The damp morning mist rose around Nihrelet Manor, leaving everything washed in pale lead-gray and cold blue.
Standing before the bedroom window, Batman saw Schiller in the garden and recalled a conversation they had after he went to Schiller's room before bed the previous night.
It was late at night when Batman, still carrying the chill of the outdoors, arrived at Schiller's bedroom door. He found that Schiller, who answered the door, had already changed into pajamas, which meant he had not gone out earlier.
Batman took off his overcoat and followed Schiller into the bedroom's sitting area. Schiller brought him a cup of coffee that had been warming by the fireplace. Batman asked, "You knew I would come?"
"Of course. And you won't be the only one. Do you want to talk about the murderer?"
"Mr. Nihrelet cannot escape blame." Batman's tone was as low as ever, and he was not speaking without reason. After taking a sip of coffee, he explained, "There are too many suspicious things about him."
"First, as the master of a noble estate, even if he and his wife had conflicts, they had to maintain proper appearances in public. Husband and wife were one, at least among the nobility. No matter how serious their private disputes were, they still had to treat each other with respect in public."
"But compared with Mrs. Nihrelet, Mr. Nihrelet seemed to prefer spending time with his cousin Hancock. It would be one thing if they were merely close in private, but in front of so many people, Mr. Nihrelet abandoned his wife to remain inseparable from his cousin. That was clearly quite improper."
Batman lightly rested One Hand on the sofa armrest and said, "They are obviously the sort of family that regards rules as more important than