(26) Feel it too, despair. (5)
The atmosphere in the house was strange.
Helena was sitting in the living room of her room, embroidering, feeling uneasy. But her heart was pounding, and she couldn't concentrate on her embroidery. She threw down her embroidery frame and tried to go outside, but the knight guarding the door stopped her.
"The Duchess ordered that you never come out again."
The knight repeated the same words with a stern expression.
Helena, lacking the strength to lash out as usual, went back into her room and chewed her thumbnail.
"What the hell happened? Did Ariana die? But is this all the trouble just because she's dead?"
Yesterday, Rachel had told her not to come out, so she stayed inside, but she hadn't expected to be stuck outside for this long. Just then, Luigi, the maid she'd sent out to find out what was going on, returned with a tray of tea and cookies. Helena hurried over and grabbed Luigi's arm.
"What the hell is going on?"
"They said someone died, Miss. A man died in the Pergola..."
"What? Wasn't Ariana dead?"
"Yes, but... that's not the problem. The one who killed her is Miss Victoria."
"What?"
Helena stumbled and sank onto the sofa at the unexpected words. Luigi whispered softly to Helena, who blinked.
"I think Miss Victoria's belongings were found next to the man's body. The investigators came and took Miss Victoria."
"So, they took her? Victoria?"
"Yes, Miss. How good."
Helena wasn't usually a big fan of Victoria, but hearing that her younger sibling, who shared her parents, had been taken away, her heart sank.
"The investigators... How dare the investigators take Victoria? She's the youngest daughter of our Bronte family."
“That’s right. But it seems the Chief Inspector General came in person. The Duke tried to stop him, but he shouted at him, mentioning His Majesty the Emperor...”
Helena’s head was blank.
Until just a few weeks ago, the Bronte household had been peaceful.
Everyone looked up to the Brontes; the Duke’s two daughters were beloved, and the two Princesses were showered with praise at every party, big or small.
But something began to go wrong during the garden party, and now the unthinkable happened.
The youngest Princess of the Brontes was arrested by the Inspector General as a murder suspect.
‘Why?’
Helena couldn’t understand. ‘
How is this happening?’
Victoria had been locked up in the noble prison for several days.
The noble prison was a solitary cell, equipped with a bed, a chair, a table, and other necessities, but to Victoria, who had lived in the ducal mansion her entire life, it felt worse than the bathroom.
Hard bedding, the smell of old wood, small windows that barely let in sunlight, a dingy floor, and a dirty ceiling.
Victoria felt suffocated by things she had never experienced before.
She had been praised for being mature and adult, but only within the Bronte ducal household. With the support of her strong parents and family, she had been able to be the Third Princess, far more mature than her peers.
But the moment she left the ducal palace, Victoria became an ordinary child.
The investigators treated her with respect, but she was terrified. The pressure of one wrong answer and lifelong imprisonment made her whimper and cry.
“They say the Third Princess of the Bronte ducal household is mature and intelligent... I guess it was just a rumor.”
The atmosphere in the house was strange.
Helena was sitting in the living room of her room, embroidering, feeling uneasy. But her heart was pounding, and she couldn't concentrate on her embroidery. She threw down her embroidery frame and tried to go outside, but the knight guarding the door stopped her.
"The Duchess ordered that you never come out again."
The knight repeated the same words with a stern expression.
Helena, lacking the strength to lash out as usual, went back into her room and chewed her thumbnail.
"What the hell happened? Did Ariana die? But is this all the trouble just because she's dead?"
Yesterday, Rachel had told her not to come out, so she stayed inside, but she hadn't expected to be stuck outside for this long. Just then, Luigi, the maid she'd sent out to find out what was going on, returned with a tray of tea and cookies. Helena hurried over and grabbed Luigi's arm.
"What the hell is going on?"
"They said someone died, Miss. A man died in the Pergola..."
"What? Wasn't Ariana dead?"
"Yes, but... that's not the problem. The one who killed her is Miss Victoria."
"What?"
Helena stumbled and sank onto the sofa at the unexpected words. Luigi whispered softly to Helena, who blinked.
