12 O'Clock Marionette-Chapter 72

Marien, though puzzled, answered.

"The basement? There's a storage room, but there's no need to clean that. That's Philips' responsibility. Even he barely touches it—maybe once or twice a month."

"I was just curious. The house is really impressive."

"It’s nothing special, but if you're interested, I'll give you the key."

"Oh, and I have one more question."

"What is it?"

"Are there any other noble families in the capital with the surname 'Winter'?"

There was no guarantee that the name 'Winter' written on the note referred to a noble family, but now that I had a hypothesis, I wanted to verify it.

Marien smiled proudly.

"No, this is the only one. There used to be a few others, but they all moved to their estates, leaving us as the sole 'Winter' family."

"I see."

"That’s why some people call Winterbell the 'Winter of the Capital.'"

Oh!

I felt as if I had just heard a bell ringing, announcing the correct answer.

"Here, then, this is the key to the basement. There's an iron door leading down in the storage room at the back."

"Alright."

"Feel free to look around all you want before the Baron and his wife return."

"Thank you!"

With Marien’s permission, I headed straight for the basement.

The process of getting inside was fairly straightforward.

However—

"Hmm."

It didn’t look like a meeting place at all.

The dust, undisturbed for ages, billowed up with every step, marking clear footprints. There weren’t even any suitable hiding spots in case of an emergency.

There was only one entrance, and, more crucially, the connected storage room had a massive window.

No one in their right mind would use a place this exposed for a secret rendezvous.

"I guess this isn't the right place."

Then where could be lower than a basement?

It wasn’t as if I had to dig up a grave or anything.

Feeling uneasy, I closed the door behind me.

"Could it be symbolic?"

The moment I voiced the thought, something clicked.

I lifted my head.

The lowest place.

If I flipped the interpretation, paradoxically, that meant the highest place.

The attic where the servants lived.

It was where those of the lowest status resided.

It was a rather unpleasant interpretation, but considering the meeting was with an imperial investigator, it actually made a lot of sense.

"Then what about Arista?"

Even as I cleaned the mansion, I kept an eye on the flower pots, but none of the flowers matched the one I had seen in the dictionary.

Maybe I needed to search through this mansion’s botanical records.

Just then, the loud chime of a clock rang through the air.

Deng—deng—deng—

The grandfather clock struck five.

This place was nice and all, but the clock was far too loud.

Even while cleaning, the constant noise had nearly driven me crazy.

I scowled, covering my ears—then suddenly froze.

"Wait a second. Five o’clock?"

Aristata was the birth flower for May 19.

When I tried interpreting it as a date, it didn’t fit—but what if I only took the numbers?

I stared blankly at the clock.

The minute hand had just moved. It was now 5:01.

"There’s no other interpretation."

I hurried up to the attic.

My heart pounded.

Climbing the ladder, I carefully opened the door.

Nothing had changed since I left this morning, but suddenly, the structure of the room looked different.

The large tree outside, blocking part of the window.

The way the outside view was visible depending on the angle.

Come to think of it, maybe I had been staring at that window for a reason.

Maybe my instincts had been trying to tell me something.

So I hadn’t been waiting for Cruello like a lost puppy after all!

Suppressing my excitement, I paced over the carpet.

Then, at that moment, a shadow passed over the window.

It wasn’t 5:29 yet—someone was already here?

I hesitated.

"I didn’t expect to see you here again, Siora."

A pair of long legs stepped over the window frame.

But once again, it wasn’t Cruello.

Seeing the light pink hair at the crown of his head, I let out a tired sigh.

Ugh, what a way to ruin the moment. My excitement had completely vanished.

"If you keep running away like this, what am I supposed to do? Have you been spending too much time with the Duke? You’ve turned into a fugitive now."

"How did you know to come here?"

"How else?"

Julian chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I saw it too. The note the imperial investigator had."

I had a feeling, and sure enough, he wasn’t the one I was supposed to meet.

"With how desperate we are for any information on the Black Serpent, how could I not be curious about a meeting as secretive as this? Of course, I had to show up."

"You’re not even trying to hide the fact that you’re with the Elders now."

"You warned me about the Serpent, and now this?"

"……."

"But, oh dear. Your contact won’t be coming."

Not coming? Don’t tell me—was he killed?

"The imperial side is rather quick with information. They must have already known their investigator was captured. There’s no way they’d send someone here."

So that was the reason. Surprisingly peaceful.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"You left the note behind on purpose, didn’t you?"

