The rain outside continued to tap lightly against the windowpane. Astelle couldn't help but wonder when this persistent rain would finally cease.
Arriving at the emperor's office with a sense of foreboding, she was greeted by the knight guarding the door, who promptly opened it for her. However, as soon as she entered the office, she was met with a barrage of accusations.
"This is an absurd farce!" Marianne, standing in the center of the room, erupted in anger at the sight of Astelle. "She ordered her own maid to frame me!"
Astelle, maintaining her composure, kneeled in front of Kaizen and bowed respectfully. Kaizen was seated behind his desk, with Vellian standing beside him. Vellian appeared notably intrigued by the unfolding situation, while Kaizen silently signaled to Lyndon.
Lyndon, in response to Kaizen's unspoken directive, reported what he had uncovered. "There is evidence that the maid who was apprehended as the culprit received money from Lady Marianne. She has confessed that Lady Marianne's own maid delivered the funds."
With this revelation, it seemed that the matter had reached a critical turning point.
At this point, Marianne found herself backed into a corner, and there appeared to be no easy way out of this predicament for her. It was becoming increasingly clear that she lacked the wisdom to extricate herself from this situation.
While Astelle remained silent, Kaizen pressed Marianne with a firm question, "Are you still going to deny it?"
Marianne, struggling to find words, began to cry, her delicate eyes welling up with tears. Despite her tears, she appeared beautiful and enchanting, almost like a fairy.
However, in this room, there was no one who showed sympathy for her appearance.
With no one coming to her aid, Marianne turned her tearful gaze toward Astelle once more, her eyes now filled with anger.
"She had a suspicious vial and various medicines in that box! Who carries so many medicines? How do you even know what's in there? It could be poison!"
However, as Marianne attempted to shift the blame onto Astelle, Kaizen's reaction was far from what she had expected. He rebuked her with a stern voice, clearly taken aback by her words.
"So, are you the one who decided to search through other people's belongings? Since when did you become the castle's security officer?" Kaizen retorted.
Marianne's excuse faltered, and she quickly shifted her words when it became apparent that her initial excuse was ineffective. She pointed at Astelle, tears still lingering in her eyes, and shouted, "The person who came to see Your Majesty has all these medicines. It's suspicious in every way! We need to inspect it immediately."
However, Astelle had never visited the emperor for quite some time. The only recent occasion was three or four days ago when she was summoned with her child to attend a dinner at the palace. Marianne, not knowing this, spoke out of turn.
Marianne's accusations caused the others in the room to turn their attention toward Astelle. Their expressions seemed to question why she had so many medicines with her.
Astelle responded calmly, addressing Marianne directly, "Lady Marianne, if I recall correctly, you have younger siblings, do you not?"
Marianne appeared puzzled by this unexpected question. "Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Astelle continued, "Isn't it customary for the nanny employed by the household to keep a stock of medicines in the chest of drawers for Lady Marianne and her younger siblings? There would typically be simple cold medicine, remedies for upset stomachs, various ointments for different types of wounds, and even a calming agent to soothe a frightened child."
Nannies caring for children typically kept medicines readily available, as children often fell ill. Day and night, they needed access to various medications.
Marianne found herself unable to respond to Astelle's statement as she realized the truth. The nanny had indeed always kept a substantial stock of medicines.
Astelle continued calmly, providing an explanation, "Theor is only five years old. He frequently catches colds, so I have cold medicine, fever reducers, cough syrup, headache medicine, and stomach relief medicine on hand. If he happens to get injured, I also carry ointments for wounds."
She went on to mention, "Theor had a severe bout of the flu not too long ago. The pharmacist recommended a nutritional supplement due to the aftereffects of the illness. In fact, I've been using three bottles of it."
While not entirely untrue, Astelle's account did involve a degree of exaggeration. Theor was generally a healthy child, but he did occasionally suffer from colds and body aches.
During the first week of their fugitive life, Theor had fallen seriously ill with a cold due to the unfamiliar environment.
It was then that Astelle had prepared and administered nutritional supplements she had learned about from Gretel.
She had done so out of concern that Theor might become fatigued from the constant moving.
