Chapter 31
Once again, Josée dreams.
She dreams of the day she solved her very first mystery at the Lirondelle brothel.
It had been after closing time when a large emerald ring was discovered—left behind in one of the rooms. It was quite valuable, nestled in a sturdy little box. Marlène picked it up with a sigh.
“It was found in Lisette’s room. I wonder who could’ve forgotten it? No one seems to have noticed it missing, and no one’s come back asking for it...”
Josée spoke up.
“Today, five gentlemen visited Lisette’s room: Enzo, Basil, Louis, Béranger, and César.”
“Right.”
“Enzo-sama is a scholar—and quite wealthy. But his wife has a metal allergy.”
“Huh.”
“Basil-sama’s obsessed with horse racing and always broke. I’ve never once heard of him winning.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“Louis-sama was counting on his fingers on the floor today.”
“What was he counting?”
“Béranger-sama is an accomplished jeweler.”
“Oh! Then maybe he accidentally left behind one of his wares.”
“César-sama and his wife are both doctors.”
“Our girls are always in their care.”
Josée smiled faintly. “So, now you know who left the ring behind, don’t you?”
Marlène stared blankly.
“Huh? I don’t know. Well... Basil-sama’s broke, so he definitely couldn’t afford a ring like that.”
At least she'd picked up on that much. But beyond that, Marlène lapsed into silence.
Josée continued matter-of-factly.
“The Césars are doctors. They wouldn’t wear something so flashy during their work.”
“True. Especially since his wife’s a dermatologist.”
“And Béranger-sama is way too meticulous to forget one of his own pieces.”
“I see...”
“Enzo-sama’s wife has a metal allergy. So he’s not likely either.”
“...Which means?”
Josée gave a sly smile. “The emerald ring was left behind by Louis-sama. Want to know how I know?”
Marlène tilted her head. “Hmm... maybe it was a gift for one of the girls? Or for his wife?”
“The hint,” Josée said, “was that he was counting.”
“Ah! I’ve got it! He was trying to buy gifts for everyone at the brothel, so he was counting how many people he needed to shop for—and checking his budget!”
“...That’s a little too generous of an interpretation,” Josée said flatly.
“Then what was he counting?”
“Louis-sama’s wife has a certain reputation. She’s terrifying. He was probably counting how many years they’ve been married. He must’ve bought the ring before coming here... just needed to blow off some steam. A pitiful man.”
Just as Marlène opened her mouth to reply—
“Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What do I do?!”
Louis burst through the brothel’s front doors, panic written all over his face. Marlène jumped to her feet.
“Oh my, Louis-sama!”
“I’ve been retracing my steps all morning—hey, you didn’t happen to find a ring here, did you?!”
Marlène and Josée exchanged a glance.
“Well, what a coincidence. We were just talking about that ring,” Marlène said. “But just to be sure... can you describe it for us?”
“It’s an emerald ring set in silver! A big oval cut!”
He seemed to be telling the truth. Marlène handed him the box.
“Thank goodness! You really saved me!” Louis clutched the ring to his chest. “Today’s my wedding anniversary—if I’d gone home without the gift, I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened!”
With a bittersweet grin, he turned and dashed off once more.
Marlène turned to Josée and ruffled her hair affectionately.
“You really pay close attention to the clients. I’m impressed!”
Josée replied casually, “I grew up in a place where misreading people’s expressions could get you killed. So I got pretty good at observation and deduction.”
Marlène’s expression shifted.
“What!? You lived somewhere that dangerous?”
“It wasn’t dangerous. I just lived on the outskirts of the palace.”
“...!”
Marlène went pale.
“Don’t tell me—you’re part of the Sarana royal family?!”
“From a branch line, yes. My mother wasn’t royalty—just a local nomad, but apparently her beauty was well-known. She caught the king’s eye and became one of his favorite concubines. Thanks to His Majesty, our living conditions were always secure. But—if you made the wrong political move, you became a target. In the royal family, if anything seemed off, people would kill each other without hesitation. So my mother used to take me on nomadic journeys, relying on her brothers to keep us safe. In that sense, I guess it was a pretty harsh environment.”
It was the first time she’d ever spoken about it aloud—but she didn’t think it was some forbidden secret. For the first time, Josée had fully opened up to Marlène.
Marlène stood still for a moment, fidgeting as she processed everything. Then, as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders, she smiled.
“So that’s why... I always thought you were a mysterious girl,” she said, and ruffled Josée’s hair again.
“You really went through a lot. That sharp eye of yours must’ve come from growing up in that kind of place.”
“I keep telling you—it wasn’t that harsh.”
“Well, regardless, now you can use that ability for your own benefit. Oh, right—I actually wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
Marlène looked a bit more serious.
“Baron Donovan came to me with a little problem. Apparently, it’s something he can’t talk about with his family or fellow nobles. Do you think you could help him? If you solve this, it might turn out to be a big opportunity for you...”