Chapter 217: The Scassia Estate
Even though it took a bit of time, Armand still managed to arrive at the somewhat remote Scassia family estate before nightfall.
The Scassia family was originally just a small noble house. Even though they were given the title of viscount, compared to those born into noble status, they were clearly still lower in rank.
And to make things worse, their noble title was bought. Their eldest son had earned the title of baron through military achievements, but the family took it from him, paid extra money, and got it upgraded to a viscount title.
Armand had already heard a lot about how shameless they were, even if Melian didn’t gossip about them when Armand visited the Carle family as a guest, he already knew plenty.
Because of their bad reputation, they decided to move to a quiet, out-of-the-way location. Nobody would bother them there. They even borrowed a lot of money from the Carle family to renovate the house and make it look fancy.
Of course, they still had some dignity left, so they didn’t dare to borrow too much. The house, while nicely decorated, wasn’t big. Compared to Armand’s own estate, it was really just a “fancy yard.”
But even small places have guards.
When Armand arrived by carriage in front of the Scassia estate’s main gate, two tall, strong men, both even bulkier than Armand, blocked his way. They looked so fierce that if you didn’t know they were gatekeepers, you might think they were here to rob someone.
“Who are you?”
The two men had rough, angry faces, and their tone was rude. They stood there like two walls, completely blocking the entrance.
Maybe because Armand was also tall, the two men even tilted their chins up, as if trying to look down at him with their noses.
“I’m Armand Systalia, Captain of the Royal Knights. I’m here to see Viscount Scassia.”
Armand wasn’t scared at all by two guys who were a head taller than him. He calmly pulled out his badge and showed them the royal emblem that proved his status.
“…Royal… Captain…”
The two men, who had been full of confidence just moments ago, instantly backed down when they heard he was from the royal court.
They didn’t even dare to take the badge to check if it was real. Just exchanged a quick glance, then stepped back and opened the heavy iron gate.
“We’ll let them know you’re here. Someone will come meet you shortly. But… if you’re looking for Viscount Scassia, he’s not at home right now.”
“He’s not?”
Armand paused. A bad feeling suddenly rose in his chest.
“Yes, he’s not. As for where he went, you’ll have to ask the second young master.”
The Scassia family had another son besides the one who died in battle.
Even though they were both sons of the current viscount, their personalities were completely different.
The eldest son looked more like his father but had the gentle and determined personality of his mother. The younger son, though he inherited his mother’s looks, had the same greedy nature as his father. He lived by the idea, ‘the thicker your skin, the more you can take.’
“Alright, got it.”
Armand didn’t enjoy dealing with people like that. If possible, he’d rather never see them again for the rest of his life. But to find clues about Evelia and Rachel, he had to force himself to swallow his disgust and step into the Scassia estate.
Led by a maid, Armand was brought to the guest parlor.
Even though Armand wasn’t a noble, he had come under the banner of the royal family this time. So the staff didn’t dare be careless. The maids quickly served tea and snacks, and the butler hurried off to inform the second young master.
Armand didn’t feel like eating anything at the moment, so he just sat there quietly. An older maid, who was supposed to finish tidying up and leave, ended up staring at Armand a few more times.
“Is something wrong?”
Armand could clearly feel the strange gaze. He looked at the kind-looking old maid and raised his eyebrow in confusion.
“Ah—no, nothing, I’m sorry, Captain,” the maid replied awkwardly, shaking her head. “It’s just… looking at you reminded me of someone I used to know.”
“......”
Armand stayed silent for a moment. He looked at the maid’s face, then turned his gaze away.
“There are many people in the world. It’s normal to come across someone who looks similar. You probably just got the wrong person.”
“Y-yes, thank you for understanding. I’ll take my leave now...”
The maid bowed slightly and slowly walked out of the guest room. Just as she left, the second young master entered.
Derrick Scassia, the second son of the Scassia family, was a man whose name, which meant "gifted", had absolutely nothing to do with who he really was.
