Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

Of course, this was the biggest part of Aria's life, so it didn't matter if she paid the very high price for turning the hourglass hundreds of times, but she didn't bother him to say that, because she didn't want him to worry anymore.

"And please use me instead of using the hourglass. I'm more capable than you think, and I'm always waiting for your call."

His dark blue eyes stared at Aria and said so. There was not a speck of falsehood in his eyes.

Aria, who felt her heart overflowing when he said he was ready to move for her call at any time, nodded with a little blush.

"... Thank you."

"This is about a servant who went out on my permission, so I'll give the final instructions. Please don't worry, because I will make sure that they will not neglect the investigation and to give her the appropriate punishment."

'Oh, you wanted to show it to me. It wasn't a long way from the Imperial Castle, so you didn't have to accompany the knights. I wondered why you'd have to waste your time… This is why I like you. As you know my past, you seem to know that this is not a natural happening, but you take my side and fully support me.'

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. I'll cooperate with the investigation so that you don't have to worry about it."

However, even if he didn't use his power for this case, she didn't have to go to any trouble because she had already planned it perfectly without any holes to get out of. Perhaps he felt this way, Asher smiled brightly for the first time today. It was a very pleasant smile, even though he had nothing to do and was tacitly denied help.

"It's hard for me to endure because you keep doing this."

"... it's hard?"

"I throw away everything I'm doing, and I just want to have a conversation with Young-ae."

As he said so, he gently touched a long stretch of Aria's hair. It was inappropriate to have a short conversation. Although she was a little agitated by the touch that smoothed her hair, she realized that she was not in a situation to be like this, and broke the weird atmosphere he created.

"I don't like people who forget their duty and fool around."

"... I can't stay here any longer if you say so."

Eventually, Asher, who was reminded of his busy reality by Aria, had to stand up from his seat. His face was filled with regret, but he had no excuse to stay because she said she didn't need his help. As the house was in a disorderly state, Asher, who would get her seeing off in her room instead of the entrance door, was about to open the door and tried to go outside, but he stopped and turned around.

"Well, I'll go now. Please call me whenever you need me. And..."

As Aria waited for the following words, as he blurred his words, and what had happened was the soft lips that touched her forehead. When he was waiting outside the door, a knight saw it and opened his eyes wide and blushed. Soon after, he turned his head hurriedly, expressing that he saw something he should not have seen.

His lips, which had been touched briefly and then dropped, did not retreat, but again touched Aria's cheek. Now they were quite used to it, and neither of them ever had their faces dyed red. They just stared at each other in the eye and promised to meet again.

"Please don't overdo it."

"... I get it."

Asher gave the firm instructions to the knights and investigators who would stay at the mansion to verify the case and conduct the investigation thoroughly and fairly and left the mansion, and the faces of those who were looking into the case were full of spleen.

"Did he fall down right after drinking tea?"

"Yes! As soon as he drank, he collapsed throwing up blood!"

Annie replied excitedly to the question of a knight. She even imitated to collapse as if she were re-enacting at that time.

"Did Lady Aria have tea, too?"

"Yes! Lady Aria also had tea, but she was fine. Cain was the only one who fell."

At Annie's statement, the knight nodded with a very serious face. He wrote that if they had drunk the same tea, but he had fallen alone, Mielle would have poisoned a teacup, not tea.

Jessie, who had been in the garden from beginning to end with Aria, had the same answer, except for only one thing that there was someone who had changed the seat with Cain.

"You mean the seat has been changed?"

"... Yes. Actually, that was the seat of Lady Aria."

"…!"

As she replied, Jessie's face was dark. It was because of the betrayal, disappointment, and anger that she had ever believed Mielle, but she had done this.

As the knight had an unexpected piece of information, he hastened Jessie's next words. "Please tell me in detail."

"... Originally, Lady Aria was sitting there. I poured tea into the teacup. Our lady overturned the tea of Annie, who was sitting next to her and the seat was changed in the meantime. It happened without Annie and Mielle, who was away for a while to change Annie's clothes. Then Cain arrived at the mansion and took the seat of our lady. And, and..."

When Jessie, who had finished her long explanation, failed to get the last words, the knight was briefly speechless by the shocking testimony that replaced her answer.

"Cain came to drink the tea that originally belonged to Aria, while the woman who had prepared the tea disappeared..."

"... that's right." Jessie, who was affirming that, looked as if she were about to cry.

The expression of the knight, who outlined Jessie's testimony, was also in shock. If Jessie's testimony was true... Mielle tried to kill Aria, who received great attention in the empire and a lover of the Crown Prince.

"Do you think so, too?"

"... Yes? What...?"

"I'm asking you if you think that her real target was not Cain, but Lady Aria."

"…"

There was no other sign of affirmation, but the frown of Jessie and the firmly closed lips were replaced by the answer. Jessie's testimony added rigor to the investigation, which had been thoroughly investigated due to Asher's advanced instruction.

Even disdain permeated the eyes of the knights and investigators who were supposed to carry out the investigation fairly and calmly. After a series of emotional investigations, they got Annie's testimony and found out that the seat had been changed, and found Aria in a rage.

"We heard it from witnesses. Is that true?"

"... is that what they said?"

Aria, who was choosing what to say to the question of a knight, sighed with affirmation. She looked as if she had been caught a secret she didn't want to tell.

The knight said with a regretful face. "You were a family in the past, so I know you wanted to cover it up... but it is not once, and there is a limit to forgiveness. She had to pay for this horrible thing."

He misunderstood as if Aria was trying to cover up Mielle's nasty sins. The eyes of Aria, who enjoyed the desired response to the fullest, grew red. She looked as if she would shed tears if she moved her long, rich eyelashes a few times.

Somehow, he seemed to have seen a face he shouldn't have seen, so the embarrassed knight hurriedly pulled a handkerchief out of his arms. It was a handkerchief his lover had given him, so he could not lend it to anyone else, but he could not afford to pay attention to it.

"… Thank you. You are so kind."

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry... I think I said something rude…"

"You aren't rude. I'm stupid... I feel guilty that this happened because I've been covering up for Mielle mistakes. I have a guilty conscience."

"What a guilty conscience! It's bad of her who yet couldn't reflect even if you have shown mercy!"

Aria, who touched her eyes for a moment to his perfectly self-interested answer, smiled a little sadly as if she was okay.

"It's a little comforting for me as you say that…"

"I'm sorry to say this to you, Lady Aria, but this time she will have to pay for her sin without mercy."

Aria nodded slowly after delaying her answer.

"... I suppose so. An innocent person lost his life because of my useless interference. Now I will cooperate without hiding it."

Aria pretended that she hated it and she was sad, but she couldn't help it anymore, just like she chose it.

When Aria decided to punish Mielle severely, the investigation was smooth and quick. Testimonies were secured from everyone in the mansion, and evidence left in the garden and the body of Cain were also collected and sent to the place for analysis.