That being said, this case had taken a series of unexpected turns. He’d thought he had simply made a mistake in his work, but then there had come the forged letter of announcement—then, in turn, it’d turned out that the doll had been switched. In the end, at last, he’d found there was an imitation Heirloom. Such a thing made Raven nostalgic.
Perhaps that would be his own fate, as long as he stayed with Octavia. Thanks to her, he could neither conduct himself as a marquis nor as a phantom thief.
Though, well, it was fun, so I don’t really mind.
But he felt that it was about time for him to start acting like a phantom thief and send a letter of announcement himself. After all, she was a detective now. The suspect who had been attacked by the doll and fainted was now frothing at the mouth and flailing wildly, so the constables had to restrain him. Conversely, the doll he had procured was motionless.
When all was said and done, it was only the sort of artifact one could find on the open market. It was a crude imitation, made by a fraud and swindler of a magician. It was only due to its proximity to an Imperial Heirloom that it had become more powerful. During those few minutes Raven had spent with the man, that power had already faded. From the man’s perspective, though, it was certainly still frightening enough.
“He who mischief hatches, mischief catches. I think that’s how the saying goes.”
Those old-fashioned sayings were difficult to recall. With a sigh, Raven left, leaving the rest to the police.
Octavia sat in the same drawing room she’d been shown to when she had first arrived in the harbor town. A document had been presented to her; she looked at it and blinked.
Prim and composed, Mrs. Smile said, “As promised, I have found you a new job.”
“Eh... R-Really?”
“Yes. You did manage to resolve this case without any trouble, after all. Here is a check, as payment for your services.”
“Thank you very much!”
“It’s only proper. Although it is a pity that the matter of Raven and Colette must be abandoned.” Mrs. Smile shot a meaningful glance at Raven.
Raven simply smiled back at her. “I couldn’t be happier, now that you understand that I already have Octavia.”
“Um, how is Miss Colette?” Octavia blurted out.
In response, Mrs. Smile furrowed her brow. “She is well, but...I’m trying to be careful around her. She must still be in shock. To think that her own uncle would have given her a cursed doll...” Although her tone was bitter, Mrs. Smile must have been feeling shocked herself.
From a close relative—who had worked with the Smile Trading Company for many years as an accountant—it was a terrible betrayal. Since he had worked at the company for so many years, Mrs. Smile’s brother had evidently believed that he would be its next president. In spite of this, Mrs. Smile had relinquished the position to her son. He must have built up feelings of resentment over this. Apparently, up until now, he’d been visiting a litany of small acts of harassment against Mrs. Smile. They had culminated in this commotion with the doll.
“Still, I hear the culprit himself insists that he had no intention of killing anyone.”
“I should say not. If he had been able to do anything as reckless as that, then he wouldn’t have stopped at simply switching the dolls. Though, hearing how utterly terrified he was, my anger toward him has softened. That Phantom Thief, Crow, is meddlesome, too.”
Octavia’s expression soured unconsciously, but she said nothing. The cowardly culprit, having spitefully given the so-called “cursed” doll to Mrs. Smile and Colette, had realized that his little prank had spun out of control. Once there was a Demonic Heirloom and a real curse involved, he had become frightened. And so, assuming the name of Crow, the Phantom Thief, he’d tried to retrieve the doll, the evidence of his crime. Ironically, he wound up summoning the real Crow.
In the end, the cursed doll had been returned to him, and he had been scared completely out of his wits.
The doll in question had been left in tatters, having lost its magic. Now, it was nothing more than a doll. But perhaps, at the very moment it had been returned to the culprit, it just might still have been moving.
“He who hatches mischief catches mischief, I suppose.” In other words, it looked like he had reaped what he’d sown. One might have considered it a fitting end to the case. All the same, Octavia was extremely displeased by the thought that it was Crow, the Phantom Thief, who had resolved all this.
“One day, I will catch him,” she swore.
“Indeed. You have my support, Detective Octavia.”
Octavia had only meant to mutter this oath to herself, and she was shocked to hear it affirmed so plainly.
“As to whether or not Demonic Heirlooms really exist, I still have my doubts. But I thought that they might. That’s why we need not only the inquisitors, but detectives like you. Detectives who can conceal things well.” Mrs. Smile snapped her gaudy fan shut and smiled. “Please keep up the good work.”
She’s cheering me on. Overwhelmed with delight, Octavia smiled. “Thank you very much.”
“It’s the least I could do. You saved my daughter, after all.”
“Mother!” With perfect timing, Colette came into the room. Today, she was once again hugging a doll to her chest.
Octavia saw this and narrowed her eyes. So this hasn’t made her hate dolls, after all. That’s good.
Colette met Octavia’s eyes and gazed at her in wonder. Then, quickly, she bowed her head. Along with her memories of Ann, she had lost the memory of her conversation with Octavia, too. So Octavia also pretended that they were meeting for the first time and nodded slightly back.
“Mother, are you finished talking?” asked Colette. “Can you play with Colette now?”
“Our guests are still here, are they not? Where are your manners?”
“Perhaps we should consider taking our leave, Octavia,” said Raven. “If not, it’ll be nighttime by the time we get back to the Royal Capital.”
Octavia nodded in response to his thoughtful suggestion. There was no need for them to stay any longer. Mrs. Smile showed them to the mansion’s entrance to see them off, accompanied by Colette.
A girl stood outside, waiting for them; as Octavia walked out the door, the girl turned to face her.
“Lady Octavia.”
“Sorry for the wait, Ann.”
“No, no,” said the girl, bowing her head. “I do not mind waiting.” The automaton had transformed into a human. As an Imperial Heirloom, she was capable of performing her duties in a form indistinguishable from that of a normal human. Since she was already well-known to the town in this guise, Hat had decided that they should let everyone there know that she would be leaving. After all, if some kindhearted person in the town were to kick up a fuss, thinking Ann had vanished, it would pose a problem for Octavia.