Chapter 55: Sudden Development (2)

“I received a message from the military police when I happened to be visiting a friend at a clinic in the downtown area.”

“Um, is His Excellency at the downtown clinic?”

There are various points to delve into about why Ethan is helping out at the downtown clinic, but the situation is urgent.

“Oh, I help out there occasionally. Just at that time, Jillian was found dead in the water. My friend was performing the autopsy, and I was there too. The cause of death was drowning.”

Rosa’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Drowned in the river?”

Ethan nodded.

“It seems she had quite a bit of alcohol in her system.”

Although Rosa had only spoken with Jillian for a short time, hearing about the death of someone she knew was still shocking.

“She was so lively. I wonder why she drank too much.”

Rosa held her head. Had she suddenly become bold with a large sum of money?

“The night Jillian fell into the river, there was heavy rain from midnight on. Perhaps, in her intoxicated state, she slipped and fell.”

“What a thing.”

She had happily received money, and yet her luck was unbelievably bad.

“I borrowed her belongings to have you confirm them.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

Rosa asked with a puzzled expression.

“She had something unusual for Jillian.”

Saying that, Ethan placed a small package wrapped in cloth on the table and showed its contents.

Inside was an elaborate hair ornament adorned with rubies. The shock from falling into the river had slightly damaged the hair ornament.

However, it was still recognizable as a high-quality item worn by nobility. There’s no way Jillian would have owned something like this.

“This is…”

It looked exactly like the hair ornament Ellen had worn at a previous banquet.

“You also recognize it, don’t you? I think Miss Moreau wore something similar.”

It seemed that Ethan also remembered.

“Yes, I can’t say for sure, but it does look similar. If we take it to the shop, we might find out who purchased it quickly, right? It seems to be a unique piece.”

From the craftsmanship, it was probably custom-made at that shop. Rosa knew it well, as she often used the same store. Ethan likely shared the same knowledge.

“Thank you for checking. I’ll go to the shop now and inquire. Would you like to come too?”

Rosa glanced at Helena and Hugh.

They seemed to be waiting for Rosa’s decision.

“Today, the shop is busy, so I’ll pass. If it’s not a bother, could you let me know the results?”

“Understood, I promise. Sorry for interrupting your busy time.”

Saying that, Ethan quickly left his seat.

“Miss, was it okay not to go with him?”

Helena asked with concern.

“Yes, I’ll leave it to His Excellency anyway.”

In any case, the thread named Jillian had already been pulled.

(But why did Jillian have Lady Ellen’s hair ornament?)

The mystery only deepened.

Unbeknownst to them, the backyard of Rozerian had become a place for exchanging information with Ethan.

On the afternoon of the day after, Ethan came to “Rozerian” with baked sweets as a souvenir.

Incidentally, his complexion was not good, just like yesterday.

“I promised to let you know the results, so here I am.”

Ethan hadn’t touched the tea or sweets served to him. It seemed that the results were not favorable for him.

“So, who placed the order?”

“I was told that they couldn’t reveal the customer information.”

Rosa felt a sense of disappointment.

“Well, when a shop becomes that high-end, I suppose it happens?”

“Miss Croitzer, the only time the shop refuses to disclose information to me is when the customer is royalty.”

“I see.”

In other words, it meant that it wasn’t a custom order by Ellen but rather a gift from Alex.

“So, I’m going to visit Marpin now.”

“Huh? But Marpin said he couldn’t talk about the client. Unless, of course, you can get him to tell you?”

If that’s the case, Rosa, who went in alone, would have made a mistake.

Rosa stared at Ethan with a strong gaze.

“Of course not. I’m going to investigate the Moreau family. It’s undoubtedly something Alex gave to Miss Moreau.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Rosa remained calm.

“In truth, if I had persisted at the jewelry store, they would have told me. But I was afraid to mention Alex’s name. Well, maybe it wasn’t necessary to ask… Actually, there’s a rumor starting at the palace that Miss Moreau has been visiting Alex.”

Ethan chuckled.

“So, did you confirm with Prince Alex?”

“Yeah, I did, but he denies it.”

While saying so, Ethan showed no sign of trusting Alex at all.

“Are you going to persuade His Highness to separate from Lady Ellen?”

It might have been prying too much, but Rosa couldn’t remain silent.

“No, he’s an adult. He should know what he’s doing. Rather, what worries me is you. Be careful around you. Also, it might be better for you to step back from this matter.”

“I can’t do that. This is my case.”

Rosa stated it firmly.