episode_0167

He had already expected to some extent that his sister would be in an unstable state, and had also, to some extent, kept in mind that an absurd request would come back.

Priscilla also knew very well how much domestic violence, violence and verbal abuse from someone she once loved as family eroded a person’s spirit.

However, I never dreamed that the words would come out of my sister’s mouth asking me to make a confession for Charlotte, so I blinked and looked at my sister.

“You want me to make a confession?”

Priscilla asked Genea that question, hoping she had heard wrong, and Genea opened her mouth to Priscilla’s question without either confirming or denying it.

“I mean… … . I still believe that my daughter didn’t kill him. No, I want to believe it. I want to believe that, but I can’t… … . I don’t know what to do right now. I’m so confused, but I shouldn’t show it outwardly… … . If Charlotte really killed him, what have I been doing all this time for…? … . I still love Charlotte, but probably not. Charlotte shouldn’t be the culprit… … .”

“Sister… … .”

Even though we were obviously talking about the same topic, the words kept going around the same place.

Priscilla realized that her condition was much more serious than she thought, and her hands trembled.

‘Now she thinks Charlotte killed that man. no… … . Maybe it’s been like this ever since he sent me a letter saying he was acting weird… … .’

But why? A question lingered in the back of Priscilla’s mind, and like wine on her pure white dress, it wouldn’t come off no matter how much she scrubbed and wiped it away.

The more I touched the question, the more it spread and colored my mind. With its color that looks uneasy and ominous.

‘Why aren’t you happy that the man died… … ?’

In the end, when that question filled her mind, Priscilla lowered her head without realizing it.

‘What if I had all misunderstood? What if you’re just really into wine? When I say that I was stabbed with my hand, it was just a slight shove. What if he apologized right away after that? No, what if even that was a misunderstanding and he just raised his hand? If not that too… … .’

It’s wrong. Something was definitely wrong. The anxiety I was vaguely feeling suddenly grew in size and filled my eyes. Priscilla could not raise her head because of that indescribable fear.

“Priscilla?”

“Ugh, ah… … . that… … .”

Priscilla, shaking at the sound of Genea’s voice, looked up and looked a little tired, but ended her sentence when she saw Genea’s eyes, which had returned to eyes that contained a certain amount of intelligence rather than the dull, colorless eyes like before. He hesitated as he stretched it out.

Seeing this, Genea remembered Priscilla’s childhood, when she was so weak-hearted that she couldn’t even kill a bug, and quietly reached out and held Priscilla’s hand.

“Priscilla. I don’t think Charlotte is the culprit either. I, I just want to make sure… … . I just want to get the answer that the kid didn’t kill him… … . So, please do me a favor. Could you please make a confession for that child and for me?”

“… … .”

Priscilla couldn’t open her mouth when she saw Genea’s face, which looked so pitiful.

‘What if I make a confession and give it to you? Charlotte’s innocence will be proven. That kid really just gave me a letter. But what happens to me? If that child is not the criminal, then I have no choice but to be accused of being the criminal through the method of elimination… … .’

‘All the efforts so far have been in vain. My relationship with my sister is completely distorted. Not only that, but my relationship with Charlotte will also completely fall apart.’

I’ll end up alone again like I did then.

As Priscilla’s thoughts reached that point, she felt as if a hand that could not possibly exist had appeared and was strangling her.

What on earth should I do… … . At that moment when I felt like tears would burst out at any moment, I heard someone’s distorted voice in my head.

[Let’s just blame it all on Charlotte. My sister is out of her mind right now. If you tell all the misunderstandings you had as Charlotte said. Even if Charlotte is exiled or dies, she will be able to maintain her relationship with her beloved sister. No, it will be much closer than it is now. No, maybe I can convey the feelings I’ve been holding on to until now, right?]

The whisper smelled so sweet, like midsummer fruit. So much so that I swallowed my saliva without thinking.

[What are you so worried about? Just say it. There is no one here. There are only you and your sister. The things I couldn’t say because I lacked the courage, I can say them now.]

say. Talk and feel comfortable.

Priscilla felt like her mind was blown away by an unknown voice whispering in a kind and gentle tone, as if comforting a child.

‘Surely, it is what this whisper says. If I trick my sister here, I’m sure my sister and I can become happy. But what about that child? What happens to Charlotte?’

‘What happens to that sweet and kind child who thought of others more than himself and smiled and said he was okay even though he was coughing up blood?’

But Priscilla shook off all the unknown whispers. If it were me in the past, I would have passed over this whisper as if I was possessed. But not now, after meeting that child and finding myself.

Of course, shaking off the whispers did not mean Priscilla was telling the truth.

“Two days… … . Even if I can’t do it, can’t I give it just one day…? … ?”

okay. Saying that you have shaken off delusion is different from saying that you have overcome reality.

Priscilla, who vaguely realized what would happen if she told the truth, chose to escape from reality because she did not want to be hated.

Just like you did in the past, just like that day.

