Interrogation

Sitting in a shabby café, tapping an old table, Lloyd recalled something he had seen not long ago.

The person he had seen in the old town was Dalia's personal maid.

Her name was Samantha, if he remembered correctly. He recalled her distinctly because she always looked at him with disapproval.

'Pierce Pawnshop….'

That place was typically used to sell items that shouldn't be made public or by people whose identities couldn't be revealed.

In other words, it was a shady place that sold stolen goods for thieves.

And yet, Dalia's personal maid had been frequenting such a place.

Feeling uneasy, he went straight into the pawnshop that day and inquired about the items the maid who had just left had sold.

The pawnshop owner, who initially refused to divulge customer information, quickly loosened his tongue for a small sum of money.

"She sold jewels. Said she was instructed by her master to sell them. They were the kind of expensive items noblewomen would use."

As the owner spoke, he showed Lloyd the items, most of which Lloyd didn't recognize. However…

'That was definitely a necklace Dalia had worn before.'

Lloyd recalled seeing Dalia wearing the emerald necklace with a greenish hue before. This meant all the items the maid had sold at the pawnshop were likely Dalia's.

The key question was whether the maid was secretly stealing and selling Dalia's items or if she was genuinely acting under Dalia's orders.

'It's unlikely that Dalia, the Duchess, would be desperate for money… So, it must be the maid secretly embezzling them.'

But then again, Samantha seemed uniquely loyal to Dalia, unlike the other maids.

It felt odd to think someone like her would steal Dalia's belongings for personal gain.

Thus, Lloyd decided to wait near the pawnshop for the maid to show up again. If she had sold something once, she would likely do it again.

He could have confronted the maid directly, but she might deny everything or destroy evidence, so he decided to catch her in the act instead.

He waited a long time for the maid to reappear. His prediction was spot on.

Not even a day had passed since he began waiting when the maid, with her hood pulled low, appeared at the pawnshop.

But something seemed off. Within minutes of entering the shop, the maid was thrown out.

The maid, after being berated by the shop owner, collapsed onto the street, muttering to herself.

'What on earth is going on?'

Seemingly upset that things hadn't gone as planned, she sniffled briefly before getting up and starting to walk somewhere.

Was she heading to another pawnshop? She was going in the opposite direction of the estate, so he began following her.

But then.

As soon as the maid entered a deserted alley, she was suddenly abducted by strangers.

Startled, Lloyd almost stepped in to rescue the maid but quickly pulled back and hid himself.

He decided it was better to watch where she was taken and seek help later rather than act alone.

Thus, Lloyd concealed himself in the shadows of a building and began trailing them.

The abductors, carrying the maid in a large sack without any special transport, entered a building.

The building, located in a deserted area of the old town, looked like it could collapse at any moment.

'What are they planning to do in there…?'

Should he go in and rescue the maid now? Just as he hesitated...

A black carriage pulled up in front of the building.

'Who is that?'

There were no clues to identify who was in the carriage, which frustrated him.

"That person is…"

Soon, Lloyd recognized the person stepping out of the carriage and fRose.

At the same time, when Samantha opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark basement lit only by candlelight, with no windows in sight.

Feeling the cold air on her skin, Samantha tried to sit up, but her hands were tied behind her back, leaving her barely able to sit upright.

No matter how hard she tried, the ropes wouldn't budge. Realizing this, Samantha gave up and began assessing her situation.

"Where am I…?"

She retraced her last memories to figure out where she was.

"I was walking to another jeweler, and then suddenly…"

Strangers had appeared, and she had blacked out. When she woke up, she was here. Realizing she had been kidnapped, Samantha swallowed dryly.

She had heard the old town was dangerous, but being kidnapped in broad daylight was beyond her imagination.

She wanted to burst into tears, but she barely managed to hold them back.

A dreadful creaking sound accompanied the faint presence of someone descending into the basement.

As the wooden stairs creaked with each step, a chill ran down her spine.

Someone stood in front of Samantha.

Shrouded in darkness, she could only tell it was a man but couldn't discern his identity.

'Who is that?'

As if to answer her silent question, the man slowly approached her.

The flickering candlelight illuminated part of the man's face, and as Samantha recognized it, her expression turned to one of shock.

"…Your Grace?"

Clayton Seiyer.

The man who should have been at the estate was standing right in front of her.

"Hello, Samantha."

Her mind was in utter chaos. The man who had kidnapped her was the Duke who had been sharing the same space with her just this afternoon.

Confirming his identity, Samantha began scanning her surroundings again.

'Then this place must be…'

She wondered if this was the Seiyer Duke's estate. But as if reading her mind, Clayton spoke.

"This isn't the estate."

The Duke's voice was calm, without inflection. Samantha, still struggling to grasp the situation, stammered.

"Y-Your Grace. Why am I here…?"

"Are you asking why I kidnapped you?"

His previously calm voice turned icy in an instant. Samantha, realizing something was seriously wrong, began trembling.

"Why were you there?"

"I-I was just running an errand for the Madam…"

"What errand?"

"She asked me to pick something up…"

"In the old town?"

The old town was where the poor resided. There was no way the Duchess, Dalia, would ask her to buy something from such a place.

Realizing this too late, Samantha scrambled to come up with another excuse.

"Well, actually, it was for a personal matter…"

But before she could finish speaking, Clayton tossed a cloth pouch in front of her.

Thud.

"You were looking for this, weren't you?"

From the open pouch spilled the aquamarine necklace she had desperately searched for earlier.

"Y-Your Grace, this is…!"

At that moment, Samantha realized the Duke had uncovered all her past actions. Her face turned pale—nearly blue.

'He already knows everything!'

It was clear the Duke knew she had been secretly selling the items.

'Was the mention of the necklace during lunch…?'

Realizing it had been a trap to lure her out, Samantha bit her lip.

Watching the maid's rapidly changing expressions, Clayton asked quietly.

"What's the reason?"

"Pardon…?"

"There must be a reason you stole and sold these. Was it just greed? Or was it…?"

Realizing he might be misunderstanding something, Samantha hurriedly responded.

"The Madam has nothing to do with this! I did it alone!"

"Is that so? Then let me rephrase my question."

Clayton looked at Samantha with an unreadable gaze.

"Did you know Dalia is pregnant?"

Thud.

The shock hit her harder than when her crimes were exposed. The Duke already knew everything. She couldn't fathom how he had learned about it.

"H-How did you…!"

"So, you knew as well."

Watching her face turn pale with shock, Clayton let out a dry laugh, as if he had expected it.

At this point, even he couldn't deny how foolish he must have seemed for not knowing earlier.

His face, which had briefly shown a hint of weariness, now turned icy once more.

"Then let me ask you something else."

He approached Samantha, crouching to meet her at eye level.

"So."

He lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Who's the father of the child?"