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    Claude felt uncomfortable when his name was suddenly mentioned in the middle of a discussion about a near-pornographic adultery novel.

    “I heard that you took the suspect to the duke’s mansion from an inn on the Rue de Clichy three days ago, is that correct?”

    “That’s correct.”

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    He replied concisely, and the inspector asked while holding a pen.

    “Do you remember what time it was?”

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    “I arrived home around 9 o’clock, so it was probably a little after 8 o’clock.”

    “Then you don’t know what happened after that. By the way, were you close?”

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    “What do you mean?”

    “Were you meeting that male prostitute often, that’s what I mean.”

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    The inspector put down his pen. Then, he held his hands together and looked at Claude as if he had asked a very important question. Claude smiled incredulously at the sight of him blinking and waiting for an answer.

    Absurd things happen often these days.

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    “There seems to be some misunderstanding. I met that boy Michel for the first time that day. I was just being nosy because he seemed to be in a difficult situation. If you don’t believe me, I’ll ask the innkeeper Brevet Hugo for testimony.”

    Claude gave the longest speech since he had entered the room.

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    “You took him to the mansion yourself, even though you met him for the first time?”

    The inspector raised his eyebrows and looked at him, as if he didn’t understand. Claude was reminded of someone at the familiar reaction.

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    ‘It seems you instinctively have a habit of helping people in difficult situations.’

    Come to think of it, wasn’t that exactly right? The new superior was not only quick-witted but also had the ability to see through people’s personalities.

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    “I’m a bit, well, I instinctively have a habit of helping people in difficult situations.”

    He brazenly took the words he had heard from him and repeated them as they were. A silly laugh leaked out.

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    In fact, he wasn’t such an altruistic person. Rather, he had a selfish personality and knew how to pursue his desires. He was just particularly weak to sick people. Perhaps because of his sister, he found it difficult to turn away from people who were sick. Thanks to that, he had become embroiled in such a troublesome matter. If the captain were here with him, he would have laughed at him.

    Meanwhile, Inspector Pontmercy was carefully observing Claude, who had fallen into his own thoughts. Either way, it didn’t seem like this man had been with the boy all night that night. Then there was nothing more to investigate. He knew it. In the end, the suspect’s claim of innocence had failed.

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    “Anyway, I understand. According to the butler’s testimony, the duke had a relationship with the suspect until late that night. And he’s been missing since the next day, and was found murdered yesterday.”

    “What’s the reason Michel is a suspect?”

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    “The mansion’s cleaning lady found blood stains on his bed sheets.”

    “Is that it?”

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    Claude frowned at the flimsy story.

    “Of course, he claims he didn’t do it. He said that he hadn’t slept with the duke for quite a while. But what can he do? He couldn’t explain why there was blood on the sheets, which was the most decisive piece of evidence, so it will be difficult to overturn it in court. I heard from the other servants that he has some mental illness.”

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    “Aren’t you drawing conclusions too easily? There’s a possibility that an outsider did it.”

    “Unfortunately, no one visited the mansion that day. So it must have been someone inside. Anyway, the sergeant’s testimony won’t be very favorable for the suspect either. But thank you for coming.”

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    Inspector Pontmercy took out his notebook and wrote down a few notes simply.

    [Claude Veil, the last time he contacted the suspect was around 8 pm. No connection with the whereabouts after that. No other special notes.]

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    He proudly showed off this notebook, which he heard that businessmen in London often used, and felt satisfied that he was handling things in a quite systematic way. If a trial was held later, the judge might request the submission of records. Then, he would stand up proudly and present this high-quality leather-bound item to the court.

    The investigator in charge was quite a capable person.

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    He would probably give that impression to everyone. The rumor that the Paris police were now pretty good would spread, and the name Pontmercy would be at the center of it.

    The inspector, with a proud heart, flipped through the testimonies he had investigated so far, checking them one by one. While he was caught up in his own imagination and busily doing his work, he seemed to have forgotten about the soldier who was sitting across from him for a moment.

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    While he was distracted like that, Claude was also sorting out his thoughts. No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t sense any signs of murder from Michel that day. The voice that laughed, saying that he was happy to be able to eat sausages, and the scene of him slitting the throat of an adult man who was bigger than him, just didn’t connect.

    Suddenly, the sword with the lion emblem that had been placed among the narcissus flowers came to mind. The only person he suspected was his superior, who was an outsider who had visited the mansion that day. Claude once again thought of Eve.

