How the Disgusting Suitor Met His End - Chapter 20

“No, there aren’t.”

Perfect.

Cecilia relaxed a little and leaned back against her chair.

It was a gesture of relief, but to Rogerick’s eyes, she just looked like a delicate lady who had been shocked and lost her strength.

“Were the culprits caught?”

“No, not yet. That’s why the investigation is being kept more secret. I told you because I was worried you might be in danger too, but you must not tell anyone else. Got it?”

“Of course. I won’t say a word.”

Cecilia felt at ease as she dropped a couple of sugar cubes into her tea and stirred it. Then she glanced at Margaret, who was waiting at a distance.

She knew Margaret was worried sick on her own. She had been kidnapped, almost killed a man, and then left the victims behind, so of course, she wouldn’t be at peace.

‘I can tell her to relax now.’

After Rogerick leaves, I should call Margaret right away.

Cecilia took a sip of the bitter-sweet tea.

“If it weren’t for Grand Duke Raphaeli, this case might not have even been investigated.”

“Kuk… What? Who?”

Cecilia, who barely avoided choking, put down her teacup. Rogerick’s eyes widened and he offered her a handkerchief.

“I mean Grand Duke David von Raphaeli. He happened to be in Erdel.”

“…….”

“Thanks to the Grand Duke stepping forward and offering to investigate secretly, things got easier.”

“…….”

“He seems to have come down to Erdel for business. He said he happened to run into them at the crime scene.”

“…Grand Duke Raphaeli? That person, you mean?”

She had never heard that name before, let alone of a ‘Grand Duke’. Cecilia screamed inwardly in frustration.

‘A character like that never appeared in the novel!’

She knew well because she was an avid reader who followed every new chapter in real-time. The highest-ranking noble was the House of Bartsch, and above them was only the royal family.

Both the name Raphaeli and the title of Grand Duke were unfamiliar. But it would look suspicious if she didn’t know a person of such stature.

“The… the person famous for being handsome.”

Cecilia threw out a bait to somehow get information. It seemed plausible that a famous man would have a rumor like that, whether it was true or not.

“…Are you a follower of the Grand Duke, too, Cecil?”

“A follower?”

For some reason, Rogerick’s expression hardened a bit.

“There are many nobles who follow him as ‘followers’ because of the Grand Duke’s beautiful appearance and his unique personality. Ladies are no exception.”

“Oh… no, I’m not that much. In fact, I don’t know much about him at all.”

“Really?”

Cecilia laughed as if it were nothing. But her complicated mind could not calm down.

A young, handsome Grand Duke with a large following and a lot of influence.

A person like that might become a better ally than Rogerick Montieux. In fact, she had even considered a prince as a potential partner.

‘But… he could also be an enemy.’

Even in the original novel, the identity of the enemy who brought down the Cissil family was never revealed.

‘And what if he saw the coachman’s body?’

This was completely unexpected.

She thought everything would be easy because she knew the original story. She had a world-weary soul and information about the future, so she thought her life would be completely different and easy compared to her previous life.

But it wasn’t. Cecilia’s life was full of variables.

“…Cecil?”

She raised her head, and Rogerick was looking at her with a worried expression.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Did I scare you too much?”

“…No. It’s alright, Rogerick.”

But Cecilia remained silent for a long time. Rogerick, who was watching her with concern, gently took her hand.

“…Cecil, how about we go for a change of pace instead?”

Rogerick gave a bashful smile.

“It will definitely be fun.”

***

By “change of pace,” Cecilia thought of something lewd.

He was taking her outside instead of to a room, so she suspected it might be some kind of daring play. She even began to wonder if his claim that he went to the party unwillingly was a lie.

But the place Rogerick stopped was in front of the stables. He brought out a beautiful, pure white horse from inside and smiled brightly.

“You’ve always loved running through the fields since you were a child. You loved horseback riding, too.”

“…….”

“How about it? Looks fun, right?”

Her complicated mind did clear up. But not in a good way.

‘It seems like…….’

Unless she found a new man, it would be difficult to continue her hobbies here.

“Yes, it looks fun.”

“Come this way, I’ll help you.”

Rogerick, dressed in riding attire, knelt on one knee, offering himself as a stepping stone. Cecilia, who let out a small laugh at his gentlemanly gesture, suddenly realized the problem.

‘But, can I ride a horse in this body?’