Thanks to the Scassia family’s naturally good looks, their late mother was a beautiful woman, Derrick had a fairly handsome face. But unfortunately, even though he was already over forty, he still hadn’t inherited the small title of Viscount. He still went around calling himself "young master," which made him seem even more ridiculous. Maybe it stressed him out, because his face looked pretty fierce too.
“Captain, welcome, welcome. May I ask what brings you here today?”
Although Derrick didn’t really like entertaining guests, Armand had come as someone from the royal palace, even if it was personal business, so Derrick acted very politely. He bent down a bit to shake hands, then respectfully sat across from Armand.
“I came to see Viscount Scassia. I heard he’s not home right now?”
“Ah, you’re here for my father. What a pity—yes, he’s not at home right now. Is there anything I can help with instead?”
To be honest, not only did Derrick dislike talking to others, Armand himself also didn’t like being face-to-face with people like him.
Armand was sure the viscount’s absence wasn’t a coincidence, there was definitely something behind it. That made it even more important to find him.
“Viscount Scassia is involved in a certain case,” Armand said. “I can’t say more right now, but I need to walk around this estate and look for clues.”
Even though the situation with Evelia and Rachel hadn’t been officially filed as a case yet, Armand, as the captain of the Royal Knights, had the authority to skip the usual investigation procedures. If he said it was a case, then it was a case.
Technically, this kind of action broke the rules. But because the crown prince supported Armand, no matter how the situation unfolded, everything would be cleaned up and made official later. Armand had worked loyally under the crown prince for years, and this was one of the "perks" that came with it.
Even if he was lying, it didn’t matter, his title alone made it believable. As long as he spoke seriously, most people wouldn’t dare doubt him.
“Uh...”
But Derrick clearly hesitated.
“What, is there a problem?”
Hearing that Derrick might say no, Armand’s face instantly darkened.
There was no need to draw a sword when dealing with people like this. Just putting away his usual polite smile was enough to make them nervous.
“Ah—no, no problem at all,” Derrick quickly shook his head. “If you want to look around, please go ahead. I’ll have the butler guide you—”
“No need.”
Armand raised his hand and pointed to the door that had just closed not long ago.
“That old maid who just left, have her come back and guide me.”
“You mean…?”
Derrick followed Armand’s finger and looked toward the door. After thinking back to who had just passed by, the image of an older woman came to mind.
“You mean Stacey? Ah, her legs aren’t very strong. I’m not sure she can walk you around the house properly.”
“It’s fine. I think she’s experienced enough. If I ask her about things in the house, she should know.”
“Haha, I see… Alright, I understand. Please wait a moment. I’ll have someone call her.”
With that, Derrick stood up.
He could clearly tell that Armand didn’t want to chat much, so he wisely left the room without dragging things out.
Once Derrick politely closed the door and told him to wait a moment, Armand finally relaxed a bit and leaned back on the sofa.
He really didn’t like this kind of fake, overly formal way of talking. After all, he had always wanted to distance himself from those nobles who constantly acted high and mighty and showed off their status.
But sometimes, he had no choice but to do the same, using his identity as the "Captain of the Royal Knights" to pressure commoners or lower-ranked nobles.
He didn’t like being forced to rely on power, but he had to admit, it really did make things easier.
If he had just accepted his role early on, like that one writer once joked, and become a “royal lapdog who abuses his power,” his life might’ve been a lot easier than it is now.
Knock knock knock.
“Come in.”
Armand, as usual, quickly fixed his posture before the door opened.
Just moments ago, he was sitting all relaxed, but once that old maid, Stacey, walked in, he immediately sat up straight and looked at her seriously.
“Captain, you asked for me?”
The old maid respectfully gave him a bow.
“Yes. I need to take a walk around this place, and I’ll need someone to guide me. Since we already exchanged a few words earlier, I figured it must be fate. Plus, you’ve been here a long time, so I hope you don’t mind helping me.”
“Not at all, not at all. If there’s anything you want to know, feel free to ask. I really have been here for many years. To be honest, I’ve spent half my life serving the Scassia family. Captain, what would you like to know?”
