CH 52.2

“You helped take off the dress of that girl who caught on fire earlier. That was very brave of you.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

“You could have been hurt. If you have a burn on your hand, could you show me?”

Claire knew there would be a fire today. There was no way Claire wouldn’t have dosed herself with medication.

“I checked with the doctor who is stationed in the palace, and he said that Claire didn’t come to see him.”

Claire momentarily turned her hand over and hid it behind her back.

“And one more thing. Was it not calculated that I dropped the knife? When there is a fire, the surroundings become hot, and people unconsciously move away from metal. So did you expect that I would drop the knife?”

Slightly out of line with my expectations, I dropped the knife on the bed with the shock of stabbing Lavine.

“That, that is…”

Claire’s expression collapsed. Collen twisted Claire’s hand and looked around.

“I can smell medication.”

Claire pushed Collen away and trembled, backing up against the wall.

“Or maybe we should burn this woman’s body once with fire? If her body doesn’t catch fire, then Leticia’s deduction is correct.”

Claire was startled. The queen suddenly stood up.

“Claire! How dare you! What’s wrong with you doing something like that! Did you want money?”

Claire kept her head down and didn’t speak for a while.

“…Indeed, the Duke’s daughter is amazing. Is this what a genius looks like, different from her small and cute appearance?”

When Claire spoke again, her expression and tone had completely changed. The queen hit her chest.

“Claire, please tell me. What’s wrong with you?”

“You took my daughter away,” Claire said expressionlessly.

The queen looked puzzled.

“What? What does that mean?”

“Ask Princess Anna. She knows very well. How my daughter was killed in a theater festival a few years ago.”

Princess Anna?

‘Lavigne’s clever older sister?’

That was when it happened.

Dump. Someone sat down in the seat. The trembling person was Princess Anna.

“That was really an accident!” Princess Anna started muttering frantically.

“Accident? My daughter was only five years old. You made her do something unreasonable, and she fell off the ladder and died!”

What is she talking about? Even the queen’s face turned pale as she listened to the story.

“What are you talking about?”

The king nudged Princess Anna.

“A few years ago, it was a theater festival. The day before, I was rehearsing at the theater when a little child appeared and begged me to play with them. She was so cute, so I decided to play with her a bit…”

Tears began to fall from Princess Anna’s eyes.

“She asked if she could bring Chandelier’s fake jewels. I said, ‘If you can, go ahead and do it,’ just to tease her. Then, she climbed up the ladder. I didn’t think it would really happen like that. I shouted to her to come down. She got scared, stumbled, and fell!”

“That child was my daughter!”

Claire said coldly, like a corpse.

“That child was your daughter?”

The queen shuddered and spoke.

“Claire, you have never been married. How can you…?”

“…It’s a common story. My daughter was a child born out of wedlock, and I pretended to be a widow and raised her outside the palace. I only brought her into the palace for one day, and I never expected such a thing to happen.”

Claire laughed coldly.

“I didn’t know that you would take my daughter away from me in just one day. Just like the father of my daughter who was unfair to me, you are selfish!”

“Why didn’t you ask for my help, Claire? I didn’t even know about it…” the queen said.

“Help? You hid my daughter’s body and pretended nothing happened! You didn’t help me at all. You are all hypocrites!”

Now, Claire was speaking viciously.

“If my daughter had grown up, she would have been the same age as Princess Lavigne. I wanted to make her feel the same pain. I will never forgive you!”

Claire screamed.

“Drag that woman out of here right now!”

The knights rushed in. They caught Claire struggling. Suddenly, Claire’s gaze fell on me.

I bit my lip.

“But there’s no reason Lavigne has to die.”

I looked at Claire quietly.

“If Lavigne’s crime was just being someone’s precious person, just like her daughter to lady Claire…”

Claire’s pupils shook.

I didn’t avert my gaze.

“Take her to the underground prison!”

The king shouted. Claire no longer struggled. A single tear rolled down from her eyes.