ITIWAFRBIAHS Chapter 9

After that, the exciting mansion exploration continued... or was supposed to, but unfortunately had to stop on the third floor.

Because we ran right into my stepbrother on the stairs going up to the fourth floor.

This time he's in crossdressing appearance. I calmly greeted him with an expression that showed I absolutely wasn't surprised, so as not to provoke my stepbrother.

"Ah, good morning!"

"..."

But my stepbrother passed by me and my fiancé without making eye contact, with a pale face. Is he really acting like this because he's shy?

I glanced to check if my fiancé might be flustered, but my fiancé was just smiling without any disturbance.

"Rose, shall we look at the upper floors again next time? Seeing that Madam Sawyer's daughter is also outside, it seems like it'll soon be time for people to be active."

"Yes, yes."

We didn't find anything special, but it was fun. Especially the second floor around my room had many ornate decorations and drawing rooms with various interiors that were worth seeing. It was exactly like touring a palace you pay to enter.

I thought about exploring the upper floors tonight or tomorrow dawn as I returned to my room.

And a little later, when the workers came in for grooming, I heard surprising news.

"Breakfast?"

"Yes. Miss Jeril said to have breakfast together."

My stepbrother called for us to have breakfast together. What's this about?

Maybe it's a meeting to explain his antisocial behavior. I was already planning to bombard him with questions anyway, so this works out well.

I excitedly moved to the dining room, updating all sorts of question lists in my head.

And a predictable but ridiculous situation occurred. The meal was served but neither of us ate, creating an awkward situation.

"..."

"..."

What, why aren't you eating?

My stepbrother had sent all the workers away, so only the two of us were in the dining room. Having that silent conversation with our eyes, we finally started communicating vocally.

"Why aren't you eating like this? You're always like this, are you managing your figure or something?"

My stepbrother's face turned red and blue, but he seemed to barely avoid getting angry.

"You're the one who's been busy putting food in your mouth these past few days, so why aren't you eating?"

I'm already frustrated enough restraining myself with delicious food in front of me, and now the prime poisoning suspect with strong motive for the crime says this—I can't take it anymore!

I've secured my fiancé as backup, so let me just say it!

I opened my mouth without reserve.

"Actually, I almost got poisoned so I'm too scared to eat!"

"What?!"

My stepbrother was shocked and hit the table while half-standing up.

"Poisoned?! Why? When?! Why didn't you say anything?"

Hey, I'm telling you now. What's the problem?

Actually saying it was awkward because we seemed to be on bad terms might make him angrier, so let me word that part carefully.

"It hasn't been that long. A day or two? Since I'm in a state where I don't remember many things right now. If no evidence comes out, I might end up in a sanatorium for delusional self-harm, so I was thinking about it while looking for evidence..."

"..."

My stepbrother's momentum subsided. He just slumped back into his chair and seemed lost in thought.

Seeing how he was shocked when he heard the story earlier and now seems mysteriously heartbroken, this person doesn't seem involved in the poisoning.

He's rough in attitude, but as the maid Sunset said, we probably weren't really on such bad terms.

"So did you find evidence?"

"No."

There was nothing. What kind of kitchen doesn't have a speck of dust?

"Tell me the situation first."

"Okay. So, it was..."

I explained what happened at the time in good order.

I was drinking tea when I accidentally dropped medicine I was taking—my stepbrother's eyes narrowed, but maybe because he saw me hiding medicine then, he didn't ask how I had it without taking it—and when I put a silver teaspoon in there, it changed color.

As soon as my stepbrother heard "changed color," he hit the table and stood up again.

This time he looked like he was going to leave immediately.

"Damn, we should interrogate whoever served the tea first—what have you been doing! And show me that discolored teaspoon right now!"

Oh dear, that's no longer in my hands.

"Ah, that was a gift from my fiancé, so I showed it to him first. He said he'd have an expert check it and took it."

"...What?"

My stepbrother froze while standing. He's acting like this again when my fiancé comes up.

At this point, it's strange.

Maybe I should see this as being coy, or should I consider there are real bad feelings? If it's the former, then with the crossdressing hobby and all, this side is also over-characterized.

...Could he be a sub-male lead? Is this a sub-male lead angle?

"Actually, I was trying to tell you last time too. That fiancé of yours..."

Then there was a knocking sound. What, at such a crucial moment!

"Sir Moore has arrived."

My stepbrother turned his head toward the door so urgently his neck might break.