Astelle also knew that the medicine box she carried contained more than just regular medicines. Hidden among what appeared to be ordinary medications and medicinal herbs were ingredients that could change the color of one's eyes.
However, these substances were not individually harmful or poisonous; they were merely used for cosmetic purposes.
Astelle knew she had to carry essential ingredients, which necessitated having multiple medicine bottles in her box. Her explanation about children frequently needing various medicines appeared reasonable enough.
Vellian, who had been silently listening, lent his support to Astelle's explanation. "I believe my nanny did the same. Children often fall ill."
However, Astelle, after pausing for a moment, assumed a cool expression that momentarily startled Marianne with her cold, light green eyes.
"Given that Lady Marianne had already examined my medicine box, why did you persistently request it be checked again?" Astelle questioned, her words piercing the silence in the room.
Marianne's face paled as she stammered, "Well, what are you talking about?"
Astelle continued to scrutinize Marianne carefully. She had no desire to make an enemy of this young lady or turn the newfound power of the Croychen family into an adversary. However, the situation now seemed unavoidable.
Astelle couldn't allow someone who continuously pried into her belongings and tried to monitor her actions to go unchecked. In a situation where she was hiding secrets that should never be revealed, individuals who attempted to spy on her were the most perilous.
"If you had indeed opened the medicine box, you would have thoroughly inspected all of my other belongings. You must have seen that none of the items I brought were suspicious. So, why did you insist on having the medicine box checked again? Why did you keep asking for it to be checked?" Astelle pressed.
Marianne struggled to come up with an explanation, stammering as she bit her lip. It became increasingly evident that Marianne's suspicions of Astelle were unfounded.
Marianne appeared to be struggling to come up with an explanation for her actions thus far.
Astelle, maintaining her composure, continued, "Lady Marianne, were you not attempting to introduce a suspicious substance into my medicine box when you saw an opportunity?"
She proceeded to explain, "That's why you had the maid carefully observe which medicines I use the most and the least. It's a common tactic—a way to discreetly introduce poison or a fabricated incriminating document into the least-used item among an opponent's belongings. Placing it in something frequently used would increase the likelihood of detection, so you target items or drawers the opponent rarely touches. Once you've planted something suspicious, you then accuse the other person."
Astelle emphasized her position as the abandoned empress who had been cast aside by the emperor after just a day. If poison were to be discovered in the medicine box she had brought to the emperor, it would be challenging for her to escape suspicion. No one in the room would side with Astelle.
It became apparent that Marianne was unaware of how common such tactics were. In the imperial palace, to prevent such schemes, sensitive objects like medicine boxes were often marked with seals to monitor anyone who tampered with them in secret.
"I... I swear it wasn't like that!" Marianne, who had been thoroughly exposed, stammered, her face pale. Tears welled up in her eyes as she attempted to cling to Kaizen.
Ignoring Marianne's pleas, Kaizen turned to Vellian, who stood nearby, and asked, "Is there a prison on the west side of this castle?"
Vellian confirmed, "Yes, that's correct. It's an old facility."
This castle, being primarily managed by only a few individuals unless the emperor was present, did not have many facilities like prisons. The prison on the west side had been left unattended for a long time, resulting in a dilapidated and unsanitary environment.
However, it was still habitable, and Kaizen made a cold, dispassionate order as he looked at Marianne with a sense of despair.
"Until further disposition is determined, Lady Marianne will be confined in the western prison."
Marianne attempted to plead with a trembling expression, but Lyndon, with a polite apology, approached her. "Lady, please excuse me." He signaled to the knights, who promptly seized Marianne's arms and removed her from the room.
Marianne panicked and screamed as she was forcibly taken away. As the door closed, her yells and protests gradually faded into the distance. With the room now quiet, Kaizen spoke to Astelle for the first time.
"I apologize for subjecting you to this ordeal. I'm truly sorry."
Despite Kaizen's guilt, Astelle didn't find the situation particularly unsettling. She had experienced similar scenarios numerous times during her time at court.
Many nobles had been envious of the Crown Princess, not just out of youthful jealousy, but also due to high-ranking aristocrats who actively sought to ensnare Astelle and seize her position.
In comparison, this straightforward jealousy appeared almost endearing.