matter what."
The coachman nodded frantically three times.
Kirsi sat quietly while tightening the two robes that wrapped her body. Meanwhile, Cedric sat speechlessly next to her. To kill time during the trip, Kirsi tries to open the topic. "Are you cold? "
"No. "
Kirsi racked her brains for a topic that could last longer. "Hey, am I—"
Her question was cut off midway when her shoulders were pulled and her body was abruptly pushed back. The movement was loud enough that it could shake the entire carriage.
"!!"
Kirsi was in a semi-lying position on her side on the seat of the carriage, which was lined with thick and soft cushions. But her position did not feel comfortable at all because she had to hold half the weight of Cedric's body. The man pinned her lower body with his own body, while the weight of his upper body was put on top of Kirsi's, making her gasp and difficult to breathe.
Kirsi was still thinking that there might be a strange attack coming unexpectedly from outside and Cedric's pushing move was purely for self-defence. But seeing that the coachman didn't take any action when the carriage was still running as if without a hitch, made Kirsi finally believe that Cedric was looking for trouble with her. "Fuck, what's wrong with you?!"
Kirsi tried to rebel furiously, but her strength wasn't at the tip of Cedric's finger. The man pressed her hard and asked, "What about me?"
Kirsi replied angrily, "About what? Behave yourself and ask nicely!"
Cedric lowered his body so much that he spoke only inches away from Kirsi's face. His hot breath wafted like steam from boiling water. "What about my scent?"
Kirsi's face was red with anger and embarrassment. She tried to kick this man away from above her but ended up in complete failure so that only her mouth was left to rebel. She spat out her sentence loudly, hoping this man would listen to her so he would understand. "Who would answer if asked in this way? Get out of me!"
"You have no choice." His hard chest hit Kirsi's shoulder. Her head was imprisoned in between his hands.
Cedric's cold, sharp eyes focused on the black-haired head whose thoughts couldn't be read at all recently. Every now and then he could still read her mind when this woman was thinking about what kind of lunch menu she would eat, or when this woman was seriously thinking about what kind of topic she would bring up to prolong the conversation between them just now.
But just as Cedric wants to find out what's on her mind a little more when she thinks about something more profound and important, he suddenly loses his ability and is left in a sea of ignorance. If Cedric could read a little more of her plans and goals, he wouldn't be too wary around this woman.
Because somehow ignorance always leads to suspicion. And suspicion after suspicion piled up leading him to unwarranted worry. When Cedric finally got to that stage, he couldn't help but ask the person directly.
"Cat got your tongue? "
Kirsi clenched her jaw for a moment, then she answered the question while shifting her gaze to the side. "You smell like flowers."
'To be precise, you smell like roses and jasmine' was what Cedric could tell from her thoughts. He could tell as easily as reading his palm only when this woman was thinking about trivial things. But when Cedric tried to read her mind while she was explaining the smell of blood from a man that even Cedric couldn't smell, it made him really annoyed and irritated.
Cedric could smell the bloody fragrances of someone who had committed murder ten years ago as clearly as if it was only yesterday afternoon. Even the Grand Marshal who had to kill because of the demands of the job did not escape this fate. He himself couldn't even smell his own scent considering how many lives had been lost in his hands.
But strangely this woman could smell the blood of a man that even Cedric could confirm that the man had never killed anyone before.
If it was the smell of real blood, there was no way old man Idalia couldn't smell it. If it was the smell of blood from a former murder crime, it was easy for Cedric to know. So, the smell of blood from what kind of reason did this woman smell?
The thought that he had to be anxious for no specific reason made his mind even more complicated.