The following morning…
Arianne reopened Ellis’s notebook.
She had already read it several times.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Page by page.
There were observations about flowers.
About seasons.
About people.
Nothing seemed connected.
Until…
One loose sheet slipped from between the pages.
“…”
Arianne frowned.
She was certain it hadn’t been there before.
The paper was smaller than the others.
Its edges had yellowed with age.
Across the top…
Only a single sentence had been written.
People call it talent.
I think they’re looking at the wrong thing.
“…”
No signature.
No date.
Only those words.
She turned the paper over.
The back was almost empty.
Almost.
Near the bottom…
Someone had scribbled a name.
Senior Researcher Marianne Voss
And beneath it…
Old Association Archives
Arianne blinked.
“…Researcher?”
Ellis had never mentioned her.
Nor had Inspector Han.
She immediately reached for another notebook.
The one she had recently started herself.
Across the first page she wrote…
Observation No.
7
Senior Researcher Marianne Voss
Question: Why did Ellis keep her note?
She tapped the end of the pen against the desk.
“…”
It wasn’t much.
But it was the first new lead she’d found in days.
A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Young miss.”
One of the maids peeked through the door.
“A carriage from the Hunter Association has arrived.”
“They’re asking if you’d like to visit today.”
Arianne smiled.
“…Perfect timing.”
Maybe…
The answers she was searching for…
Had been sitting inside the Association all along.
She just hadn’t known where to look.
The Hunter Association was as lively as ever.
Hunters walked briskly through the lobby.
Receptionists sorted stacks of reports.
Somewhere upstairs…
Someone loudly complained about paperwork.
“…”
Arianne smiled.
Some things truly were universal.
The receptionist noticed her arrival.
“Lady Arianne!”
“Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.”
“I was hoping you could help me.”
“Of course.”
“What do you need?”
Arianne hesitated.
“…Do you know someone named Marianne Voss?”
The receptionist blinked.
“…Senior Researcher Voss?”
“So she really existed.”
“Of course.”
The receptionist looked surprised.
“She was one of the Association’s best researchers.”
“Years ago.”
Arianne’s curiosity immediately grew.
“…What happened to her?”
The receptionist’s smile faded.
“…She retired.”
“Very suddenly.”
“No one really knows why.”
“Some say she became ill.”
“Others say she simply disappeared from public life.”
Arianne frowned.
“…Disappeared?”
The receptionist quickly waved her hands.
“Oh!”
“Not like the missing evaluator.”
“I just mean…”
“…she stopped coming to the Association.”
“No announcements.”
“No farewell.”
“She was simply…”
“…gone.”
Arianne quietly nodded.
Another person.
Another mystery.
“…”
“Did she study Awakenings?”
The receptionist shook her head.
“Mostly.”
“But she was interested in unusual growth cases.”
“Children.”
“Late bloomers.”
“Rare mana development.”
Arianne’s heartbeat quickened.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
“…”
“Are her research records still here?”
The receptionist looked uncertain.
“I’m not sure.”
“Old research is stored in the archive.”
“But…”
She lowered her voice.
“…ordinary visitors aren’t allowed inside.”
“…”
Arianne looked toward the upper floors.
Somewhere in that building…
There might be answers.
Or…
At the very least…
A better question.
“…Ordinary visitors aren’t allowed inside.”
Arianne nodded.
“I figured.”
She wasn’t disappointed.
If the archives were open to everyone…
They wouldn’t be called archives.
Just as she turned to leave…
A familiar voice called out.
“Lady Arianne?”
She looked back.
Inspector Han was walking across the lobby.
Several documents were tucked beneath one arm.
“You came to visit the greenhouse again?”
Arianne smiled.
“Actually…”
“I came looking for information.”
Han raised an eyebrow.
“Information?”
She hesitated for only a moment.
“…Do you know Senior Researcher Marianne Voss?”
The inspector stopped walking.
His expression changed ever so slightly.
“…”
“I do.”
Arianne immediately noticed.
He knew more than he was saying.
“I found her name in Ellis’s notebook.”
Han remained silent.
After a long pause…
He sighed.
“So…”
“Ellis left you that page.”
“He really did trust you.”
Arianne blinked.
“…You knew about it?”
“I knew he was looking into her old research.”
“I told him to stop.”
“…Why?”
Han looked toward the upper floors.
“The investigation was closed years ago.”
“There was no evidence.”
“No conclusions.”
“Nothing.”
“But Ellis…”
A faint smile crossed his face.
“…was stubborn.”
“He believed unfinished questions deserved answers.”
Arianne couldn’t help smiling.
“…That sounds like him.”
Han laughed quietly.
“It does.”
He studied her for a moment.
Then…
He reached into his coat.
From an inner pocket…
He withdrew a small brass key.
Old.
Worn smooth from years of use.
He placed it in Arianne’s palm.
“This…”
“…opens the old botanical archives.”
Arianne stared at the key.
“…You’re giving this to me?”
“I’m lending it.”
Han corrected with a smile.
“And only because…”
He glanced at Ellis’s notebook tucked beneath her arm.
“…I think Ellis would’ve wanted you to continue where he stopped.”
The brass key felt surprisingly heavy.
Not because of its weight.
But because of what it represented.
Somewhere…
Behind a locked door…
Answers had been waiting for years.
End of Chapter 23