Soon my fiancé entered through the door opened by a servant, walking in a perfectly straight line without a hair out of place. Standing in front of the dining table, my fiancé approached me with a bright smile.

"I remembered that you invited me to a meal last time. Am I perhaps in the way?"

I quickly realized. Ah, he probably came to cover for me not being able to eat. It was even slightly touching. But I already told him about the poisoning, so it's okay...

I looked at my stepbrother and said.

"Since sister invited us to eat together. Shouldn't sister's opinion be important?"

"That would certainly be true."

My fiancé turned his gaze toward my stepbrother. And in a very gentle voice, he said.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your private time together. Were you perhaps having some conversation that I shouldn't interrupt?"

"..."

"No answer. Do I perhaps make you uncomfortable?"

"Ah, I was telling him about the teaspoon changing color then."

My stepbrother seemed too uncomfortable, so I slipped in.

Sigh, at first I thought he just didn't want to be caught crossdressing, but it's not that—he really can't talk to strangers.

"I see. I've also requested analysis of items that could be evidence for now, but thinking about it this morning, wasn't it too passive a response?"

My fiancé took my words and continued speaking to my stepbrother without reserve.

"How about replacing all utensils Miss Rose uses with silver ones, and interrogating and firing all servants around Miss Rose to hire new ones? This is also a temporary measure though."

"I-I am..."

No, look at my stepbrother's condition. His social life has already hit zero!

"Strange. Since Madam Sawyer is away, aren't you currently the deputy manager of this mansion's property? Why is your reaction... like this?"

My fiancé watched my stepbrother, who hesitated and backed away before finally running out, and clicked his tongue.

Hey, how can you talk like you're interrogating under pressure?

"Quite suspicious. You should show a more active attitude toward such matters."

No, he was very active until you came in.

From what I can see, it just looks like an introvert who couldn't handle the extrovert power and ran away.

I wondered whether to chase after my stepbrother with earthquake pupils, but I realized my own problems came first at my fiancé's next words.

"Since the teaspoon matter came up again, may I ask—are you taking the medicine I gave you?"

"...Of course!"

Geez. I don't even know where it is.

L-let me revive my memory. Then surely medicine and a teaspoon came out of the envelope, right? And I took both and put them in my pocket. And I only took out the spoon from my pocket...?

Good heavens, I must have dropped it somewhere in between. It was medicine I wasn't going to take anyway, but I still feel sorry. I completely forgot. I hurriedly made excuses while sweating bullets.

"Haha, now that I think about it, I already finished it all so I haven't taken it yesterday or today!"

"That amount? ...I understand."

My fiancé's expression disappeared.

It seems completely ruined.

Haha. ...Please tell me he didn't find the bottle rolling around somewhere in this house? No, I can hear the sound of affection plummeting!!

'This can't be. No matter what, how could something like this happen...!'

Jeril Sawyer, who had run out of the dining room, climbed almost crawling up to the fourth floor with trembling legs. There was the door he'd been going in and out of constantly these past few days.

Mother's study. That huge book storage that had once been Sir Aubert's study hadn't yielded what the boy was looking for despite several visits.

Jeril, who was about to rush back inside, suddenly stepped on his skirt and stumbled.

"...Damn!"

Hatred, self-loathing, and unavoidable relief. Crumpling his skirt with complex emotions, the boy ran back to the desk.

He still hadn't found what he was originally looking for, but now this would definitely be more urgent.

He took out a small droplet-shaped crystal medicine bottle from his pocket. Something he'd found in Rose's laundry.

At first, he was just going to return it. But after meeting Rose's self-proclaimed fiancé 'Sir Moore' yesterday morning and realizing it was from 'that thing,' the boy had no choice.

The boy had searched this place all last night looking for the crest carved on that medicine bottle's lid—that eerie crest of two whips and spiral patterns overlapping—but found nothing helpful.

Could mother have taken it? No. That's not something to carry around carelessly. She wouldn't have taken something that needs at least a week of careful packing on such an urgent trip.

The boy opened all the desk drawers again, touched the bottom to see if there were secret spaces, and scratched the sides.

Still no use.

"Why is everyone acting like this...!"

Jeril whimpered with fear. He absolutely couldn't bear it.

"Rose doesn't have a fiancé!"

Work Rules

6. When you encounter a man calling himself 'Sir Moore' in the mansion, immediately enter the nearest room and do not come out until he leaves.