Chapter 57
While the young master Lucien slept soundly in his chamber, blissfully unaware beneath the warmth of his blanket and the soft silence of a room dimmed by drawn velvet curtains, a quiet investigation was already underway deep within the Velebrandt estate. Beneath the marble floors and the elegant spires of the grand mansion, down the less traveled corridors into the underground servant quarters, two figures stood in muted tension.
Knight Rex, tall and broad-shouldered with a commanding presence even while seated, leaned over slightly with both arms resting atop his armored thighs. His usual stoicism was shadowed by a storm brewing behind his eyes—controlled, yet fierce. Across from him sat Maid Marie, her hands neatly folded on her lap, though her thumbs twitched anxiously as she retold the morning’s events.
"He looked like he was poisoned," Marie said quietly, her brows furrowed in memory. "Sprawled on the swing like life had left him. His dessert and utensils on the ground, untouched. I—"
She paused, her throat tightening.
"I panicked. I thought I was too late."
Knight Rex didn’t interrupt. His eyes flickered once to the box on the low coffee table between them. It was a compact magical containment unit—silver-edged with runic inscriptions glowing faintly. Inside, carefully arranged, was the half-eaten jelly dessert Lucien had taken to the garden earlier that day, alongside the silver spoon and the glass dish it had rested in. There were minor smudges of dirt and grass, but the preservation magic kept everything sealed in its exact state.
The lounge room itself was quiet, clean, and well-kept. Pale white light streamed from the ceiling stones enchanted with glow spells, bathing the room in a soft, sterile hue. Books lined the far wall in wooden shelves, and a pot of trailing ivy sat on the side table, its green leaves drooping just slightly.
Rex finally broke the silence. His voice was low but carried weight.
"And he’s alright now?"
Marie looked up and nodded softly. "Still sluggish, but... breathing normally. He even walked himself to the west wing after the identification process."
Rex’s jaw clenched.