“Rosenitia Youngae, we found these petals under the table. As someone who has treated Her Majesty the Empress, you should recognize what kind of flower this is just by looking at the petals, right?”
I looked at the deputy commander with an unwavering gaze and opened my mouth.
“Yes, I know.”
“Is this flower Astel?”
Instead of answering, I nodded.
“Then, even without me explicitly explaining what it means that these petals came out here, can I assume you understand?”
I could anticipate the next words without hearing them.
The maid’s testimony and the evidence found in the office – everything was pointing to me as the culprit.
‘Could it be that the petals fell to the ground on the day I met Blake?’
No.
It couldn’t be.
The place where we had our conversation that day was not the office but the reception room. And I had no memory of bringing the potted plant from Blake to the office.
Therefore, the discovery of the petals here didn’t make sense.
They must have known I was not the culprit even before coming here. That’s why, no matter how much they searched the mansion, they wouldn’t find evidence related to the incident.
It was just a scheme to fabricate false evidence, confirming me as the culprit under the pretext of following the Empress’s orders.
I knew it, but I couldn’t make any countermove.
Given that the Empress had made her move during the tea party, the outcome was irreversible.
If only there had been a little more time, maybe I could have done something…
Was it also a mistake to expedite the Empress’s detoxification?
“No, I don’t think so. Considering his cunning nature, he must have set traps in different directions, preparing for it.”
I barely suppressed the boiling anger.
There was no need to foolishly display my emotions in front of them.
I had to remain calm and composed, responding rationally. Everything I did today would reach the Empress’s ears.
Whipping myself mentally, I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“To think you know everything, you must also remember who saved the Empress from the unknown poison that nearly took her life.”
As I said this, I sharply scrutinized the knights surrounding me.
Then, I made eye contact with Lucas, who once again seemed surprised and lowered his head.
‘Could it be, Lucas, are you involved in this?’
In fact, as someone who had been observing his actions in the office, I had more than suspicions; I had a conviction. However, I wanted to believe in my fellow academy alumnus a bit more.
Yet, both Lucas’s previous behavior and his current reaction were too suspicious.
“We truly do not believe that Lady Yeongae is the culprit. However, with evidence presented in this manner, for a simple investigation, you should accompany us to the palace.”
The deputy commander signaled to the knights.
“No, Miss!”
The butler, sensing an uneasy atmosphere, could be seen shouting from outside the door, struggling to enter.
However, it was impossible from the start for an untrained butler to overcome young knights trained in combat.
“Miss!”
“Are you planning to forcibly take me into custody?”
“The Empress has ordered that if evidence is found, you are to be taken immediately.”
“Even if it’s an imperial order, forcibly apprehending me like this will undoubtedly lead to discussions about the royal response in the future. Are you okay with that?”
“She has already accepted that aspect as well.”
Ha.
A bitter laugh escaped involuntarily. Alongside that, I felt their strong determination to somehow capture me as the culprit.
“Understood. I’ll go with you.”
No matter how I thought about it, staying here would be meaningless, and that was my conclusion.
“Miss! This can’t be!”
Hearing the desperate cries mixed with frustration from the butler and Amy, I smiled slightly, indicating that it was okay.
“Don’t worry too much, everyone. Oh, Amy, would you please send a letter to the Duke and Adelia when you hear the news later? They might be concerned.”
In reality, there was no choice but to be okay. I didn’t know what would happen next, but I was currently the fiancee of the Duke of Laverion, a noble with an invisible status.
It was a significant challenge even within the imperial court to apprehend such an entity based solely on the testimony of a maid who served the Empress and evidence that could be real or fake.
Of course, despite that, it wasn’t without apprehension since it was the first time such an incident had occurred.
However.
‘No matter what happens, I will protect Kaern.’
Clutching my fist tightly, I continuously reinforced the commitment I made earlier to myself as I stepped out of the study.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
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