Chapter 6: The Suspicion of the Noblewoman (Part 1)

  But the subsequent investigation made Zhang Fan even more suspicious of the countess.

  Muhammad and Siyad didn't just appear out of thin air at the door, they had to go through the hall to get out. Although they were wearing masks at the time, most people didn't know who they were - and many people were in the house at the time, but when they left, someone saw them. The angry look on their faces as they left also made some people a little suspicious.

  However, the people who attended were either aristocrats who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, or people who had achieved great success in their careers. They didn't care about things that had nothing to do with them, which was the social norm of high society. So this matter hadn't caught anyone's attention. But after a serious situation emerged, they naturally remembered it afterwards.

  According to the recollection of a "viscount", before they went out, he inadvertently saw that the two entered the countess's room one after another. At that time, he was still envious of their good fortune - he was a 3P enthusiast and had long been fascinated by the mature woman's charm of the countess - so under the guidance of envy and jealousy, he had been admiring a famous painting at the corner outside the countess's room, and also to see when the two would come out. Of course, what made that famous painting so good-looking, he wouldn't have noticed.

  It was strange that the two of them went in for less than ten minutes and came out with bad emotions. This made him feel a little relieved, but also a bit disappointed. Although he felt jealous seeing someone having an affair with the countess, if the countess was also interested in 3P, then his chances of success would undoubtedly be much greater. After the two came out, he lingered for a while, but never saw the countess come out after him, and he didn't have the guts to knock on the door - he had hit a nail before - after wandering around for a while, he could only walk away in disappointment.

  According to him, the two of them went in one after another, looking very happy and excited, with quick steps; but when they came out, they seemed a bit angry. As for what exactly the three of them did in the room, he certainly couldn't know. The castle's rooms had pretty good soundproofing, and he couldn't possibly stick his ear to the door to listen - the surveillance system was watching after all.

  Zhang Fan inferred that when Muhammad and Siyada entered the countess's room, it was roughly around 2:30. And since they didn't stay in the room for long, it can be basically concluded that as soon as they came out, they went straight to the hall and left immediately.

  Other eyewitnesses also corroborated his account.

  If what Viscount said is true, then Countess is quite suspicious!

  There was no doubt that the two had not entertained any thoughts of leaving the castle before entering the countess's room: wanting to leave the warm castle to go outside in such weather was absolutely not an option for people like Muhammad and Siyad. Moreover, according to the viscount, both of their actions indicated that they were expecting a romantic encounter. —— The viscount called this "the intuition of a lecher".

  But the two of them came out of the countess's room, became furious, and ran directly into the blizzard outside the castle to die in each other's arms "intimately inseparable"!

  What exactly happened between the two in the countess's room?

  Could it be that, as some people have speculated, the two of them ran out to duel because they were competing for the female count's favor? That would be too unbelievable. If the two of them really acted like 17 or 18 year old boys who lost their heads over emotions, how could they possibly sit in such high positions? It is not known how many storms these two people have weathered to get where they are today.

  Moreover, the countess's behavior is also suspicious: according to her means in social circles, she should be a master of manipulation, so how could she possibly invite these two excellent men into her room at the same time? It's common knowledge that the more outstanding a man is, the stronger his desire for exclusive possession, and it's basically impossible for him to share a woman with someone else. Even if the countess has a fondness for 3P, shouldn't she have chosen two more manageable people?

  This matter, Tian Yu and the female count are inseparable.

  However, if it were said that the countess had harmed them both, Zhang Fan also felt that it was unlikely. Two internationally influential figures mysteriously died while attending her private gathering, and the damage to the countess could be said to be the greatest. Not to mention that someone might take revenge on the countess - this is almost certain, in order to re-contend for the power space left by the two deaths, all members of the two interest groups would make a big deal out of the two deaths, and the countess would be the first target - just talking about this matter would be extremely damaging to the countess's credibility in social circles.

  Zhang Fan was almost certain that, no matter what, the female count's future invitations would make people think thrice before attending. After all, for these carefree people, life is the most precious thing! With this incident, the female count's credibility could be said to have gone bankrupt! In the eyes of a noble like the female count, such an outcome was more miserable than losing one's life!

  Such a huge loss, the countess must have known. If she deliberately planned it, then the price paid was too high - almost all harm and no benefit.

  Lying in bed, Zhang Fan was lost in thought, unable to make sense of anything. Although things had become slightly clearer than at the beginning, they were now even more confusing and obscure.

  More importantly, although his intuition still stubbornly tells him that the case of Ouyang professor's disappearance is closely related to the matter at hand, he has not been able to find any connection between the two so far. If it weren't for the fact that Professor Ouyang's disappearance case really had no leads to follow, Zhang Fan would have left long ago.

  It seems I'll have to have a good talk with the countess. Zhang Fan scratched his hair, thinking secretly in his heart.

  Actually, as the initiator of the private gathering, the countess should be the first person to be investigated.

