Chapter 61
‘As for the victims… one cannot count them on one hand, Your Highness.’
‘This… this was all the Lady’s doing?’
‘Yes. If you give the word, we can arrest her immediately. There’s more than enough evidence. What are your orders, sire?’
‘……’
‘Please, Your Highness. You know it now. The Lady is the one responsible.’
How foolish he had been.
After the incident, the king had fallen ill. In the chaos that followed, when he had to solidify his own place as Crown Prince, he had failed to examine the past with enough scrutiny. That was his first mistake.
His second had been placing blind trust in a reclusive mentor who had long withdrawn from court politics. No one had questioned the official account. Why would they?
The investigation had been overseen by the late Duke Dietrich himself — an upright man, once the Empire’s unyielding blade.
Fortunately, or perhaps tragically, Russell’s knights had proven exceedingly competent.
At his command, they had retraced every step, reaching all the way back to the beginning.
And so Marie… was undeniably innocent.
‘Father can finally rest in peace now.’
‘Your Highness, the Emperor—’
’Was already at death’s door. Only his will was keeping him alive. I thought as much. Perhaps… he was holding on for this day. To see the truth come to light.’
Arwena von Dietrich had been terrifyingly thorough. At just fifteen years old, she had devised it all alone, deceiving even her father and carrying out cruelty with chilling precision.
And the reason behind it? Jealousy.
A petty, festering envy of the young fiancée who had captured Russell’s attention. That was all.
‘But before the world could know the full extent of her crimes…’
Before the truth about Arwena von Dietrich could be publicly revealed, there was one person who had to hear it first.
“No more delays.”
Russell pressed his lips into a tight line.
For once, being the Crown Prince meant nothing. Even the status of a rare ultra-dominant Alpha held no weight now. Because if Marie Alphrose were to leave after hearing everything…
If she left the palace…
If she left him…
He was afraid. But he could not waste another moment. Ten days had already passed and with each day, his silence became another offense.
Russell turned to the attendant waiting nearby.
“Send word to Marie.”
She had to know the truth.
And then…
He would apologize and confess the pull he could no longer ignore.
* * *
Russell is coming to see me tomorrow night.
Marie was seized by a jolt of fear.
What could he possibly want now after avoiding her so thoroughly? Could it be… was he truly going to cast her out?
She was terrified. If it was because of the heat… if she were dismissed for that, she might never see him again.
“Ah!”
Marie gasped as though waking from a dream.
Darkness surrounded her.
‘Where am I?’
It had been early morning when she distinctly remembered a maid whispering that the Crown Prince would visit her tomorrow night. And yet now she was here, in some shadowed, unfamiliar place.
“Why am I… here? A door?”
She groped forward blindly. Her hand touched wood, and as she pushed, the panel creaked open. Only then did she realize — she was inside a wardrobe.
The soft mass beneath her was clothing, crumpled under her as she’d sat.
Blinking in confusion, Marie stumbled out and froze.
‘This is his bedchamber.’
Why was she here? Had something happened again — something like that night?
Her breath caught. Eyes darting nervously, she glanced around. The bright daylight streaming through the window suggested not much time had passed since she spoke with the maid.
“…I don’t remember anything.”
No one was allowed in this private wing without explicit permission — especially not strangers, and especially not in the Crown Prince’s most personal space. Because he was an ultra-dominant Alpha, hypersensitive to scent and sound. Which meant no one had seen her enter and no one had stopped her, because no one had known.
Still dazed, Marie rubbed her face and looked back at the wardrobe. Marie peered into the closet and stiffened.
What she saw inside was—
“No, this can’t be…”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.