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    Was he perhaps in a secret love affair with the duke? It seemed that the other person was head over heels for him, so maybe there had been a love triangle fight that night. Well, with that kind of appearance…

    Remembering those blue eyes that had looked up at him while lying in the middle of the garden, he spoke to Claude again in his head. The lips that had been full of laughter narrowed slightly.

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    ‘Shhh-‘

    Claude frowned slightly.

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    “Why, did you see something?”

    The inspector, noticing something strange, was already looking at Claude. His prized investigation notebook was still open. Claude’s gaze, which had been staring into the void, slowly turned to Inspector Pontmercy. And he opened his mouth.

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    ✧ ✧ ✧

    Late that evening. A carriage stopped in front of a high-class brothel on Rue Saint-Michel. The blond man who got out of the carriage told the driver to wait and went up to the salon on the second floor.

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    Passing the wall with a large camellia painted on it and the entrance, the man pulled back the lace-trimmed curtain. Stepping inside, he saw a reception room with thick marble pillars supporting the ceiling. It smelled of smoky tobacco and cologne mixed together.

    The prostitutes were sitting on the sofa with their legs crossed, taking a break. Some were wearing underwear that revealed their thighs and breasts and were sprawled out, hazily drugged.

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    A small door opened and a male customer walked out. The white buttocks of a prostitute lying prone on the bed were revealed through the open doorway. He was about to leave, when his eyes met those of the blond man who had just entered. He seemed to recognize his face, but just glanced at him once and left.

    The blond man passed through the reception room and opened the largest door in the center. And he entered without hesitation and closed the door.

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    The act of lovemaking was still in full swing inside the room. The man and woman entangled on the large bed didn’t even know that the door had been opened and were absorbed in the act. The blond man sat down on a plush chair behind the bed. And he nonchalantly rested his chin on his hand and began to watch the two of them.

    He wasn’t in the mood to join in the lovemaking at all. As if he were admiring an uninteresting painting, he waited with a bored expression for the two to finish their act. Finally, the guest, having reached his climax, screamed with pleasure, and the prostitute who was being ridden gave him a congratulatory kiss. Then, she discovered the blond man sitting in the chair and called his name in a welcoming voice.

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    “Captain Ferrier!”

    At the same time, the male guest turned around. He didn’t seem surprised, as he knew him well too. He got off the bed and walked over, naked. Yves frowned and scolded him.

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    “Put some clothes on, Louis.”

    The man, called Louis, paid no attention and plopped down on the sofa as he was. Then, making a tired face from using his strength, he asked Eve.

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    “Have you heard the news? Is Joseph really gone?”

    Louis leaned back and drank his wine. Yves nodded.

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    “It’s certain. I even checked to make sure I was the one who pulled out the body.”

    “You don’t look very sad. I thought you were at least physically intimate, even if you weren’t in love. Poor Joseph, until the day he died, he was less than a common prostitute to you.”

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    “But are you sure it wasn’t the Charbonnerie who did it?”

    Louis shook his head.

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    “No. Of course, they could be lying to me. Anyway, didn’t they just cut open the goose that laid the golden eggs? I doubt they knew that Duke Joseph de Pérrin was your informant.”

    Yves frowned and muttered, as if agreeing.

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    “Those stupid guys are just going to make things difficult for me again.”

    “By the way, who’s getting the duke’s enormous fortune? They’re all on the run and their whereabouts are unknown, so I guess some distant relative whose name you don’t even know will hit the jackpot?”

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    “That’s actually what happened. It’s going back to someone who’s the niece of his maternal grandfather.”

    “Ah, envious. Right?”

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    Louis called the prostitute, who had pulled up her underwear, back and sat her on his lap. And then, as if to show off, he tickled her and kissed her. As she twisted her body with laughter, the piece of cloth that was barely hanging on her shoulders slipped down again.

    Eve, watching their actions without any feeling, took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Louis. Louis, who had his face buried in the prostitute’s breast, received the item.

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    He examined the contents and slowly raised his upper body. He lightly slapped the prostitute’s buttocks, telling her to go out for a moment. The object was a crudely drawn portrait.

    “Colonel Charbonnet.”

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    He recognized who it was at a glance. And he recited that person’s history as it was.

    “He was the one who escorted Louis XVI back to Paris when he fled to Varennes. He was a brigadier general in the National Guard during the Republican era, and I heard he has enough medals he received following Napoleon to fill a room. I heard that even now, when Bonaparte’s people have trouble, they rally around this guy. He must be a mortal enemy to the royalists. At this point, he must be somewhat prepared, right?”

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    “You mean that his life is being targeted?”

    “Yes.”