  But from that day on, Zhang Fan never went to ask her. Firstly, because of the special identity of the female countess, and as a lady, the shock, surprise, and pitifulness she showed that day made Zhang Fan subconsciously put her in the back of his mind, not wanting to stimulate her immediately. Secondly, it was because from that day on, the female countess had been staying in her own room without coming out, and all the guests' daily life matters were arranged by the castle's butler.

  The countess was unwilling to appear, and Zhang Fan naturally had no opportunity to ask her. He asked the castle's steward several times to see the countess, but the reply was always that the countess did not want to meet anyone. Without any evidence or necessity, forcibly breaking into a lady's room is obviously not a glorious thing. Moreover, Zhang Fan didn't have that power, after all, he wasn't a policeman. So, the person who should have been investigated first became the last one instead.

  What's more, Police Commissioner Bogey didn't know about the intimate relationship between him and Countess, strongly opposed Zhang Fan's investigation of Countess, reasoning that she had suffered such a huge shock, her emotions must be extremely unstable, what she said might not be reliable. As soon as Mr. Bogey opposed it, Zhang Fan became even more unlikely to force his way into the Countess' room. This was private territory, if he forced his way into someone's room without any evidence or reason, he might be the first one to get caught.

  But now it's different. All the investigations were conducted by Zhang Fan and Bogui together, so what the viscount said, the general also heard clearly, this time even he couldn't protect the countess anymore.

  What's more important is that among the people present, there are several very influential big shots whose influence even surpasses that of the deceased Muhammad and Siyad. For them to show their innocence by staying here for two days is already a great face-saving act; asking them to stay longer would require nothing short of a presidential order - which may not be effective either, as some people might not bother with this president who doesn't have control over them. Once these people leave, others will definitely follow suit, and the incident will surely be blown out of proportion. By then, the political life of the police chief would be in jeopardy.

  So, under Zhang Fan's strong request, he had no choice but to agree and go with Zhang Fan to ask the Countess.

  "Yenni?" Zhang Fan and Bogie stood together in front of the countess's door, Bogie lightly knocked on the door and called out the countess's nickname.

  "Who?" A faint and feeble reply soon came from inside the house. It was unmistakably the voice of the countess, who had not been seen for two days.

  "I'm Bogie," replied the police chief. "My friend and I were thinking of dropping by to pay our respects, and maybe have a chat with you. Would that be okay?"

  Zhang Fan noticed that Bogie used "" (nǐ) instead of "" (nín), obviously, the relationship between these two people is not ordinary. It's worth noting that in this so-called European high society, they usually use "" (nín) to address each other, and only very intimate people would call each other "". If you're not close enough with someone and still call them "", it's considered quite rude behavior, and if word gets out, it'll become a laughingstock. ——Before changing the way of addressing someone, one must even ask for the other person's consent, and if the other person feels that their relationship hasn't reached that level yet, they can flatly refuse without hesitation.

  And if you originally called each other "you" and suddenly changed to "you", it basically means that the friendship or love between the two people has ended. In the Middle Ages, many upper-class couples broke up in this very subtle way.

  "I'm not feeling well..." The countess obviously didn't want to talk to them.

  "That's good..." Bogey was about to give up, but Zhang Fan cut him off: "Countess Yekaterina, we just want to ask you a few small questions, it won't take up too much of your time. And these questions are very important."

  "Alright, wait a moment." The countess replied after a brief silence. Then there was no sound in the room anymore.

  Next was a fairly long period of silence, after waiting for more than ten minutes, Zhang Fan finally couldn't bear it: "How come it's taking so long?"

  He muttered under his breath as he turned his head towards Bogie.

  At a glance, he couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment. Bogie had an air of ease and contentment, without any hint of surprise or anxiety, as if he had expected this all along.

  "Haha, Mr. Zhang, you're still too young, not patient enough!" Boji smiled slightly: "Don't you have experience waiting for a lady to put on makeup?"

  "Makeup?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. It's just asking a few questions, do you need to be so serious?

  Since it was makeup, Zhang Fan could only wait patiently. However, he also knew that this phenomenon was very common among some women. He had once heard a girl known for being "open-minded" say that she could meet people naked but would never go out without makeup. The woman's so-called makeup was just brushing her eyebrows and applying lipstick. Sometimes Zhang Fan wouldn't even notice the difference between before and after she put on makeup.

  The time it takes for a woman to put on makeup is often directly proportional to her age. This sentence was best verified by the female countess - they waited outside the door for more than half an hour before the female countess opened the door and let them in. What made Zhang Fan stunned was that although the female countess had carefully put on makeup, she was wearing a nightgown and sitting on the bed!

  One can receive guests in pajamas, but absolutely cannot go without makeup! This is indeed similar to the woman who would rather be seen naked than not made up.