"Of course. I was hoping someone would take the bait. I’ve been waiting ever since I found out the Second Elder made a deal with the Duke."

If I hadn’t come here, would Julian have just peeked into the attic, gotten embarrassed, and slunk away?

The thought of it actually made the whole situation seem more amusing. A little disappointing, really.

But more importantly—

"Julian, you’re braver than I expected. What would you have done if Cruello had shown up instead?"

A simple provocation, but Julian’s expression immediately shifted.

So the rumors about his inferiority complex toward Cruello were true.

I smirked, pushing further.

Though, to be fair, I was genuinely curious.

"Do you think you could handle him?"

"The Duke wouldn’t come in person."

"Oh, informal speech?"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"You must not know him very well—he never personally steps into dangerous situations."

His voice darkened as he spoke, and with a click, Julian locked the window.

At the same time, petals bloomed from his fingertips, drifting through the air before attaching themselves to the attic door handle.

Sealing the exit, were you?

I let him be.

Because I already knew who was really about to be trapped.

"It wasn’t the Duke who showed up at the meeting place—it was you. I was honestly surprised. I thought you were just his plaything, but it turns out you get a bit more respect than that."

"Wow, you sure have a way with words."

"Not that it changes the fact that you're disposable."

"Enough talk. So, did you personally come here to capture the Duke’s ‘subordinate’?"

"I wasn’t expecting you, but yes. I’m fairly confident in my interrogation skills—I can extract information from just about anyone."

Julian stepped closer, a cold smile lingering at his lips.

The attic wasn’t particularly spacious, so it only took a few steps for his shadow to reach me.

Though not as tall as Cruello, he was still taller than me, and the downward gaze from his high vantage point carried a certain menace.

I blankly stared up at him.

Then, suddenly, his tone reverted to its usual polite manner.

"But I don’t particularly enjoy hearing people scream. Especially when we’ve built some level of acquaintance."

"Why are you talking in circles? Get to the point."

"I have a question. The woman who raided the temple yesterday—was she connected to you, Lady?"

Huh?

I nearly choked.

So he went through all this drama just to show up without a clue?

"Hmm. Hmph."

No wonder he was friends with Daedire Crimson.

I had worn a mask, sure—but I hadn’t altered my build or voice.

Yet even after seeing me up close, he still couldn’t tell it was me?

So this is the limit of someone who plays errand boy for the Elder Council.

Dumbfounded, I simply stared at Julian in silence.

He must have taken that as a confirmation.

"So it really was, huh? I didn’t realize at the time, but in hindsight, the spell she used wasn’t one of the modern ones. I’ve been wondering—are there still ancient gods with enough divine power left for that?"

"Hmm."

"Tell me who she is, and I’ll let you go unharmed."

Would he really, if I confessed that it was me?

I bit down on my lip to keep from laughing.

Julian, however, was dead serious.

"Honestly, the Elder Council doesn’t have that much ill will toward you. As long as you go through with the annulment, they’ll leave you alone like nothing ever happened."

"Is that so?"

"You don’t want to die at such a young age, do you? If you have any sense, you’ll make the right choice."

He took another half-step forward as he spoke.

There was a faint edge to his voice now, laced with a threat.

Julian Minerva.

I had already decided how I was going to deal with this child.

I had only let him go yesterday because I didn’t have the energy to spare.

But now that he had so kindly delivered himself right to my feet, there was no reason to let him walk away again.

I gazed into his eyes for a moment before suddenly grinning.

Julian was already close enough.

"Sorry, but I was always going to die young."

Siora Bonetti was destined for that.

No matter how carefully I used this body, it had never lasted more than three years.

Julian’s brows furrowed.

Oops.

"You asked if I knew the woman who attacked the temple yesterday? I do."

"Then—"

"That was me."

Fourth Spell. Restriction.

Chains infused with divine energy surged toward Julian.

The moment he sensed the attack, he conjured four vines in retaliation.

But I had seen it firsthand before.

Julian Minerva’s casting speed was nowhere near Cruello’s.

And in a battle where your life was on the line, speed determined the victor.

"Kh…!"

The vines aiming for my back withered before they could touch me.

Meanwhile, Julian barely managed to grab hold of the chain that had been aimed at his throat.

His hands trembled.

If he lost even a fraction of his strength, the chains would cut his life short.

I left them where they were, taking a casual step back and crossing my arms.

"Honestly, I don’t get it. How could you see me up close and still not recognize me?"