"What have you found so far?"
Asked an imposing uniformed man to his subordinates who were analyzing the crime scene
.
"Other than this lock of hair, there is no other evidence that anyone entered this room."
"What about the two women?"
"We questioned them, but they claimed it was just the three of them in the room that night."
"Hmm."
Felix, the head of the Rosenheim police force, couldn't help but hesitate.
This crime was perfect; the murderer had left no fingerprints or any indication that he had been here; the servants and guards also denied seeing anyone enter the mansion last night. All they had was a single lock of hair, which appeared to have been blatantly left behind.
"Either he's taunting us or he's trying to convey a message."
That one of the richest and most influential nobles in the city had been murdered was no small matter, and it didn't seem to be a coincidence either; the job was so perfect that it must have been rehearsed countless times to achieve this result.
Some new criminal group trying to stir up trouble? Or simply an assassin running an errand?
Whatever it was wasn't good for them.
"Captain!"
It was at that instant when Felix was deep in thought that one of his men suddenly entered the room.
"What's wrong?"
"O-on the other side of town! They found the baron's lifeless body—Franz Ferdinand!"
"What?!"
This news naturally startled Felix; after all, Baron Ferdinand was one of the major contributors to the Schmetterling household; they were widely known as one of the wealthiest families in the city.
That such a figure had been murdered...
Suddenly, Felix had a sinister foreboding.
"What did they find at the scene?"
"Absolutely nothing apart from a lock of hair presumed to be the murderer's; apart from that, there are no footprints or witnesses to indicate that a person had entered the mansion the night before."
"Just as I feared."
It looks like things are going to get complicated.
***
"Two nobles died the night before."
In Count Dieter's office, Beatrice said, as she rested her hand on the desk.
"The only evidence the police managed to find were two strands of red hair."
"I know what you are trying to say, Princess, but there is nothing I can do."
Hearing the count's words, Beatrice grated her teeth.
Two locks of red hair. In the Empire, red hair was an extremely unusual feature; only one family in the entire Empire possessed that characteristic. And a member of that very family was the person they had been searching for who had been hiding in this very city.
"I only ask that you allow me to participate in the investigation!"
"I know how you must feel, princess, but since this involves the deaths of two nobles, things have become completely different."
While the presence of the demons was already a serious enough matter, the fact that two important nobles of the city had died in a single night made things extremely more complicated.
And Count Dieter was just that, a count; he could not afford to take responsibility if anything should happen to the princess.
"Don't treat me like a helpless young noblewoman! I was given this mission because they trusted in my skills!"
Finally, Beatrice could not contain her frustration and hit the desk while screaming. Dieter could only put on a helpless and apologetic expression.
"Agh! I can't believe it!"
Once outside the count's office, Beatrice rejoined the group, announcing the news to them as she voiced her discontent.
"Why am I being treated like those dainty noble girls? I'm perfectly capable of dealing with this matter!"
"You can't blame him, princess; Count Dieter is in a complicated position with this matter."
"I know that! But it's not as if I was sent here without expecting that this sort of thing could happen!"
"So what are you planning to do? You're the princess; why don't you just order him not to meddle?"
Kein asked, to which Beatrice couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"I can't do that; first of all, I didn't come here as the princess, but as a student of the Athena Academy, and secondly, I can't just give orders to a noble in his own territory; I have no real political power, and in order to use the name of the royal family, I have to ask my father's permission, which would take days to do from here."
Anyone would think that, being a princess, Beatrice could do whatever she wanted. But the truth was that her actions were more restricted than those of an average noble. Precisely because she was the princess of the empire, her every action could affect the royal family in one way or another.
Giving orders, threatening other nobles with her power, and using her family name to get things were things that only her older brother, the crown prince and future emperor, could do.
"This is so frustrating."
Beatrice was fully aware of the position she was in. If anything were to happen to her, the princess of the empire, Count Dieter would face a lot of trouble, but to be treated like a piece of glass that could shatter at the slightest touch disgusted her deeply.
I mean, I am accompanied by the best first-year students from the best academy in the empire. Schmetterling's guards and knights also accompany them during investigations, but are they still worried that something will happen to me?
"I'll talk to the count later; I'm really tired right now."
Letting out a sigh, Beatrice walks towards her room. Kein and his companions looked at her with concern but thought it best to give her some time alone.
***
Walking down the long corridors of the mansion, Beatrice was still deeply upset.
She really hated it when she was treated like some kind of precious object that shouldn't even have a scratch on it.
It made her feel useless.
She was fully capable of taking care of herself. Everything she achieved so far was thanks to her own efforts. She got top grades at the academy, both practical and theoretical; she had an undoubted talent for magic and possessed the rare element light, which was very useful against demons and evil creatures, but even with all that, she was treated like a helpless young girl in need of protection.
"This is really..."
Thud-
Lost deep in thought. Beatrice wasn't paying attention as she walked and ended up bumping into someone, thinking it was simply a servant. She looked up to apologize, but as she was about to do so, the words got stuck in her throat.
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
In front of her lay an attractive brown-haired man with a pleasant smile.
She looked at him stunned for a few seconds, but then realized she was being rude and quickly apologized.
"Ah! No, I wasn't attentive while I was walking either, I apologize."
That took me by surprise; I didn't think I'd run into him here. His name was Johan, wasn't it?
This was the man her friend Freydis had fallen in love with (according to her own thoughts) and seeing her reaction when they saw him at the door the day before it seemed she still wasn't over him, so she unconsciously felt uncomfortable talking to him.
