CH 50.2

Fortunately, we were able to find the evidence without having to go back to the burning theater.

‘What kind of obvious trickery is this?’

A smile appeared on my lips as I picked up the mud-covered thing.

“Leticia?” Trembling, Lavigne asked.

“I understand now. The whole truth,” I replied in a hoarse voice.

* * *

As soon as Collen and I went back to the garden, the guards who had been running around earlier surrounded us.

“There’s the Duke!”

Collen raised his hand to stop them.

“How dare you draw your swords against me? It seems the entire guard force needs to be retrained.”

The guards flinched at his words.

Collen absentmindedly pushed Lavigne forward to show them.

“What are you looking at? We’ve come to find the princess. Take us to the king immediately.”

“Dad!”

I grabbed Collen’s collar and whispered something in his ear. After hearing me out, Collen nodded.

“Is that really going to work?”

“Yes. That’s all we need.”

I smiled confidently.

“I’ll uncover the truth behind this case.”

Now I had found the last piece of evidence.

One thing was for sure, the culprit made a lot of mistakes.

‘I’m not sure, but the motive for this case seems complicated.’

The culprit played a prank on the stage by pouring oil and lighting a fire. Then they kidnapped Lavigne. Based on all of this, the culprit is someone on the inside.

There was also an accomplice hiding in the underground passage, but they were just an accomplice.

So the culprit must be someone who knows the stage situation and can give orders from a position of power.

‘Someone who has been in the palace for a long time, who knows the location of the secret passage.’

They must also be in a position where they can enter and exit the stage without arousing suspicion.

And the person who made a decisive mistake today, there was only one person.

But I still didn’t have any concrete evidence.

‘What did I do in the detective novel I saw in my past life at times like this?’

Set a trap. A trap that would reveal the culprit’s identity.

‘I’m really angry this time.’

Not just because they tried to frame me as the murderer, but because Lavigne almost died. That was a big mistake.

‘I saw it on the news in my past life. There’s almost no case where a kidnapped child survives, even if you pay the ransom or fulfill the demands.’

Even though this world is overflowing with criminals!

‘What did that child do wrong to deserve this?’

Lavigne was two years older than me. She was only twelve years old, and I was only ten in this world’s standards. Together, we were just twenty-two years old.

‘The punishment should be at least 22 times worse than the crime.’

I nodded my head, thinking of the plan that came to my mind.

* * *

I was led to a hall in the Star Palace with the guards.

The king was sitting on a chair with a sad face, and next to him, the queen was sitting with a blank expression. When she saw Lavigne, her face turned pale and she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, Lavigne!”

“Lavigne!” she cried, and they hugged each other while the onlookers cheered.

“The princess has returned alive?”

“She was clearly burned in the fire?”

Both the nobles and the servants were in a quiet and respectful state, including the king and queen.

‘Wow… You really listen to Collen’s words very well.’

Collen had escaped with me, but he was probably a very important noble. However, maybe because he rested inside, people’s complexions had improved a bit.

“Lavigne, how… How are you alive?”

The queen didn’t know what to ask first and held Lavigne tightly, her hands trembling.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes, my skin hurts…”

The doctor who had come in a hurry first checked Lavigne’s body. He said that there was a slightly stabbed wound in her chest, but it didn’t harm her life.

“Both the burn and the wound on the chest are minor.”

“Princess, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

The maids were almost sobbing with joy that Lavigne had returned.

“Leticia saved me!” Lavigne pointed at me.

Then everyone’s gaze turned to me.

“Oh, that’s really amazing. Thank you. But how on earth did this happen? Lavigne was clearly turned into a fireball and fell to the ground. Everyone saw it,” the king asked on behalf of everyone’s curiosity.

All eyes were on me.