Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 73- Fake Witch

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I eventually picked up my fork, giving in to Carlisle’s stubborn insistence that he wouldn’t read the report until I had eaten.

I cut a piece of the fluffy soufflé pancake and put it in my mouth.

The sweet, creamy taste was incredible.

However, not wanting to show that I was enjoying it, I made an effort to keep a blank expression.

Carlisle chuckled as he watched me and then began flipping through the pages of the report.

“All the victims are male, and they all died the same way.”

“How?”

“Poison. They were all killed by poisoning, though the exact poison is still under investigation. Based on the size of the footprints and eyewitness reports, the killer is believed to be a small-built woman from Sacre.”

I leaned back into the sofa with my fork still in my mouth.

Poison, huh?

It’s hard to think of a more effective way to kill someone.

In this era, poison is almost like medicine—something the common folk can’t easily access without money.

And even if they could, the source would be quickly tracked.

Moving the strawberry on top of the soufflé aside, I mumbled quietly.

“Quite bold, isn’t it? Killing multiple people, no less, and with a woman’s body.”

“Exactly. That’s why people in the empire have started calling her the ‘Witch of Sacre.'”

The Witch of Sacre. It was the same derogatory name people used for Jeanne in the original novel.

I tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that suddenly crept in.

Still, the fact that this serial killer hadn’t been caught yet meant that the Kaisar Empire’s security wasn’t as tight as I’d thought.

Carlisle, flipping through the newspaper, asked in a calm voice.

“Just asking, but…”

“……”

“It’s not you, right?”

The hand holding the fork froze in midair.

I blinked, not immediately understanding what he meant.

Then, exactly three seconds later, my face flushed bright red as I jumped up and shouted.

“Who do you think I am? Of course, it’s not me! I’ve never even littered, and now you’re treating me like a man-eating praying mantis?!”

“I’m relieved to hear that, but… because of this case, hate crimes against Sacre people in the empire have been getting worse. Just a few days ago, a young girl from Sacre was murdered.”

Hearing this, I clenched my fists tightly.

I sat back down on the sofa and bit my lower lip.

The truth was, I had felt something strange about the whole serial killing situation ever since Ber told me about it.

I had ignored it because it hadn’t affected me directly—until now.

But now, innocent children were becoming victims of retaliation, and I couldn’t just turn a blind eye anymore.

After a moment’s hesitation, I spoke carefully.

“Carlisle, don’t you find anything odd about this case?”

When Ber first told me about this, I was caught off guard.

This wasn’t part of the original novel.

Since I’d been changing the future ever since I got trapped in this story, it was likely this was some kind of butterfly effect.

The idea that someone else might be getting killed because of my choices to survive left me feeling a strange sense of guilt, even though I knew this was a world I had created.

I really hoped that this man-eating ‘praying mantis’ would be caught soon, but it frustrated me that no one seemed to be seeing the most important clue.

Carlisle, noticing my expression, nodded for me to continue.

“If I were the Witch of Sacre, the first thing I’d do is hide my black hair. Sacre people are the only ones in the empire with black hair. Once their identity is pinpointed, the chances of them being caught would skyrocket.”

The idea that the culprit hadn’t left any other traces but had allowed their most obvious identifier—their hair color and footprints—to be seen didn’t make sense to me.

Carlisle, silent for a moment, suddenly reached over and stole the strawberry I had been saving for last with his fork.

Before I could stop him, it was already gone.

As he chewed, he twirled his fork in the air.

“So, you’re saying someone’s intentionally pretending to be a Sacre to continue the killings. If that’s true, what’s the killer’s motive? Just to confuse the investigation?”

“I’m not sure. But serial killers usually have a strong desire for attention. It’s possible they left traces on purpose because of that.”

I mentioned this casually, having read it in a criminology book, but Carlisle shot me a cold glance.

I looked up to find him staring at me as if to ask, “How do you know that?”

It seemed he still strongly suspected me of being the culprit. Sighing, I leaned forward.

“Don’t tell me this is a guild request?”

Carlisle, resting his chin on his hand, nodded.

The Etrance Academy Guild handled far more than I’d realized—from political issues that the church or imperial family couldn’t interfere with, to monster hunts, and even providing counsel to the ever-understaffed police department.

I suddenly noticed the stack of requests piled next to Carlisle.

Feeling a bit envious, I grumbled.

“Must be nice to be in a big guild. There aren’t even requests to find missing dogs on the Luna Guild’s board.”

“That’s because no one’s foolish enough to submit requests to a failing guild.”

“……”

“Oh, that face again.”

Carlisle poked my left cheek.

