You want to go out to the north city and come back?"
"Yes."
Karina went to Jeremiah and asked for permission to go out. Karina was currently under a ban on going out for the sake of recovering her health. She found out about this because the knights stopped her as she tried to leave the room.
'Your Highness, I apologize. His Highness the Grand Duke has ordered you to remain in your room at absolute rest until your health has fully recovered.'
It was what the knight guarding Karina's room said with his head bowed. But she couldn't believe it at face value.
'Well, is the reason for the curfew really because of my health? Or is it just to control my behavior by sticking knights on me like in the past?'
Karina had doubts. Things that were different from the past kept happening, so she thought the future had changed, but when she experienced similar things to the past again, she thought that it wasn't true. The reason Karina was able to barely survive this time was because she had Mikhail as her bodyguard, unlike in the past.
'I have to find my own way to live.'
Karina's resolve deepened.
"That would be difficult."
As expected, Jeremiah did not easily allow Karina to go out.
"Why?"
"How long has it been since you felt better? If you need anything, just ask the knights."
Karina couldn't understand Jeremiah, who kept making excuses about her health even though she was fine, and kept objecting. But Karina didn't give up. Karina had to go out herself. Selena wanted to report the results of the investigation into the maid's death to Karina herself. Karina also had some questions she wanted to ask, so she decided that it would be better to meet in person.
"I feel completely better. I can go out now without any problems."
Despite Karina's words, Jeremiah still looked reluctant.
"Didn't you say you'd arrange a separate meeting for the people who were taken hostage anyway? I'll go to where they are and meet them myself."
Karina brought up Jeremiah's previous words about giving her whatever she wanted.
"You said last time that you would do whatever I wanted, right? This is what I want. I hope you'll let me."
Karina said firmly. If that didn't work out, she was thinking of asking Mikhail to sneak out.
"..."
When Karina showed no sign of backing down, Jeremiah let out a long sigh.
"Okay, but there is a condition."
"What are the conditions?"
Karina looked at him with an expression asking what that was.
"I will send you some knights to escort you, so come with them."
'If the knights stick together, I won't be able to meet Selena.'
Karina naturally refused.
"Michael alone is enough for my escort."
"That guy has already put you in danger once. I can't trust him. If you refuse the knights' escort, you will not be allowed to go out."
Jeremiah said as if this was the maximum concession he could make.
"..."
Since the incident that had occurred in the city was not an ordinary one, she could not come up with a suitable excuse to refuse. Karina, who had been thinking about it, decided to take a step back.
"Okay. I'll have the knights escort me. But I don't want to be bothered when I meet people."
'I'll just tell Mikhail to take Selena and come secretly to where I am.'
Even if she were caught, she thought that if she said Selena was 'one of the people who were taken hostage', there would be no unnecessary suspicion.
"I get it."
Jeremiah nodded. And so Karina was able to go out into the city.
A building in the northern city was completely emptied, and its entrance was guarded by knights like an iron wall. However, unlike outside, no knights were guarding the inside. This was because Karina had sent all the knights out, saying she did not want to be disturbed. Inside, Karina met again with those who had been taken hostage.
"Your Highness! Are you feeling well?"
"At that time, I really thought I was going to die, but I survived thanks to the Grand Duchess."
"Thank you."
People expressed their gratitude to Karina one by one. The old man who had revealed to the escapees that Karina was the Grand Duchess also expressed his gratitude and apologized.
"At that time, I didn't know that those guys were escapees targeting the Grand Duchess... I was so scared when they threatened me with a knife that I didn't realize it... I made a really big mistake. Please consider it as the delusion of this old man and kindly forgive me."
"I also can't stop thinking about the children dying... I'm sorry."
The mother of the child, who was with the two children at the time, also bowed her head repeatedly and apologized.
"The apology is over. It's in the past."
How many people would think of others when they were about to die? Even Karina herself would not be able to do that.
"It was just bad."
Karina didn't blame them, but it made them feel even more ashamed.
"I didn't come here to ask for an apology. I'm just glad to see that no one was hurt and everyone is safe."
In fact, this meeting was meant to be a trick to meet Selena, but Karina made up some plausible remarks. Those who heard those words looked at Karina with even more moved eyes.
Seeing those gazes, her conscience pricked. Karina pretended not to see those gazes and took a sip of the warm herbal tea in front of her.
"As the rumors said..."
The child's mother muttered.
"Yes? What did you say?"
Karina asked back, unable to hear properly because the voice was too quiet.
The child's mother waved her hand.
"Yes?"
"Ah! No. I was just talking to myself!"
Karina passed by without paying attention. Karina's attention was elsewhere. If she waited here for a while, Mikhail would come and bring Selena.
Soon Mikhail returned.
'You came back sooner than I thought.'
Karina nodded and signaled that he had returned.
"Unfortunately, I'm tired and I think I need to rest. It was nice chatting with you. Is it time for everyone to eat?"
