ARML 24

Chapter 24 

I hadn’t even gotten married yet, and I had just called someone from a noble imperial family “Mister.”

‘I’m dead.’

That was the first thought that popped into my head.

But the male lead didn’t seem bothered at all.

“I want to ask Henry for a favor. Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

“You’re really brave. Even braver than the palace knights.”

“Braver than a knight… really?”

“Of course.”

The male lead smiled faintly and patted Henry’s head.

“Then you deserve a medal.”

“A medal? What’s that…?”

“It’s a round medal made of gold. It’s only given to the bravest person in the world.”

“A gold medal? Really?”

“Yes. Because you got up and helped the adults right away.”

“Heehee!”

Henry straightened up proudly, clearly happy with the compliment.

The way he looked at the male lead—like he’d do anything to help him—was adorable.

‘He’s surprisingly good with kids.’

I had worried that he might bombard the kid with scary questions.

[If you can’t even handle that, what could you do elsewhere?]

He used to say that…

Now, this was kind of touching.

“Alright. Can you try to remember that day? Right before the bad person came—what did you see?”

“Um… I was playing in the garden, and I dropped my ball. It rolled out into the path…”

“And then?”

“I picked it up and stood up, and… There was no one there before, but something suddenly appeared.”

“What was it?”

“Umm… Something like a doll!”

“……”

“But I don’t remember what it looked like. And then I woke up here.”

I tilted my head at Henry’s answer.

‘A doll?’

But the male lead seemed to understand immediately.

“They must have used a dark magic artifact to lure the child.”

“Is… that even possible?”

“Absolutely. That’s probably how they got past the knights.”

The male lead let out a deep sigh.

“If we had missed him that night…”

“……”

Now that I thought about it…

In the original story, the kidnapped child…

‘…died, didn’t he?’

If things had gone even slightly wrong, this kid could’ve died.

‘I only saved him by accident while trying to twist the story so I could quit early…’

Just then, someone awkwardly patted my shoulder.

‘Huh?’

I looked up and saw the male lead awkwardly clearing his throat.

One of his hands hovered just above my shoulder.

“I meant… I’m really glad you were there.”

“Ah…”

“Thank you. You must have been really scared that day too.”

Embarrassed, I looked away.

Maybe it was just weird to be thanked—no one ever thanked me when I worked.

‘Whether then or now, I can’t even remember the last time I was complimented.’

The orphanage treated my hard work as expected, and the company… well, you don’t work there to be praised.

But now the male lead, with his incredibly handsome face, was smiling at me gently… I couldn’t say anything back.

“Alright, Lowell. Head back to the office.”

“Huh? You’re not coming?”

“I’m going to the interrogation room with Finley. The Minister is probably waiting.”

Interrogation room.

At that word, my eyes widened.

‘The kidnapper still hasn’t confessed, right?’

I needed to find out who was behind it if I wanted to quit sooner.

Then, the male lead’s wrist glowed red.

He touched the mark, and a voice—the shadowy villain—came through.

“Lupesk. You’re in the ward? When are you coming?”

“I’m coming now.”

“Bring Miss Lowell too.”

“…What are you talking about?”

The male lead’s face suddenly turned cold.

It looked just like my expression whenever a boss spouted nonsense at my last job.

“There’s something I want her help with.”

“You— What are you doing…?”

“See you soon.”

“Edgar!”

Click!

The shadowy villain cut the connection without waiting for a reply.

The male lead looked like he wanted to strangle someone.

‘Wow. Even a future duke can be a frustrated office worker when he has a boss like that.’

I felt a cold sweat down my spine.

‘He wants me in the interrogation room? What is he planning to make me do?’

Taking me to the park was already risky when I think about it.

But still…

“Senior, I want to go with you!”

“What?”

“Ah, is that not okay?”

The male lead froze and blinked like he couldn’t believe me.

“Y-You’re serious?”

“Yes, of course—”

“They might be torturing the suspect. Are you sure you can handle that?”

“Oh. Y-Yeah, still… yes.”

This was a romantic fantasy world based on Western history.

Labor rights were already terrible—so obviously, prisoner rights would be nonexistent.

‘Of course they’re not protected!’

But I had to go.

I couldn’t let the male leads know something I didn’t.

‘Even though I got some story information from the Mandrake, I still missed key details like Henry’s kidnapping.’

So even if I hated it or was scared, I had no choice but to stick my head in.

“For the sake of smooth report-writing later, I’ll go. It’s company business, after all.”

“Lowell… you don’t have to—”

“And he kidnapped someone’s family. I want to spit in his face.”

“…Lowell.”

The male lead couldn’t say anything and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He had been doing that a lot lately.

“Senior, does your eye hurt? I know a trick to relieve eye pressure.”

“Sigh… it’s not that.”

He replied in a darker voice than before.

“Alright. If it gets too uncomfortable, you can leave at any time.”

“Yes!”

“Sometimes you’ll hear screams through the glass. Just cover your ears.”

“…Ah, yes!”

Suddenly I was scared for real.

I already regretted this, but it was too late to back out.

* * *

The interrogation room, located underground in the central department.

“Ughhh…!”

The man who kidnapped Henry was lying miserably on the floor.

His fellow criminals were in the same state.

Edgar and Seamus stood over them without a word.

They looked like men in their twenties to early thirties.

Smooth faces. Hands without a single callus.

They looked like they came from decent families.

At worst, middle-class commoners. Maybe even provincial nobles.

Edgar smirked.

They had soft lives, yet they chose to commit crimes.

“Tsk. You speak worse than the kids you tried to kidnap.”

“Ugh…”

“So disappointing… really. How will you make up for my disappointment?”

Edgar muttered as he examined the leader’s mind.

But all he saw was a world dyed pitch-black.

‘Too corrupted to get anything from him.’

Did the one behind them do this—so nothing could be discovered even if they were caught?

Just then, the door opened and Carlyle entered.

“Any confessions yet?”

“Not yet. Oh.”

On the other side of the glass, Layla Lowell was standing stiffly, clearly frozen in place.

“You brought Miss Lowell. Then…”

“Don’t call her inside.”

Edgar smiled brightly, and Carlyle’s face twisted with frustration.

He held back his cursing only out of politeness.

But since the day they caught the kidnappers, Carlyle had been complaining nonstop to Edgar.

When they arrived on scene, Carlyle had nearly fainted.

[Why is Lowell here?!]

She was supposed to be backup at the office, and yet—here she was at a dangerous site!

He’d been furious and scolded Edgar immediately.

[Edgar! Don’t tell me you brought Lowell?!]

[Yup. She was really helpful.]

[Helpful? Are you kidding me?!]

He hadn’t argued further back then because of the children’s condition, but this was too much.

“If Lowell breaks down because of this, then what? What if something happens to her?!”

“Sigh. Carlyle Lupesk.”

Edgar sighed deeply.

“She’s tied down to a 3-year contract anyway. What’s the problem?”

“Edgar…”

“Besides, with Lowell’s help, we might be able to recover their memories.”