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Chapter 9
A Man Who’s Actually Not So Bad
“Are you all right, Lady?”
“Eh? Ah, y-yes….”
Himena was flustered when she realized that the man whose chest she had just stumbled into was none other than the inspector she had grabbed by the collar and tossed around just last night.
“That’s a relief.”
Only then did Eron carefully let go of her waist.
At that moment, Lois—who had run off earlier—came dashing back in alarm.
“My lady, are you alri— Huh? Isn’t this the gentleman from yesterday, the… balcony?”
At the word balcony, both Himena and Eron instantly turned red with embarrassment.
“Ahem. But what brings you here, my lady…?”
“Oh, I, I just came to… buy some paper. Well then, I’ll be going. Lois, let’s go.”
“Ah, yes….”
She knew she really ought to apologize for her rough behavior in front of everyone the previous night, but for some reason she didn’t want to.
Sure, grabbing a stranger by the collar and getting physical was excessive, but she had no intention of bowing her head to someone who treated human lives so lightly. He’d probably think she was some crazy, ill-mannered woman anyway.
Tch. Who cares what a trashy guy like that thinks of me? Better he sees me as a mad dog that bites when provoked—that way he’ll keep his distance.
Himena quickly pulled Lois with her into the nearest shop she saw.
It was larger than the bookstore from earlier—a stationery shop selling paper and ink.
“Welcome.”
“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”
“Yes, what is it?”
A sturdy middle-aged woman, who had been arranging stacks of paper, approached Himena.
“You’ve heard about the murder that happened around here a few days ago, haven’t you?”
“…Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I just have a few things I need to check….”
“Wait, are you with the city guard?”
“Eh? Ah… yes, yes, that’s right.”
“My lady…”
“Shh.”
Himena jabbed clueless Lois in the ribs to shut him up.
“So the culprit’s still unknown, is it? If you’re back to investigate again….”
“Ah, yes… we’re still… looking into it. It’s a rather complicated case….”
“Ah, I knew the victim well. She was a regular here, always buying paper from my shop.”
“Really? Then we’ve come to the right place. On the day of the incident, did she come by here?”
“Yes, she did. Normally, she would stop by once every ten days or so, early in the morning. But that day, oddly enough, she came late in the afternoon—around four o’clock—and only three days after her last visit.”
‘Oh my, madam. Weren’t you just here a few days ago? Have you already used up all that paper?’
‘Ah, yes….’
‘My goodness, you write so quickly. Ho ho. Why don’t you buy a little extra this time? It must be troublesome to come so often.’
‘No, I’m in a hurry. Just the usual, please.’
‘All right. One bundle of low-grade paper and two bottles of ink, yes?’
“She left right after buying her things in such a rush. Who would’ve thought that would be the last time….” The shopkeeper let out a regretful sigh.
“Did she usually come alone?”
“Yes, always alone. That day as well.”
“Since she was a regular, I assume you chatted with her from time to time. Did she mention anything unusual recently? Maybe someone criticizing her novels, upsetting her… or perhaps threats of some sort?”
“Threats? Oh, I never heard anything like that. She was such a quiet, reserved lady. The only odd thing was… well, her novels had been selling well, so she used to buy better-quality paper. But recently, she suddenly went back to the cheap kind….”
“I see. And when did that start?”
A man’s voice suddenly cut in from behind. Startled, Himena turned to see Inspector Eron standing there with his deputy.
What the—? Since when…? I went out of my way to avoid him, so why’d he follow me in?
“Well, let me think….”
The shopkeeper looked between Himena and Eron, unsure whom to answer.
“I’m Inspector Eron, in charge of city security. These two are with me. Please answer honestly—it may be crucial for catching the culprit.”
“Yes, Inspector. Let’s see… it must have been about half a month ago.”
‘Welcome again, madam! Goodness, it’s hot even this early, isn’t it?’
‘Yes… it is….’
‘But you don’t look well. Is something wrong?’
‘Ah, no… it’s just—I rushed out and didn’t bring enough money. I’ll take one bundle of low-grade paper instead of the usual mid-grade. And two bottles of ink, please.’
‘Oh, madam, low-grade paper smudges so badly. I hear your novels are very popular—why not use the good kind? You’d even be helping my sales. Why switch all of a sudden…?’
‘There are… circumstances. Please just pack the order.’
