Chapter 97. Sins

“…What are you doing?”

A bewildered voice came from beyond the thick blanket.

I mumbled a response, curled up under the blanket.

“Right now, just… can’t we do this later? Please.”

“Huh?”

The sound of an exasperated sigh followed, and the blanket that had been shielding me was suddenly yanked away.

Enoch had taken the blanket from me.

He tossed it aside carelessly and, without warning, lifted me into his arms.

“Enoch…!”

Ignoring my protest, Enoch walked briskly towards the bathroom.

Was he telling me to wash up? I looked at him with wide eyes as we reached the bathroom. The large marble bathtub was already filled to the brim with water. Jasmine and the maids must have prepared it quickly.

But there was no one to attend to me, so why…

“…What are you doing?”

Why was this man rolling up his sleeves?

“Take off your clothes and get in the tub, Ellen.”

“…After Your Highness leaves.”

“I’m not leaving you alone.”

He dipped his hand into the bathwater to check the temperature, then reached out to me. In an instant, he stripped off my nightgown.

While I stood there, stunned, he deftly removed my remaining undergarments.

He then gently placed my n*ked body into the tub. After grabbing some soap and a sponge, he began to wash me.

“What are you doing…”

“Stay still. I’ll wash you.”

“I can wash myself.”

“You’re trembling because you’re too weak right now. You know that?”

…Oh…? Now that he mentioned it…

I lifted my hand from the water. Indeed, my fingertips were trembling weakly.

“You were drugged and slept for 12 hours. It’s no wonder.”

“12 hours…? I slept that long?”

Startled, I asked, and Enoch sighed heavily while looking at me intently. His eyes seemed complicated.

“12 hours is lucky. Without the antidote, you could have been sick for over a day.”

“……”

The drug Melissa put in the champagne must have been stronger than I thought.

Enoch continued in a calm tone.

“Melissa Lopez has been handed over to the Security Bureau. She will be formally investigated and charged with multiple crimes. She’ll serve time after the trial.”

“…Did Your Highness interrogate Melissa yourself?”

“Yes.”

Enoch’s golden eyes suddenly darkened.

His voice, when it came, was chillingly calm.

“And I found something out.”

“Found out what?”

“I’ll tell you after you finish eating.”

“……?”

I wondered why he wouldn’t tell me right away, but I nodded, thinking there must be a reason.

It seemed like it was important.

“Eat a bit more.”

“I can’t eat any more…”

“Are you kidding? You’ve only had sixteen spoonfuls.”

“…You were counting?”

After my bath, a simple meal was laid out on the table. Soft white bread, warm consommé, a fresh green salad, oranges, and boiled eggs… All easy-to-eat foods in moderate amounts, but I had little appetite due to the drug and only picked at them.

Enoch was visibly displeased. He kept criticizing me, unsure if he was worried or just scolding me for eating like a bird.

“…Eat a bit more. You need strength to hear serious news.”

“Is it really that important? Did Melissa do something besides using the drug?”

I asked while taking another spoonful of consommé, and Enoch propped his chin on his hand, looking troubled. His gaze was mixed with deep concern.

“Just eat first. We’ll talk after your food is digested.”

“…Alright.”

I quietly responded and took another spoonful of consommé. Despite my lack of appetite, the clear soup was easy on my stomach.

“Isn’t it about time to tell me now?”

About forty minutes had passed since I finished eating and took some digestive medicine. It seemed like the right time to hear what he had to say, so I asked. Enoch still looked hesitant.

I waited patiently until he spoke. When my tea was half gone, Enoch finally began to talk.

“It’s about your biological mother, Ellen.”

“…What?”

I froze, holding the teacup.

What did I just hear?

I asked again, not believing it.

“Who is it about…?”

Enoch closed his eyes briefly, then opened them slowly and spoke again.

“It’s about your biological mother, Petra Raman.”

“……”

I stared blankly at him, then unconsciously took a sip of tea. I couldn’t taste it.

Why would a conversation about my mother come up after interrogating Melissa?

“The information didn’t come from Melissa Lopez. It came from the illegal dealer who sold her the drug.”

