The Crown Prince looked at him. Carlothian glanced at him once, then stood next to me. He kneeled on one knee and spoke.
“I have something to say about the sinner.”
“Indeed, since she’s been staying at your mansion, you might have noticed something unusual.”
The Crown Prince looked at him with expectant eyes.
‘Oh, now that I think about it, he saw me using dark magic at his house last time.’
It was a situation where he had no reason to trust me.
As I sighed inwardly, Carlothian said something completely unexpected.
“The sinner did nothing at the time the curse was cast.”
“What?”
The Crown Prince grimaced and stared at him.
“Can you prove that?”
The Empress asked. Carlothian nodded.
“Yes.”
The Emperor looked at him with dissatisfaction. He opened his mouth.
“How do you know that the sinner did nothing?”
“Well…”
My eyes widened. Could it be that he was going to confess about his madness? Didn’t he keep it a secret for a long time? Is it okay to reveal it like this?
While I was thinking about such things, Carlothian spoke in a firm voice.
“The sinner was with me at that time.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
“What?”
Oh, if he can prove my alibi without confessing his madness, then I can get out of this! I nodded vigorously.
“You were… with the sinner? At that time?”
At that moment, Yermondi’s voice came through. Her voice was trembling slightly, and when I looked up, she was glaring at him, her blue eyes shining with intensity.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“…Wait, Duke Denaves. I don’t understand; you were with the sinner at midnight?”
“Is that a problem?”
Exactly, it shouldn’t be a problem! I stared straight at the Crown Prince. See, it wasn’t me. Are you trying to condemn someone based on a mere suspicion, without evidence?
“Sinner, is that true?”
“It is true.”
“Why didn’t you say so from the beginning?”
“…Well.”
I glanced at Carlothian and hesitantly spoke.
“I didn’t want to cause trouble for the Duke…”
“When did you two become so close? No, considering you were once married, it’s strange to hear such things.”
The Crown Prince said, sounding annoyed. For a moment, I thought something was off about his words. Close? What does that even mean?
“For now, I will investigate your mansion; the sinner must remain in the palace’s underground prison until then.”
“Understood. I trust that the investigation will conclude quickly.”
“It will be done.”
Carlothian stood up and extended a hand to me, still kneeling in confusion. I stared blankly at his hands.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
“Oh, yes.”
Ugh, my legs are numb. When I lifted my hips a little, blood rushed back, and I felt a tingling sensation in my calves.
As I reached out to hold Carlothian’s hand to stand up.
“Ugh!”
My legs were so numb that I wobbled.
To avoid falling, I grabbed onto Carlothian’s shirt. Unfortunately, the shirt couldn’t bear my weight and tore with a loud rip.
“……”
“…I-I’m sorry!”
Carlothian’s chest was fully exposed. The buttons had fallen and rolled across the floor.
The bite marks I left on his neck and nape were clearly visible.
They were severe enough to leave bruises around them. So, there were marks from yesterday, the day before, three days ago, and four days ago. In any case, the mixture of old and new marks made his body a chaotic mess.
Oh, this is embarrassing. So embarrassing.
I frowned, and the atmosphere around us seemed tense. I looked up at Carlothian, who was staring down at me with a look of disbelief. Embarrassed but determined, I boldly lifted my head and gently held his hand again.
Escort me to the prison, young sir. Still, I felt a bit embarrassed and subtly turned my gaze away, but the atmosphere among the royals was also strange.
“…Yes, I understand that you spent the night with the sinner.”
What does he understand? I thought for a moment. The curse happened at midnight. And Carlothian’s testimony that he was with me at midnight. And the visible bite marks. And me, looking at it all nonchalantly…
‘Oh, wait a minute.’
Could it be that people misunderstood and believed Carlothian and I had that kind of relationship? If someone else saw it, they would probably scold me for not realizing it earlier, but I’m currently on the edge between life and death.
‘Well, if that’s the case…’
I sneaked a glance at Yermondi. Her eyes were colder than ever, glaring at Carlothian with a chilling intensity.
‘Oh, this is frightening. It’s really frightening.’
I was so frightened by her look that I quickly lowered my gaze to the floor. Then, I subtly hid behind Carlothian. He looked at me with a puzzled expression, but I pretended not to notice and spoke to him.
“L-Let’s go to the prison for now.”
“You make it sound like we’re going on a trip.”
“Well, it’s the only place I can go to right now.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince, touching his temple as if he had a headache, ordered Benjamin.
“Transfer the sinner to the prison.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Carlothian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I understand what you’re saying. However, this may give rise to suspicion that you’re intentionally siding with the sinner.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“You’ll need to stay at the palace while we cross-check with the staff at your estate.”
“Of course.”
With that, I headed to the prison, while Carlothian went to the reception room. I followed behind Benjamin toward the prison and spoke to him.
“By the way, is there a specific reason you suspected me? Is it just because I’m in the capital and the curse happened?”
“No, the Crown Princess said it was the same curse as before.”
“The same curse?”
“Yes, that’s why you were summoned immediately.”
“Hm……”
“The Crown Princess said it was impossible for the same person to use the same method to curse again, especially in a situation where they are clearly under suspicion.”
“Well, unless they’re an idiot, that wouldn’t make sense.”
“But you were kind of an idiot.”
“What did you say?”
I looked at Benjamin in disbelief.
‘Damn. I can’t even kick this thing.’
In the meantime, I entered the damp underground prison, and Benjamin locked the door from the outside.
“If the testimonies match, you’ll be released afterward. Until then, stay put.”
I nodded and sat quietly in a corner of the cell. I could feel Benjamin’s strange gaze on me. Why was he staring?
I looked back at him the same way. When our eyes met, he quickly turned his head and left the cell.
“This prison is ridiculously cold.”
Is it because it’s underground? Isn’t it usually warmer underground? I curled up and waited for the conclusion.
One hour, two hours. In fact, I didn’t have a clock, so I couldn’t tell how much time had passed.
At least I could feel my hands and feet getting cold, and my body trembling. I curled up even tighter.
Creak, clank.
Then, from afar, I heard the sound of the underground prison door opening. I finally lifted my head, wondering if someone had come to get me.
But it was none other than—
“……Your Highness, the Princess.”
“…….”
Yermondi, the First Princess, was glaring at me with piercing eyes.
‘Damn, her eyes are really terrifying.’
Honestly, I was scared. Really. As I curled up, Yermondi continued to gaze at me for a while before speaking.
“You little bug, you somehow made it back here.”
“…….”
Her low voice echoed through the prison. Overwhelmed by her voice, I shrank back slightly.
The princess said nothing else. She just continued to glare at me with her sharp blue eyes.
She must be furious. Who wouldn’t be enraged to find out that the man she loves spent the night with another woman?
“Did you sleep with him?”
“Pardon?”
I didn’t expect her to ask so bluntly. Excuse me, you’re still a noble princess.
“I asked if you slept with him.”
“That is…”
I did sleep with him. It was just sleeping—nothing like what you’re thinking.
‘I’m not sure if I should provoke the princess or not.’
Should I provoke her to make her more aggressive and catch her off guard? Or should I just bow my head and hold my breath for now?
Whichever choice I make, the princess will try to get rid of me.
In that case,.
“Yes, we spent the night together.”
Thanks for the chapter