Victoria was born the third daughter of the Bronthe family, and it was the first time she had ever been treated this way. No one could challenge Victoria. It couldn’t be so.

But to have someone like the chief investigator dare raise his voice at me.

I was outraged, but there was nothing I could do.

Victoria’s lips quivered, but the chief investigator’s eyes were cold.

“Rumors are circulating outside. Riga had a story he told his comrades. The Duchess was to pay him 6 gold for doing wicked things to the second princess.”

“If, if that’s the case, then Ariana did kill Riga after all…….”

“The second princess was doing laundry at that time. But for some reason, several noble ladies saw you in the forest, the third princess. You went to the pergola to see what the Duchess was up to, and Riga attacked you, mistaking you for the second princess, didn’t he? So you killed him.”

“…… No, no. No, no. I never went to the pergola!”

“Third princess. If you killed Riga while preventing him from attacking you, it would be selfdefense, and you won’t be punished severely. You must be honest. Think about it tonight.”

After the chief investigator left, Victoria crouched in the corner.

Victoria had been locked up here for several days, and no one had come to rescue her.

‘Have they abandoned me? Am I no longer needed? Since Helena is there, I’m expendable? Or did they choose Ariana over me because she is smarter?’

If she admitted to killing Riga in selfdefense after being attacked, she likely wouldn’t be punished severely.

But both the Duchess who had hired Riga and Victoria who had killed a man while watching would never be able to recover their fallen reputations.

Looking forward and backward, there was no way out.

She couldn’t even find someone to consult at a time like this.

For the first time in her life, Victoria was engulfed in deep despair and loneliness.

+++

5 days since Victoria had been taken into custody.

In the capital city of Wesston, strange rumors were circulating.

Rumors that the Duchess of the Bronthe family had bribed a ruffian from the backstreets with big money, instructing him to do wicked things to her daughter Ariana.

Rumors that Victoria, the third, knew about this and went to watch, only to be attacked and kill the man, leading to her arrest.

Rumors that Ariana, born from a relationship with the emperor, was suffering terrible abuse.

Rumors that Ariana’s clothing was so wornout that even maids wouldn’t wear it.

Rumors that Ariana addressed Helena, the eldest, as “Miss” and spoke to her using formal language.
People were unaware that behind the rumor, there was a redhaired woman and a blackhaired man.

A story circulating diligently by a woman and a man became truth from rumor, even making it to the newspapers.

When the streets of Western City were noisy about what had happened at Duke Jacob Bronthe’s residence, Ariana was quietly staring out the window.

It was early March, and late snow was falling.

The garden covered with gently falling snowflakes was beautiful and lovely like a snowy landscape. The filthy rumors floating around the world couldn’t dull the beautiful scenery, being covered by the white snow.

Ariana tapped the window frame with her index finger, lost in thought.

‘Rachel won’t have time to bother about me. She must be struggling to somehow get Victoria out.’

Helena could now roam the mansion freely, but unlike before, she did not bother Ariana.

The heavy atmosphere of the mansion made even Helena hold her breath.

‘But why isn’t Seojeheo moving? The news should have reached Seojeheo’s ears long ago.’

Victoria was imprisoned longer than Ariana had anticipated.

If Seojeheo takes action, it would be difficult to keep Victoria imprisoned, even for the chief investigator. There wasn’t enough evidence to convict with just the bloody knife, the handkerchief found near the corpse, and the ladies’ eyewitness accounts.

To pin a murder charge on the Duke’s daughter and Seojeheo’s own bloodline, eyewitness testimony from the murder scene would be necessary.

She thought she would be released in two or three days, but for some reason, Seojeheo is not moving.

‘Is he going to abandon Victoria? No, that can’t be it. Seojeheo adores clever Victoria, so he wouldn’t abandon her for getting caught up in this. There must be some other reason.’

As she tried to guess Seojeheo’s thoughts, there was a knock on the door. When told to enter, Rozalyn came in with food and drinks.

“How’s the atmosphere outside?”

“Some middleclass people have gathered in front of the investigation agency, insisting that this matter must be resolved justly. Even if His Highness Seojeheo intervenes, Miss Victoria won’t be easily released.”

“I see.”

“Besides me, there is someone else spreading rumors about this matter.”

“…And?”

“Yes. The rumor I spread was only that Miss Victoria was arrested for murder. Anything beyond that must have been spread by him.”

Suddenly, she thought of Cyrus.

Ariana, who had anticipated spreading rumors, had been spotted by Cyrus.

Was he secretly working behind the scenes?

Ariana swallowed a sigh.

‘How much does that man expect from me that he gives such help?’