The head of the investigation noticed Ariana’s inability to respond properly due to Rachel’s intense stare, and subtly blocked Rachel’s view.
“Speak to me honestly. Where were you?”
“I was… doing the laundry. With that girl.”
Ariana pointed at the redhaired maid.
As the head of the investigation gestured, the maid rushed over.
“Doing laundry the whole time?”
“Yes, the young lady and I have been doing laundry since this morning.”
Judging by the quilts hanging on the clothesline, the amount seemed to match their story.
The head of the investigation’s eyes went cold.
The situation was clear.
The head of the investigation took out handcuffs and approached Victoria.
“As a witness to a murder case….”
“How reckless!”
Rachel blocked the space between the head of the investigation and Victoria.
“How dare you think of handcuffing a noblewoman of the Bronthe family!”
“The Emperor himself has commanded that the murder investigation be conducted without any favor or prejudice, Duchess. If anyone interferes, regardless of their rank, they are to be arrested. If you don’t want to be taken away, step aside.”
“I am the daughter of Seo Je Hu!”
“I am the representative of the investigation, personally sent by the Emperor. I have more authority in this murder case than Seo Je Hu.”
“You can’t take my daughter!”
“I will.”
“You can’t take her!”
The head of the investigation signaled to the investigators.
Though the investigators, being from Seorleung, hesitated for a moment, their responsibility to the empire and their leader outweighed their loyalty to the Duchess.
The investigators grabbed Rachel’s arms and pulled her away.
As Victoria was in danger of being captured, Rachel struggled fiercely, forgetting even the presence of the noblewomen in the room.
The noblewomen covered their mouths and whispered among themselves at the ugly scene.
Meanwhile, Victoria stood frozen, blankly staring at the handcuffs being placed on her wrists.
“What is this madness!”
Just then, Duke Jacob Bronthe returned from surveying his estate.
The Duke’s outcry did not change the complexion of the head of the investigation.
It was an evident fact that the Duchess and the youngest noblewoman were trying to frame the second noblewoman for murder, with Duke Bronthe standing behind them.
The head of the investigation could not view kindly Duke Bronthe, who had abused and neglected Ariana simply because she was not his daughter.
“What on earth is happening!”
Duke Bronthe strode up to stand before the head of the investigation.
The head of the investigation looked straight into Duke Bronthe’s eyes.
“We were taking the youngest noblewoman as a witness to a murder case.”
“What? A murder case? Our youngest would never commit something like murder!”
“Oh, so the second noblewoman could have?”
“What did you say?”
Duke Bronthe’s eyes wavered.
Only then did he notice Ariana in her ragged clothes, looking uneasy, and Rachel being held by the investigators.
Duke Bronthe recalled how Rachel had promised a few days ago to handle Ariana’s issue herself.
‘She messed it up!’
But without knowing the detailed plan, he couldn’t act rashly.
Moreover, the noblewomen of distinguished families were present.
Above all else, Jacob Bronthe cared about his own dignity.
He erased his anger and spoke calmly.
“It seems there has been a misunderstanding.”
“Then the youngest noblewoman will be released.”
“Do you really have to take our daughter? She’s still very young.”
“You did say the second noblewoman, though young, could have committed murder. What’s the difference?”
“……But Victoria is even younger. It’s not her time for such things.”
“As I said, we are taking her as a witness. If the interrogation is over and she’s found innocent, she will be returned. Please wait. Being a Duke, you understand that we have no choice.”
With the head of the investigation saying that much, Jacob had no further recourse.
When Jacob no longer protested, Victoria screamed out.
“Father!”
“Victoria, you didn’t kill, did you? Just go and answer the questions honestly, and you will be released. Everyone will treat you courteously, so don’t worry too much and act like the lady of the Bronthe family.”
“Father…… I, I didn’t do anything. Please believe me!”
“Yes, yes. That will all be cleared up when we investigate.”
“Father! Mother!”
No matter how mature she was, Victoria was still a child.
She was suddenly handcuffed and taken away for investigation, so she couldn’t help but be terrified.
She called out to her mother and father with a pale, terrified face, but her father seemed to have no intention of helping her, and her mother was caught by the investigators.
‘If it had been Helena……. If Helena had been caught, he would have helped somehow. He would have made sure she wasn’t taken away.’
Despair welled up in Victoria’s eyes. The rising despair couldn’t overcome its weight and rolled down her cheeks.
In her wet, blurry vision, she saw the sky come down to the ground.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