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    Yves lightly rubbed his lips with his right hand, resting his chin on it, as if he found it amusing.

    “The colonel who was prepared for death lived, and the wrong person was sacrificed. Thanks to that, I’m going to be involved in something annoying.”

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    “What do you mean by that?”

    “Someone saw me meet Joseph that day.”

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    Louis stood up and whistled. It meant things were going to get interesting.

    Dangling his private parts, he walked to the bed and began to put on his clothes that had fallen on the floor. Wearing his pantaloons and waistcoat snugly and sporting a red Carmagnole jacket, he looked every bit the revolutionary.

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    In contrast, Yves sitting in the chair looked like a painting by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. With a velvet waistcoat and silk lapels that were neatly folded from behind his neck, he was the epitome of aristocracy. He leaned against the armrest, resting his chin leisurely, and pressed a fallen pillow with his outstretched leg.

    Two people with completely mismatched and contrasting appearances exchanged secret stories in the room of a high-class prostitute. A careful plan was devised amid the groans and the vibrations of the creaking bed coming from across the way.

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    “Anyway, I understand. Things are stirring on this side too, so I’ll be in touch soon. You should also decide how much you’re going to cooperate, right? People’s lives are on the line, so you can’t just think of it lightly anymore.”

    “I know. The amount they’re demanding is also increasing.”

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    “Oh, come on. This much is pocket change for the Ferrier family. Tell them to give you more support.”

    Yves frowned, annoyed at Louis’ theatrics.

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    “It seems you’ve completely gone over to that side. Your clothes too. Are you planning to make a blatant display of it?”

    “Ah, I can’t help it. There’s a rally tonight. Anyway, things are still unfavorable for this side. The current parliament is no different from a ship that’s completely tilted to the right. It looks like it’s about to sink.”

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    Louis folded the portrait he had received from Eve, put it in his inside pocket, and continued.

    “By the way, there was a witness. How could such a meticulous captain make such a mistake?”

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    “That’s what I’m saying. I must have been possessed by something that day.”

    Yves frowned and lit his tobacco. The dried tobacco leaves burned, raising cloudy smoke. Yves pulled his foot that had been pressing on the pillow and crossed his legs. His long limbs stretched stylishly across the chair.

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    In fact, the answer might be that he wanted to possess him rather than that he was possessed. He remembered the man’s appearance as he stiffly retorted the vulgar jokes he had inadvertently made. So he thought he was a hick, but he was surprised by his attitude when he was called to his room and pretended not to remember. He liked his quick-wittedness and took him with him to confirm Joseph’s body on a whim.

    “Will you be okay? How about you take care of that guy before the police find him first?”

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    “It’s no use. He probably already went to the police station this morning. He knows my name and rank.”

    “Oh dear… Then he must have already told them everything.”

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    “Maybe…”

    Yves muttered to himself.

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    “Or maybe not.”

    Slowly getting up from the chair, he flicked his clothes. Louis asked what he meant. Yves took money out of his pocket and put it on the table for the prostitute, who he hadn’t even enjoyed, and said.

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    “I did a little acting. Like an arrogant and prickly, but somehow innocent, stupid aristocrat.”

    Louis made a knowing face at his words.

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    “You’ve seduced someone again, I see. Stop doing that.”

    “Well, I wish that were the case. It didn’t work this time.”

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    Yves laughed lightly and put on his silk top hat.

    “Anyway, I’ll take care of it, so you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll be going now.”

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    With his words, the secret meeting ended. Louis lifted the carpet that was laid under the table and tore up the floor. There was a narrow staircase leading to the first floor, and he slipped out through it as if he was used to it. After Louis had completely disappeared, Yves tidied up the room, got into the carriage that had been waiting downstairs, and disappeared.

    That evening, the guest that Yves had met in the reception room before entering the room held a social gathering at Madame Piaf’s salon. The people who gathered predicted the upcoming lower house elections and denounced the Charbonnerie secret society’s riots. Soon after, opinions on the French army’s overgrown power abounded, and the names of influential people rose and fell.

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    ‘Come to think of it, I saw the eldest son of Count Ferrier at a brothel in Saint-Michel today.’

    Some laughed at his words and agreed.

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    ‘Ah, I’ve seen him a few times too. I heard he’s a regular. He spends hundreds of francs on prostitution alone.’

    ‘I was a little nervous when I heard that Lyon Noir’s grandson had returned, but he didn’t seem interested in politics at all.’

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    ‘Those who play soldier tend to be a little simple-minded.’

    The gentlemen who heard the pointed joke laughed openly. Night came to a city where people who wanted to turn back time and people who remained in the past coexisted.