  The countess's face was very pale, and her smile looked very tired. It was clear that although she had been in the house for two days, she hadn't rested well at all. In fact, this feeling of anxiety was even stronger when she was alone. However, her spirit was much calmer than it had been that day in the hall when she lost control, and things were much better now.

  As soon as he entered, Bogey walked to the bedside, held the countess's hand and kissed it, then inquired about her health. As for Zhang Fan, he absolutely wouldn't kiss her hand - of course, the countess also wouldn't let him. He simply shook hands with the countess, then followed Bogey in asking after her health.

  "Mr. Zhang, do you have anything to ask?" The countess's gaze was sharp and she responded indifferently to Bogie's few sentences before shifting her gaze to Zhang Fan. It was clear that at a glance, she had seen that Zhang Fan was the main character in this conversation.

  The countess immediately called out her own name, Zhang Fan was not surprised at all, it's very clear that the countess had already known his identity, this proves that his previous guess was indeed correct.

  Zhang Fan smiled slightly and briefly explained the investigation situation over the past few days. He also repeated what the viscount had said.

  "Are you suspecting that their deaths are related to me?" The countess's face turned slightly pale, then she lifted her head and looked into Zhang Fan's eyes, asking faintly.

  "We certainly didn't mean it that way..." Zhang Fan hadn't even opened his mouth when the police chief beside him hastily explained.

  "We just want to know, why did you invite both of them to your room at the same time? As far as I know, they are not good friends. And what exactly happened in your room, why did one of them leave your room and go directly outside the castle, without even changing into thicker clothes?" The Countess's eyes were sharp as knives, but Zhang Fan still smiled slowly and said.

  It cannot be denied that the countess's age is slightly older, but her eyes are still quite enchanting. Although there is a hint of anger in her gaze, it is still like two clear blue waters, with a captivating charm that draws people in.

  I wonder if using hypnosis combined with mental control at this time can reveal the secrets in her mind? Zhang Fan suddenly had such an idea, which scared himself. The female countess had just gone through such a huge change, and her emotions were definitely unstable. Moreover, she was now hostile to herself, and if mental control were used, there would be a high chance of causing a mental breakdown.

  "Oh?" Unexpectedly, the countess did not have any extreme reaction to Zhang Fan's words, but just smiled again, with an even colder gaze: "Does this matter?"

  "Of course it's related, you see, apart from the servant who opened the door, you should be the last person to have had contact with those two. What happened in your room is crucial to uncovering the truth of the whole matter." Zhang Fan said with a light smile, still meeting the countess's gaze.

  Suddenly, Zhang Fan discovered that there was a hint of difference in the female countess's gaze. If it was just thin anger before, this time it had a bit of smile - a mocking smile.

  Seeing this faint smile, Zhang Fan's heart sank immediately. Oh no! He suddenly thought that he didn't have any right to ask her these things at all!

  As expected, the countess's mouth also hooked a smile: "I think you didn't hear my meaning clearly. I'm saying, does this have anything to do with you? What position are you asking me from? Are you a police officer or a judge?"

  "This...". Zhang Fan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, no mistake, he was meddling in this matter from the start, so he wanted to drag Police Chief Bogie along. But unexpectedly, the female count opened her mouth and left him speechless!

  The countess's eyes were even more sarcastic: "If I'm not mistaken, the invitation to this gathering wasn't delivered to you by my people, was it? You came uninvited, and as the host, I still welcomed you warmly. Yet instead of being grateful, you suspect me, the host, of being a murderer. This isn't exactly the way to be a guest, is it?"

  Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile wryly. Do you think I wanted to come here? If it wasn't for some freak coincidence that led me to meet that strange beauty, I wouldn't have ended up here in the first place! And if I hadn't come, I wouldn't have run into all these weird and wonderful things!

  "You're neither a policeman nor a judge, yet you know I'm not in good spirits now and still come to interrogate me, implying that I have something to do with the deaths of Muhammad and Siyad. Who gave you this power?" The countess's words were quite sharp, making Zhang Fan feel like he couldn't answer: "Bogey, did you give him the suspicion against me, the right to interrogate me? Or do you also think I harmed Muhammad and the other two?"

  "No, no, no, how is that possible!" Boji hastily denied: "Based on our relationship, I still don't believe you? I just..."

  "It's fine then." The countess didn't even let Bogie finish, interrupting him directly: "I'm very tired now, can whatever it is wait until I've recovered my spirits?"

  "Of course, of course!" Boji said repeatedly, standing up directly: "You take your time to rest, don't worry, I'll take care of this matter!"

  Seeing things had turned out like this, Zhang Fan couldn't hold on any longer. He let out a sigh and stood up: "Alright, Countess Yekaterina, I hope your spirit recovers soon. I'll take my leave first."

  "Thank you for your blessing, goodbye." The countess's voice was as cold as ice. "You should be a policeman or a private detective, it's a waste of talent."

  Zhang Fan couldn't help but bitterly smile and could only silently endure this sarcastic remark, turning around and leaving.