“You need time to think. okay… … . It was too sudden for me too. okay… … . If you go out that way, the butler will guide you to the guest room… … .”

Genea said that in a drowsy voice, as if her entire body had completely relaxed. Priscilla cautiously opened her mouth upon seeing Genea like that.

“Sister… … ?”

“I… … . Wait a minute, I’ll rest here and then go.”

Genea smiled faintly as she said that, and Priscilla was unable to say anything due to her tired appearance.

‘What should I do now…’ … .’

Priscilla looked at Genea for a moment, then quietly left, embracing the remaining anxiety in her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the academy where Priscilla and Charlotte disappeared.

Even though it didn’t seem like the atmosphere of an academy, it was quite noisy, and the reason was none other than Priscilla.

It wasn’t even close to vacation, and the professor in charge of herbal medicine and potions disappeared midway through the semester. From the students’ perspective, it is bound to be confusing.

―Where on earth has Professor Priscilla gone?

-well… … . How would we know?

―I heard that it was due to family issues, but that’s still true. Why would you suddenly leave in the middle of the semester like this?

―I heard that Princess Charlotte also disappeared, so could it be that the two of them…? … .

-Shh! Who will listen… … ! Speak quietly… … ! If we do something wrong, our hair will fall off… … !

Of course, he didn’t disappear without saying anything. On the day that a messenger came from the Rochelle family, Priscilla went to the academy director and reported that she would be away for a while.

However, it was such a sudden incident, and the academy was unable to find a replacement professor because he left the position after giving a unilateral notice rather than an actual report.

As a result, the Department of Potions and Herbalism was left reeling.

-ha… … . This year is my graduation, so what should I do if this suddenly happens… … .

―My thesis… … . Where should I submit it? … ?

-How is this test going? Should I just move on?

“Senior, what do you think?”

The junior investigator, who was watching the students complaining, looked to the side and said.

“Well… … . The situation was so sudden that I couldn’t figure out where to go.”

“Well, I think that’s also true. Who would have thought that he would leave so suddenly? In addition, wasn’t Princess Charlotte also invited? If you do this wrong, bad rumors will spread about the two of you.”

Hearing his junior’s words, Earningstern sighed and scratched his head.

It was definitely something very unexpected. As soon as it was revealed that Princess Charlotte, who was thought to be the culprit, was actually the victim and was related by blood to the Marquis Priscilla, both of them were suddenly summoned to the Rochelle family.

In fact, the timing was such that it made me think that all of this might have been a scheme by the duke to isolate Marquis Priscilla and Princess Charlotte.

“The duke and the marquis are just hush-hushing, but everyone is probably already chewing hard on the inside. Even if it were a groundless story, I wouldn’t really care.”

“You mean those two?”

“Okay. Originally, humans were like that.”

It’s a world filled with people who calmly say things like “other people’s misfortune is their own happiness” and things like that.

In a world full of such people, gossip like this must be heavenly food.

Of course, the food in the picture is inedible.

“The good news is that since the other person is the other person, the story is not said out loud. Otherwise, the Academy would have been full of just that story by now.”

“Senior, sometimes it seems like you look at the world too crookedly.”

“The world is crooked, I’m not crooked.”

“I guess so.”

Earningstern hit the back of the head with the palm of his hand as he spoke nonsense.

“Dude, I’ve been talking since last time, but you always say a lot.”

“Apod!?”

“Stop talking nonsense and follow me. I have to go quickly.”

“Where are you going? ”

“Where are you? I have to go to Duke Rochelle.”

Seeing Earningstern speaking calmly, the junior sitting in his seat blinked and looked at him.

“… … Yes?”

The junior looked at him with an expression as if asking if he was serious, but Earningstern glanced at the junior and turned his back without saying a word.

“Don’t make stupid noises and follow me.”

“No, there is no justification. Justification! No matter how much he is an investigator directly under the royal family, he is not a foreign noble who barely made it to the bottom of the fifth rank, he is a duke. He is a duke! If you go to the Duke’s house carelessly, we’ll be in even bigger trouble! Don’t you know!”

“Why is there no justification? Marquis Priscilla and Princess Charlotte are both very important witnesses in this investigation, and one is a strong suspect. Of course, we need to secure new recruits. No, at least I should watch from the side, right?”

“Where is such force? This time, because of my senior’s stubbornness, I ended up writing dozens of pages of his speech in a funny way. Are you asking me to go along with the same stubbornness again!?”

The junior tried to persuade Earningstern by expressing his feelings of injustice, but Earningstern was not swayed by the junior’s earnest pleas and persuasions.

“No, I go alone.”

Erningstone said and began to walk. The junior, who had been looking at his back for a moment, realized that Earningstern was really heading towards the Duke of Rochelle and trembled.

Should I go? The junior, who had been thinking for a while in his seat, scratched his head nervously and jumped up from his seat.

“IC… … . No matter what happens, I really don’t know anymore!!”

On this day, the two left the academy, rode horses, and headed to the Rochelle family.