Chapter 167…………………………….
The maids murmured for a moment at my piercing, icicle-like question.
“So that’s why you singled us out and called us here.”
It seemed as though they were whispering among themselves.
One of the maids spoke on behalf of the others.
“Why do you suddenly wish to know this, Your Highness? May we dare to ask your intention?”
I responded sharply.
“Why wouldn’t I ask suddenly? Didn’t you all suddenly testify after staying silent for over ten years?”
“We had no choice but to remain silent,” the maids protested.
“The person involved was the late Duke of the Lacroix family. How could people like us dare to speak carelessly?”
“Furthermore, right after that, the Duke passed away as if paying the price for his sins. That night, we promised to take everything we witnessed to the grave.”
“But now that Her Majesty the Empress has personally begun investigating Eloise’s death, even belatedly, how could we stay silent? We must tell the truth.”
I pressed them again.
“So, did you all really witness the late Duke of the Lacroix killing the maid named Eloise?”
“Yes, we saw it,” the maids nodded.
“Even after eleven years, it remains vivid in our memories. That night there was a ball, and the maids’ quarters were almost empty. We had to work in shifts, taking turns to rest briefly.”
“When our turn came to take a short break and return to duty, someone was lying in the hallway of the quarters. A man was strangling her, but when he saw us, he immediately ran away. It was the late Duke of the Lacroix.”
“Are you certain it was his face you saw?” I demanded.
One by one, I saw their eyes flinch.
From this moment, this place is lawless. Those who fall into my hands will see hell.
Their eyes burned a fiery red, as if saying that.
I had come dressed in pristine white for the engagement ceremony, but my face was far from pure; it was ferocious, chilling.
Even the seasoned palace maids, hardened over years, began to waver as I pressed the matter, forcing my face into theirs.
“You’re all so caught up in the shock of this incident that you’re busy retelling it. But do you really think this makes sense?” I pressed on.
“Am I wrong? You must have been utterly stunned to witness a murder suddenly. But how could you see the perpetrator’s face so clearly in the darkness when he fled in an instant? You know well how severe a crime it is for palace servants to speak carelessly, don’t you?”
“…”
The maids exchanged glances.
Now, fear seemed to creep in.
The eldest-looking maid spoke cautiously.
“At the time, we were too shocked. We only recognized that the man was a tall noble, but we didn’t see his face clearly.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Yet you still accused him of being the late Duke of the Lacroix?”
“Listen. We didn’t just assume it,” the maid hurriedly explained.
“While we were going to report Eloise’s death, we heard something strange. The Lacroix Duke and Duchess, who were supposed to stay late that night, had suddenly returned home. And very urgently, too.”
Another maid added,
“Upon hearing that, we realized that the killer’s description was very similar to the Duke’s. Terrified by this horrifying realization, we didn’t know what to do… The doctor said Eloise died not from strangulation but from a heart attack. So even if we said we saw her being strangled, no one would believe it.”
“Moreover, soon after, we heard that the Lacroix Duke and Duchess had been killed as well.”
Another maid spoke cautiously.
“At that point, we decided it was safest to remain silent. But a part of us felt uneasy…”
“Then it turned out there was another key witness who proved that the late Duke of the Lacroix was the murderer. That night, at the time Eloise was killed, someone saw him unexpectedly entering the maids’ quarters. That gave us certainty, and that’s why we testified this time…”
The maid who spoke last fell silent after seeing my expression, her face terrified.
I asked sharply,
“Who is this person?”
“I… I can’t quite remember…”
The maids hesitated.
It seemed they never considered the possibility that their testimony could be false. Their assumptions perfectly matched the “facts,” so they believed them blindly.
Now they realized the seriousness of the case and tried to backtrack—but it was futile.
I glared around at the maids and said bluntly,
“Most of you have gambling debts, right? You gamble too?”
“Um… In the palace, everyone enjoys card games regardless of rank. It’s not uncommon to have some debt, so if you’re going to scold us for that…”
“Who said anything about your debts? I’m talking about gambling itself,” I snapped.
“If you’re going to spread secret stories, you need to be on familiar terms. It’s not just at work, but in private gatherings, right? Gambling is rampant among palace maids, so it’s obvious. If you want to feed someone a story deliberately, the gambling table is the perfect place.”
I had nothing more to say to them.
I turned to the attending maids who had followed us earlier and asked,
“There must be a maid who often gambles with them. Who is she? The one missing from the testimony.”
“Ah…”
The attending maids looked flustered but answered immediately.
“An older, senior maid named Grace.”
“Bring her here immediately. No, I’ll go myself.”
I gathered my attendants and followed the maids.
Grace, the maid, was elderly and had been doing only simple tasks in the kitchen attached to the main hall for a few years.
However…
When we reached the kitchen corridor, the cooks and kitchen servants were gathered in a commotion.
The attending maid frowned and asked,
“What’s going on? Where is Grace?”
The people stepped back, startled at my presence.
I saw an old woman collapsed on the floor, with a jar lying open beside her.
I was shocked.
“Is this maid Grace? What on earth happened?”
The servants placed the unconscious old woman on a stretcher and replied,
“Even though the doctor said no, she kept seeking alcohol and ended up drinking something else by mistake. She suddenly foam at the mouth and cannot speak. The doctor said some part of her head was damaged, causing permanent aphasia.”
What?
I was speechless.
Could this be a coincidence?
I had hurried to follow clues, yet I was one step too late.
As I stood dazed…
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Another group of attendants and maids appeared, wearing flowers on their chests, likely assigned to the engagement ceremony.
“What are you doing here? You must hurry to the Crown Prince. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting.”
“Alright.”
As I turned to follow them, the doctor lifted the jar, and its contents’ smell filled the air.
The scent brushed my nose, and suddenly, a vivid memory surfaced.
“I didn’t see anything!”
I had shouted that once.
But it was a lie. Outwardly I denied it, but inwardly I recalled what I had seen.
Just as the maids said earlier—a tall nobleman.
He had carried the limp body of the maid and silently leapt from a high window, disappearing into the darkness…
…!
I snapped back to reality in shock.
“Let’s go.”
Following the maids and attendants, I quickly tried to organize my thoughts.
Someone moved the body from the crime scene. The late Duke of the Lacroix was definitely not the culprit, just as I suspected. The perpetrator was slimmer and more agile than the image of my father I glimpsed through Ruelian’s memory.
And they hadn’t used dark magic either.
It seemed my time watching the Imperial Knights’ tournament had paid off; my discernment had improved.
The movements used to conceal the body were identical to those of the Black Knight who had defeated rivals in the tournament.
“A kind of martial art combining body techniques and swordsmanship?”
Aldenesis had analyzed it that way.
That was body technique.
Unlike moving the body through magic or elemental forces, which feels slightly stiff like a wire-assisted stunt, body technique was natural, like a top-tier circus acrobat.
Mastering it would require immense training.
Moreover, the palace is very complex, yet the person moved the body and manipulated the scene with precise knowledge of the layout.
Incredible physical ability and palace knowledge.
Who could possibly possess both? Surely no one…
Then it suddenly struck me.
Yes, there is someone.
A chill ran down my spine, waking me fully.
I stopped walking.
At the same time, I noticed blue trees in my sight.
Hmm?
We were standing before a small courtyard set between palace buildings.
“Why are we here…?”
“You must first receive a gift necessary for the engagement ceremony. By imperial custom, a respected figure presents the Crown Prince’s or Prince’s fiancée with a golden flower.”
A sudden ominous feeling swept over me.
“Who is it?”
“Sir Theseud, the Crown Prince’s mentor. He is waiting right over there.”
Goosebumps ran down my spine.
How could this be?
The prime suspect I had just considered—someone with both incredible physical ability and intimate palace knowledge—was none other than Sir Theseud.
Before I could fully process it, he appeared before me, as if reading my thoughts.
An attendant announced,
“Sir Theseud, Princess Rosen has arrived.”
Among the well-groomed trees, a tall man with long white hair stepped forward as if expecting me.
He smiled and said,
“Congratulations, Princess.”
My heart began to race wildly.