Seeing that Armand didn’t seem like a strict person. In fact, he was quite polite, Stacey relaxed. Her nervousness disappeared, and she smiled as she watched Armand stand and walk toward her, ready to explore the house.
“Just tell me what you’re allowed to say.”
Armand didn’t even need to guess, since Derrick was the one who sent her, he probably told her something like “Don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”
Armand didn’t plan to make things hard for the old maid. He just wanted to ask some basic questions. As for the more complicated things, he’d find out on his own.
“In that case, I’ll take you to the floor where the family members rest. You can take a look there and ask if anything interests you.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Armand nodded and followed Stacey out. Her steps were indeed slow, clearly due to her age, and she walked very carefully.
She was like a grandmother looking after her own children, constantly warning Armand to be careful on the stairs, even though for a young man like him, those steps were nothing special.
“Oh dear, my legs aren’t what they used to be. I need to catch my breath. If you’re in a hurry, you can go ahead of me. I’ll just rest here a bit. But please remember, keep your steps quiet when you go up. Young Master Derrick and his wife are still upstairs, having a talk.”
After walking along a stone path for a while, Stacey looked a little tired. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat down on a small wooden stump used as decoration by the side of the road.
Armand, walking beside her, looked at her tired smile, which she was clearly faking, and nodded, understanding what she was trying to do.
“Alright, take a good rest here. I’ll go upstairs for a bit. Later, I’ll need you to take me to the backyard.”
As he spoke, Armand stepped onto another staircase and went up.
For Armand, “going upstairs quietly” was no problem at all. Even though he was still wearing his heeled leather boots from the knight order, he didn’t make a single sound as he walked on the wooden floor.
Even though the mansion looked big from the outside, the inside was surprisingly empty. Only a few servants could be seen, and they didn’t move around much. That made it easy for Armand to walk right up to Derrick’s bedroom.
“Why did that guy come here? Royal Knight Captain or whatever, acting all high and mighty! He shows up and starts acting like he owns the place. Ugh, just disgusting. And that face of his—ugh, you didn’t see it. Looking at him reminded me of my damn brother!”
It seemed Derrick hadn’t expected that even though Stacey had been warned “not to say too much,” she still brought Armand directly to this part of the house. Earlier, Derrick had acted polite and respectful, but now that he was back in his bedroom, his true self came out.
“Didn’t your brother die a long time ago? Why are you still talking about him?”
A gentle woman’s voice responded. If Derrick didn’t have another woman in his room, then the voice must’ve come from his wife.
“I only remembered him because of that guy’s dead-looking face. What a bad sign. And it’s because of my unlucky brother that I still haven’t inherited the title of Viscount.”
“That was your father’s decision. And besides, your brother didn’t even manage to protect his wife and kid. He lost the house, and even the tombstone got torn down. Honestly, why would a grown man go to the battlefield? In the end, he died for nothing. What a joke.”
Even though the woman’s words sounded like pity, her tone was full of mockery. Outside the door, Armand frowned as he listened.
“Hey… why don’t we tell the knight captain about this?”
This time, the woman sounded like she had just come up with an idea.
“What? Tell him what?”
“About the viscount. Look, we don’t know exactly what your father did wrong, but if the captain of the Royal Knights came all the way here, it must be something serious. If we take this chance to get your father thrown in prison, and then find a way to make sure he doesn’t come out alive… then you’ll inherit the title, right?”
“Ahhh—yeah…!”
Derrick suddenly sounded like he had just realized something big after hearing his wife’s wicked suggestion.
“But…”
Then he hesitated.
“That damn old man, where did he even go? I don’t know where he is.”
“Ugh, are you dumb? Did you forget what he accidentally said the other day? He said he went to the old house...”
“Ahhh—right!”
Derrick finally remembered. At that same moment, Armand, still outside the door, heard the sound of Derrick standing up quickly.
“I’ll go tell that guy right now! Tell him to go arrest my father! Then we just figure out how to make sure he dies in jail. After that, I’ll be the viscount, and you’ll be the viscountess!”
Derrick couldn’t hide his excitement. As he rushed to the door, there was a “click,” and he flung the bedroom door open—