Alon nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Athalia came to stand beside Hagen and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing fine, don’t worry.”

He said nothing, simply nodding in response. She knew exactly how much he had invested in this war, not just in time and resources, but also emotionally. Edgarth’s murder served as a large blow to his morale. Still, regardless of how he felt on the inside, he had to try and appear composed.

Following after Alon, Jacke walked into the office, no longer wrapped in sheets but in proper clothes. His blonde hair was unkempt and his eyes blue were bloodshot.

Hagen extended a hand towards the chair at the other side of the desk. “Take a seat.”

Jacke hesitated for a moment, his gaze traveling from Hagen to the chair and then back to Hagen. “Why am I here? Why are you not looking for that damned eunuch who murdered my grandfather?”

“I assure you that we’re doing everything in our power to find the culprit. In the meantime, I’d like to ask you a few questions regarding what happened in that room where Edgarth was murdered.”

“Your chamberlain already questioned me about it on the way here,” he said, crossing arms in front of his chest and avoiding eye contact. “My grandfather berated me for being there and ordered me to go to the carriage waiting outside. He didn’t even give me time to dress up properly, instead making me leave wrapped in a bedsheet. That was the last time I saw him.”

“And why exactly did he berate you?”

“B-Because he didn’t like me being seen in such a place. Said it was beneath someone of my rank. And why am I being questioned?”

“It’s all in hopes of finding the culprit—”

“N-No. You’re treating me as if I’m guilty of something. I’m not. I’m not guilty of anything!” His eyes darted left and right as he stepped back. “I’m leaving,” he said before turning away and scuttling through the door.

“Should I bring him back, my lord?” Alon asked.

Hagen shook his head. He had the power, both as a Paladin and a ruler, to force Jacke to stay, but doing so wouldn’t go down well with the rest of his vassals. “Let him go for now. If we find out any proof pointing to his guilt then I’ll summon him back.”

Athalia took a step forward and sat on the edge of the desk. “And do you think he might have something to do with the murder?”

“I’ll be surprised if that’s the case. Jacke is unable to focus on anything that doesn’t have a pair of tits on it. He has neither the cunning nor the guts to pull off such a crime. Even if he did, there’s absolutely nothing to be gained by murdering his grandfather and blaming it on Vasilis.”

“But he certainly looked uneasy, and not just by the murder itself.”

“I agree. Whatever the reason, it seems to be related to whatever he was doing in that room with the prostitutes. I say it’s time to question them next,” he said before shooting a glance to Alon.

Catching his meaning, the old chamberlain gave a quick nod of the head and walked out of the door to bring the next person.

“Hang in there,” Athalia said with an encouraging smile.

Alon returned followed by a short woman. She had chestnut hair, a fearful look on her face, and a large red bump on the side of her head.

“Take a seat,” Hagen directed and she did as told. “Now, it’s my understanding that you and your colleague were in that room with Jacke before his grandfather burst in. Is that correct, miss…?”

“Myna, milord,” she spoke in a low voice, “and yes, that’s correct.”

“Good. It is no secret that Jacke isn’t a stranger to pleasure houses, and yet his grandfather seemed to take special offense this time in particular. Could you clarify why exactly?”

The woman shifted in her seat. “It’s because of what we were doing back then. My job is to offer pleasure, and each client has different tastes. Lord Jacke’s could be seen as… odd.”

Hagen raised an eyebrow. “Odd in what way exactly?”

“He, he enjoys abuse.”

Her words didn’t come as a surprise to Hagen. Jacke had a reputation for being cruel and petty. “So he enjoys abusing you and other prostitutes?”

Myna shook her head. “It’s the opposite, he enjoys it when we abuse him. That’s what we were doing last night. Me and Aobrey tied his hands behind his back while he… pleasured us… with his mouth. And if his performance wasn’t to our liking, then we’d punish him.”

That did come as a surprise. So that explained why Jacke looked so guilty just now. At any other time, he might have found the story amusing. “And that’s why Edgarth became so enraged when he discovered it.”

“Yes, milord. He called lord Jacke an unholy deviant and started hitting him with the cane, so hard that I thought it would break. Then he told us to untie him and started hitting us too. After we were done untying him, we both ran out of the room, our clothes left on the bedroom’s floor. That was the last we saw of him, milord.”

Hagen looked towards Athalia and then towards Alon, checking if there was anything they might want to ask. They didn’t, and so he said, “That will be all then. For now, you’re still a suspect, and so we will have you under watch while the investigations are on course.”

“Y-Yes, milord,” she said and made to stand up.

Athalia told her to wait for a minute. She walked towards the small table at the corner of the office and grabbed the kettle filled with hot water that she used to make the tea. With multiples small crackles, frost began to form on the kettle’s surface as she used her magic to cool it off. Next, she willed and the cooled water slowly flew out through the spout in a single stream towards Myna, who yelped.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The water formed a bubble around the large bump on the side of her head, which then began to shrink down until finally disappearing as if it had never been there.

Myna pressed a hand against where the wound had been just a moment ago. “Thank you, milady. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Athalia answered with a smile.

Alon guided the prostitute out of the room, and Hagen took the chance to comment on his wife’s actions. “That was nice of you.”

Athalia nodded while willing the water back inside the kettle. “She probably has a hard enough life, we should at least try to make it easier when we have the chance.”

Aobrey, the other prostitute, had a similar story to her colleague’s. She confirmed everything that Myna said, as well as offering details on other common requests from Jacke, such as suffocation and fake penises. While interesting, they had nothing to do with Edgarth’s death, so he soon sent her away.

Melina, the brothel madam, was the last one to be questioned. She had a form-fitting black dress, black stockings, and high-heeled shoes, though Hagen guessed these were clothes from last night and that she didn’t have the chance to swap them. “My lord, I’m very sorry that such a heinous crime took place on my establishment.”

“You guided Edgarth towards the room where he was killed, is that correct?”

“Yes, it is, though I only handed him the key before walking back downstairs. While I did expect that there’d be a commotion once lord Edgarth discovered his grandson’s fetish, I could never imagine that he would be murdered later on.”

“So you were aware of Jacke’s tastes?”

“Of course, my lord. The girls talk, and the nobleman of peculiar tastes is one of their favorite topics of conversation. If I had to guess, all of my workers were already aware of the story.”

“And do you have any idea of who the killer might be?”

“None, my lord, though I can assure you none of my girls had anything to do with it.”

“I’ll be sure to take your opinion into account.”

“Before I leave, my lord, if I may be so bold...” she trailed off, waiting for Hagen’s authorization. When he nodded in response, she continued. “I’m aware the investigation of such a serious crime may take a long time to be completed, time in which my establishment will have to remain closed… ”

From there she went on to speak of how her business provided an important service to the neighborhood, and that remaining closed for so long could force her to close down.

Hagen only half-listened to it, already realizing where she was leading to. “Miss Melina, as long as you have nothing to do with this crime, I’ll be sure to compensate you afterward.”

“That’s all I could ask for, my lord, and I’ll be sure to remember your generosity.”

After she left, Hagen leaned back on his chair, exhausted of both body and mind. What a waste of time. The only thing he managed to discover was that Jacke had some peculiar tastes. Not a single clue that might point out to the killer’s identity.

After that, he ordered all of his men to scour the city in search of answers, stopping and interrogating anyone who might seem suspicious. They discovered a burlap sack hidden in an alley near the brothel. It contained the clothes and a cloak that might have been discarded by the killer. While a good find, it did little to help solving the murder.

Without any clue that might point towards the culprit, the investigation hit a dead end.

Until a week passed.