~Chapter 161~
Harriet had no time to calmly reflect on her meeting with Cedric.
Because the very next day, she received shocking news:
Lauren Marshall, who had been imprisoned, was dead.
The palace official who came to report it explained her death with a blank, emotionless face.
“Mrs. Marshall, who was in solitary confinement, died from poisoning. It is unclear whether it was suicide or murder. We are currently investigating how the poison reached her. But with the defendant dead, the case will most likely be closed.”
“What… what did you say?”
Everyone was shocked, but Harriet felt more anger than anything else.
“No—wait just a minute. Yes, it’s tragic that Mrs. Marshall died. But that woman tried to kill my grandaunt and Aunt Roxana! And now you’re saying that’s it? That it just ends here?”
When Harriet protested, the official only shrugged, as though helpless.
“Criminal responsibility lies with the individual. Once the individual dies, there’s no one left to hold accountable. If you have evidence that Baron Marshall’s family assisted in her crimes, you can file new charges against them, but…”
His lack of enthusiasm made it clear that he didn’t expect anything further to happen. Trisha shook her head.
“That’s enough. Proceed as you mentioned earlier.”
“But, Grandmother…!”
Harriet looked at Trisha in frustration, but her grandmother didn’t look the least bit regretful.
“It’s over. There’s nothing to gain from tormenting the dead. Lauren received her punishment by being betrayed by her own family.”
They had spent years fighting, but sometimes attachment grows in strange ways—Trisha seemed conflicted at the news of Lauren’s death.
The only one maintaining complete composure was Roxana.
“Even so, I would like the investigation to clearly determine how the poison entered the prison. Do you have any leads?”
“We thoroughly inspect all food and drinks, so it is unlikely the poison was added in the kitchen. That means someone going in and out of the prison either poisoned her or delivered the poison to her. But the problem is… many guards and wardens passed her cell from her imprisonment until her death.”
“…And they will all deny it.”
The official gave a bitter smile.
“No one even sensed anything strange. I’m afraid… finding the culprit will be very difficult.”
“I see.”
In the quiet reception room, Harriet frowned.
“Whether it was suicide or murder, the person who delivered the poison has to be a guard or warden. But who gave them the poison in the first place?”
Everyone turned toward her.
“Could she have asked a friend or acquaintance to send the poison using some method we don’t know?”
“That’s nearly impossible. After her first trial, she was taken directly into custody. She had no contact with family or acquaintances.”
“Hmm… then someone wanted Mrs. Marshall dead.”
Roxana nodded.
“Knowing her personality, I also doubt it was suicide.”
So who wanted Lauren dead?
Baron Marshall and his son, who didn’t want to pay enormous restitution?
Albert, who didn’t want the truth about the drug’s distribution revealed?
Joseph Elden, who had knowledge of poisons and resentment toward Lauren?
Or someone else entirely…?
There were several suspicious people, but now it would be extremely difficult to know the truth.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the luxurious private room of Ladies’ Salon, a secret meeting place without a signboard, two men sat facing each other.
“You weren’t followed, were you?”
“Of course not.”
The young man bowed deeply before Taze. Despite being just a commoner, his rich parents had helped him secure a job as a guard at the imperial prison at a young age. But now he looked nervous and on edge.
Tez ignored the man’s anxious state and asked:
“So what do you think will happen next?”
“They say Mrs. Marshall’s case will be dismissed soon. They’ve been making a fuss trying to find who delivered the poison, but no one saw anything and everyone denies it. They’ll never find the culprit.”
“And how is the Pellon family reacting?”
“They don’t seem to be putting up a fight. If they were, it wouldn’t have ended this quietly.”
Tez nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Very good. Remember—this must remain a secret to the grave. If this comes out, it’s not just me. You’ll face far worse than losing your job.”
At the thinly veiled threat, the man hurriedly nodded, then glanced at Tez.
“Then… um… as you promised…”
“Ah, of course. Here you are.”
Tez handed him a small pouch he had prepared in advance.
The man tore it open so frantically that he didn’t even step aside before grabbing what was inside—Angelique.
“The water is behind you—”
Before Tez could finish, the man swallowed the pills like someone gulping down air. One wasn’t enough to stop his trembling; he had to take three.
“Ha… ha… I… I can breathe again…”
“If you’re feeling calmer, that’s good. But aren’t you using too much?”
“If I stop for a while, I need this much before my symptoms improve again.”
The man, who had been restless like a dog who needed to relieve itself, now seemed noticeably calmer. He stopped pacing, and he no longer jammed his shaking hands under his armpits.
“I should never have started taking it.”
With his craving temporarily satisfied, clarity returned. His face twisted in self-hatred as he buried it in his hands.
“It used to cost 5 diram a pill. Now it’s 30. And I can’t get it through doctors anymore, so I have to pay underground dealers an extra 10 diram per pill.”
He had always struggled with severe anxiety due to suffocating pressure from his wealthy parents. Someone once recommended Angelique, and for the first time in his life, he experienced peace.
After that, it became essential. But with “anxiety” being so hard to diagnose, doctors rarely prescribed it.
So he turned to illegal sellers. Now all his wages—and even loans—went toward the drug.
“My wife left a long time ago. And now even my parents, who used to help pay for the medicine, say they’re cutting ties.”
Still, he couldn’t quit.
Without Angelique, his body trembled and he felt like he was dying. But with a few little white pills, it felt like he could do anything again.
And for that reason, he had reached the point where he was willing to kill a prisoner with lethal poison if someone paid him in pills.
“I want to quit… but I don’t know how. I feel like I’m going insane.”
“Tsk, tsk. That’s unfortunate. Take care of yourself.”
Tez offered a soulless word of sympathy and dismissed him. The man bowed awkwardly and hurried out of the room.
As soon as he left, Bella stepped out from behind the curtain, where she had been hiding and listening.
“It’s done, right? Mrs. Marshall is dead, and the case is closed.”
Tez spoke like a knight victorious in battle. Bella gave him the sweetest smile.
“Thank you, Tez. Truly.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
When they finally pulled apart and Bella’s breathing grew soft and warm, she whispered lovingly:
“I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“It was close, wasn’t it?”
It really was.
When Tez bribed the guard and killed Lauren, Bella opened the letter Lauren had written—and her heart nearly stopped.
If they had been even a little slower, Jayden could have used it to blackmail her.
The idea to put poison on the envelope seal—using glue mixed with toxin—had been Tez’s.
Thanks to that, Lauren willingly poisoned herself. And since Tez retrieved the container afterward, no evidence remained.
A perfect murder.
“As a thank-you, I’ll do anything you want today.”
“Anything?”
“Of course. Why else do you think I rented this entire place for a full day?”
“Then I won’t waste it. I’ll take my time.”
Tez chuckled and pulled down Bella’s robe—then froze.
Under it, she wore lingerie so revealing that only brothel girls would normally wear it.
“Oh, Bella… you really know how to heat things up.”
Tez pushed her onto the bed.
He thought he was the one in control.
But Bella didn’t think so at all.
She enjoyed his pleasure while getting Lauren killed without lifting a finger. From beginning to end, this arrangement benefited her entirely.
“I need to keep Tez in my grasp. He’s very useful.”
As Bella cried out in passion, a look of triumph spread across her face.
