The grand main hall remained buried beneath a suffocating silence as hundreds of servants continued standing with lowered heads, none daring to move unnecessarily while the atmosphere grew heavier with every passing second. The chandeliers above cast long golden reflections across the polished floor, yet despite the warmth of the lights, the hall itself felt cold enough that even breathing seemed difficult for many present.

At the very front of the chamber, Damon continued sitting calmly upon the large chair with Cecelia resting quietly upon his lap, while the head butler still stood before them beneath the countless hidden gazes observing the exchange.

Then finally—

The head butler answered.

"I have not stolen anything from the Valecrest family archives."

His voice remained calm and steady despite the pressure surrounding him as he looked directly into Damon’s eyes without lowering his gaze.

And Damon looked back at him just as steadily.

For several moments, neither spoke.

Then—

A slight smile slowly formed upon Damon’s face.

...Let’s deal with you later.

The thought passed quietly through his mind while his fingers absentmindedly continued patting Cecelia’s soft white hair.

Yet the moment that slight smile appeared—

Cecelia visibly flinched.

Her small body stiffened faintly against him as though she had sensed something dangerous hidden beneath Damon’s calm demeanor.

Damon noticed immediately.

Without changing his expression, he gently patted her head once more, calming her quietly before finally raising his voice enough for the rest of the hall to hear again.

"You are cleared for now, Head Butler," Damon said calmly. "Stand aside."

The old man bowed immediately before stepping back without another word.

Then Damon finally lifted his gaze toward the hundreds of servants gathered throughout the hall.

"See?" he said evenly. "It really is that simple."

His cold smile remained faintly visible.

"Now then... why don’t we properly begin the proceedings?"

Not a single person answered.

The hundreds gathered there simply lowered their heads even further while fear visibly spread through the hall once more.

Then Damon casually called the first name.

A young maid stepped forward almost immediately, her hands trembling so badly that even her sleeves shook slightly as she knelt before Damon.

"Have you ever entered the archives?" Damon asked calmly.

"N-never, young master!" she answered hurriedly. "I-I swear on my life!"

Damon’s eyes lowered slightly toward Cecelia.

The little girl tilted her head faintly before softly murmuring,

"...Blue... and grey..."

Fear.

But truth.

Damon nodded lightly.

"Stand aside."

The maid nearly collapsed in relief before quickly bowing repeatedly and retreating back into the rows.

Next came an older attendant.

Damon questioned him calmly regarding his movements during the past month, whether anyone had attempted to bribe him for information regarding the manor, and whether he had ever interacted with outsiders suspiciously near the archive corridors.

The attendant answered every question while sweating heavily beneath the pressure.

"N-no, young master... I would never betray the Valecrest family..."

Again Damon glanced toward Cecelia.

"...Blue... scared..."

Another truth.

Another frightened servant.

"Stand aside."

Then came a guard.

Then another maid.

Then a storage supervisor.

One after another stepped forward beneath the suffocating atmosphere while Damon questioned them calmly regarding loyalty, movements, access permissions, unusual encounters, and possible knowledge regarding missing records.

And every single time—

Cecelia quietly whispered colors in her soft childish voice.

"Blue..."

"...Grey..."

"...Blue and shaky..."

Truth.

Fear.

Nervousness.

But no lies.

Meanwhile, Damon simply continued nodding quietly after each response while his golden eyes gradually became colder and colder the longer the proceedings continued.

The questioning continued for a long time after that beneath the suffocating atmosphere filling the grand hall, as servant after servant stepped forward nervously before Damon while the countless others waiting in line silently prayed that their own names would not be called next.

One after another answered questions regarding their movements, duties, contacts, and access within the manor while Cecelia quietly whispered colors in her soft childish voice from Damon’s lap whenever he looked toward her for confirmation.

And slowly—

The process itself began wearing everyone down.

At least twenty people had already passed through the questioning by now, the tension inside the hall growing heavier with every passing minute as fear gradually spread deeper through the gathered servants.

Eventually—

"Sahira."

The moment Damon called her name, several servants instinctively glanced toward her while Sahira herself visibly stiffened before carefully stepping forward through the rows.

Damon did not reveal anything regarding her missing record.

Not a single word.

Instead, he questioned her the same way he questioned everyone else, his expression calm while Sahira nervously answered beneath the countless gazes fixed upon her.

"No... young master..."

"I-I do not know anything regarding the archives..."

"I-I have never entered that place..."

Her voice trembled repeatedly throughout the exchange while Cecelia softly murmured her colors afterward.

"...Blue... pale violet..."

Truth.

.....Concern

Damon nodded lightly as his brows were furrowed.

