He ran away

While I was busy performing my drama in the staff room, the young master had already opened the door to his room and allowed the servants and the guards to rush in and put out the fire.

The fire was not big, and it didn't burn too much of the room. Mostly the parts beside the windows were damaged and burnt as the fire was put out before it spread more.

After hearing the name of the person who had gotten the keys to the young master's room from the head butler, Ranger didn't continue the argument and instead pulled me away from the frightened man and dragged me to the young master's room. By the time we arrived, the fire was already put out and the chaos had subsided.

"The window is broken..." Ranger examined the room before he finally stopped by the window. He touched the broken part of the glass as he mumbled under his lips. "Someone entered through the window?"

Most of the servants were dismissed and inside the room stood only a few figures. They were the young master himself, me, Ranger, Liam, and the count. Ranger had sent someone to bring Severin, but he hadn't arrived yet.

"Someone entered the room, searched for something, and then set the room on fire?"

The count spoke in a low voice as if he was talking to himself. No one said anything in his answer. Alaric was looking at his torn notebook with a frowning and slightly worried face, Liam was searching the room to see if there was anything missing, and I was putting the stuff in their places. I hugged the beddings that had gotten dirty by the "Intruder"'s shoes and talked to Ranger in a low voice.

"Then, how did the intruder leave the room?"

"Through the window?"

I shook my head from side to side.

"That can't be. I was striding the garden the whole time. I would've seen the person jumping down the balcony if he had left the room."

When I noticed that everyone's focus has turned to me, I took a deep breath and lowered my head.

"I heard the sound of the window shattering while I was walking in the garden. That was why I looked up to see that the curtains were on fire, but I didn't see anyone running away through the balcony. Look, the shattered pieces of the glass have not moved an inch, but the whole room is a mess. It looks like the intruder was in a hurry to find something. I doubt someone who was in such a hurry would be careful enough not to step on the glass. This means the window was broken just before the person left the room. At first, I thought someone might've entered the room through the pathways to the second floor's staff room, But... But I should've seen them if anyone was to enter that door as I was just walking there."

After finishing my words, I glanced at the count, stepped back, and lowered my head.

"...Then, how did the intruder leave? First of all, how did that person enter the room?"

Count Poqlen asked in a confused manner as he rubbed his chin. Ranger frowned slightly and sent a quick glance at me, who was staring at him while hiding my face in the beddings. The old man soon looked away at the young master.

"Young master, did you perhaps give the keys to your room to someone else in the last few days?"

Alaric shook his head almost immediately.

"No! I didn't even leave my room that often."

"Do you mean that the intruder entered through the door?"

Ranger paused for a bit. He looked around the room, at Alaric and at me, took in the scene of the messy room, and then heaved a sigh. I don't know what was going on in his head, but he seemed to be deep in thought before finally giving an answer.

"The head butler has given the keys to another servant. He didn't have the keys on him when we asked them just now."

Count Poqlen's brows knitted and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who took the keys?"

"...Young master's other personal servant, Severin."

"...."

The count frowned more while the young master raised his head in shock. He tilted his head from side to side, puzzled.

"But why would he enter my room in secret... And even if it's him... why would he set the room on fire and break the window as well when he could just come and leave silently? He must've known that I wouldn't return to my room that soon!"

The count also nodded his head and turned to Ranger, who in response turned to me.

'Huh! Take responsibility for your words, old man!'

"Maybe... That was for a distraction?" Still, I answered them. I held my head low and didn't "Dare" look my master in the eyes. "Maybe... He wanted to make it look like the intruder had escaped through the window, so he broke the window and... Look, doesn't it look like that a lit oil lamp was thrown to the window, burned the curtain on its path, and then burned the papers on the floor and caused the fire to spread? He probably didn't see that I was moving into the garden, so he did all these things to make it seem that he had started the fire and escaped through the window..."

I then lowered my head even more.

"B-but I can't say if... If it was really Severin's doing... H-he is not such a person..."

Ranger shook his head and the count seemed to be deep in thought. Liam, who had stopped his actions to listen to me, resumed searching the room with a grim expression.

'Of course, it was not Severin's doing. It was Dr. Reeve who entered the room, and I who started the fire... But I'm pretty much sure that the one who gave the keys to Dr. Reeve was Severin, and he was also the one who conversed with him when he was leaving.'

It didn't matter though. Once they questioned Severin, he would confess that it was the doctor who entered the room and not him.

Tap Tap Tap

The sound of hast footsteps was heard at the same time. A few seconds later, a figure jumped inside the room, panting and covered in sweat.

"S-sir! Severin..."

He was the person who was sent to bring Severin to us.

"Severin ran away!"

"What?"

Everyone turned to him almost instantly, making the servant flinch slightly but start his explanations.

"I went to find him, but he wasn't in the kitchen nor in any one of the staff rooms in the mansion. Then I went to the servants' residence, only to find his room empty and him nowhere around. He had packed his stuff and ran away!"