Chapter 92. When You Get Hit by the Axe You Trust

“…What?”

Aster, who was about to turn away, stopped in his tracks. Marco smirked as if he knew this would happen.

“I know how to remove the Maved Stone.”

“……”

“And I know that Camilla Francis resonated with me, yeah? You probably didn’t know I let you overhear that on purpose. Haha.”

Marco chuckled as if everything was going according to plan. Aster approached him and asked,

“Is that why? Even while being framed by the Duke, you stayed quiet?”

Despite trying to sow discord between Marco and the Duke, Aster had always found it strange. No matter how clouded the Duke’s judgment was, he wouldn’t ignore Marco, whom he trusted for a long time.

Marco spoke.

“That’s because I had to lose the Duke’s trust for him to approach you.”

In the end, it meant Marco had deceived the Duke to meet Aster. As Aster’s eyes grew cold, Marco grinned.

“Let’s make a deal, you and I.”

He looked confident, as if he had anticipated Aster’s reaction. Aster sighed deeply at Marco’s irresistible proposal and spoke.

“Let’s hear it first.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Camilla visited Isabelle. Despite being confined to the villa, Isabelle wasn’t just sitting idly.

She had even hired private soldiers to guard the entrance, preparing for the Duke’s assassination attempts. Moreover, she was busy proceeding with the divorce lawsuit with her lawyer.

“Please tell her I’m here.”

At Camilla’s words, the knights guarding the door delivered the message. Shortly after, Isabelle granted permission. As Camilla entered, Isabelle, who was looking over documents, glanced at her.

“Mother.”

“You ignored me at the banquet hall, and now you call me Mother. How amusing.”

“Father was very angry at the time.”

“Get to the point instead of wasting time. I already know you’ve been deceiving me and stabbing me in the back.”

Isabelle’s response was cold. It was a reaction typical of someone driven to the extreme, no longer needing to pretend. Camilla sat across from her without a care and spoke.

“I came to tell you the truth, even if you leave.”

“The truth?”

“The carriage accident ten years ago.”

Isabelle hesitated at Camilla’s answer. But soon, she regained her composure and feigned ignorance.

“If you plan to frame me again, stop. I’m already suffering enough without your interference…”

Isabelle stopped mid-sentence. Camilla had placed a notebook on the table.

“How did you get that…!”

“I ordered Helen to bring it. Since your notebook is in my possession, it’s best not to try anything foolish. Especially if you want to live a long life.”

“!!”

“You should have treated your daughter better.”

Camilla smiled sweetly, and Isabelle’s hands trembled. At the chilling threat, Isabelle threw the documents she was holding and glared fiercely.

“What do you want from me?”

“Are you finally willing to talk to me?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Isabelle crossed her legs and answered haughtily. Despite being terrified, she didn’t want to show any sign of weakness.

Camilla fiddled with the notebook and spoke.

“I’ve read your notebook several times. There’s something strange about it.”

“Something strange?”

“Do you know that the location of the accident that day was manipulated?”

Isabelle blinked, not understanding Camilla’s words. Since Camilla, the only survivor and witness, had lost her memory, no one knew the exact location of the accident.

It was recorded based on the place where someone reported finding the wrecked carriage. Isabelle had no idea that the Duke had manipulated it.

“Father mentioned that he had a hold over you because of this incident. Is that true?”

“Yes. Because your mother died, I couldn’t live freely.”

Isabelle’s reaction was shameless, since she had nothing left to hide. She trembled, recalling that time.

The damage was significant because she had targeted Francis while trying to capture Aster.

But now she’s hearing that the accident location was different. If so, there was no reason for Isabelle to grovel before the Duke.

The Duke had always used the excuse of covering up that incident to tighten his grip on Isabelle. Naturally, Isabelle’s reaction to Camilla’s words was sensitive.

And Camilla further provoked her sensitivity.