‘All right then….’
“I see. Anything else you recall?”
“No, Inspector. Nothing in particular.”
“Understood. Thank you for your help.”
Himena and Lois left the shop with Eron and his deputy.
“You must have a lot of free time, Inspector. To personally investigate the death of some mere novelist?” Himena sneered without even glancing his way.
“Ahem. You two, would you give us a moment? I need to speak privately with the lady.”
“What? But… there’s no balcony here….”
“Lois!”
Gritting her teeth, Himena shot daggers at him with her eyes.
“Ah, yes, my lady….”
“Shall we take a short walk, my lady?”
“Uh, I….”
Without waiting for her answer, Eron took the lead down a quiet side alley. With no choice, Himena followed.
“First, let me apologize. I believe the misunderstanding was mine.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. I assumed that your interest in this case was just idle curiosity—like other noble ladies who simply wanted to know how the unfinished story ended. I thought you were using your status to try and pry information from me. So I lost my temper and spoke harshly. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Eron stopped and offered a respectful bow of apology.
W-what? So that’s what it was? Sure, I’m curious about the novel too—but only because I need to confirm whether the killer is the psycho I think he is. Still….
Suddenly, Himena felt her face heat up.
Dragging him to the balcony and bombarding him with questions out of nowhere—it wasn’t strange he’d misunderstood. Realizing how thoughtless she’d been made her cringe inwardly.
“Since you put it that way… I’m the one who was at fault. I should’ve explained before questioning you, but I got carried away and….”
“No. You had every reason to misunderstand as well. But let me make this clear: I would never look down on human life just because someone is of lower status.”
Eron spoke with calm conviction, his green eyes steady and sincere.
Faced with that unwavering gaze, Himena couldn’t hesitate any longer. She bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry! I was out of line! Throwing you around without even knowing the facts—I apologize!”
“Ah, my lady, please, no need to go that far….”
Flustered, Eron quickly helped her back up.
“And, um… there’s something else I need to apologize for….”
Her cheeks burned redder as she stammered.
“I-I really didn’t know! I had no idea that balcony was… that kind of place where men and women go to… to do… you know, weird things together! I swear I didn’t know!”
“Pfft!”
Eron looked at her blushing, mortified face—and burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Yes, I believe you, my lady. Most people wouldn’t discuss a murder case in such a place, after all.”
For a moment, Himena couldn’t look away from his face as he laughed heartily in the sunlight.
His light brown hair shimmered with golden tints, his clear green eyes radiated warmth, and his sharp yet gentle features were matched by his courteous manner.
Yesterday, in her urgency, she had only thought him a pleasant-looking young man. But now, seeing him smile so brightly, she felt her own tension melting away.
He’s really handsome too. Completely different from Kylian. If Kylian is like a menacing black panther you can’t approach, then this man… he feels more like a tame unicorn, soothing and gentle….
“Ahem, my lady?”
Eron cleared his throat awkwardly when he noticed her staring.
“Yes?”
“Now it’s your turn to explain. Why is this case so important to you? Why are you so desperate to catch the culprit?”
“Oh, that….”
Snapped back to reality, Himena panicked.
What am I supposed to say? That I used to be a detective too? That the killer is the serial murderer I was chasing in my past life?
He’d definitely think she was insane.
“Well… you see… last year I went on holiday to the Kingdom of Duce in the Western Continent. While there, I happened to hear a story—about a serial killer who murdered several writers just because he didn’t like how their novels ended.”
“A serial killer?”
“Yes. But apparently, he was so elusive they still haven’t caught him. So when this case happened… I couldn’t help but wonder if he might be behind it. Just a gut feeling, you know?”
“I see. So something like that occurred in Duce…. Hm. Then I’ll have to send word to their bureau and request detailed information. If you’re right, this case could be far more serious than we thought.”
Eron frowned thoughtfully.
“Y-yes, that sounds like a good idea. Ha ha….”
Duce is far from here, so it’ll take time for word to come back. If I can uncover some lead before then….
“But even so, my lady, I still don’t understand. Catching criminals is the duty of inspectors like me. Why involve yourself personally?”
“Eh? Oh… well, of course, you’re right. It’s just….”
Cornered, Himena bit her lip, searching frantically for an excuse. That’s when her eyes landed on a large public notice posted on the wall of the alley where they stood.