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    ✧ ✧ ✧

    The building where the non-commissioned officers lived was to the west of the officer’s office. Yves stopped by to look for Claude on his way to work in the morning, but he had already gone out on business to the Place de la Concorde.

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    Troops stationed in cities, not on the battlefield, are consumed like spoils of war. Lining up soldiers on every street corner of the city was a warning from the power not to cause a riot.

    However, officers did not go to such places. Most of them took care of personal matters or holed up in their offices and pursued hobbies. Eve, who had rolled around with corpses on the front lines, felt that this kind of life was quite luxurious.

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    The portrait of the previous occupant, which had been inconsiderately occupying one side of the wall next to the fireplace, had been taken down. Sitting on the sofa below it and wiping the blade of his sabre, Yves spoke at the sound of knocking.

    “Come in.”

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    The man who entered the room straightened his back, stretched his neck, and finished his salute. The door closed behind him, and Yves looked up.

    “Finally, I get to see your face, Lieutenant Mirabeau.”

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    Benoit de Mirabeau had finished his vacation at a villa in Calais and returned to the unit today. The original plan was to arrive two days ago in time for the arrival of the new superior, but the schedule was inevitably delayed because the carriage broke down twice on the way.

    He had heard the news that Lyon Noir’s grandson had been appointed as the battalion commander, so he immediately came to report and greet him. But the man inside the room looked much younger than he had expected.

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    He thought it might be because his rank was still captain, but he didn’t expect him to be such a green young man. He was a little annoyed. Judging by the ambiguously sarcastic tone, he must have already been disliked by him.

    Mirabeau reported the trivial details of the moment when the carriage wheel had fallen off. He also did not forget to emphasize that his vacation had been taken with the permission of the former Major Neker.

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    “Hmm… I suppose so.”

    However, the battalion commander didn’t seem to be listening and didn’t even look at his face.

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    Mirabeau’s gaze turned to the portrait of the previous occupant that had been taken down below the wall. A middle-aged officer with a blue sash over his bulging belly and his hand on his waist. The figure was compared to the newly arrived superior sitting on the sofa and wiping his sword.

    Moreover, he was unnecessarily handsome. The strangely carved face made him feel a sense of unease as if reality was being distorted.

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    Mirabeau subtly changed the subject.

    “I heard that your father, Count Ferrier, was very close to my uncle, Marquis de Bonnal. It was thanks to the relationship that he re-elected the Duke of Richelieu as prime minister during the cabinet reshuffle four years ago. My uncle is as close to me as my own father. Thanks to that, I heard a lot of good stories about your family.”

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    “I see.”

    This also didn’t elicit a good response. He had heard that he wasn’t a picky person, but that was wrong information. He knew that the captain’s family was a staunch royalist group that even the Count of Artois supported. If that was true, he wouldn’t be at odds with him. Mirabeau tried to be a little more courageous.

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    “I heard that you’re good at shooting. There’s a hunting ground next to the villa in Calais where I went on vacation. Good-quality foxes that have fattened up are often caught. The promenade where marronniers have been planted is also wonderful. I’d like to take you there sometime when the weather warms up.”

    “I’m not very interested in that kind of thing…”

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    Mirabeau, who had been rejected outright, fidgeted with his chin as if embarrassed. At that moment, Yves looked up at him.

    “Let’s do that.”

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    “Yes?”

    He looked at Eve, who was suddenly smiling at him, with confusion. Suddenly his attitude had changed to being gentle. Was he a split personality? He had heard a rumor that he had been severely injured in the Spanish Revolutionary War, so perhaps his head had been injured.

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    Mirabeau felt a subtle hostility from Eve, who was making a friendly face towards him. He didn’t know why, but it seemed that the old sense of a soldier, distinguishing between friend and foe, had been activated. Mirabeau, feeling uneasy, ended the audience. He felt a strange sense of fatigue creeping in as he faced him for too long.

    “Oh, come to think of it.”

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    Mirabeau, who was about to leave the room, stopped and turned around at the voice coming from behind.

    “There’s a soldier with a speech impediment among your subordinates.”

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    Yves had already gotten up from his seat and was walking towards the desk.

    “Yes, there is a soldier who was wrongly drafted due to an administrative mistake… How did you know that, Captain?”

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    Yves replied to his words as if it was nothing.

    “I saw him at the parade, and it didn’t look good. Especially with Duke Artois present.”

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    “Ah…”

    Having said that, Yves sat down in a chair and fixed his gaze on the documents. And then he didn’t raise his head anymore. It meant that he had no more business with him.

