Chapter 98. Three Murderers

It’s over.

Everything is over.

A person who loses all hope and falls into despair becomes filled with nothing but venom.

Margot was exactly like that now.

The Palmen family had turned their backs on Melissa, and her husband, as usual, pretended family matters were not his concern.

There was no way to save Melissa. And Margot herself…

With a twisted smile, she looked at Eleanor before her.

I was foolish.

I should have killed her before this happened… just like her mother…

But it was too late to act.

This wicked girl was finally dragging me and my children into h*ll.

Unable to contain her rising anger, Margot’s eyes filled with tears and bloodshot veins.

Margot felt nothing but resentment. Her life, her misfortune, the fact that her despised stepdaughter was basking in undeserved fortune—all of it.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

“Yes.”

There was nowhere left to retreat.

“I killed your real mother. Does knowing that make you feel better?”

The maid Margot had hired thirteen years ago was now a married woman with a family.

Afraid that her past would destroy her current life, the maid confessed everything to the investigator.

She said Margot had instructed her to mix drugs into Petra Raman’s meals, and she never imagined it would kill someone.

The maid had needed money for her brother’s medical bills and accepted Margot’s offer. While this might be taken into consideration, it wouldn’t spare her from being punished as an accomplice to m*rder.

She should have kept quiet until the end, stupid woman.

When Margot was first brought here, she planned to claim she didn’t know the drug would kill someone. Even if there was no way out, she wanted to reduce her sentence somehow.

But seeing Ellen’s face changed her mind.

No, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t think.

She was driven mad by hatred for that girl who was living the glamorous life she had dreamed of for her daughters.

Why do you, of all people, get to enjoy such undeserved fortune? What hardships have you faced?

Margot’s mind, filled with anger and resentment, was already a mess. She couldn’t stop herself from spilling everything she had kept inside.

“Ellen, did you know? You should be grateful to me. If that crazy woman were still alive, she would have held you back so much. You wouldn’t have been able to marry the Grand Duke!”

Margot’s excited, trembling figure was hideous. Ellen simply watched her quietly.

“I killed that crazy woman for you and your father… for everyone in the Lopez household. Shouldn’t you be thanking me? What’s so important about the life of that troublesome half-blood foreign woman?”

Margot’s true nature was utterly selfish. She felt no shame in it. Rather than repenting for her sins, she always blamed her surroundings and others.

Living that way for so long had shaped her personality, eventually leading her to justify m*rder.

For the sake of myself and my children, for Victor Lopez and his daughter who were tormented by that crazy woman… She rationalized it in every possible way…

“Your father knew everything too.”

Finally, a crack appeared in Ellen’s expressionless mask. Margot laughed like a demon and shouted.

“Your father knew everything and did nothing! He was the happiest when your mother died! Why don’t you go ask him? I’m curious to hear what he’ll say!”

The woman, laughing wildly, seemed completely insane.

The clerk from the Security Bureau who was watching from outside nervously glanced at the Grand Duke. Enoch’s expression, which had been hardening with each word Margot spoke, was now completely frozen like a glacier.

“Your Highness…”

Ignoring the clerk’s cautious call, Enoch flung open the interrogation room door. Margot, who had been screaming moments ago, flinched and cowered at the sight of Enoch.

Enoch sneered coldly at her cowardice, a typical example of a person who is weak before the strong and strong before the weak. He then mercilessly spat out his words.

“You talk a lot for someone who will soon be hanging from the gallows.”

“……!”

Margot’s eyelids twitched. Even in the midst of losing all hope, she had been confident she wouldn’t face the gallows.

She thought that since it was an incident from 13 years ago and the deceased had no connections in Freuden, at worst, she’d get a few years in prison.

But the Grand Duke’s words shattered that last bit of hope. The gallows. Margot couldn’t believe it and looked at the Grand Duke with pleading eyes. But he only showed contempt and took care of Ellen.

“Ellen, there’s no need to talk to her anymore. Let’s go.”

“……”

Ellen, who had been quietly staring at Margot with an unreadable expression, sighed softly and stood up.

Naturally accepting Enoch’s arm around her shoulders, she left Margot with one final remark.

“Whether you face the gallows or not, even if you get a prison sentence, you won’t be lonely since you’ll be with your daughter.”

“……!”

That…!

Margot’s insides boiled, but she couldn’t say anything. She was overwhelmed by Enoch’s terrifying presence standing beside Ellen. In the end, all she could do was glare at Ellen with slumped shoulders.

Shortly after Ellen and Enoch left the interrogation room, the investigator in charge entered and began questioning Margot.

Though she had been defiant in front of Ellen, when it came to being interrogated as a suspect, Margot was gripped by fear, trembling all over.