Startled by his unexpected action, I grabbed his hand and pulled it down.

I couldn’t see my expression, but Carlisle’s reaction left me puzzled.

“What kind of face am I making?”

“How should I describe it…?”

Carlisle paused to think, his smile fading.

Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed, and the tension in the air grew palpable.

As he looked at me with dark, heavy eyes, his voice was laced with mockery.

“You look like someone missing a lover off at war.”

A strange silence followed, and our gazes locked in mid-air.

Sensing danger instinctively, I quickly stood up.

Carlisle’s gaze relentlessly followed me, but I pretended not to notice.

“Anyway, I’ve repaid all my debts, so as far as the Luna Guild is concerned…”

Before I could finish, a large hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back, causing me to stumble against the railing.

Carlisle’s grip on my arm tightened.

With the sun casting shadows over his face, his expressionless gaze felt different from usual.

He ran his calloused fingers gently across my cheek.

“Just in case, don’t get too attached to anyone.”

“……”

“We could end up connected through family ties.”

His words left me speechless. He wasn’t entirely wrong.

There weren’t many noble families in the empire, and with few eligible noblewomen, it was highly likely that Carlisle and Jeanne would be matched in the marriage market.

A whirlwind of thoughts crossed my mind, and I finally muttered in a quiet, defeated voice.

“Please let go.”

The distance between us was so close that I felt as if our lips might touch at any moment.

Feeling a flutter in my chest, I instinctively turned my head away.

Carlisle, watching me closely, whispered softly.

“Alright. But…”

“……”

“You’ve had cream on your nose this whole time.”

Huh?

He blinked with a dazed expression.

As he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, just as Carlisle had said, a bit of cream came off.

Unable to hold back any longer, Carlisle burst into laughter.

In frustration, he shoved Carlisle’s shoulder, who then moved aside without resistance, hands clasped behind his back.

‘Why couldn’t he just say there was cream on my nose instead of scaring me?’

His face flushed with embarrassment.

He glared at Carlisle, who was already walking back as if nothing had happened, then stormed out to the terrace.

As soon as his hand touched the doorknob, a chilling voice reached his ears from behind.

“It would be great if the war dragged on, don’t you think?”

✽ ✽ ✽

Even on the carriage ride back to the mansion, Carlisle’s gaze kept haunting him.

Though it was masked with a gentle smile, there was something distinctly off about it, something not very Carlisle-like.

He clenched his still faintly trembling hand with the other, turning his gaze to the window.

His heart was pounding hard.

[Try not to form any close relationships. Our families are bound to get entangled eventually.]

Carlisle’s words echoed in his ears.

If he were truly Jeanne, those words might have made his heart flutter, but knowing the original story, they were nothing short of terrifying.

‘This is the first time Carlisle has directly mentioned an engagement.’

In the original story, Carlisle got engaged to Jeanne to exploit the power of the Efilia Duchy.

Perhaps Carlisle and Luke had already solidified their plan to use Jeanne to seize the throne.

His unease grew, and he bit his nails nervously before shaking his head.

Nothing had been officially discussed between their families, and there was no need to overreact to Carlisle’s casual remark.

But when he looked down at his bitten nails, with blood starting to show, he sighed deeply.

Everything felt like a minefield.

‘I just want to run away somewhere far…’

Living a peaceful life with the Rabbit siblings at the academy had made him momentarily forget.

Jeanne was the type of character who could get her head chopped off for a single misstep, no matter how well things seemed to be going.

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to endure the anxiety creeping in, when suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, throwing him forward.

‘What now?’

Just as he was about to draw the curtains to see outside, there was a loud neighing followed by a scream.

Then, he heard the clash of swords and rough voices outside the carriage.

“Please stay inside!”

As he was about to get out of the carriage, his bodyguard blocked the door, his face pale.

There was no time to ask what was happening before the guard, who had been holding the door, dashed forward.

After a few more screams, everything fell silent. He covered his mouth with both hands, holding his breath.

It must have been bandits, notorious for attacking on mountain roads.

But bandits?

To have taken out the well-trained guards of a noble house so easily… his mind raced, arriving at a chilling conclusion.

‘Someone sent assassins to kill Jeanne.’

Creak.

The carriage door opened, and a group of rough-looking men grinned as they saw him.

One of them yanked him out by his hair, pulling him outside and throwing him onto the ground.

As he tried to get up and run, someone kicked him hard in the stomach.

The pain twisted his insides, making him clutch his abdomen and groan.

“So, it’s her.”

A large man easily slung him over his shoulder.

The last thing he felt was the harsh sensation of ropes being tied around his wrists before everything went dark.

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