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    “I wish those kinds of people would get sent out soon.”

    He didn’t even give him a chance to add any more words and took a pen and signed the documents.

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    “Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

    Mirabeau made a puzzled face, turned around, and opened the office door. At that moment, he ran into someone who was about to enter, with the door between them.

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    “Sergeant Veil?”

    “Lieutenant.”

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    Claude immediately showed his respect and stepped aside so that his superior could go out first. Mirabeau scanned his figure with suspicious eyes.

    Why has this guy shown up even in the commander’s room?

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    He was the one who had been creating troublesome incidents at every turn since before. The appeal for conscription of Private Denis Auguste, which the battalion commander had just mentioned, had also been carried out under his leadership.

    “What’s your business here?”

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    “I heard that the captain was looking for me.”

    “You?”

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    Mirabeau turned his head and looked at his superior. He was still concentrating on the documents. Even though he was close enough to hear the two people talking faintly, he didn’t raise his head as if he didn’t care.

    Why would the battalion commander be looking for a mere sergeant?

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    Claude was still waiting outside the door for Mirabeau to leave. Judging by the way he was standing, it didn’t seem to be his first time visiting the office.

    “Well… go on in.”

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    As Mirabeau nodded, unable to erase the suspicious look in his eyes, Claude entered the room. And the door closed right away.

    What’s going on?

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    Mirabeau, with an unsavory feeling, deliberately stomped his feet and disappeared into his office.

    A few minutes had passed since the door had closed, but Yves was still silent even after receiving Claude’s salute. He was just reading the documents piled on the desk and continuing to sign them. Silence and disregard. It was no different from the attitude he had shown Lieutenant Mirabeau a little while ago.

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    Claude didn’t make any particular gesture. He was just silently waiting for his superior’s orders. Then, as Yves raised his head, the two people’s eyes immediately met. Eve, having put down his pen, steepled his fingers and looked at Claude.

    Let’s see. He must have just returned with the infantry from the Place de la Concorde. After returning, he would have heard the story that the battalion commander was looking for him at the office used by the non-commissioned officers. And then he would have come here right away without even taking a breath.

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    Yves noticed the slight sweat on his temples. His bangs were pressed down by his hat, and some of them were sticking to his well-defined nose. He felt a strong urge to go over and take them off, as they were so conspicuously distracting.

    Looking at him like this, he realized that he was quite tall. His own crown would probably reach about this furrowed brow of his. Where was he from? Judging by his frame, it seemed that he had some Northern blood mixed in, but looking at his hair and eyes, it seemed that he was from the southern region. His accent wasn’t from Paris either.

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    Yves continued to look at him with a straight face. Meanwhile, Claude’s patience was beginning to run out.

    “Captain. I heard you were looking for me.”

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    Oh, that’s right.

    Eve, who had been lost in his own deep contemplation, smiled and nodded.

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    “I told them to send only the cavalry to the Concorde, but it seems the adjutant’s platoon went with them too.”

    “Lieutenant Boulanger passed them over to my platoon.”

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    “Ah, was that so? There are hundreds of soldiers, so I can’t get involved in every little detail. Now that Lieutenant Mirabeau is back, he’ll take good care of it.”

    Both he and Claude knew that that was impossible. However, pretending to be ignorant and speaking indirectly was unavoidable as he was born an aristocrat.

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    “Was there an execution in the square?”

    “Yes. It was the execution day for Adrian Dufour, who had been spying between London and Paris.”

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    Yves made a knowing expression. The reason why they needed troops in the Place de la Concorde on a weekday was obvious. His unit would have been surrounding the people enjoying the game of fear. He would rather be deployed to Africa. For him, being a security force guarding the capital was like wearing ill-fitting clothes.

    Nevertheless, he couldn’t complain about the things he had to endure, as he had come back to Paris of his own will. Even this kind of troublesome work was included. Yves beckoned to Claude to come closer, tapping his hand twice that he had placed on the desk.

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    There was a distance of three or four steps between him and Eve. Claude walked over, closing the distance and standing right in front of Eve’s desk. The sunlight coming in from beyond the window poured straight onto Claude’s face. Naturally, he put his hand on his forehead and straightened the hair that Yves had wanted to remove himself.

    Yves finally opened his mouth.

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    “That night. The night we met at Joseph’s house.”

    Claude’s brown eyes started to waver slightly at those words. He had a look on his face that said he hadn’t expected him to mention it first.

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    “Did you deliver the bouquet to that lucky lady?”

