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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: You Feel It Too, Despair. (4)
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The Chief Investigator realized that Rachel’s fierce glare was preventing Ariana from answering properly, so he subtly stepped in front of Rachel.
"You can speak honestly with me. Where were you?"
"I… I was doing laundry. With her, the whole time."
Ariana pointed to the red-haired maid.
The Chief Investigator gestured, and the maid hurried over.
"Were you doing laundry the entire time?"
"Yes, the young lady and I have been doing laundry together since this morning."
Looking at the blankets hanging on the clothesline, it seemed to be the right amount for the time they claimed.
The Chief Investigator’s eyes hardened coldly.
The situation was clear.
The Chief Investigator took out handcuffs and approached Victoria.
"As a witness in a murder case—"
"How dare you!"
Rachel blocked the Chief Investigator’s path to Victoria.
"How dare you try to handcuff a daughter of the House of Bronte!"
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has commanded that murder investigations proceed regardless of rank, Duchess. He has also stated that anyone obstructing the investigation, regardless of their title, shall be apprehended. Unless you wish to be taken in yourself, I suggest you step aside."
"I am the Western Duke’s daughter!"
"I am the head of the Investigation Bureau, personally dispatched by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. You must know that my authority regarding murder cases supersedes even that of His Grace, the Western Duke."
"You can't take my daughter!"
"We are taking her."
"You can't!"
The Chief Investigator signaled to his investigators.
The investigators, being from the Western Territory, hesitated in confusion, but their immediate superior, sent by the Empire, took precedence over the Duchess.
The investigators took Rachel by both arms and pulled her away.
As Victoria was about to be taken, Rachel forgot the presence of the noble ladies and struggled frantically.
At her unsightly display, the noble ladies covered their mouths and whispered among themselves.
Meanwhile, Victoria froze, staring blankly at the handcuffs being placed on her wrists.
"What in the world is going on here!"
Just then, Duke Bronte, who had been out on business, returned.
Even at Duke Bronte’s shout, the Chief Investigator’s expression remained unchanged.
It was obvious that Duke Bronte was behind the Duchess and the youngest daughter, who had not only abused the second young lady but also tried to frame her for murder.
The Chief Investigator couldn't look kindly upon Duke Bronte, who had neglected and abused Ariana simply because she wasn't his own daughter.
"What exactly is this commotion about!"
Duke Bronte strode forward and stood before the Chief Investigator.
The Chief Investigator stared directly back at Duke Bronte.
"We are taking the youngest young lady in as a witness in a murder case."
"What? A murder case? What are you talking about? Our youngest couldn't possibly have committed murder!"
"Ah, and the second young lady is capable of committing murder, then?"
"What did you say?"
Duke Bronte’s eyes wavered.
Only then did he see Ariana, standing unsteadily in her shabby clothes, and Rachel, restrained by the investigators.
Duke Bronte recalled Rachel’s words from a few days ago, when she had claimed she would resolve Ariana’s problem herself.
‘She’s messed things up!’
But he hadn't heard the detailed plan, so he couldn't intervene rashly.
Furthermore, prominent noble ladies were present.
Jacob Bronte was a man who valued his reputation above all else.
He suppressed his anger and spoke calmly.
"It seems there has been some misunderstanding."
"If so, the youngest young lady will be released."
"Must you really take my daughter? She's still young."
"The Duchess claimed that the second young lady, who is also still young, committed murder. What is the difference?"
"…But Victoria is even younger. She's not old enough for such a thing."
"As I said, we are taking her in as a witness. She will be returned once the interrogation is complete and her innocence is proven, so please wait. As a Duke, you must understand that we have no choice."
When the Chief Investigator spoke with such finality, Jacob had no choice but to concede.
As Jacob no longer intervened, Victoria shrieked.
"Father!"
"Victoria, you didn't kill anyone, did you? Go and answer their questions honestly, and you'll be released. They will treat you respectfully, so don't worry too much and act like a daughter of the House of Bronte."
"Father… I, I didn't do anything. Please believe me!"
"Yes, yes. All of that will come to light once they investigate."
"Father! Mother!"
No matter how mature she seemed, Victoria was still a child.
Being suddenly handcuffed and taken to the Investigation Bureau, she couldn't help but be terrified.
With a pale face, she called out to her mother and father, but her father seemed to have no intention of helping, and her mother was restrained by the investigators.
‘If it were Helena… If Helena were the one caught, they would have helped her somehow. They would never have let her be dragged away.’
Despair welled up in Victoria’s eyes. The rising despair, unable to bear its own weight, spilled down her cheeks.
Through her blurred, tear-filled vision, she saw a sky descended to earth.
Hair as clear as the azure sky, skin as bright and pure as the sun in that sky.
Her blue eyes met them.
Eyes as still as a cold lake shone, as if to swallow Victoria whole.
At that moment, Victoria realized that Ariana was behind all of this.
The moment she realized, the despair she had barely suppressed burst forth.
"Ariana!"
Ariana smiled radiantly.
***
Rosalyn had done even better than Ariana had expected.
Not only had she provided testimony that she had been with Ariana the entire time, but she had also prepared evidence.
