“So you intend to drive that woman to madness and have Oswald as her guardian?”

Stone replaced the answer with a quiet laugh.

Yan began calculating quickly.

If Christine were really dead, most of his wealth would go to Adel. But if Adel were not in her right mind, Oswald could be made her guardian. Then he and Oswald could share the immense wealth.

They could just lock Adel away somewhere using treatment as an excuse, and no one would look for her.

“It’s a way to make everyone happy, Your Majesty.”

But Yan couldn’t believe it until he saw Christine’s body with his own eyes. Christine, a Wolf Clan member, couldn’t have been easily taken down.

“And as promised, I will turn the opinion of the nobles’ assembly to Your Majesty’s side. Once you have control over the senior nobility, nothing will threaten you.”

At that moment, Yan finished calculating.

He didn’t need Christine if he could win over the nobles’ assembly. And Christine had been becoming harder to control, even making him feel a strange pressure.

The war was over, and what he needed now was the power of the nobility. It was more advantageous to join hands with Stone, a political mastermind.

It wasn’t in the plan to eliminate Christine, but if it happened, and if he also got his hands on that immense wealth…

“Fine, I’ll trust you.”

That was the way to make everyone happy.

(This is a time separator.)

Yan approached Adel.

“Adel, did you serve tea to Vice Earl before the game?”

With Christine’s words in her embrace and in a state of shock, Adel looked back in confusion.

Why was he asking something so obvious?

It was cold weather, so the players obviously had hot tea before the game. Adel had also brought tea and snacks for Christine.

“…Yes, but…”

Then Yan turned and shouted loudly.

“Arrest Adel Grills immediately!”

Scrape. Scrape.

As soon as the command fell, the guards surrounded Adel and drew their swords.

Yan added,

“The murder suspect of Vice Earl.”

Adel doubted her ears.

“Murder…? …I… him?”

“The Earl took to the game after drinking the tea you gave him, and was poisoned. The poison slowly spread, making him lose consciousness and fall into the gorge. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had such an absurd accident. If you’ve done it once, twice would be easy.”

Adel found the situation entirely unreal.

This must be a dream.

A terrible nightmare.

“You wicked witch!”
Someone yelled at Adel, and then shouts erupted all around as if they had been waiting.

“Burn the witch at the stake!”

“Save the count at once!”

Those who were already displeased with Adel as Christine’s fiancée rose like flames and screamed. They seemed ready to rush in and kill her with stones at any moment.

(This is a time separator.)

“How terrible, that woman was the fiancée of Vice Count.”

“I guess so. She must have planned to kill him and seize his enormous fortune?”

“Ugh, it gives me chills! This must have been her true nature?”

Listening to the murmuring of the people, Sei quietly laughed, covering her mouth with the end of her fan.

That’s like my brother!

‘To finish Adel off in one breath like this.’

“Would the Emperor really get angry if I present a better card?”

“What talk did you have with the Emperor?”

Surely Stone was clearly in league with the Emperor.

If even the Emperor is on their side, ruining Adel would be no big deal.

At last, Sei felt as though the stuffiness she had been feeling was completely relieved. Of course, it was a great pity that Christine was in the wrong.

‘Adel, you should have stayed in the basement, that suited you best.’

(This is a time separator.)

“Tsk!”

A short laugh escaped from the corner of Adel’s mouth, who had been in a daze for a while. Then she slowly looked around at the people who were scowling at her.

With her hat off, her hair all tangled, and her eyes bloodshot as she laughed, her appearance was bizarre and even ominous. It suited the word “witch” perfectly.

“I’m disappointed, Your Majesty.”

Adel stared straight at Yan, surrounded by the swords of the guards.

Pain, and now anger and fear, were gone after a moment.

‘It’s fine if I die here at worst.’

It would be more satisfying to let things happen as Stone’s author intended.

Shall he cut her throat with a guard’s sword before his eyes?

‘You will never have me!’ Perhaps shouting like that.

No.

‘I will become a demon and curse you and Oswald forever!’ That would be the curse to pour out before death.

‘Well, that’s not bad either.’

As she thought that, Adel kept laughing.

Yan looked at such Adel and wore an unpleasant expression.

“Do you have something to say?”

Instead of answering, Adel untied the cape around her shoulder and began to undress.

In the midst of many people watching, and with the guards’ blades encircling her, she acted without any embarrassment as if she had none.

People buzzed at the unexpected behavior. Some clicked their tongues, thinking she was really mad. Others murmured, suspecting some trick.

But still, no one could take their eyes off her.

“What are you doing! Stop it at once!”

Yan shouted in confusion.

At the same time, Adel’s glamorous dress fell to the dirt floor.

“I’m proving that everything Stone’s author said is a lie.”

Dressed in a thin chemise with a corset, she grabbed the hem from her shoulder.

As her white, smooth back was exposed in the darkness, everyone buzzed.

A tattoo was indeed engraved in the middle of her back.

But it was…….

“Christine?”

Yan slowly read the tattoo on her back.

The characters engraved along her straight spine and following her shoulder blades clearly spelled ‘CRISTINE’.

His name covered her back like wings.