"Please don't move and don't touch anything either. I will take samples of everything there is and then perform tracking magic. Please cooperate with me during this investigation."

Children squirmed in their place as the investigator walked toward the broken door to use his magic.

Layla watched the others to see who looked the most nervous, but many faces showed the same level of nervousness.

The one Layla was most interested in keeping an eye on was Henry. His face looked impassive, but his expression was somewhat impatient.

Layla kept an eye on him until the final spell was woven, and it came into effect.

The spell transformed into a bunch of strings that began to form a rope toward the culprit. And as expected, the rope extended toward the inner hallway of the castle.

"Looks like the spell managed to track our offender. I can tell that the offender is near, but he decided not to show himself. He also has a special constitution that allows him to hide better than others.

Unfortunately, the offender could not hide his magical signature, and he got caught by us. Miss, what would you like to do next?"

The officer sighed before he looked at the door and then at Layla.

He would have gone after the offender if this were any other place. However, since this was Duke Lockhart's palace and all these kids were under his jurisdiction, he did not want to overstep his authority.

It snubbed the investigator's pride to ask a kid what he should do next, but that was better than getting his head chopped off for offending someone in the Duke's household.

"Let's go after the offender. I already know who it is, but I would still like to be sure. This incident shook me, and I want to ensure this never happens again."

The investigator shook his head, showing he was slightly shocked by what he had heard.

But as soon as that expression came over his face, he also masked it.

'This kid is either too good at masking her emotions, or she's being sarcastic. No, let's not think about it. I need to get these thoughts out of my head.'

The investigator shook his head subtly before walking toward the direction his string was leading him.

Layla and her maid followed him, but she was not the only one.

The oldest kid in the room decided to come after them as well. He looked ready to interject if anything were to happen, and it gave the investigator a relieved breath to have him there.

They finally reached the door, where the threads stopped, and the investigator knocked to open it.

"Excuse me, but can you please open this door for me? I am an investigator hired by the Duke to check up on a recent accident. It would help a lot if you are being cooperative with me."

The detective asked in a patient voice. He was giving the people inside all the time to brace himself.

He felt a little helpless when the person on the other side did not do anything. Although the lack of response was typical, it made the investigator feel bad every time this happened.

"Young miss, what should we-"

He turned toward Layla to ask her what they should do, but Layla had her plans.

"Mary, break down the door for me. I need to talk with Austin. If your differences are not something we can talk over, then I will need to put some 'effort' into getting along."

Layla spoke softly, but her words felt more like a threat than a promise of getting along.

'Pretend you did not hear. Nothing happened here.'

The investigator quickly ignored what the young Lady was saying and focused on the door before him.

Since the hired person said he could break the door down, the investigator was about to do just that.

But his strength was useless when he tried to break the door down, and his attack returned.

"Excuse me, but please let me try."

Mary placed a hand on the investigator's shoulder before she pulled him back and, with a single swing of her axe, broke the door down.

The door broke without much effort, and Mary skipped inside with a joyous tone as she stepped.

"Young Miss, our culprit had decided to run for it. Shall I go down and track them?"

Mary asked in a joyful voice as she looked inside the room. She seemed to enjoy the situation, and her expression told the investigator so.

The young miss remained quiet for a whole minute before she turned to look at her maid.

"Don't be back late, and make sure you are safe. Otherwise, do what you want to."

Layla gave the order, and Mary's expression made the investigator and Henry step back in shock.

"I will do so, miss."

With those last words spoken, Mary also left the scene. She was so fast that no one noticed what happened until the maid was gone.

"We should follow after Mary as well. The sooner we finish this drama, the better for us. I would like to close this chapter of my life."

Layla spoke, and the investigator shivered at her words. She sounded a little too 'adult' when she said that.

He could feel the spirit of an old and tired person coming from these six years, making him question himself.

'What the hell? Now, I am beginning to think of unnecessary thoughts in my head. Why do my instincts tell me I am dealing with a cunning adult here instead of a kid? Maybe I need more sleep to correct myself as well.'

The investigator rubbed his eyes to check if he felt tired or not.

But other than his instincts going out of control and giving false alarms to him, there was nothing wrong with him.

Ultimately, the investigator could only sigh and chalk his condition up to a one-time mistake his instincts were making.