She had arranged a quantity of laundry that would take hours for two people to complete. Whenever she encountered other maids, she would say things like, "Young Lady Ariana must be thirsty from all that laundry," or "Young Lady Ariana is taking a short break from laundry." As a result, the maids were convinced that Ariana had been doing laundry the entire time.
Rosalyn had done all of this without once asking why it was necessary.
That was precisely what Ariana liked.
‘Victoria will be released soon.’
A single handkerchief wasn't enough to frame a daughter of the House of Bronte for murder. Jacob, Rachel, and the Western Duke would find a way to get Victoria out, no matter what.
‘But her reputation has been tarnished.’
Thanks to the Chief Investigator's arrival and Victoria being taken to the Investigation Bureau as a witness, the rumors would spread rapidly even if Ariana didn't manipulate them.
She didn't want to admit it, but without Cyrus's help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
‘I should be grateful for what I can be grateful for. I must repay this favor someday.’
Even if it was an unwanted debt, it had to be repaid.
If an opportunity ever arose to help Cyrus in the future, she would have to assist him somehow, at least once.
The problem was the letter.
The letter Rachel had secretly exchanged with the Western Duke when she was in the Eastern Territory.
That letter was the most crucial part of Ariana’s plan, but Cyrus's interference had prevented her from getting her hands on it.
‘Rachel will try to leave the Western Territory soon. I need to get that letter somehow before then.’
She didn't expect the Eastern Duke to accept her without any reason. Ariana had been brought to the Western Territory with Rachel almost immediately after birth, and she hadn't seen him since then until she reached her current age.
When she first met the Eastern Duke at eighteen, he had frowned unpleasantly upon seeing her.
So, there was no reason for him to accept Ariana if she, with nothing to offer, simply went to the Eastern Territory and said, "I am your daughter."
‘I need to bring something with me.’
She had painfully experienced that a useless child could never escape the fate of being a burden.
Going to the Eastern Territory with nothing would only lead to the same fate she had in the Western Territory.
She should have had that letter in her hands by now, and thinking that Cyrus had caused her failure made her resent him again.
However, remembering his help in getting Victoria taken away, she managed to suppress her dislike for Cyrus.
‘There's no point dwelling on what's past. When Victoria returns, Rachel will be busy. Duke Bronte will also be preoccupied with managing the rumors. I'll target that time and go into Rachel's room one more time.’
***
"What in the world have you been doing! It's a good thing Joyson was at the academy, but what would that child have thought if he'd seen his sister being dragged away!"
Jacob raised his voice, uncharacteristically. Rachel, who would usually charm Jacob with an endearing smile, was beside herself today.
"Why is this my fault again? You were furious about the party, so I had no choice, did I! What did *you* do when Victoria was being taken away? How could you just let her go without even trying to stop them?"
"What was I supposed to do with everyone there? If word got out that a Duke was using his rank to suppress the Investigation Bureau, what would become of our family name?"
"Are you so afraid of rumors? Is your reputation more important than your daughter?"
"Then why did you play such a useless trick and cause this mess?"
"Do you think I wanted to? This is all… this is all because of that girl, Ariana!"
"Why is it her fault again? No, even if it were her fault, what would improve if she were accused of murder? The Bronte name would still be tarnished, wouldn't it!"
"She's not a Bronte! I'll just—"
Jacob roughly grabbed Rachel’s arm as she sprang up.
"Where are you going now? To hit Ariana and make people gossip about that too? Just stay still, stay still! There's nothing to gain from tormenting her right now!"
"So you're telling me to leave the girl who did this to our Victoria alone?"
Jacob stared at Rachel, as if dumbfounded.
"You… you're truly frightening."
"What?"
"She may be a stranger to me… but she is the daughter you bore. How can you hate a child so much? What wrong has she done?"
Rachel felt as if she had been struck in the back of the head.
She hadn't expected Jacob to say such a thing.
Jacob had treated Rachel awkwardly for a while because of her marriage to the Eastern Duke and the child she had borne with him.
She had even treated Ariana more harshly to win Jacob’s affection.
‘See, Jacob. The child I bore with the Eastern Duke means nothing to me. I despise her this terribly.’
He had known about Rachel’s abuse of Ariana and pretended not to notice, yet now he was speaking in Ariana’s defense.
Choking on a sense of betrayal, Rachel gasped and asked,
"Are you blaming me now?"
"Then who should I blame? Should I blame innocent Victoria? Hm? You caused this mess with your useless schemes. You should have just quietly gone to the Empire and handled Helena's debutante properly. Now, will the imperial social circles even look at the Bronte children?"
Jacob’s eyes, filled with contempt, were unfamiliar.
It was as if a stranger stood before her.
Rachel felt a despair even deeper than when her marriage to the Eastern Duke had been decided.
Her fingertips turned icy cold.
‘It’s because of Ariana.’
No matter how she thought about it, it was true.
‘Ariana, if only she hadn't existed, our Victoria and I wouldn't be treated like this.’
At that moment, Rachel abandoned her plan to use Ariana to form connections with influential families.
‘She shouldn't have been born into this world.’
She had tried to kill her in the womb, but she had been born anyway.
‘It was a life gained as a bonus, so there would be nothing to regret if she died now.’
