Don't Ask, It'll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 25
“Close the case……. You’re ending it here?”
Despite not having found a single clue, let alone the culprit, Chloe asked in bewilderment.
The investigator nodded as if understanding her feelings, but didn’t dare to meet her eyes and explained hesitantly.
“I also don’t want to close the case like this, but my superiors keep saying, ‘It’s just a suicide case, why are you working so hard?’ They’re telling me to stop wasting energy and wrap it up quickly. I’m sorry, Lady.”
“…This isn’t something you need to apologize for.”
Chloe fully understood the investigator’s situation. What power could a low-ranking investigator have against orders from above?
“Have you told them that it’s not a suicide, that someone definitely killed the maid?”
“Of course I’ve tried…… but no one would listen to me.”
The investigator drooped his shoulders as he continued.
“They even said they’d dismiss me from my investigator position if I keep insisting on this.”
It seemed they wanted to close the case hastily because it was just a maid’s matter. But with talk of dismissal, it was clear someone powerful was pressuring them to keep this quiet.
Chloe was certain that this person was the murderer of the maid. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be struggling so hard to cover up such a trivial case.
If the culprit killed the maid to warn Bianca Lloyd…… they might be connected to the person who was secretly following her before. Moreover, the person who told Jack to return first at the post office was likely part of the same group.
Feeling the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, Chloe pressed her furrowed brow.
She had thought Bianca was a pitiful, ordinary viscount’s daughter with low self-esteem, constantly disrespected by servants. But looking deeper, she was nothing but chaos incarnate.
Well, someone who had been lying in a blood-drawn magic circle couldn’t be ordinary. Chloe immediately corrected her thoughts and urged the investigator.
“There’s still time before my parents return, so if you discover anything, please tell me immediately.”
“Of course, Lady. I hope you understand that once the documents are sealed with a stamp, we can do nothing more.”
“Of course.”
The conversation ended there. After seeing the investigator off and returning to her bedroom, Chloe searched the room again. She was looking for objects related to black magic. But no matter how much she searched, there were no suspicious items, let alone anything black magic-related.
“Could the culprits have already removed everything?”
Given how they’d killed the maid without anyone knowing, it was entirely possible. It suggested the perpetrator was highly skilled.
Chloe let out a long sigh and stared at Bianca Lloyd’s reflection in the mirror.
“What exactly were you doing?”
She was genuinely curious, but the woman who had left only her body behind wouldn’t answer. This made her feel frustrated and irritated.
Especially hating how Bianca Lloyd’s image was reflected in the mirror each time, Chloe covered the dressing table mirror with a cloth.
* * *
Two days later, Chloe visited Countess Elena Residence. A week had passed, and she was curious about many things, her body’s condition, what the doctor had diagnosed, whether a priest had visited, and so on.
These were all questions she could ask under the guise of being a friend, but getting proper answers was difficult. After all, a friend was still an outsider. She only received stereotypical responses like “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine soon.” which was incredibly frustrating.
“What should I do, what should I do…….”
“Calm down, my love. She’ll wake up soon. Our daughter is so strong…… she’ll definitely wake up.”
What was even more heart-wrenching was her parents’ tears. Having come to check on her personally, they were now crying in front of her bedroom. Chloe quietly turned and walked away.
Her pace gradually quickened, and eventually, she ran frantically. When she came to her senses, she was at the end of the main building’s third-floor east corridor. This was the space used by Jeremy and Mars, and since neither was present, no servants were stationed here.
“Haa, haa…….”
Sitting on the windowsill, Chloe caught her breath. Her parents’ crying sounds were no longer audible, but she felt as if they were still echoing in her mind, like a sharp dagger slicing through her heart.
“I want to go back too…….”