    Eve’s lips were raised as if he was about to start an interesting story. With this, a thin wall that had been between the two disappeared. They had returned to being strangers who had met five nights ago at the Duke de Pérrin’s mansion.

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    “You remember.”

    “Of course.”

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    Claude also had an expression of interest. Nevertheless, he didn’t delay in answering his superior’s question.

    “It’s my sister. She likes flowers, but she can’t go out much because she’s seriously ill, so I brought them to her.”

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    “I see. Did she like them?”

    “Yes. I was grateful that day.”

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    As he gave his belated greeting, Yves asked in a meaningful tone.

    “Should I also be grateful to you? Or should I regret not asking you to keep quiet overtly that day?”

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    The meaning of the question was simple. He wanted to know if he had already testified to the police that he had witnessed him that day, and if he had really become involved in something troublesome now.

    Claude was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

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    “Just tell me one thing first. After I left that day, did you sleep with Duke Pérrin?”

    Yves tilted his head, looking puzzled at the unexpected question, and asked.

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    “Adjutant, were you interested in my sleeping arrangements?”

    “That’s not what I mean.”

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    “That’s how your question reads.”

    Yves tilted his head and asked again, with his chin resting on his hand. Then Claude brought up the main point.

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    “You said that you know the young man Michel as well.”

    “He’s the kid that Joseph keeps.”

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    “It seems that he has been arrested as a suspect, but judging from the various circumstances, it seems that he’s been framed. So I’m just asking you directly. Forgive me for being impolite.”

    Yves just nodded his head lightly at his apology.

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    “So, are you not going to answer whether you slept with the duke or not?”

    Claude was surprisingly persistent.

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    “Why would I have to answer such a question?”

    “Then let me ask you differently. Did you kill Duke Pérrin?”

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    Yves snorted at Claude’s absurd words. He didn’t seem to be good at being evasive, as he had been asking only overly direct questions since a while ago. It was so different from the aristocratic way of speaking, which expressed what it wanted indirectly, that he was interested in it after a long time.

    “What if I say no?”

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    So Yves was also avoiding giving a direct answer and kept asking questions back. The conversation, which was filled with questions and questions, began to drag on like a game of cat and mouse. Claude, not wanting to be played with in his wordplay any longer, stated the conclusion first.

    “If you say no, I will believe you. I didn’t tell the police that I met you that day.”

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    Eve, as if surprised, pursed his lips and looked at Claude.

    “Why?”

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    “Because you’re my superior.”

    “Is that all?”

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    At Eve’s words, Claude opened his mouth as if he had been asked a strange question.

    “Then should there be another reason?”

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    Hmm, that’s right.

    Yves suddenly became speechless and turned his gaze away. Even he thought it was a silly question.

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    As he had said, there was no way another reason could exist. It wasn’t like he had any personal feelings for him and was trying to cover for him. Yves chuckled awkwardly, feeling as if he had had a strange expectation for a moment. The unfamiliar indifference of others felt new.

    Anyway, fortunately, he hadn’t joined hands with the police yet. Well, even someone who hated aristocrats wouldn’t side with the Paris police and try to disgrace the entire guard. Also, unless he had that much courage, he wouldn’t be able to report his superior. It would be wiser to seize the superior’s weakness and aim for internal advancement. In that sense, his actions right now could be said to be the right answer.

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    Yves adjusted his posture.

    “It’s true that I held Joseph that night.”

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    “…”

    “But I didn’t kill him.”

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    Eve, claiming his innocence, tapped the desk and looked at him.

    “What do you think? Will you still believe everything I say?”

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    It was a question he asked in a meaningful way, but Claude’s response was surprisingly simple and immediate.

    “Of course. Actually, I suspected you at first, but judging from the various circumstances, I didn’t think that you were the culprit.”

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    “I couldn’t be happier.”

    Yves nodded with a completely unimpressed face.

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    “However, it seems that an innocent person has been framed. I would like you to help me in exchange for not going to the police. You already knew that the duke had been murdered that day. You specifically asked me to go out with you, and you wanted to confirm that the body was being pulled out of the Saint-Germain riverbank.”

    “Hmm.”

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    “Do you perhaps know who the culprit is?”

    Was he trying to ask everything while he was at it?

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    Yves was now feeling that his attitude was a bit rude. It sounded as if he was telling him to release what he knew because he wanted to prove Michel’s innocence.

    He had been planning to tell him some of the truth even without him doing that.

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    Yves got up from his seat, put his hands behind his back, and approached Claude. He seemed to stop a few steps away, but then he stuck his face right up to him. As Eve’s blue eyes looked at him without filtering, Claude moved his thick Adam’s apple and swallowed.