As Karina brought out the words she had prepared, Mikhail handled the rest as if it were flowing water.
"Her Royal Highness has only just recovered. She needs rest and relaxation."
Mikhail guided the people and attracted their attention.
"I have prepared a meal. Everyone, please come this way! I will guide you to the next room."
One by one, people entered the room where the meal was prepared.
"Oh!"
"Oh my God."
People who saw the table full of food let out exclamations. In the meantime, Karina sneaked upstairs to avoid people's eyes and where Selena was hiding.
***
As she entered the room, Selena, who had been waiting, bowed to Karina.
"You said you wanted to report to me directly?"
"Yes, that's right. First, please sit over here."
Karina found it a bit surprising since she always received the results in writing whenever she commissioned something from her. However, if Selena wanted to meet her in person to talk to her, she was sure that she had found out some important information.
"It's not just a simple case of suicide, is it?"
Karina spoke first as she sat down. Selena nodded.
"It is as Your Highness thought. That maid was indeed murdered."
"...!"
Even the Grand Duke's investigators concluded that it was a simple suicide. Karina couldn't just sit still, wondering if there was enough evidence to confidently deny that such a case was a suicide.
"How did you know that?"
"Among the poisons used to kill people in the afterlife, there is one called 'Croana'."
"...!"
Karina's eyes widened.
'You already know about Croana's existence!!
She was surprised by Selena's information power. However, Selena, who perceived Karina's surprise differently, calmly began to explain about Croana.
"If you ingest Croana poison, you may not experience any symptoms immediately afterward, but after three days, your pulmonary nerves will suddenly become paralyzed, making it impossible for you to breathe on your own."
"..."
"Because there is a difference between the time of ingestion and the time of death, it is difficult to predict that the cause of death was the poison even if the person dies from ingesting this poison. In particular, if the person dies from suffocation, they die from not being able to breathe, so you can see that it is almost the same as if they died from ingesting Croana poison."
The explanation about Croana continued in more detail than she had expected. Karina had planned to ask Selena to find out more about Croana's poison so that she could understand this case more accurately, but it turned out that there was no need for that. She was curious about how Selena knew so much, but for now, she listened to the explanation that followed.
"When using Croana poison to kill someone, there is a method that is always used together."
"What is that?"
"This is a forgery."
"Forgery of handwriting?"
"They forged the handwriting of the person who took this poison and fabricated a will to disguise it as suicide."
"Ah..!"
By the way, this maid also said that a suicide note was found in her bosom. She even said that she had sent a farewell letter to her family back home.
'That was all fake?'
"And to forge handwriting, you need the handwriting of the person you want to imitate."
"That means..."
Selena took an envelope out of her bosom and showed it to me.
"This is the real letter the maid left behind before she died."
"Ah...!"
Karina clenched her fists without realizing it. She was filled with anticipation that she might be able to catch the real culprit.
"Does this note say who the real culprit is?"
"... Unfortunately, that is not the case."
Contrary to Karina's question with shining eyes, a desperate answer came back.
"What?"
The feeling that had been rising with anticipation crashed back down to the floor. It felt like she had been doused with cold water.
"This letter was indeed the last thing the maid wrote before she died, but it is a letter, not a will."
"Letter?"
Karina opened the envelope Selena had handed her and began to read it. It was a letter from the dead maid to her hometown.
[To my dear mother.
Due to unexpected circumstances, I will no longer be able to work at the Grand Duke's house. I will be away for a while, so I may not be able to contact you for a while. But don't worry and wait. And if anyone comes
to ask about me, please tell them you don't know anything. I will tell you when I get back. Until then, take care of your health.
From Sandy.]
Karina's heart was heavy when she saw the letter. It was obvious that it had been scribbled in a hurry.
"They asked her to write a letter like this if they were going to kill her anyway?"
Karina read the letter over and over again.
"As I said before, they would have needed the maid's handwriting. They would have threatened the maid by saying that they would give her the antidote and tell her to quietly leave the North and return to her hometown. They had no intention of keeping her alive in the first place."
Her mood was sinking. Karina felt empty knowing that even though she had found this letter, shr still had no idea who the culprit was.
"... So in the end, you don't know who the culprit is?"
Karina felt a sense of emptiness and despair.
"But at least it provides evidence that the maid Sandy didn't commit suicide. And it also provides evidence that she was lied to and manipulated until her death."
There was contempt on Selena's face as she said that.
"Your Highness, please listen carefully to what I am about to say."
Selena's expression was more serious than usual. Karina nodded as if she understood and looked at Selena. Selena took a deep breath and opened her mouth with a solemn expression.
"My husband also died from Croana poison."
"Husband...?"
Karina couldn't hide her surprise and confusion at the completely unexpected sound.
"You were married? No, more than that, your husband drank this poison and died?"
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment