“Andy Spencer, could that ‘complete ownership’… be similar to controlling a pet’s range of movement with a leash?”
“It’s similar.”
According to Arsenal Empire law, dogs had to be leashed when taken for walks. This was to prepare for any potential unfortunate accidents.
“What if… Count Hamilton used those 6000 pions as Marien’s leash?”
“You think he tried to control Miss Marien using that as leverage?”
“Yes. Just as he himself was controlled by his wife’s and father-in-law’s power and wealth, he may have expressed his anger towards Marien through the same behavior.”
“So you’re assuming Count Hamilton identified himself with Marien.”
Sidney slowly nodded. Yet her brows remained furrowed as if chasing a thought.
“For that, Marien would have needed to know the taste of money and power too. That’s why he got her a job at Cielo and bought her expensive gifts. Just like Princess Catherine did for the Count.”
Sidney flinched as she continued speaking. She had just realized she’d delved too deeply into analyzing the person’s psychology.
Even though Logan had warned her to be so cautious. Sidney looked down at her empty hands.
The only evidence she had was Lisa’s testimony. And even that wasn’t verified…
There he goes again. Sidney felt her face flush as she cleared her throat with a “Ahem.”
Andy Spencer’s notebook filled with diligent notes. It was full of her unfounded delusions. Embarrassingly so…
“Detective Spencer, this is just mere speculation. Let’s talk more after we properly investigate Count Hamilton’s private life and past actions.”
“Yes, Detective Warden.”
Andy Spencer scrawled ‘Requires investigation’ on the paper. Walter, who had been silent until now, leaned towards Sidney and whispered.
“Sidney, between the hypothesis that Count Hamilton is the murderer and the hypothesis that he violated Marien, which one…”
As if she could hear Logan Redford’s nagging, Sidney fiddled with her ear and said,
“They’re just hypotheses, as I said. We’ll have to judge which one after seeing the investigation results.”
“Just like the Captain always says?”
At Walter’s playful tone, Sidney narrowed one eye.
After what happened in the conference room, she felt like her inner thoughts of being unable to escape Logan had been exposed.
Unnecessarily clearing her throat, she threw a question at Lisa.
“Now then, shall we talk about ‘Casablanca’?”
“The business card you showed earlier… it’s an invitation to a ‘members-only gathering’ called ‘Casablanca’. Some of our dancers have received them from sponsors, and I heard you can make big money if you go there.”
“Has Lisa been there before?”
“I was offered, but… I declined.”
Lisa gave her answers promptly. She seemed to have organized her thoughts while observing the long conversation.
But making big money… What on earth happens there? Sidney rubbed her chin.
“Why did you decline?”
“As a dancer, body management should be the priority.”
Did Marien also get sick from going to ‘Casablanca’? Sidney recalled the Penzle found in Marien’s room and asked.
“Does ‘Casablanca’ ruin dancers’ bodies?”
“I don’t know exactly. I didn’t want to know either. But one thing’s for sure… the girls who went there quit dancing soon after.”
Lisa folded her arms and gave a cold smile. As if emphasizing that she was different from them.
“Did those girls take a painkiller called Penzle?”
“There are no dancers who don’t take it. I take it too, though not often, when I have muscle pain or feel unwell.”
Like Sidney’s younger sister Emilia, people with side effects to Penzle were very rare. Even without that, commoners had no other alternatives to Penzle.
“Is there a specific doctor that Cielo dancers usually visit?”
“No.”
Seems Penzle doesn’t have much to do with Cielo strip bar. Sidney shook off her lingering thoughts about Penzle and changed the subject.
“Then where is this ‘Casablanca’ gathering held?”
“All I know is that it’s at the ‘White House’ in Long Beach.”
Marcel’s beach, Long Beach.
There were hundreds of luxury villas lined up overlooking the emerald sea and white sandy beach. Coincidentally, most of those villas had blue roofs and white exterior walls.
Sidney frowned, tapping her knee with her palm.
“A white house in Long Beach… That’s not enough.”
“This is all I know for now… If you give me some time to find out more.”
“Contact me if you learn the address.”
“Yes, then I’ll be going now.”
Lisa exchanged eye greetings with the four people who stood up with her and walked to the door. Walter, following behind her, instructed the Imperial Guard member Timothy.
“Timothy, escort Miss Lisa back to Cielo.”
After Timothy and Lisa left, Sidney and Walter had to wait for Andy Spencer to finish taking notes.
Only then did they have the leisure to look around the room carefully. Upon closer inspection, the wardrobes, tables, and even small accessories were all imported from… not the Arsenal Empire.
“Are all these furniture imported from the Anes Kingdom?”
For 10 years, the Anes Kingdom was the one that held out to the end among the allied countries that fought a fierce war against the Arsenal Empire. As such, the animosity of Arsenal Empire citizens towards the Anes Kingdom was considerable.