    Yves liked that reaction. He had been pretending to be calm all by himself, but he seemed to be nervous after all. Suddenly, he felt like teasing him a little more.

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    Yves walked to the sofa that had been prepared on one side of the office and plopped down. And he leisurely called Claude.

    “Sit down. It seems like this story is going to be long.”

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    He walked over to the sofa with heavy footsteps. And he apologized for his attitude just now.

    “I asked you some rude questions. Forgive me.”

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    It was funny how he was tucking his tail so quickly.

    “I know, so sit down. You’re too tall, so it’s quite painful to look up at you.”

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    As he finally sat down, Eve, using the armrest as a support, rested his temple with his left hand and asked.

    “Let’s make this clear first. How can you be so sure that Michel isn’t the culprit?”

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    “He was happy to be living in that house. If the duke who had taken him in were to be killed, he would be kicked out onto the streets again, so there’s no way he would have done such a thing. Besides, the guest who had hired him at the inn that day drugged him. It was hard for him to even control his body.”

    “Then why was he suspected?”

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    “There were two reasons. Blood was found on Michel’s bed sheets, and he was the last person to meet the duke, according to testimony. It seems that there was quite a bit of noise coming from the duke’s bedroom that night. The other servants must have thought that it was naturally Michel.”

    Claude carefully chose his words, using the most refined expressions possible. It was his own consideration so that Eve, who was the person involved, wouldn’t feel embarrassed, but the man who had made the noise that day didn’t seem to care.

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    “Joseph is a bit loud in bed.”

    Rather, he seemed to be boasting about himself.

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    “Were the two of you lovers?”

    “The word ‘lovers’ is a bit much, so let’s just say that we were in a relationship that satisfied each other’s needs.”

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    Yves crossed his legs and continued the story as if it was nothing.

    “As you can guess, I can’t hold ladies in my arms, so I need to have a secret relationship. My father is an extreme cleric, and I have to attend a dinner with the bishop once a month, so there’s that. Just because the revolution has happened doesn’t mean that freedom and equality have been given to people like me.”

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    “Is it okay for you to tell me these things?”

    “Well, you don’t seem like someone who’s going to let your mouth run wild anywhere, do you?”

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    Locking the mouth of a subordinate is simple. Fear. And what these people usually fear is betraying the trust of the other person.

    “It was a relationship that lasted about a year, but he’s been acting quite promiscuously lately. So I stopped visiting for a while, and that day was the first time in a long time that I had visited. It’s a sad thing to say to Joseph, but my interest had waned a lot. So I went outside to see the moon, but…”

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    Yves trailed off and smiled.

    “A handsome man was wandering around the garden. Ah, I thought it was going to be something the three of us would do, and that’s when I was a little moved.”

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    At those words, Claude narrowed his brow and frowned. It was a joke that was clearly referring to him. Eve’s laughter grew a little louder at that sight.

    “Haha. Yes, looking at that expression, I knew that I was completely wrong. Anyway, after it was over, I went straight home. Or rather, I was planning to go home.”

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    “Was there any trouble on the way?”

    “I remembered something I forgot, so I went back. Then I heard noises near the stable. There, I saw two men moving a large sack. The shape of the sack looked like a corpse, so I followed them.”

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    Claude thought he was talking nonsense and immediately countered with several points.

    “How did you know it was a corpse from a distance where you wouldn’t be noticed? It must have been at night.”

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    Then Yves leaned forward and brought his face close to Claude’s.

    “Lieutenant, how many times have you been in battle?”

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    “I haven’t been deployed to the front lines yet.”

    “That’s why you don’t know. When a person dies, their body makes strange noises. Blood clots and muscles stiffen, making sounds. Even after they stop breathing, their internal organs don’t realize their owner is dead and keep moving for a few minutes. I can hear those sounds. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s night.”

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    Eve’s face had a mischievous expression.

    “Captain, do you expect me to believe that?”

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    “Didn’t you just say you’d believe everything I said?”

    Ha…

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    Claude involuntarily let out a hollow laugh. He felt ridiculous for listening seriously. No matter how subordinate he was, treating him like a child and telling absurd ghost stories was beyond him. He couldn’t tell where the joke ended and the truth began.

    He had been foolish to expect the matter to be resolved quickly by listening to the captain’s testimony. Unconsciously, Claude sank into the sofa and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t even realize that his posture was becoming sloppy in front of his superior.