“The illegal dealer…”

“A gypsy old woman who does business in the slum. According to her testimony…”

My heart pounded with a sense of foreboding. I clutched my robe tightly.

“Thirteen years ago, Margot Lopez bought drugs from that old woman. After that, your mother took her own life.”

“……”

“It wasn’t a coincidence… right?”

For a moment, the world seemed to fade away. My mind was flooded with tangled thoughts.

I struggled to speak.

“…The drug Margot bought…”

“…It was the kind that drives people insane. It’s no longer available.”

“……”

I felt like I was suffocating. I tried to steady my breathing and organize my thoughts.

A drug that drives people insane.

Margot bought that drug, and shortly after, my mother died suddenly. Her body was buried without an autopsy.

If there had been an autopsy, the drug might have been found in her system…

“…Margot…”

I muttered to myself in a trembling voice.

“…Killed my mother.”

It was still just a suspicion.

But I felt a strong conviction. The sudden worsening of my mother’s mental illness. The long-standing mystery.

‘It was Margot’s doing.’

She killed my mother… But Margot never approached my mother before her death. If someone else used the drug Margot bought, that person would be…

‘…Father…’

My mind went blank.

My heart pounded erratically. My head spun, and I felt nauseous.

So, Father was an accomplice with Margot?

Even if it wasn’t Father, someone among the Lopez household staff must have helped Margot.

…I had to find that person.

I stood up, staggering. Enoch quickly came over to support me.

“Ellen.”

He called my name worriedly, but I didn’t have the luxury to respond. The suspicion that Margot had killed my mother was driving me mad.

“…I need to find them. The servants who worked at the Lopez household for over thirteen years…”

“I know. I’ve already found them.”

I stopped and stared at Enoch with wide eyes. He caressed my cheek with a complicated expression.

“We’ve found the maid who acted on Margot Lopez’s orders. She’s in the Security Bureau’s detention center now.”

“……”

“And Margot Lopez too.”

“……”

“She’s been summoned on charges of drug possession and use, and conspiracy to commit m*rder.”

He cupped my face in his hands. The warmth made me want to cry.

“She’s probably being interrogated at the Security Bureau now. Do you want to go see her?”

“…Yes.”

I clenched my fists.

My whole body trembled with anger and shock, but I tried to stand firm, responding one word at a time.

“I need to talk to her myself.”

* * *

The sky was entirely gray. It looked like it could rain at any moment.

The Security Bureau was located on a main road adjacent to residential areas. The five-story red brick building had no balconies and relatively small windows, likely for security reasons.

I entered the building with Enoch. As soon as we appeared, a clerk from the Security Bureau hurried over to ask our purpose.

Shortly after, the clerk led us to the interrogation room where Margot was.

Enoch and I stood in the hallway, looking through the small barred window at Margot, who was sitting on an uncomfortable iron chair, staring intently at the opposite wall—or perhaps at nothing.

The clerk who had guided us whispered softly.

“She hasn’t been interrogated yet. Victor Lopez has also been summoned as a related party, but he delayed his attendance, citing Foreign Ministry duties. He said he would come late this evening…”

The clerk shrugged, looking somewhat exasperated. I cautiously asked him.

“Can I talk to Mrs. Lopez before the interrogation?”

“Oh, of course, if Your Highness wishes…”

As he answered, the clerk glanced at Enoch. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like it wasn’t usually allowed, but Enoch’s authority made it possible.

I briefly thought about the ab*se of power, but I was determined to face Margot, so I decided to overlook the principle for now.

The clerk soon opened the door, and I took a deep breath before slowly walking into the interrogation room.

Margot flinched at the sound of footsteps and slowly turned her head. Her eyes, glaring at me, were filled with fierce hostility.

As I pulled the iron chair back, it made a screeching sound against the floor. I sat down silently and looked at the woman across from me.

Without her well-maintained beauty, she looked much older than I remembered. Her skin was dry and wrinkled, and her red hair had lost its luster. Overall, she looked lifeless and withered.

But her green eyes, glaring at me like a mortal enemy, still shone with vivid malice.

I stared at her quietly and asked bluntly.

“You killed my mother, didn’t you?”

Margot’s lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

* * *