"I think Miss Victoria's belongings were found next to the man's body. The investigators came and took Miss Victoria."
"So, they took her? Victoria?"
"Yes, Miss. How good."
Helena wasn't usually a big fan of Victoria, but hearing that her younger sibling, who shared her parents, had been taken away, her heart sank.
"The investigators... How dare the investigators take Victoria? She's the youngest daughter of our Bronte family."
“That’s right. But it seems the Chief Inspector General came in person. The Duke tried to stop him, but he shouted at him, mentioning His Majesty the Emperor...”
Helena’s head was blank.
Until just a few weeks ago, the Bronte household had been peaceful.
Everyone looked up to the Brontes; the Duke’s two daughters were beloved, and the two Princesses were showered with praise at every party, big or small.
But something began to go wrong during the garden party, and now the unthinkable happened.
The youngest Princess of the Brontes was arrested by the Inspector General as a murder suspect.
‘Why?’
Helena couldn’t understand. ‘
How is this happening?’
***
Victoria had been locked up in the noble prison for several days.
The noble prison was a solitary cell, equipped with a bed, a chair, a table, and other necessities, but to Victoria, who had lived in the ducal mansion her entire life, it felt worse than the bathroom.
Hard bedding, the smell of old wood, small windows that barely let in sunlight, a dingy floor, and a dirty ceiling.
Victoria felt suffocated by things she had never experienced before.
She had been praised for being mature and adult, but only within the Bronte ducal household. With the support of her strong parents and family, she had been able to be the Third Princess, far more mature than her peers.
But the moment she left the ducal palace, Victoria became an ordinary child.
The investigators treated her with respect, but she was terrified. The pressure of one wrong answer and lifelong imprisonment made her whimper and cry.
“They say the Third Princess of the Bronte ducal household is mature and intelligent... I guess it was just a rumor.”
“That’s right. Why do you keep crying like that...”
Even when she heard the investigators whispering, she couldn’t refute them. She simply shrugged her small shoulders and lowered her head. The brilliant third Princess of the Bronte ducal household was gone.
Sne suddenly remembered giving the handkerchief to Ariana last night, so she told the chief investigator. But when he returned from questioning the nobles who had attended the party, his expression had darkened even more.
They all babbled along, saying things like, "I feel so bad for the Second Princess...", "There were bruises on her arms and neck. Did you see them?", "I couldn't see anything else because I was busy focusing on the Second Princess... No, even so, how could you not dress her properly? She's your daughter?"
Victoria, unaware of this, continued to insist that she had given the handkerchief to Ariana at the party. But to the chief investigator, who had heard the full story, it sounded like she was trying to frame the poor Second Princess.
"That man is called Rounder. He appears to have been stabbed in the heart with a dagger, then collapsed and broke his neck. We also found the dagger that pierced Rounder's chest in the forest. Have you seen it?"
The chief investigator pulled out a dagger wrapped in a white cloth. Blood was still stained on the blade.
Victoria flinched, realizing the source of the crimson stain.
“I-I haven’t seen it. But... but if it’s Ariana...”
Bam!
The chief investigator slammed both hands on the table in anger.
“Again! Again! Again, Ariana! How many times have I told you? The Second Princess has been doing laundry with the maid since morning that day. Do you understand? Framing someone isn’t something you can do with just words!”
Victoria, born the third daughter of the Bronte family, had never experienced such treatment. No one could threaten Victoria. They shouldn’t have.
And yet, how dare someone like the chief investigator raise their voice at her?
She was heartbroken, but there was nothing she could do.
Even as he watched Victoria’s lips tremble, the chief investigator’s eyes remained cold.
“There’s a rumor going around outside. A certain Rounder leaked it to his colleagues. They said he was going to receive 6 gold from the Duchess in exchange for doing something terrible to the Second Princess.”
“Well, then Ariana must have killed Rounder...”
“The Second Princess was doing laundry at that time. But for some reason, several ladies saw the Third Princess in the forest. The Third Princess knew what the Duchess was up to and headed to the Pergola to watch, but Rounder mistook you for the Second Princess and attacked you, right? That’s why you killed him.”
