Akashic Records of the Bastard Child Engaged to a Goddess

Chapter 75 I'm a detective...?

This morning, I found myself in Lana's room, taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up with her. I did my best to dance around the topic of my impending travels. Instead, I shifted my focus to finding out more about the curse that had befallen her.

"Did you come in contact with anything unusual in the days leading up to the onset of your symptoms?" I asked her.

"No, not really," she replied.

In a sense, maybe that question wasn't the best interrogative route, so I decided to approach the topic from a different angle.

"Can you think of anything that happened in the days before you got sick?" I asked.

Lana took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Well, now that you mention it, there was this terrible cup of tea that Arthur and I had the day before my vision started to deteriorate."

This was progress, but merely in the early stages. "And?" I needed more information to arrive at a plausible conclusion.

"Is it really important though?" Lana asked me. "I mean, you've purged the curse and I'm fine now... isn't that what matters?"

I faked a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, I suppose you're right... still, I'd like to hear more about that terrible cup of tea."

"Really? It's not necessarily a good or long story, Lumi." She folded her arms.

Geez, just tell me already!

"Ah, yes, but anything to kill time, right?" I did my best to hide the desperation written all over my face.

"Yeah, give me a moment to remember what I said after tasting the tea..." she rubbed her chin looking out the window.

"Sure, take your time.." I sighed.

"Well," Lana hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I remember saying that nothing could be worse than drinking that cup of tea... the tea gave me a slight headache but I didn't make a big deal out of it."

"Oh, oddly funny story... haha." It wasn't.

Lana let out a soft chuckle, "I initially suspected the tea to be the reason. But then I remembered that Arthur had the same tea, and he was perfectly fine."

I stroked my chin thoughtfully, "That makes sense."

Lana rolled her eyes playfully, "Of course it does. I'm not that foolish. Anyone would think of the last thing they did when some unexpected curse hit them."

I flashed her a warm smile, "I never thought for a second that you were foolish."

Curiously, I asked Lana, "But why did the tea taste so horrid? I remember you taking some tea-making classes a few years ago."

Then again, maybe Arthur made the tea, after all, he wasn't always successful in his tea-making endeavors. Despite this, he remained enthusiastic about tea ceremony and everything related to it.

Lana shot me a sly grin, "Well, I can assure you, it wasn't me who made the tea. It was actually one of the housemaids, her name is Ne— Nerbas." She snapped her fingers, "Yeah, Nerbas!"

I nodded in understanding and chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't lose it and yell at her for making such terrible tea."

Lana frowned, "I would never be so petty or rude to the maids. They work hard enough as it is."

I held up my hands in surrender, "Of course, I didn't mean it like that. I just expected you to react a little bit more in your usual manner."

Lana tilted her head inquisitively, "What do you mean by, my usual way?"

I smirked, knowing it would be wise not to answer, "Nevermind."

Lana giggled and playfully smacked my arm, "Cheeky."

We continued to chatter, discussing anything that came to mind. We laughed and joked, poking fun at each other and the situations at hand. Our light-hearted banter continued, each of us enjoying the other's company.

---

After concluding my discussion with Lana, I began making my way back to my room. Lloyd was in the hallway, admiring himself in his handheld mirror as he often did. Our eyes briefly met, but we didn't exchange words as we walked past each other.

"You handsome son of a bitch, what I'll do to you when we get to the room," Lloyd said to himself as he looked at the mirror.

The mansion's corridors were quiet, but that didn't last long as Salmarc suddenly called out my name, "Bastard, how goes it?!"

Well of course that wasn't my name.

But to him... it was.

"Didn't you see me? Why didn't you greet you wretched lowly plebeian!" He demanded respect as usual.

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his pathetic attempt to intimidate me. "What can I do for you, Brother Salmarc?" I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm as I approached him.

He stepped on my shoe with incredible force, a malicious grin on his face.

I didn't flinch, but instead narrowed my eyes at him. "Woah, that's been about half a minute of foot grinding... is this your idea of getting my attention?" I quipped, my tone challenging. "You should really learn some new tactics, Sal. This foot fetish of yours is getting old."

His face twisted with anger as he snapped at me. "Just because you came back on a fancy airship, you think you're some big shot now?" he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "I'll make sure to crush you just like I crushed your shoe."

I chuckled at his words, not intimidated in the slightest. "You really can't come up with anything more creative than that?" I taunted him, my eyes sparkling with amusement.

Salmarc's temper flared, and he threw a weak punch at my face. But I was too quick for him and easily intercepted his attack, holding his fist in place. "I told you before, Salmarc," I said coolly. "No one, not Vanessa, not you, not even Pasiphae herself, will undermine me in this house... not anymore."

He angrily pulled his hand away from my grasp, growling at me as he stormed off. "This isn't over!" he yelled back at me.

I shook my head, a smirk playing on my lips. "Of course, it's not," I muttered under my breath. "We live in the same damn house, after all."

Finally, I returned to my chamber, eager to review the information that Lana had given me. As I twisted the handle and pushed the door open, I wasn't surprised to see Serena and Isadora already waiting for me. The room had been tidied up, as expected, with a sense of orderliness that put my mind at ease.

Isadora and Serena both rose to their feet, bowing their heads in respect as I entered the room.

"Welcome back, master." Isadora smiled.

"Yes, welcome back, Lord Lumiere." Serena's smile, mild as always.

I waved my hands dismissively, "No need for that you guys." I graciously admonished them.

I relayed the information I received to them. The expressions on their faces shifted and morphed, from surprise to shock, as I spoke, grappling with the gravity of the situation.

Suddenly, Isadora interrupted me, her lips parting in confusion. "This Nerbas... why would she want to do such a thing to your sister?"

Serena was quick to chime in, her voice quivering with disbelief. "It doesn't make any sense!"

I couldn't agree more. However, I knew we had to face the facts.

"I think I know what's going on now." I folded my arms.

Isadora raised an eyebrow. "Go on," she said, curious.

"It's—" (Lumiere)

"It's Arthur they're after," Serena beat me to it.

Unknowingly, I clicked my tongue, irritated that she had guessed my thought. "Damn it!" I said.

Serena's lips curled up in an apologetic smile "Sorry for that, my lord. I got a bit excited..."

"It's fine," I smiled.

Isadora interjected again, her voice low and uncertain. "But... why would they want to kill Arthur?"

She definitely felt like she was learning a new name everyday.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what came next. "Because he's the crown prince."

Isadora's eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't aware of this fact, having only recently arrived, but Serena knew.

"I see," was all Isadora said.

Serena looked at me, her forehead creased with worry. "I don't mean to sound rude, but do you think Jericho is behind all of this?"

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. While Jericho would benefit the most from Arthur's death, it doesn't make sense for him to do it. He's not that kind of person."

Isadora scoffed, her eyes rolling. "You're so naive! You trust too easily."

Mhm, says the demon spirit that tried to kill me as a "test".

I chuckled softly, my lips turning up at the corners as I reassured her. "You should trust me. I'm not ruling out Jericho yet, but I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket either."

There was Vanessa, Jericho and Bluestella. All three of them were culprits.