What about my son? He still needs care.

What about my daughter? Even if Melissa is beyond saving, what about Helene?

Will the Palmen family continue to take care of her?

Victor will also have a hard time avoiding punishment for conspiracy to m*rder…

“Madam, are you going to keep avoiding the question? There are two witnesses who testified that you bought and used a drug called ‘Daffodil’ 13 years ago to kill someone. And you confessed to Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Don’t think you can escape the investigation with flimsy excuses.”

“……”

Knowing that Margot couldn’t afford a lawyer, the investigator had no reservations. And since she had fallen out of favor with the Grand Duke of Bayern, even if she managed to get a lawyer, her chances of winning in court were slim.

“Madam, answer the question. What was your motive for k*lling Petra Raman Lopez?”

“……”

“Madam!”

“I… I just wanted to be… the lady of the house… Baroness Lopez… That’s all…”

Margot finally broke down in tears.

But there was no one to comfort her.

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want to see Victor Lopez?”

“…Yes, I’m sure. What would I talk about with him? He’s not someone you can reason with.”

Margot faced charges of m*rder and conspiracy.

The maid she hired faced charges of m*rder and aiding and abetting.

Lastly, Victor Lopez would be punished for conspiracy to m*rder.

However, Victor Lopez’s interrogation was scheduled for after 8 PM. He had delayed his summons, citing official duties.

I glanced up at the clock. The hour hand pointed to 7.

Margot’s interrogation should be over by now. And in just one more hour… it would be my father’s turn.

Knowing my father, he would feel wronged rather than remorseful. I had no desire to see him make excuses. So I planned to quietly wait for the results.

He was certainly guilty, after all.

But an hour later,

a bolt from the blue struck.

“Your Highness, Victor Lopez has escaped.”

“…What?”

“His Grace the Grand Duke is organizing a search party. The Security Bureau is also searching the capital and nearby areas. He’ll be caught soon, so please don’t worry…”

Jasmine’s voice echoed from afar. My consciousness faded, and my mind buzzed.

Father… that d*mn man…

He’s trying to escape without paying for his crimes…?

My fingertips trembled. My vision turned red.

The anger that had subsided flared up again, burning my heart black. Driven by intense impulse, I stood up abruptly. Without knowing what expression I wore, I spoke to Jasmine.

“Leave me alone for a moment, Jasmine. I have something to do alone.”

“But, Your Highness… His Grace the Grand Duke told me to take good care of you—”

“Please, just leave.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Jasmine bowed deeply and left the room with a shocked expression, glancing at me. I then went into the bathroom and immediately summoned the Mirror of Foresight.

I wanted to see Victor Lopez’s escape route.

Where he would head in the near future.

The magic mirror flickered ominously. I knew using this power would shorten my lifespan again, but I didn’t care.

‘Never…’

I will never let you go.

You must pay for your sins.

Soon, the mirror’s light spread out, showing me a vivid scene as if it were reality.

It was Victor Lopez waiting for someone under the bridge of the Reden River.

A mysterious figure appeared from the darkness and approached him.

‘…Who is that?’

A man dressed in all black, perfect for hiding at night, with a mask covering his face.

He looked suspicious no matter how you viewed him.

“Mr. Lopez.”

“Oh…! You’re here!”

“The item?”

“Here, I have it.”

“Hand it over.”

“Not yet…! If you get me safely to Atreos, then I’ll give it to you!”

Hearing the unexpected name, I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

‘Atreos?’

Could it be…

‘Is that suspicious man an agent of Atreos?’

And what my father was going to hand over to him…

“This is top-secret information from Freuden. I went through so much trouble to get this without anyone knowing…”

“Hmm, I see. As a low-ranking official, you must have risked your life to access top-secret information.”

“Yes, the magical artifact you gave me helped, but…”

…What is this…

The scene soon dissipated. That seemed to be the extent of what I could see in the future.

Retracting the magic, I stared blankly at the ivory bathroom wall. Blood had flowed from my mouth, but the scene I had just witnessed was so shocking that I didn’t even think to wipe it away.

‘Top-secret information?’

Was my father trying to hand over Freuden’s secrets to Atreos?

And he received Atreos’s help to obtain those secrets…?

‘…He’s insane.’

How could he do something so crazy!

This was a serious crime, almost equivalent to m*rder. It was nothing less than treason.

I quickly cleaned up the blood-stained gown and the bathroom floor and stepped outside.

I hid the gown for now. Normally, I would collect them and secretly burn them in the fireplace, but there was no time for that now. If someone found the blood-stained gown, I could just say it was menstrual blood.

‘I need to meet Enoch immediately.’

Victor Lopez was heading to the bridge of the Reden River.

I had to hurry and tell Enoch.