Chapter 21
‘Is he suspicious?’
Maybe he thinks an opportunity like this wouldn’t come so easily.
After all, I’m usually the kind of woman who obsessively tells him not to show his face to others.
Well, if that’s the case…
‘Then I have no choice but to use this method.’
I steadied my breathing.
Ahem.
Then I opened my eyes as greasily as possible and said,
“It’s not like I don’t want to take you with me.”
“Then take me.”
Damon shot back, narrowing his eyes as if to say what nonsense are you talking about?
So this alone isn’t enough to convince him?
‘Stay calm. Move to phase two.’
Operation: Don’t cling to me in a gross way.
I slid my hand down his shoulder in an overly clingy manner. Damon flinched and frowned.
“What if some greedy nobles take a liking to you? I don’t like that.”
“……”
“If you stay here quietly, I’ll reward you when I come back.”
At this point, anyone would want to run away, right?
Curious about his reaction, I glanced at his face.
“……”
For some reason, he was staring at the hand resting on his shoulder with a strange look.
“Reward you…”
Damon murmured quietly, then straightened up and sat back down on the bench.
“Understood. I’ll look forward to it.”
As expected, Damon chose to stay quietly in the garden.
Thinking he’d soon escape on his own, I felt a bit excited.
Reading so many obsessive male lead novels really paid off!
“Um… Detective? It’s almost time for the guest to arrive.”
“Ah, yes.”
The maid appeared at just the right moment.
I nodded and followed her.
“……”
Before leaving, I glanced at Damon.
He was watching my retreating figure expressionlessly as I walked away.
‘It’s a bit of a shame, thinking this might be the last time.’
Now forget about a terrible boss like me and live happily.
With that silent wish, I gave a faint smile before turning away.
“If you wait in the study for a moment, you’ll be able to meet him soon.”
The maid chatted as she guided me deeper into the estate.
Since Cal was often out at sea, it seemed some guests were allowed into the house even when he wasn’t there.
I was one of them.
‘Still, collecting monster cores… that’s quite a disturbing hobby.’
Is it like decorating your space with the heads of defeated enemies?
Definitely not normal.
And the person delivering those things seems suspicious too.
“But is it really okay for me to enter the study without permission?”
“Don’t worry! We were told to grant any request the detective makes.”
I never requested that, though…
“The room at the very end of the hallway is the one.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“I’m not allowed inside. Good luck!”
The maid clenched her fist in encouragement and hurried off.
What exactly am I supposed to “do my best” for…?
Letting out a sigh, I slowly walked toward the room at the end of the corridor.
‘Is it really okay to go in alone…?’
Well, I guess I have to. I’m a detective, after all.
Other detectives investigate shady warehouses full of corpses in formalin, so this is nothing.
Steeling myself, I calmly turned the doorknob.
Creak—
The door slowly opened with an eerie scraping sound.
You have entered the study of the Lerint estate.
First-time entry bonus: 500 cash has been awarded.
Importance: B
Danger Level: B+
Hidden Cash: 2000
The system window displayed the location information accordingly.
Huh? This place had hidden cash too?
If it weren’t for that meddlesome maid, I might’ve missed it.
‘Is it because of the monster cores? The danger level is much higher.’
The importance is only B, but the danger level is B+—truly the worst cost-performance investigation site.
Of course, I’m not in a position to be picky when every bit of money counts.
First, I looked around.
“Hmm, it looks ordinary on the outside. Actually, it might even be a bit messy…”
As I turned my head from inspecting an old, dusty drawer, I saw a display case made of thick glass.
Inside it, red, egg-like objects glimmered.
‘Are those the monster cores Cal is collecting?’
I didn’t know all the details of this world’s system, but from conversations with others, I had learned one thing:
Mana here was treated like gas on the verge of explosion.
If that’s the case, those must be dangerous and difficult to handle.
‘Better not touch them.’
I kept my distance from the display case and cautiously approached the desk.
There, I noticed papers and books scattered carelessly.
You have found 200 cash on the ‘drawing of a monster’s core.’
You have found 200 cash under the ‘map marking where monsters gather.’
“Hm, I wish there were more clues.”
The problem was the desk was so messy I didn’t know where to start.
Since no one was maintaining it, it was a complete disaster.
I was even worried things might topple over and accidentally hit the mana cores nearby.
‘There are people in this world messier than me.’
Damon thought I was the strangest one—wonder what he’d say if he saw this.
‘…Once Damon runs away, I’ll have to clean that big office all by myself.’
I imagined the empty office without him.
Even though that would be normal, it felt strangely lonely.
Did I really get attached in just two months?
‘Pull yourself together. You’re starting a new life—no time to be gloomy!’
Shaking off my thoughts, I carefully checked the nearby bookshelf.
You have found 700 cash from the ‘diary written as if pouring out emotions.’
Thankfully, I immediately found a 700-cash clue.
And it’s the male lead’s diary? How could I resist? Of course I’m reading it!
But the moment I opened it confidently, I froze in confusion.
“…Huh? That’s it?”
Contrary to expectations, the diary was mostly empty except for the first few pages.
It seemed Cal only wrote in it once a month—or even less frequently.
‘So even male leads in romance fantasies hate writing diaries.’
Feeling a strange sense of solidarity, I began reading.
“XX Month XX Day, Cloudy
It is the season when deep-sea monsters run rampant.
During this time, everyone becomes sensitive, and problems often arise internally.
Recently, there was even a sailor who tried to jump off the ship, saying he missed his wife and daughter.
While disciplining him, I thought of Elisa.
When I saw her a few weeks ago, she was so thin I could see her bones.
She never liked social activities much to begin with, but I heard she hardly shows herself at all since becoming engaged to me.
I felt sorry, wondering how upset she must be to marry a man like me, that she couldn’t even take care of her meals.
I regretted selfishly holding onto her just because I wanted to see her.
She would probably have been happier spending that time with friends her own age.
After much thought, I canceled all the plans I had made with Elisa.
It wouldn’t be right to take up her time during a season when parties and balls are in full swing.
I hope Elisa regains some of her energy.”
“That’s not it… that’s really not it…”
I had a bad feeling, and sure enough, from the very first entry, his accumulated mistakes were no joke.
He canceled all their plans because he was worried about Elisa?
Did this emotionally clueless man even bother to add something like “go meet other friends”?
No—definitely not. He probably just canceled everything unilaterally.
Just imagining how Elisa must have taken this completely twisted form of “consideration” made me dizzy.
Please, let the next entry show that he apologized and made things right… please.
“XX Month XX Day, Light Shower
The short break is over, and it is time to return to the sea.
Even for a brief moment, I was happy to see Elisa.
She pushed herself to attend the ritual on the day of my departure.
Perhaps because she stayed up preparing the ceremony, her face looked gaunt.
Even so, she said she wanted to make a charm for me, something sailors use for protection.
It made my heart feel as though it were wrapped in feathers.
At the same time, I was worried that Elisa was taking too much interest in my work.
The fate of going out to sea and possibly perishing is something I alone should bear.
I don’t want her to suffer as well.
I told Elisa she didn’t need to pray or make charms for me, and to stop.
I told her not to concern herself with my work any further.
At least she should live safely on land, happily and in good health.”
“Oh come on… there has to be a reason you’re acting like this, right?”
To anyone, it just looks like he’s drawing a line and telling her not to interfere in his life…!
