It didn't take a second for the pair to reach the living room. Opposed to the common architecture of the time, where houses had the first room at the entrance dedicated to the God of Salvation, the manor's entrance immediately led into the living room. This amused Liadle, as even old houses had mostly been renovated to have a dedicated room at the front to protect the owners from misfortunes.
"Take a seat," offered Fenny, pointing towards two white sofas. As Liadle sat down, his facial expression shifted from amusement to an emotionless poker face.
"There used to be a dedicated entrance," said Fenny, clearly aware of the reason for Liadle's amusement. "Mynae suddenly removed it after inheriting the manor from my brother," he continued. He then let out two thunderous claps to call the butler.
"Coming!" shouted a male voice with a yawn and a hint of drowsiness.
"Bring tea for me and the guest!" Fenny shouted back. "I did not expect you to come, especially this early," he explained.
A strikingly tall man with dark red hair could now be seen wearing a butler's suit. Its status was indicated by the use of a differently colored thread for the stitches, which was a cultural style for making butler outfits. He was holding an expensive tea set in his left hand. He quietly poured tea for the pair, who were now locked in an awkward silence. After doing his job, he hurriedly walked away, making sure not to make eye contact with them.
"So, could you at least tell me the details of this job?" Liadle said to break the silence.
"Oh yes, certainly," replied Fenny. "The previous owner of this manor—my nephew—was found dead in this very manor two days ago. I think this was murder, rather than natural causes or suicide as some suggest. I have thus called upon you, the best detective I know or could afford, to investigate," he explained as he looked at Liadle, who was sipping his tea quietly.
"Ok then, take me to the place where his body was found. I shall see for myself whether this is murder or just an unfortunate death," said Liadle as he rested his tea upon the table and stood up.
Immediately, Fenny supported himself up and started to move towards the staircase. Liadle quickly followed Fenny, whose height forced him to take quick, short steps, giving the illusion that he was running. When they reached their destination, Fenny removed a set of keys from his trousers. As he prepared to open the room, he looked at Liadle and warned, "You should be ready. It's messy and weird. I left it untouched specifically to preserve the evidence you might need for your investigation."
He then turned the doorknob, revealing the room. A corpse was seated in the corner upon a rocking chair. The corpse was so weirdly preserved it looked like the person had only died a few minutes ago. Surprisingly, it let out no stench. The previously blood-stained floor was clean but featured a weird, dark gold-reddish pattern.
Liadle looked around and immediately walked to the stained floor. "He must have been rich to cover the floor with Hell Gold," he said as he squatted down, touching the floor.
"You might be surprised if I were to tell you this," replied Fenny, who paused to build suspense. "There was no Devil's Gold there when the maid discovered him; rather, it was blood and a yellowish liquid," he continued, looking at Liadle and trying to read his expression.
Liadle let out a chuckle. "I think superstitions should be left out of factual work," he said to silence Fenny, "especially work like mine." He stood up and walked towards the desk to examine the corpse.
"Indeed, this cannot be a natural death, nor can it be suicide," he said, pointing at the gold orbs in the corpse's eye sockets. "Very well then. I will look into this case immediately, but I will need some room to think," he added, hinting for Fenny to depart.
Fenny did not say a word to negotiate and moved out of the room immediately. Liadle moved his hand around the deceased's desk. On it lay a pink scented candle and a blood-stained book. Liadle picked up the book and read the title: The One Way to Become Rich.
Would you like me to help you expand on the description of the "Hell Gold" or the crime scene to heighten the atmosphere