"Um, well... see you later."
"Wait a minute, please."
With an uncomfortable feeling, Beatrice wanted to leave in a hurry, but as she was about to do so the man stopped her.
"What's the matter?"
"Well, it pains me a little to say it but... I think I'm lost."
"What?"
"Well, you see, I was trying to look for the bathroom, but this mansion is so big I couldn't find it and I didn't run into any servants either, so..."
Ah, so that was it, though it struck her as a bit odd.
Hadn't he encountered any servants all the way here?
Since the Schmetterling mansion was so big, they naturally had a large number of servants. So you could always see a servant or two while touring the mansion.
"Come to think of it there's no one here."
She couldn't see any servants nearby. That struck her as a bit odd, but she didn't think much of it. Maybe they were on their break or something.
"Well... I know the way, I can guide you if you need it."
Actually, Johan hadn't done anything wrong, though it was a little awkward; if she could help him, then she would.
"Sorry for the inconvenience."
"No, it's okay."
And it seems he really was a nice person; he said he would be at the mansion often, so she couldn't avoid him forever.
With that Beatrice began to lead Johan through the mansion. They both remained silent during the ride.
As Beatrice began to get nervous, trying to think of something to make the trip more leisurely, the man asked her a question that left her somewhat stunned.
"Did something bad happen? You look depressed."
"Huh?"
Did he notice how much? Was she making some weird expression without realizing it?
Beatrice got nervous thinking about it, but the man noticing her agitation quickly calmed her down.
"Don't worry, you weren't making a strange experience or anything similar; it's just that since my wife isn't very expressive, I learned to distinguish people's emotions through small gestures."
"Ah... I see."
Beatrice was relieved to hear his words, but she also couldn't help but think of her.
His wife... He had seen her momentarily when they went to his tailor shop, but he couldn't pay much attention to her, as he was thinking about how to escape at that moment. But after seeing her at the door the day before, I noticed that she was very beautiful and didn't seem to be very expressive.
"He's a good husband, isn't he?"
In order to develop a skill like that, he had to have wanted to understand his wife so he could help her when she needed it.
The man's rating in her mind went up several notches.
"Well... Yeah, some things happened.
"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if you don't want to, but telling the things that bother you is one of the best ways to vent."
Beatrice, hearing his words, hesitated whether to tell him or not; they didn't even know each other. But strangely, the man in front of her radiated an aura that made people feel at ease around him. He made you feel like you were talking to a friend you could trust.
Then finally, Beatrice decided to speak.
"Well, actually, my friends and I are here because of a mission we were given."
"A mission?"
"Yes, ah, understand I can't tell you what it's about."
"I understand."
"Thank you for understanding. Well, something happened that made the mission become much more dangerous, and the problem is that now they want to exclude me from the investigation."
"Why?"
"Um, well...."
I can't just tell her that I'm the princess of the empire, and that's why nothing can happen to me.
Beatrice, except for a few social gatherings and banquets, has never made a public appearance, so normal people don't know that she is the princess of the Empire; that's why she was able to walk the streets of Rosenheim without worrying about making a fuss.
So she definitely couldn't tell him that she was the princess of the empire; it would just make him nervous, and she didn't want that.
"Um, my father is a very important person, so the count is afraid of the consequences if something bad were to happen to me."
This was the best way to put it, and even then she was taking a chance.
The daughter of a person that even Dieter Schmetterling, the city lord, is afraid of? That would definitely not be a person to mess with.
But to her surprise, Johan didn't change his expression and continued to listen to her intently.
"I see, so you're feeling bad about not being able to participate in the mission anymore?"
"Basically yes, I'm actually very strong, you know?. I'm one of the best in my grade, but they treat me like a child who can't defend herself."
"Hmm, then prove it."
"Eh?"
At that moment, they both stopped walking and stared at each other.
"If they won't let you participate because they think you're a delicate girl, show them otherwise; I know this might sound weird since it hasn't been long since we met, but I think you're a very capable girl."
Johan said with a smile, from which Beatrice couldn't look away.
At that moment, a thought crossed her mind.
If he wasn't married, she...
No, no, no, no! What am I thinking?!
Beatrice quickly shook off those dangerous thoughts with a tomato-red face.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes! I'm absolutely fine!"
"Ah, okay..."
Beatrice, still very embarrassed, did not dare to look Johan in the face.
How could she have such thoughts toward a married man?
Did this make her a shameless woman?
As she drowned in her shame, Beatrice felt a great urge to run away, but then she looked up and noticed something.
"Ah... we're here."
They had reached the baths.
"Looks like we're here already; thank you so much for leading me, Miss Beatrice."
Johan said and started walking towards the baths. Beatrice watched his back walk away still with a feeling of embarrassment, but she plucked up the courage to call out to him.
"U-um!"
"Yes?"
"Thank you... For listening to me earlier, it really cheered me up."
She said it sincerely as she looked him in the eye. Johan simply smiled at her as he always did and dismissed her.
"It was nothing; if you have any problems, come talk to me if you want; I may not be much help, but at least I can listen to you."
Leaving those last words, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Beatrice stood there for a few seconds before walking back.
She was going to follow what Johan had told her. If they wouldn't allow her to participate because they were afraid something bad would happen to her, then she would show them that she was capable enough to not have to worry about it.
"Johan..."
Thinking of the man she had spoken to briefly, Beatrice's lips curved slightly.
Despite having technically met him today, Beatrice was sure of one thing.
He really was a nice guy.