“...Oh, no. No. I never went to the Pergola!”
“Third Princess. If you were trying to stop Rounder from harming you, it was self-defense, so you won’t face much punishment. You need to be honest. Think it over carefully tonight.”
After the head of the investigation department left, Victoria crouched in a corner.
Victoria had been imprisoned here for days, yet no one had come to rescue her.
'Have you abandoned me? Am I no longer needed? With Helena, I'm no longer needed? Or is Ariana smarter than me and decided to take her in?'
If, as the Chief of Investigation had said, she had been attacked by Rounder and had no choice but to kill him, she likely would be released without facing a heavy punishment.
However, neither the Duchess, who had instigated the attack, nor Victoria, who had gone to witness it and killed someone, would ever recover from their plummeting reputations.
Looking ahead or behind, she saw no way out.
At a time like this, she couldn't find anyone she could talk to.
For the first time in her life, Victoria was gripped by deep despair and loneliness.
***
It had been five days since Victoria had been taken to the Investigation Office.
A strange rumor was circulating in Weston City, the capital of the Western Realm.
Rumors arose that the Duchess of Bronte had tracked down a backstreet scoundrel, bribed him with a large sum of money, and had him commit atrocities against her daughter, Ariana. Rumors also circulated that Victoria, the third daughter, learned of this and went to witness it, but was met with such brutal treatment that she killed the man and was subsequently captured.
Rumors also circulated that Ariana, born from a marriage with the Eastern Duke, was being horribly abused.
Rumors also circulated that Ariana wore clothes so old that even maids wouldn't wear them.
Rumors also circulated that Ariana addressed their eldest daughter, Helena, with formal speech, calling her "Miss."
People didn't realize that behind these rumors were a woman with short red hair and a man with dark hair.
The story, spread by a woman and a man, had become a rumor, became truth, and even made it into the newspapers.
While the streets of Weston were abuzz with the events at the Bronte residence, Ariana gazed calmly out the window. It was early March, but a late snow was falling.
The garden, covered in flecks of snow, was as beautiful as a snowy landscape. The filthy rumors swirling around the world couldn't tarnish the beautiful scenery, blanketed in white snow.
Ariana tapped her index finger on the window frame, lost in thought.
"Rachel won't have time to pay attention to me. She'll be desperately trying to get Victoria out."
Helena was now free to roam the mansion, but she didn't bother Ariana as much as she used to.
The heavy atmosphere of the mansion was making even Helena hold her breath.
"Why isn't the Western Duke moving? He must have heard about this long ago."
Victoria remained imprisoned longer than Ariana expected.
If the Western Duke intervened, even the head of the investigation bureau would find it difficult to keep Victoria in custody. A bloody dagger, a handkerchief left near the body, and eyewitness accounts from the ladies wouldn't be enough to convict her of the crime.
To convict the Western Duke's bloodline and the Duke Bronte's daughter of murder, she would need at least an eyewitness account of the murder.
So she thought Victoria would be released in two or three days, but for some reason, the Western Duke didn't move.
“Are you abandoning Victoria? No, that can’t be right. The Western Duke adores the clever Victoria the most, so there’s no way she’d be abandoned just because she got caught up in something like this. There must be another reason.”
As Ariana tried to guess the Western Duke's thoughts, there was a knock on the door. When she called her in, Rosaline came in with food and drinks.
“What’s the atmosphere outside?”
“Several mid-level people have gathered in front of the investigation office, demanding that this case be resolved justly. Even if His Excellency the Western Duke intervenes, it won’t be easy for Miss Victoria to be released.”
“Yes.”
“There’s someone else who’s been actively spreading rumors about this, besides me.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes. The rumor I spread was only that Miss Victoria was arrested for murder. The rest must have been started by them.”
Cyrus suddenly came to mind.
Cyrus had sensed that Ariana would spread the rumor.
Was he secretly moving behind her back?
Ariana swallowed a sigh.
'How much does that man expect from me that he's helping me like this?'
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