Carissa personally went to The Golden Tower to see Nathaniel.


    As a businessman, he was sharp and straightforward. While he wasn''t overly meticulous in his business dealings, he worked hard to make money. However, he also had a strong sense of patriotism. Unable to pursue a schrly path or master martial arts, he had always generously donated to the nation''s cause during times of war. He greatly admired Carissa and wanted to befriend her. However, he rarely had the chance to meet her, and being a businessman, it was difficult for him to visit her. So, when she came to see him in person, he was eager to give her a warm reception.


    Nathaniel had heard a little about the incident at Crystal Springs, but it involved too many sensitive matters tied to officials for him to probe further. What he did know was that a young woman had suffered greatly there.


    When Carissa said she wanted to investigate the matter, Nathaniel didn''t hesitate for a second.


    He pped his chest confidently and said, "Leave it to me, Lady Carissa. Just go back and wait for my good news."


    Less than half a dayter, Nathaniel arrived at the Capital Guard headquarters, seeking help. He exined that a noble guest had lost an emerald pendant at Crystal Springs some time ago and requested the Garrison Unit''s assistance in locating the family heirloom. When ordinary people lost something and reported it to the authorities, it was usually never recovered and often ignored. But the person who lost this item was of notable status. Since their identity wasn''t publicly disclosed, no one could find out who they were. All that was known was that the person was a retired high-ranking official.


    This wasn''t seen as a major incident, so it didn''t attract much attention at first. However, since someone hade forward to seek help, the Garrison Unit had every right to conduct an investigation.


    The fees to enter Crystal Springs weren''t cheap, and there were attendants serving there. So, it wasn''t hard to investigate who came and went on the day of Karen''s incident.


    Malcolm had reserved a private spring, Emerald Pool, that day, but he could be ruled out as a suspect as he and his wife had been at a temple, which a novice priest could confirm.


    Carissa and Max took a walk around the Crystal Springs area to familiarize themselves with theyout. The springs were located to the east of the temple, about 1.5 miles away. It had arge gate and a surrounding wall, so there was only one entrance. Crystal Springs was a thriving business, with reservations required most of the time. If one didn''t book in advance, it was unlikely they would get a spot.


    Carissa asked Crystal Springs'' manager for the list of guests who had visited that day and began reviewing it carefully. Meanwhile, Max went to question the staff, looking for anyone who might seem suspicious.


    As the fees for Crystal Springs were


    expensive, mostmon folk couldn''t afford it. Those who came here were either wealthy families or high-ranking officials, lords, and nobles. Most of them traveled with their families, so ording to the staff, everyone had gone straight to their reserved pools. None of them had visited the pool Malcolm reserved.


    Since Malcolm hadn''te, there were no staff assigned to Emerald Pool that day. And with the ce being so busy, no one had noticed whether anyone had gone near the pool.


    Carissa didn''t find anyone


    suspicious on the guest list. All the


    names belonged to prominent


    officials or at the very least, wealthy merchants. ording to the staff''s statements, everyone had stayed in their own reserved pools. Afterward, the staff personally escorted them out, and no one left or returned after they had finished.


    The Whitley family had made a reservation, so that was how Dous had been able to get Karen into the hot springs.


    Carissa paused, then decided to investigate the people on Malcolm''s side of the story. She went to the temple and asked around. It turned out that Malcolm hade with Marjorie, apanied by a coachman, two guards, and four maids.


    The temple staff were certain that Malcolm and Marjorie hadn''t left, but they weren''t sure about the rest of their party. Only the people by Malcolm''s side that day knew that he hadn''t gone to Crystal Springs. The four maids were easily ruled out, leaving only the two guards and the coachman.


    Carissa suddenly realized she had been overlooking something important-How had the staff at Crystal Springs known that Malcolm wasn''t able toe? She immediately called for Max to go and question the staff. Realizing the mistake too, Max quickly mounted his horse and rode off.


    After asking a few of the staff


    members, he finally got to the truth


    when he raised his fist. One of the staff admitted that one of Malcolm''s guards hade with the reservation slip, iming that master wouldn''t be attending Since the reservation had already been paid for and it would be a shame to let it go to waste, the guard had slipped the staff some money and gone in himself to soak.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!