Perhaps worried about that point, Fabian asked anxiously,
“Ah, yes… Will that be a problem?”
“Just curious.”
It might have been different during the war. The Anes Kingdom had already been subjugated by the Arsenal Empire. Although there were still some resistant forces remaining… it was just part of the integration process.
Sidney followed Fabian’s tense gaze. There was a door with a purple doorknob, the same color as the wallpaper.
Considering the building structure, there should be a space of similar size beyond that door.
As if reading her thoughts, Fabian blocked her way.
“Um, Detective Warden.”
“What’s that door?”
“It’s the manager’s office.”
Fabian gave an awkward smile and looked towards where Walter and Andy were. It was a hint for them to leave.
Although there was no particular need to investigate this building, Sidney’s gaze didn’t easily leave the door.
“Music was playing earlier.”
“Ah, the manager left the gramophone on when he went out.”
“Gramophone… You mean the magical device that lets you listen to stored music again?”
“Yes, in the Anes Kingdom, they call it a gramophone.”
The reason why the Anes Kingdom was able to withstand the Arsenal Empire’s army for 10 years was due to their advanced magical technology.
Among them, the Anes’ artifact crafting technology was unmatched by anyone.
This too… Sidney unconsciously raised her hand to check her earring artifact. And she recalled the 15th night of besieging Yoheim Castle of Anes.
That night, she couldn’t sleep for some reason. When she came out of the tent, a blizzard was raging fiercely. While walking aimlessly, she encountered a woman running towards her with a newborn baby.
Sidney first checked if the woman’s footprints led to the castle. She guessed there might be a secret passage into the castle at the end of those footprints.
Ignoring the woman’s plea, Sidney took out a whistle from her pocket. Calling her comrades before the footprints disappeared was more urgent than the woman in front of her.
But misunderstanding her action, the woman grabbed Sidney’s hand, took off her cloak, and said while fiddling with her earrings,
The black hair fluttering in the blizzard turned blonde, and brown eyes turned blue. The strange thing was… the woman’s blurry impression became clear.
The woman took off her earrings and pressed them into Sidney’s hand. Then she revealed the secret of the earrings in fluent Arsenal Empire language.
From the beginning, Sidney had intended to let the woman and child go. The victory of Arsenal was certain anyway, and everyone would become citizens of the Arsenal Empire.
But there was no need to refuse. Even if she didn’t take it, someone else might snatch it. It would be better to keep it herself, hoping for a future day.
Instead of keeping the earrings, Sidney handed over a red pass.
Through the secret passage Sidney discovered that day, the Arsenal Empire army occupied the castle without armed conflict.
Not long after, news came that a woman and a newborn child had crossed the Arsenal border using her name.
They should be safe. Sidney turned around, hoping for a day to return the earrings to the woman. At that moment, Walter put his arm around her shoulder and whispered,
“Sidney, we’re getting off early for once, let’s go for a drink.”
“I have an appointment.”
Sidney shook off Walter’s arm and moved her feet.
“Ah, cancel that!”
“No. Detective Spencer, are you done with the records?”
“Yes.”
“Hey! Sidney Warden!”
As Sidney and Walter bickered while going down the stairs, Fabian locked the door. Then he walked to the tightly closed manager’s office and lightly knocked on the door, saying,
“Everyone has left.”
Instead of an answer from behind the door, soft music started playing again.
[This is the timeline separator]
Ernest Holden, dressed in a gray suit with his legs crossed on the leather sofa, clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Scary, so scary. They’ve raised Detective Warden to be a monster just like you. To deduce all that… She seems more suited for our newspaper than brother Steve.”
Logan Redford, who had been standing in front of the gramophone, slowly turned around. He sat on the edge of the table and gave Ernest a cold stare.
“Wow, are you glaring at me because I’m eyeing Detective Warden?”
“…Just give me that business card.”
“Before that, why did you hide and eavesdrop like this? Were you testing Detective Warden’s abilities?”
Perhaps angered by Logan’s attitude of not intending to speak, Ernest Holden flicked his finger, sending the black business card flying towards his friend.
Logan’s eyes narrowed as he reflexively caught the flying card.
“I have the right to hear that much, at least. Information about ‘Casablanca’… and I even told you this much.”
He’s right.
With just the Imperial Guard, they couldn’t have found information about ‘Casablanca’, presumed to be a private gathering of high-ranking nobles, this quickly.
The Holden family had maintained political neutrality while running the Arsenal Empire’s top media and publishing companies. As such, they were on good terms with both the Emperor’s faction and the nobles’ faction, and had exceptional information.
Of course, Logan Redford had to pay a price for that…
“I guaranteed you an exclusive story.”
“You told me to wait until the case is resolved.”
“That’s just basic.”
Logan silently turned the business card between his fingers. Muttering to himself quietly.
“…Does she resemble her?”
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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