Hold On, Possible Murder Case?

Alright, so... what's the use of this so-called hidden plot again?

[This hidden plot would help you to advance and discover a new thing about Clarisse, the character.]

[It means that you are allowed to reveal just one piece of information about her.]

Wait, so... doesn't that mean I'm allowed to know literally about anything?

[Yes, anything.]

I see. At this point, I feel I'm crazy enough for talking to a panel right now...

[No worries, Madam. You are not. This system is designed to do friendly conversation too, after all.]

Maybe stop trying to talk in front of me would do.

[Confirmed. We will minimize the conversation from now on.]

Hold on... we?

Meh, never mind. Like that would help anyway.

[So, what would be the piece of information you are eager to know?]

I had to think for a while before coming up with an answer.

Hm... maybe I could figure something cool. Like a nickname.

[Confirmed. Clarisse von Fahrmann is unanimously known as "Crimson Devil."]

Crimson Devil? What even is the meaning of that somewhat a** nick?

[Crimson Devil because of her alluring red crimson eyes that would hypnotize people into doing anything she wanted. However, it's activated within a limited time of use.]

So, what am I now? Some kind of girlboss? This sounds incredibly cliché, if anything.

Well, never mind. Maybe I could use this power too when necessary. 

A handy little power to use when needed, I guess.

[Currently, you are not allowed to unlock this until you figure out the next plot.]

Wait, what?! Also, what even is the next plot?

[We couldn't tell. Best of luck.]

And just like that, the panel screen was gone from the air. 

Unbelievable. At times when I need more information like this...

 The time that was stopped then advanced normally.

Wait, forgotten already? Didn’t I say about that before? Shake my head.

Meanwhile, she—Elysia—was still trembling in front of me.
And oh, look! Here come the crocodile tears. The peak of fiction storytelling scene here.
Similar to the girl I had just mentioned, she was crying—shed tears in front of me.

I guess my current ally is actually also my nemesis, huh.

I should’ve figured this much earlier. But apparently, I was too occupied by the distraction that is the world-building, designed to deceive me with this kind of magnificent illusion.

Not to mention the fact that she never really managed to deny the accusation.
Therefore, maybe it was true. Or who knows.

"No! I mean, wasn't that all you wanted, Milady?"
The tears continued streaming until her face seemed watery.

Perhaps, in front of her, I looked to be a different kind of beast.
Or else, maybe it almost seemed like she never really recognized the current Clarisse von Fahrmann who was standing right in front of her. Her eyes stared at me as if she were seeing some kind of monster who possessed her—and not the Clarisse she used to know.

Clarisse, no offense... but you really sucked at becoming a villainess if you got fooled by her.

"Who said that, hm?"

My eyes remained intensely glaring at her, as if prying on a victim.

"No, please stop!"
She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the nightmare that is me.
And apparently, the Crimson Devil herself. Yes, Clarisse von Fahrmann.

No, wait. Why would I say this as if I were narrating the story?

I am the Crimson Devil myself now.

So, it shouldn’t matter whether Clarisse used to possess this body and died... 

WAIT!

Something just clicked in my head.

I then looked away, ignoring her existence. Treating her as some kind of germ now.
My priority changed all of a sudden. My detective instinct was triggered by this, as I began gathering pieces of information in my head.

Like... what if the reason why I was sent to this body was merely because she already died?
Well, if that was the case, then...
And yes, this would be my first ever crime case—a possible murder attempt.

[Possible murder case. Location: Garden of Mary Rose, Northern Shore of Yehwach Kingdom. Possible victim: Clarisse von Fahrmann. Possible murderer: Elysia von Schmidt]

No, this wasn’t the system’s panel this time—but mine, since I needed to note everything there is about the crime.

So, first of all, to begin the case—did I really fall into the grass without any reason whatsoever?

So—first question.
Did I really just… collapse face-first onto the grass for no damn reason?

Nope, I don’t think so.

I remembered it vividly. When I first came to, I caught a glimpse of her face.

[Pupils dilated. Mouth agape. Eyebrows raised high. Shocked expression bordering on disbelief. Exaggerated tone and overly dramatic voice. Irregular breathing.]

 The whole textbook behaviors of panicky.

Effortless. Like muscle memory kicking in.
It was just like back in my detective days—before all this noble reincarnation nonsense.

Next, I scanned the area and spotted it.

[A small table near to the location of murder. Two half-full cups of an unidentifiable beverage. Lipstick stains on both. Faint. Different tones of colour.]

Interesting. So they were drinking together before I passed out. Or… she passed out.
Hard to pin down the timing yet.

I moved closer to the location where the “incident” happened.
Nothing out of the ordinary at first glance.

Wait. Let's just backtrack.

I needed to recall exactly where my body landed before the blackout.

[Body was sprawled diagonally—roughly sixty degrees askew from the table. About one meter of distance. Legs uneven, spread wide. Arms wide open.]

This positioning… was not random.

She was heading somewhere, I’m pretty sure about it. But she didn’t make it.

So, collapsed midway?

Elysia, you sly little thing.

If they were speaking before she lost consciousness, that changes things.

Why? Because someone still conscious—even while weak—would try to reach a destination. 

But this? This was as if she already surrendered to reach for the destination.

I turned back to observe the scene more closely when I heard it—

“Milady, what are you doing?”

No, you b****! Shut it. Don’t interrupt me while I'm doing my things!

But of course, I smiled sweetly and ignored her completely.

I crouched down and sniffed the grass where the body had fallen.

[Faint perfume. Sweaty undertone. No vomit. No visible bruising. Legs parted. Arms limp. No resistance. Definitely knocked unconscious.]

Time of unconsciousness? Unclear. A few minutes before, maybe?
There’s no way to tell without an autopsy.
Too bad I was stuck in a fantasy world without a forensics lab.

So... did she say anything before collapsing?
Or did she just—fall, without a word?

That leads to the real question:
Where was she trying to go?

And more importantly—why the hell was Elysia that close when it happened?