That’s probably because you’re letting your jealousy cloud your judgment!
“Does that mean his paycheck alone would be enough to square the debt?” I asked Rohtas.
“That’s correct. Even if he were to put his entire salary toward paying off the loans, he would still be able to squeeze by on the revenue from his territory,” he responded, scanning over the documents. “He doesn’t seem to lead a terribly extravagant lifestyle either.”
Huh, I see!
He was supposedly “a hard worker” and all. And based on my impression, he did actually seem like a composed, good-hearted sort of guy.
“According to his sister, he’s always saying things like, ‘I’m sorry I can’t buy you anything as elegant as the jewelry Lady Viola wears.’”
“He sounds like a really good big brother!”
What a beautiful display of sibling love! Aww, go on and keep an accessory or two of ours, you thieving little rascal!
...Okay, no, I wouldn’t go quite that far.
“Hmm... There’s no conclusive evidence either way, but so far he’s looking innocent—but not quite innocent enough to take off the list.”
“You really don’t want to clear him of suspicion, huh?”
Silence.
I saw you avert your eyes just now, Mr. Fisalis! Just how keen are you on accusing this guy?!
Putting Mr. Fisalis’s personal grudges aside, we pushed Viscount Trifolium toward the bottom of our suspect list.
Last of all, there was a certain earl.
“As for Earl Lizardtail’s fiancée... I was shocked by how little she seemed to know about her own husband-to-be.”
That was Mr. Fisalis impression of the earl’s betrothed, apparently.
“Maybe that’s because they only got engaged recently?”
If it had only been a short while since their courtship began, it made sense that they wouldn’t know each other too well yet. Heck, I’d barely known anything about Mr. Fisalis for the longest time! Not that I was about to come out and brag about that, of course.
“Even for an arranged marriage, something felt off about it.”
Mr. Fisalis fell deep into thought, perhaps focused on calmly psychoanalyzing the fiancée’s attitude. And as for me?
“Now that you mention it...the earl never once mentioned her.”
He spent the entire conversation either tooting his own horn or expressing interest in the jewelry I was wearing... Wait a second. Huh?
“...Hm?”
“What’s up, Vi?”
Something about my conversation with the earl was bugging me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“Nothing. There’s something that struck me as odd, but I can’t remember exactly what...”
It was just like that gross sensation of having something stuck in your teeth—it was driving me crazy.
“There’s no rush. Take your time trying to remember.”
“Okay.”
What was it...?
I could feel the eyes of Mr. Fisalis, Rohtas, and the maids upon me.
Think, Viola! What exactly did he say back then?
I remembered he’d started singing my praises out of the blue. He’d taken it so far that it had sounded totally forced, not to mention embarrassing...but that wasn’t all.
That’s right! Once the shower of compliments had passed, he had started talking about my Viola Sapphire. I was creeped out by the way he was leering at me...and that was when he’d said it.
“This is my first time seeing the gem up close, and I must say, this one is no less stunning a jewel! And the designer deserves just as much credit for bringing out its beauty so well.”
What had he meant by “this one”?
That’s it! That’s what felt off to me!
“When he saw my necklace, the earl said ‘this one is no less stunning.’ It just hit me now: if that was his first time ever seeing a Viola Sapphire up close, what was he comparing it to?”
I was pointing to the Viola Sapphire necklace still twinkling around my neck, so everyone’s gazes shifted to my chest.
“The earl said that?”
“Yeah.”
“Interesting.” Mr. Fisalis looked like he was mulling something over again.
“We’ve received quite a bit of additional information about this Earl Lizardtail,” Rohtas interjected. “Despite his financial struggles, he’s been attending parties at the royal palace with his usual frequency. And as far as that fiancée of his goes, no one seems to have heard a word about their engagement.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir. He cycles through lovers on a regular basis, but rumor has it that he has yet to settle down with anyone—and those rumors are true.”
“Who’s that woman he brought to the party, then?”
“Just another one of his flings, I have to assume.”
Mr. Fisalis nodded. “I see.”
“I do recall the earl boasting at length about how rich his family used to be, and how his jewelry collection could put ours to shame. He certainly has a talent for boring his conversation partner to tears.”
I was losing patience just thinking back on the conversation.
“He must like showing off,” Mr. Fisalis said, chuckling at the face I was making.
“We have our own report to make regarding Earl Lizardtail,” announced Stellaria.
While we were busy with the soirée, the maids had gone around searching the other guests’ rooms. Now, I had no idea how they had gotten inside...and I wasn’t about to ask either.
She went on with her report without missing a beat. “There wasn’t much time, so we started with a quick inspection of the four suspects’ chambers. To get straight to the point, we found the Viola Eye in Earl Lizardtail’s room.”
You seem pretty nonchalant for someone who...hm? Wait, they found the Viola Eye?!
She’d delivered the news so matter-of-factly that I’d almost glossed right over it.
“What? You found the necklace?!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So what happened to it? Do you have it with you now?” Mr. Fisalis asked.
“We didn’t have time to swap it out, so for now, all we’ve done is confirm its whereabouts. But we did leave a maid to stand watch nearby, of course.”
“Good call. If we’d taken it back now, he would have realized what we were up to,” my husband said, praising Stellaria for her wise judgment.
That’s right. Our objective here is two-fold: “take back the necklace” and “arrest the culprit”!