"You may step aside."

Sahira visibly relaxed afterward before quickly retreating back into the rows again, though her worried gaze remained fixed upon Damon afterward.

Meanwhile—

As the questioning continued further—

Damon gradually began noticing something else entirely.

Cecelia was becoming tired.

Her small body leaned more heavily against him than before while her responses grew slower and softer each time he asked for confirmation. Even the little hands clutching his clothes had weakened slightly from exhaustion.

Damon’s brows furrowed faintly.

...This is placing too much strain on her.

His fingers lightly brushed through her white hair again while his thoughts moved rapidly.

No... this method is too inefficient.

One by one questioning would take far too long.

And more importantly—

He could already feel Cecelia nearing her limit.

Then suddenly—

Damon raised his voice calmly throughout the hall.

"This is becoming too tiring."

Instant silence fell immediately.

Then slowly, a faint smile appeared upon Damon’s face.

"So why don’t we simplify things a little?"

The servants visibly stiffened.

"If any of you have seen or heard something suspicious regarding another servant..."

His golden eyes slowly swept across the hall.

"...step forward and report it."

Meanwhile, inwardly—

Divide and conquer.

An old school method... but effective.

The reaction throughout the hall was immediate.

Servants began secretly glancing toward one another while tension spread even more heavily through the rows.

No one moved at first.

No one wished to become the first traitor among the gathered crowd.

Damon observed the hesitation quietly before speaking again.

"How about this then..."

His smile deepened slightly.

"Whoever provides information that turns out to be truthful..."

A brief pause followed.

"...I will never personally lay a hand upon them."

The effect was instant.

Murmurs exploded quietly throughout the hall.

"What...?"

"R-really...?"

"Young master personally said that..."

"That means..."

Several servants visibly wavered immediately, their eyes beginning to shift suspiciously toward the people standing beside them.

And Damon—

Saw all of it.

A satisfied smile slowly appeared across his face.

"But..."

The single word immediately silenced the hall again.

"If the accusation is false..."

Damon did not even bother finishing the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

Because the effect had already settled fully upon everyone present.

Fear spread instantly once more.

Several servants visibly paled.

Then silence returned again.

Heavy and uncomfortable.

Until finally—

One attendant slowly stepped forward while trembling.

"I-I saw one of the storage workers near the restricted archive corridors several nights ago..."

Instantly the accused servant snapped his head upward in panic.

"T-that’s a lie!"

"I-I was delivering inventory records!"

The argument immediately erupted between them while Damon silently listened.

Then his eyes lowered toward Cecelia.

The little girl tilted her head faintly before softly whispering,

"...Blue..."

The accuser was telling the truth.

The atmosphere shifted immediately after that.

Because the moment one person successfully stepped forward without punishment—

Others began moving too.

Another maid came forward nervously.

Then a guard.

Then another attendant.

One accusation led to another while frightened servants desperately attempted distancing themselves from suspicion by pushing attention toward others instead.

"I-I heard him asking questions about the archives before..."

"She was wandering near the restricted halls late at night..."

"T-that guard accepted money from outsiders once..."

"N-no! That was for gambling debt!"

Arguments continuously erupted throughout the hall while Damon quietly observed everything from his seat, occasionally glancing toward Cecelia whenever confirmation became necessary.

And slowly—

The massive crowd of servants gradually narrowed down further and further until finally only seven figures remained standing separately before Damon.

Seven trembling individuals.

Seven servants whose suspicious actions, movements, and testimonies all connected together strongly enough to potentially tie them to the missing archive page.

And now—

All seven stood before Damon beneath the suffocating atmosphere of the grand hall, their pale faces trembling beneath his cold gaze.

Then finally—

He spoke.

"If any one of you has truly betrayed me," he said calmly, his voice echoing throughout the completely silent hall, "then step forward now and admit your crime."

The seven figures visibly stiffened.

Damon’s gaze remained cold and steady as he continued.

"If you tell me who you are working for..."

A faint pause followed.

"...then I promise I will not harm even a single hair on your body."

The words settled heavily throughout the chamber.

Several servants standing in the back visibly widened their eyes slightly after hearing such an offer, while even the seven suspects themselves instinctively glanced toward one another in hesitation.

Yet despite that—

No one stepped forward.

No one spoke.

Only silence lingered.

The seven merely continued exchanging nervous glances among themselves, their pale faces carrying fear, uncertainty, and suspicion toward one another, yet not a single one possessed the courage to become the first person to move.

And Damon—

Simply watched them quietly.

Then suddenly—

A low chuckle escaped him.

"...As you wish then."