“How unfair it must have been. Strictly speaking, you had nothing to do with the accident that day. Why did Father do that?”

“I had nothing to do with it?”

When Isabelle urged her to explain, Camilla reluctantly opened her mouth.

“The accident happened because of a sudden intrusion by a demonic beast.”

Isabelle’s eyes widened at the mention of a demonic beast. She had no idea.

It was clear that the Duke had deceived her. What would Isabelle’s reaction be if she knew that the demonic beast that attacked the carriage had escaped from the Duke’s laboratory?

Camilla, with a pleasant sense of anticipation, continued to provoke Isabelle.

“The assassin you sent did attack the carriage, but it wasn’t enough to overturn it.”

“……”

“When I checked the notebook, the timing was also off. Didn’t you notice?”

“Ha.”

Isabelle let out a breath she had been holding, her face filled with emptiness. She had lived under the Duke’s thumb for ten years because of that incident.

She had agreed to cover up everything, including attempting to kill Aster and causing the death of Duchess Francis.

But now she’s told that the most critical issue, the Duchess’s death, had nothing to do with her.

“Why on earth…”

Isabelle couldn’t quickly grasp the Duke’s intentions and trailed off.

They had committed numerous evil deeds together as partners in crime. Their relationship was like holding bombs over each other.

But why would he falsely blame her for a death unrelated to her?

Knowing the Duke’s nature, he wouldn’t have done this without a reason.

Isabelle calmly recalled the past. She had been anxious when there was no news from the assassin she sent after Aster, and the Duke had suddenly appeared.

‘If you didn’t like Aster so much, you should have told me earlier.’
‘What are you talking about…’
‘I already confirmed that you ordered Aster’s assassination.’
‘Did you interfere? After all this time, you’re taking his side?’
‘Sigh, Isabelle. You don’t seem to understand the situation, so I’ll be direct. The assassin you sent attacked the Francis family.’
‘…What?’
‘The Duchess died because of it. Do you still think I’m just interfering? It’s a good thing I found out first. It could have been a disaster.’
‘Gasp!’

She had been terrified hearing that Francis was involved. If the Duke hadn’t intervened, she would have been tried for noble murder.

The Duke had sent Aster to study in Arendt, claiming it was to silence him. She left him alone, thinking it was useless to kill him now.

‘This is too strange.’

It seemed unlikely that the Duke’s actions were merely to hold her leash.

The assassins she had hired were all killed. At the time, she thought the Duke had dealt with them to prevent future troubles.

While Isabelle was trying to understand the Duke’s intentions, Camilla grabbed her hand and spoke.

“Mother?”

“Ah.”

Realizing she was in front of Camilla, Isabelle let out a shallow sigh. She asked calmly,

“Then… are you saying it was truly a demonic beast that attacked the Francis carriage?”

“Yes. I misunderstood too.”

Camilla affirmed plainly, observing Isabelle’s reaction. She hadn’t brought up that day to absolve Isabelle.

Even if she had only targeted Aster, the fact remained that she had hijacked the carriage to a place with a demonic beast.

But there was no better way to instill a sense of injustice in Isabelle.

This way, the Duke and the Duchess had effectively stabbed each other once. Isabelle’s face hardened as she realized she had been used by the Duke.

“Why are you telling me this now? If you’re planning to bring me as a witness for a retrial…”

“Oh, Mother. It would be troublesome if you think I’m that naive. I know very well that a retrial at this point is meaningless.”

“Then why?”

“Father plans to kick you out without leaving you a single penny. Especially since the fault lies with you.”

“Ha…!”

Isabelle was already appalled by the alimony the Duke had demanded. With her assets seized because of Sezad, losing this trial would leave her penniless.

For now, she was using her remaining secret funds to hire a lawyer and fight back, but dragging this out wouldn’t be beneficial. Camilla knew this too, which made Isabelle even more frustrated. She asked curtly,

“So? Are you saying you want to help me?”