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Chapter : 24
“Cedric, how about this design? I like flashy things. And let’s change all the gems to magic stones…”
She spoke casually, almost brushing it off. Then she pointed with her hand to a large ring drawn at the end of the catalog. Even from the large gemstone, a sense of majesty emanated.
Cedric tapped the floor lightly with the tip of his shoe. The movement was slow, but impatience was evident.
“Well… I’m not sure, Lauren.”
Cedric slowly took Lauren’s left hand, which was touching the catalog. Since the staff member was standing nearby, she couldn’t pull her hand away. He gently brushed his thumb over her left ring finger.
“I think a thin ring would suit your hand better.”
“…You’re not just saying that because you like it, are you? I’m glad I found out now, at least.”
“I admit it was my mistake. But…”
The conversation that began with the ring gradually shifted to the letter from Noah, and at the same time, Cedric’s grip tightened.
The color drained from Lauren’s left hand, a tingling pain spreading through it. Yet, to the staff member, they would look like a couple holding hands tenderly.
“Wait, Cedric. Listen. There’s a reason.”
She placed her right hand over the back of his hand.
“I like things that look expensive at first glance. Money can’t prove love, but I want people to admire the love you’ve put on my hand.”
“…Is that all?”
“No, of course not.”
Lauren drew a line on the back of Cedric’s hand with her index finger. She sketched a ‘two-headed spider’ on his hand as if it were a canvas—one large circle for the body, two small circles for the heads, and eight legs.
“I wanted a design similar to this. My father wore a ring like this, too.”
The sentence was vague, but Cedric immediately understood Lauren’s intention.
‘The disappearance of Viscount Bailey is related to the two-headed spider.’
The letter Lauren received from Noah contained this information. Cedric closed the catalog that had been lying on the table.
“We’ll go with whatever you want for the ring. But I’ll ask them to make it narrower.”
He had heard that the two-headed spider was connected to Viscount Bailey. But Lauren had immediately brushed it off, treating it as mere delusion…
Cedric shoved his hands into his pockets. Not only was the father-in-law, whom he thought dead, still alive, but he was also somehow connected to ‘them’. A bitter laugh escaped him.
“Shall we go inside, madam? It’s chilly out.”
“Already, after just coming out? There’s still wine…”
“I’ll give you something better back at the mansion. We have things to discuss anyway.”
She glanced at Cedric cautiously. He was speaking to the staff member.
It was hard to guess what he was thinking. His green eyes were calm, almost settled. Cedric thought he had revealed a shocking fact, but the reaction was calmer than expected.
‘Maybe it’s because we’re in front of others.’
That was also why they had chosen the private room at the jeweler for their conversation. At least if there were people nearby, he wouldn’t act impulsively.
Cedric extended his arm to Lauren, now a very natural escort.
She placed her hand gently on his arm. Her beige lace-gloved hand rested over his black suit. The tension in her fingertips transferred to Cedric.
“Lauren, someone might think I’m dragging you to a slaughterhouse.”
Cedric whispered to her just loud enough for the staff not to hear.
“Being cautious isn’t a bad thing.”
“…Was accompanying me to choose the ring also because of that letter?”
“Let’s call it a kind of safety measure.”
She said this while glancing at the staff member standing in the corner—the safety measure. He would never know what role he had played.
Cedric laughed as if speechless. Lauren was clearly treating him like a dangerous criminal.
“Was a safety measure really necessary? You proposed even going so far as to ‘kill’ your living father, after all.”
“Cedric, think carefully. Wouldn’t you be scared too?”
Lauren glared at him. Kidnapping, confinement, threats, lies—there was no end to the things pointing at him. The gap of distrust between them was deep.
“I’ll have Peter call that detective. This should make for an interesting dinner.”
Cedric changed the subject.
“Be polite. He’s someone I hired.”
“Of course. I have to treat my wife’s man well.”
He brushed off Lauren’s repeated instructions with a bad joke. In response, she pinched his arm instead of speaking.
Whether it would really be an enjoyable dinner remained uncertain.
Noah agreed to the dinner invitation. However, he insisted they meet at the detective agency instead of the mansion.
Cedric seemed displeased with the sudden change of venue. The agency was in a narrow alley that a carriage could hardly enter. He walked cautiously, alert.
“You went somewhere like this expecting something to happen…”
“This place is still relatively bright. It’s a bustling street with lights even at night, and far from gambling dens.”
Lauren explained carefully why this dinner was safe, but Cedric didn’t seem convinced. From her perspective, he was unnecessarily tense at times.
“We just need to go inside. It’s on the second floor.”
They entered a building with no sign. The stairs were narrow and dark; one wrong step and it would be easy to fall.
“Who trusts a place like this to handle their work?”
“Possibility?”
Lauren turned the stiff doorknob, producing a sharp metallic sound.
As the door opened halfway, a crashing noise came from inside.
Cedric reacted instantly. He drew the gun from his belt holster, protecting Lauren with one hand and readying the gun with the other.
“…Uh, excuse me?”
The door opened fully. Chairs were overturned, and the room looked like a whirlwind had passed through. In the middle sat Noah, seemingly having fallen from a chair.
He gasped at the sight of the gun.
“Wait, Mr. Noah! I’ll explain!”
Before the misunderstanding could escalate, Lauren stepped between Cedric and Noah. Noah looked like a rabbit frozen in fear before a tiger.
“Th-the gun…”
“No, it’s not that. Cedric, put it away first.”
At that moment, a cloth covering the wall fell to the floor, revealing a wall plastered with papers: newspaper articles, letters, notes, drawings—various pieces of evidence were scattered. Cedric lowered his gun.
“Better to be quick than sorry.”
Before Lauren could speak, he interrupted, shrugging almost annoyingly as if he had done nothing wrong. Cedric extended his hand to the still-seated Noah.
“This is our second meeting, Cedric Collins. I suppose the man destined to be Lauren Collins’ husband.”
Then he grinned. Noah’s face turned pale.
Lauren watched the handshake between the two men, a strong sense of trouble brewing.
It was a nearly forced handshake. As soon as Cedric let go, Noah’s arm fell limply.
Cedric ignored Noah and carefully examined the wall plastered with papers. From very old newspapers to recently received letters, various content regarding ‘Viscount Bailey’ was displayed.
Cedric Collins, Lauren, Viscount Bailey—none of the notes seemed directly connected to them, yet they were scattered throughout.
Recent disappearances, cheaply purchased land—these were listed.
As Cedric read each piece of writing on the wall, Lauren approached Noah, helping him to sit on the sofa. The timid detective didn’t even seem capable of standing, glancing at Cedric nervously. Every time Cedric touched the wall, Noah flinched.
“Mr. Noah, are you alright?”
“No… it’s just… the Viscount…”
Ignoring Noah’s muttering, Cedric scrutinized the wall. Lauren helped Noah onto the sofa.
Cedric appeared completely absorbed by the wall. He picked up a small note written in nearly illegible handwriting.
“What does this say? I can’t read it.”
He shook the note lightly. The yellow paper fluttered between his thumb and forefinger. Noah fidgeted nervously.
“It doesn’t look embarrassing… so why the hesitation?”
