He was cut off by the queen’s laughter. “Very well. For now, I shall allow it.”
“But Mother! What example will that set?!”
“However,” the queen continued, “if you have no evidence to back up your claims, I will have you arrested for treason.”
At this judgment, made without hesitation, it was Edward and Henry who fell silent.
“That doesn’t bother me. Thank you, Queen.”
“It does appear that you are the one who most closely resembles the previous Earl of Reine.”
As Octavia turned to face the queen, she heard the end of her staff strike the floor behind the curtain.
“Now, then, explain yourself. On what basis can you claim that this girl is a fake? And just who is the girl in the photograph?”
“First of all, in the past few days, there were reports of young girls with black hair disappearing from the slums of this city. When the police tried to investigate, pressure from above forced them to give up the case.”
The girl with vacant eyes turned to look at Octavia.
With a chilling smile on his face, Henry glared at Octavia. “What, so you’re saying that I picked the girl based on that alone? What a baseless accusation.”
“True, there is no evidence. And I am sure that none will ever emerge. So that is all I have to say on that account.”
After being cut off, there was a subtle change in Henry’s expression. But Edward was as prideful as ever. “That won’t wash, Octavia. You’re just trying to pick holes in our report.”
“But I do have an ironclad argument as to why this girl is a fake. It can be found in the photograph.” Octavia took out her copy of the photograph and placed it on the round table.
“There are many things in this photograph besides the girl, are there not? A doll. A painting. Perhaps the most disquieting thing is the lipstick. And finally—a music box.”
Edward and Octavia’s family all wore expressions of doubt, but Henry frowned heavily. Something Octavia had said seemed to have worried him. Before he could say anything, Octavia answered the question on everyone’s lips.
“All of the items in this photograph have been targeted by Crow, the Phantom Thief.”
Henry was not aware of anything to do with the Phantom Thief. If there was a weakness Octavia could exploit, this was it.
“And all the items targeted by the Phantom Thief were tools of that selfsame empire. Therefore, this girl was photographed with a collection of Demonic Heirlooms.”
“And what of it? That’s a mere coincidence, surely,” shouted Edward in irritation.
Octavia simply shook her head. “Could so many matches between the photograph and Crow’s quarries be nothing more than a coincidence? That simply cannot be. Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that the girl in this photograph is surrounded by Demonic Heirlooms.”
“Ridiculous! You’re talking about Demonic Heirlooms. If that were true, there is no way that the girl in that photograph could be ali—”
“Edward!” shouted Henry, but it was too late. Edward looked bewildered. He still hadn’t realized what had just slipped his tongue.
“That’s right. She couldn’t be alive. She couldn’t be standing in front of us today.”
Edward met Octavia’s eyes, then, after a beat, turned deathly pale.
“I wonder if producing a fake in response to the queen’s request constitutes treason.”
Henry turned around and glared directly at Octavia. But before he could think of an excuse, Octavia took the initiative.
“But of course, there is still a possibility that the girl in the picture is alive.”
Now Henry’s complexion clearly changed as well.
“Now, then, if the girl in the picture were still alive, where might she be today? What might her relationship be to Crow, the Phantom Thief? Firstly, I considered why Crow might have targeted the items depicted in this photograph. Why, out of all the many Demonic Heirlooms, did he prioritize these?”
Why had Raven decided to steal the Heirlooms in this picture? Why would he do that, knowing that if put one foot in the wrong place, he would be in danger of exposing his own identity? Octavia felt the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile.
Because it seemed like fun, right? That was the sort of man he was. She knew that. But the truth of it all was so overwhelming that it was enough for her to know—for Octavia to be the only one to know. To know everything about his true identity.
“It is only natural to conclude that he must have done it to conceal his identity. That is why Crow took on the persona of the Phantom Thief.”
“Wha—” Henry was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of the queen’s staff striking the dais.
A voice, lower and with more feeling than before, sounded from that raised chair. “Speak your conclusion, Octavia.”
“The girl in this photograph is the Phantom Thief.” First, a spoonful of truth. But that alone would not be enough.
Edward cried. “Impossible! The rumors say that the Phantom Thief is a man. Police testimony has said the same thing!”
“My grandmother’s collected memoirs had much to say about the Demonic Heirlooms. The lipstick you see here is said to give the user the ability to change their appearance however they wish. One could become a child or a crone, a man or a woman at will.”
“If so, it sounds as if you are saying that the Phantom Thief—in order words, this girl—is able to use the Imperial Heirlooms?”
Now I have her. Octavia smiled thinly at this question from the queen. “My Queen, you have a vague notion, do you not? As to who that girl might be.”
The queen must have been aware of any investigations undertaken by Eliza. In that case, she could have simply left this matter to her daughter. So why had she gone to the trouble of bringing the photograph to everyone’s attention herself? Because there was something she simply had to know.
Therefore, Octavia offered the queen the answer she wanted, as bait.
“I am confident that this girl is the one you seek. And there is a way for us to be sure.”
Octavia saw the queen’s silhouette move, as if she had leaned forward.
“Are you sure about this, Octavia?” Hat asked, pressing Octavia once more. Yeah, she replied, nodding internally.
“I have faced Crow, the Phantom Thief, many times. There is something I have kept from one of our encounters, thinking that it might one day prove a crucial hint in finding out his identity. It seems that on one occasion, Crow was injured. This is a playing card stained with his blood.” So Octavia declared, taking out a playing card that she had deliberately stained with her own blood.