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    He couldn’t understand why the captain was acting this way. On the surface, he was no different from other nobles, but he kept revealing vulnerabilities, as if on purpose. And when Claude tried to exploit those gaps to gain something, the captain skillfully avoided it and teased him. Usually, he would have felt bad in such a situation, but in reality, he didn’t. It seemed like the captain knew that and was using it to his advantage.

    Captain Perrier, you’re quite a peculiar person.

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    Ignoring Claude’s reaction, Yves continued his story.

    “The culprits loaded the body sack onto a cart and headed straight for the Seine River. The noise of the wheels was loud, but no one came out to see. Thanks to that, it was easy for me to follow them.”

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    “There have been many unsettling stories lately.”

    “Ah, you’re talking about that doctor who collects corpses? What on earth is that about?”

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    “They say he’s a guy who stitches bodies together to create a monster. Of course, no one has seen it.”

    Yves propped his chin with his thumb and pressed his lips with his index and middle fingers, as if he found it amusing.

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    “I’m surprised you believe such nonsense, lieutenant.”

    “It’s not something you’d say either, considering you just mentioned bodies making noises after death.”

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    Yves burst out laughing cheerfully and nodded as if acknowledging the good point.

    “That’s right. I have no qualifications. Anyway, rest assured. They didn’t sell Joseph’s body to that doctor. They threw him into the river. When he floated up a few days later, it seemed they hadn’t tied a stone to him. The strange thing is, they stripped Joseph’s blood-stained clothes off.”

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    “Yes, I heard from the police. Why do you think they did that?”

    “Well, maybe to humiliate him?”

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    Yves seemed very excited, as if he was telling the plot of a novel he had read yesterday. By then, Claude had gathered his senses and interrupted him.

    “Wait a minute, Captain. Are you saying you witnessed the entire process of moving the body and throwing it into the river? Why didn’t you report it immediately?”

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    “How could I report it? I’m in a secret relationship with Joseph de Perrin, and after enjoying a tryst, I found him dead. But I’m innocent. Is that what I should have said?”

    Indeed, if he had done so, he would have been the prime suspect, just as Claude had suspected him.

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    “Then why didn’t you arrest them on the spot? You have the authority for summary execution. Why did you just watch?”

    “Take on two men alone at night? What if they had guns? I feel sorry for Joseph, but I’m not willing to risk my life.”

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    Again, it wasn’t a wrong argument, so Claude had nothing to say.

    Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to gain from Eve’s story. Claude recalled his last conversation with Inspector Pomercy at the police station yesterday morning. Noticing the serious look on Claude’s face, the inspector had asked.

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    ‘Why, did you witness something?’

    But he couldn’t tell him he had met his superior there. Instead, he thought he should say something in favor of Michel.

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    ‘The gate of the mansion was open that day. It was easy for outsiders to enter. So, I don’t think it’s right to assume it was an inside job.’

    ‘Oh, that’s an important testimony. There’s one more suspect now.’

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    The inspector, looking triumphant, scribbled something in his notebook.

    ‘What do you mean?’

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    ‘If the gate was open, Sergeant Veil, you could have entered too, couldn’t you? I’ll add you to the list of suspects.’

    He almost spilled the inspector’s precious coffee on his smug face. He felt like sending his first praise to the newspaper columns that mocked the incompetent Paris police. At this rate, even a stray cat would be a suspect. It became clear that he was entangled in a troublesome situation.

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    “Ah, that’s what it was. So, you approached me pretending not to know, asking for help because you thought you’d be framed. No, it was actually a threat. If you get arrested, you’d testify that you saw me that day, and I’d be a suspect too.”

    Having heard his story, Yves leaned back with his hands clasped together as if finally understanding. He mocked him for pretending to be a righteous person who couldn’t ignore someone in trouble, but in reality, he was just looking out for himself.

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    Claude didn’t defend himself. It was true that his involvement had complicated his situation. But Yves misunderstood one thing.

    “Well, think what you want, but please don’t assume I’d drag you down. Even if I’m framed, I won’t testify that I met you that day. I may not trust everything you say, but a promise is a promise. So, don’t worry.”

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    “That’s touchingly reassuring.”

    Yves replied in a nonchalant voice, as if he had heard a trivial story. Outside, the noise indicated it was lunchtime. They had been talking for quite some time.

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    “So, what are you going to do now?”

    With his chin resting on his clasped hands, Yves looked at Claude intently. He had another reason for calling him to his room today. Before making that decision, he needed to know how much Claude had told the police. As the conversation continued, he had ended up teasing him, losing track of time.

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    “If you permit, I’d like to take today and tomorrow off.”

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