I Should Have Read The Ending - Chapter 60

Chapter 60 – Pretense

Trisha’s eyes were swollen from days of crying – beginning from the day she was beaten by the guards at the palace until she was detained for investigation regarding the incident in their house and the murder of Baron Blanc.

“You mean this isn’t an accident?” Trisha asked innocently.

“You and your brother are still lucky that you were not in your house when it happened.”

Trisha worked as an imperial maid. She was a commendable daughter who was willing to contribute more than a penny from her hard work for her family, and she was the first victim to witness the tragedy when she returned home.

“There were numerous knife scratches on the front door. Baron Blanc must have struggled to escape. There was no place to run because the fire was near the window. Above all, the porch was blocked by logs outside. I think someone set a fire on purpose and trap your parents.”

“What? Who the hell did that?”

“We are gathering suspicious people around your place and will start questioning them soon. We can’t get your father back, but we’ll make sure to identify the criminal for your parents’ justice.” The person in charge of the case gave a sincere look at Trisha.

“I shouldn’t have left my sick mother behind.”

“My dear, you didn’t go out to play, you went out to work. It was not your fault. But can you tell me why you, the maid, went home when it was not even a holiday?”

“Oh, that’s…” Trisha awkwardly blurred the end of her words.

“It’s all right. No one will scold you.”

“Sir, I was at the reception and saw Lady Diana in the garden. The soon to be Crown Princess, she’s my best friend.”

Trisha’s eyes, brimming with tears, looked at the guard. Trisha’s insistence was consistent. The guards paid a lot of attention to the first story they heard.

“Speak slowly. Just talk about what happened.”

“Yes…”

Trisha suppressed her sobs.

“But Diana was in the dark, and I didn’t know if she noticed me that time. After I entered as a maid, the Prince Majesty gave me a task for Lady Diana because I’m her friend.”

Trisha spoke gibberish. It was a planned act: Trisha will appear as the victim of a terrible accident. And it will draw the presence of Diana and Lucas into the gap.

“And then?” continued the guard.

“And I remembered Your Highness asked me to visit Diana before her marriage because she’s nervous, so I tried to comfort her.”

The guard’s forehead wrinkled at her remark. He thought that she was an ordinary maid, but it made a huge difference if it were true that she was a friend of the soon to be Crown Princess and was also in close contact with His Prince Majesty.

“Then, the guards who guarded the banquet hall stopped me. I desperately told them the truth, but they didn’t believe in me… they didn’t.”

It was dubious that the daughter of the baron, who was not a guest at the banquet, but only a new maid, was acquainted with the Crown Prince.

“Then, because I spoke to them, they dragged me to the bush behind the hall and struck me.”

“The Imperial Guards?”

Trisha lowered her eyes sadly and nodded. Then she rolled up her sleeves and showed the bruises on her skin, and touched the wound around her mouth.

“All those wounds?”

“Yes, they were probably angry because they thought I was lying.”

“They probably think so because you are still seventeen.”

Trisha continued. “It rained then. I was already on the ground, and they kicked my body a few times. I think I lost consciousness. When I woke up, it was already dark, and the people who beat me were gone. Then, the imperial court was empty already, and I became scared. So, I headed home.”

“Hah…” The officer heaved a deep sigh. The guards assigned at the imperial banquet had to be people with high positions. How could they beat a young girl with their feet? It was against a soldier’s honor.

“I kept walking even though my body was aching.”

Trisha wore a depressed look that didn’t suit a young lady. The guard was also a father of a daughter who was her age. The blank red eyes staring into space made his heart ache.

“Are there any traces left by the killer?”

The guard shook his head. He wished he could give the poor girl an exact answer, but they couldn’t gather enough evidence.

“That’s… can’t we find out in the future?”

“It’s a shame.”

Trisha stared at the guard with her eyebrows raised. “You mean you don’t have a clue about the criminal?”

“That’s the case now.”

The red orbs shook. Trisha’s eyes were so innocent and dignified that no one could suspect her.

“I just wanted to keep what the Crown Prince asked me to say. No, I want to be the consolation of Diana. If I hadn’t entered the palace, my parents wouldn’t have been killed.”

“Trisha, you’re still young. If you were there, you would have been killed also. I’m sure your parents didn’t want that either.”

The truth is quite often obscured by prejudice. It wasn’t easy to tell a perfect lie, but sometimes some people were talented at deceiving.

Trisha was an unfortunate victim – the only daughter who regretted her parents’ death and blamed herself until the end. Such story attracted the officer’s pity.

How could he not sympathize with the poor child? Besides, Trisha had lived for her younger brother, Nicola, who was only seven years old.

“Listen, Trisha.”

“Yes?”

“It’s late, but I promise a more thorough investigation. I assure you that all the guards who touched you will be put on trial. We’ve got a place to take care of your brother, for the time being, so rest assured about that. ”

“No, no, no, no, it was my fault for looking for Diana. But it was the request of the Crown Prince.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong.”