Chapter 85
Silence passed.
The Duchess calmly stared at me with her face even after making a thunder-like remark towards me.
‘What, nonsense…’
My fist tightened by itself.
Conceivably, the Duchess was trying to use me to get Cassius out of prison. If that were the case, I’d have no choice but to look like nothing less than good prey for coming to her on my own like this.
“You’re talking nonsense. No matter how much you try to frame me, Lord Cassius won’t be able to get out of prison.”
“Nonsense?”
The Duchess scoffed at me.
“You’re telling an interesting story.”
The voice was so full of conviction that, at the moment, I wondered if I had killed Duke Brudenell… It was to the point of falling into her illusion. However, the Duchess opened her mouth again.
“Are you still going to say that even after seeing this?”
Saying so, she pulled a little pouch from her bosom/arms. The moment I saw the pouch, goosebumps stood up.
…It was mine.
To be precise, should I say that it was mine? It was a small pouch that I once gave to Kitty as a gift, fit for one or two pieces of jewelry.
“You can’t deny that it’s what the Young Lady used to use.”
“…It was given to my maid.”
“Maid?”
The Duchess raised one of her eyebrows at my words.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I guess you mean the maid my son killed? Very convenient, isn’t it? The one who can tell the truth is already dead.”
“…Madam, I know you’re heartbroken, but—”
“In this pouch was the poison that killed my husband.”
“….!”
“That’s not all. The Young Lady’s things were found all over the house. Of course, it’s natural since the Young Lady has lived here for a while, so it could be taken for granted. Still, is it really a coincidence that all those things are poisoned?”
My blood went cold.
The very same day Kitty died, the words I heard from Cassius echoed in my head…
“…She touched your jewellery.”
…Cassius’ characteristic insipid way of speaking.
I touched my forehead.
If Kitty had taken my jewelry and even used that as evidence…
In fact, the pouch in front of my eyes was just a common kind. I recognized that it was mine because it was a stain caused by an accidental burning of a candle.
This meant that she could have taken my things as much as she wished. My belongings, which were said to have been found throughout the mansion, were of a similar type as well. They were mine but were also common enough not to bother me even if they disappeared.
‘Kitty needed proof to make me the culprit who killed the Duke.’
The proof was the jewellery.
‘She must have chosen something unique among them so that I could never escape from it.’
Because of that, Cassius murdered Kitty. As a result, even though he knew that I would be greatly resentful of him.
‘Still… This situation must not have been intentional.’
The Duchess opened her mouth.
“Even knowing all this, my son chose to confess that he killed him. It was only to protect the Young Lady.”
I opened and closed my mouth again. It was because the Duchess’s intentions touched me heavily.
My son saved you. So, don’t do anything stupid.
‘However…’
I tried to argue but stopped and swallowed dry saliva.
…So, didn’t everything turn out the way I wanted? The Duke of Brudenell’s family fell into disrepair. Now, they will never regain their original glory again… No, there was a high possibility that they would be cut off from Cassius.
If so, there was no need to make a blood oath.
Since Cassius was also imprisoned for the murder of his real father, he couldn’t be obsessed with me anymore. Now, I could live a free life…
The life I so longed for!
Nonetheless…
‘…It was for me.’
My heart pounded like crazy.
Cassius Brudenell took the blame for me and was imprisoned because of that. Thanks to his status, he would avoid the death penalty though he would never see the light of day.
“I didn’t murder the Duke.”
I opened my mouth slowly.
“And, you know that Lord Cassius isn’t the murderer.”
“And, I know that the Young Lady is the murderer.”
The Duchess’s voice was very calm.
“Don’t make that face. I’m not trying to accuse the Young Lady on behalf of my son. Rather, I want to say thank you.”
“…Yes?”
The Duchess smiled bitterly.
“Do you think I joined the Duke of Brudenell because I really wanted to?”
“….!”
My body stiffened on its own.
It was because it was unbelievable that it came from the mouth of the Duchess, who was the main character of the romance of the century with the Duke of Brudenell.
“I was similar to Young Lady, too.”
The Duchess stared at the table.
“…No, it was worse than the Young Lady. I didn’t even try to run away.”
“….”
“So, looking at the Young Lady, if I had behaved like you back then… Would there be no regrets? It was fun to think of that.”
Crazy.
…This person was crazy, too.
Cold sweat began to break out on my hands. In the first place, the person who wanted to accept me as a daughter-in-law more than anyone else was the Duchess. Wasn’t it strange to say that I reminded her of her situation in the past and treated me well?
“Then why, me… Weren’t you trying to connect me with the Lord?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
The Duchess tilted her head as if it was new to her.
“My son’s happiness was more important to me.”
“….”
“However, my husband is a completely different matter.”
As she said so, the Duchess’s face went cold in an instant.
“Even though I didn’t know that my son would give up his life to protect the Young Lady… Still, I’m always grateful to you.”
I pursed my lips.
There was a sincerity in her voice that I hadn’t felt before.
‘No way…’
Really, did Kitty kill the Duke of Brudenell? After all, if the Duchess had hated the Duke for so long… wouldn’t it have been as simple as taking advantage of Kitty’s plot and killing the Duke herself? In addition, to lay the blame on the Duke and her own son…
‘Let’s not think complicatedly.’
I swallowed dry saliva.
If common sense allowed the Duchess to kill the Duke, she would have done it long ago.
“…I appreciate your kindness, but I didn’t murder him.”
Then, I slowly repeated what I had said again, “I also don’t think Lord Cassius killed him. The culprit must be my dead maid.”
“What a shame.”
The Duchess let out a sigh.
“I was going to pay the person who killed my husband. However, you said that she was already dead… I can’t do that now.”
I felt something nauseating in my stomach.
The Duchess and the Duke were rarely seen together, but once or twice I had seen them, and they certainly seemed to be on good terms. Regardless, wasn’t the Duchess now bringing the dead Duke up to her lips as if she were talking about the enemy of her life?
‘…I must have been like this as well.’
I thought of Cassius.
If I had given up my resistance and married him gracefully so that the Duke hadn’t been murdered and Cassius hadn’t been imprisoned…
I’d have developed a quiet hatred like the Duchess. Even though she seemed to love Cassius… well, could I have loved my child? Wouldn’t she hate each time I saw parts that resembled Cassius one by one?
“I intend to save Lord Cassius.”
I declared, gazing straight at the Duchess, and continued.
“So, please help me as well.”
As she rose from her seat, the Duchess bent down to look at me.
“What can the Young Lady do? Do you think I’ve been letting go all this time? Oh, or…”
She paused for a moment.
“Are you going to confess that the true culprit is Young Lady with all the evidence I have gathered? Blaming the dead maid for her sins won’t work on His Majesty.”
Everything the Duchess said was right, but I wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. It was because I had been through so many things that I didn’t get discouraged by these words.
“There’s no way my maid could have organized such a thing on her own. There must be someone behind it.”
I got up from my seat.
It was not to look down on the person in front of me, the Duchess, and overpower her, but to be equal with her.
“I will find out who is behind it and kneel before her majesty.”
In fact, ever since I found out that Kitty was the real culprit who poisoned Duke Brudenell, one thought stuck in my head. It was the fact that the possibility that the Kingdom of Bynell, famous for its knowledge of poison, was somehow involved in this case.
“It’s to save your son… Can you help me?”
Silence enveloped us.
In a very fleeting moment, the Duchess’ tough mask-like expression collapsed, and I seemed to be able to see her true self, but soon, she managed to control her emotions and reached out her hand to me.
“If the Young Lady needs anything, I’ll give it to you. What do you need right now?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“First of all…”
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