My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 65

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Princess Isoldra spoke quietly.
“Your Majesty, even if they are an ally, to dare brutally murder Your Majesty’s subject within the Imperial Palace… This is utterly unacceptable.”
Her words meant she intended to hold not only Princess Lucretia but the Kingdom of Carosel accountable as well.
The diplomatic delegation from Carosel whispered among themselves for a brief moment before the Ambassador of Carosel approached the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, this was a unilateral act by the Princess, not the will of the Kingdom of Carosel.”
“How dare you abandon me! I am the Princess of Carosel!!”
At the words drawing a line between them, Princess Lucretia nearly threw a fit.
The Ambassador refused to look at her until the very end. However, as an ambassador, he had a duty to protect Carosel’s royalty and maintain their alliance.
“Punish her as you see fit, but we hope you will spare her from any humiliating penalties, out of consideration for our friendship.”
He phrased it that way, but he likely had no intention of letting Carosel’s real princess actually be punished in Melbern.
It was closer to simply admitting the Princess’s fault to soothe the wrath of the angry Emperor.
It was a desperate effort to prevent the situation from escalating into a diplomatic incident.
They would try to save the Emperor’s face here, while negotiating behind the scenes to take custody of Princess Lucretia and the right to punish her.
If Princess Isoldra stepped forward now to secure diplomatic advantages, her efforts would be recognized by the Emperor.
Demonstrating her capability would also solidify her base of support.
That must have been why Princess Isoldra cooperated with my plan.
When no one took her side, Princess Lucretia began to cling to her fiancé, Kildian.
“Kildian! Say something. Tell them this is all a trap! Amarynthis Rootsild, that wicked woman framed me!”
My name suddenly entering the fray drew everyone’s attention toward me.
Among those eyes were Kildian’s crimson depths.
A chill ran down my spine.
I had asked Princess Isoldra to step forward because I wanted to slip away quietly, yet Princess Lucretia had dragged me into this anyway.
Well, it didn’t really matter.
I tilted my head in mock confusion.
I might have laid a trap, but I had never framed her.
At my reaction, Princess Lucretia looked ready to foam at the mouth.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know! You threatened me earlier!!”
“Is asking Your Majesty for permission to plant my sapling deep inside the Rose Garden considered a threat?”
The Duchess and the Count’s Wife chimed in to support my words.
“Planting a rose in a rose garden is hardly a threat.”
“If that is a threat, then drinking black tea at a tea party must be one too.”
Rendered speechless, Princess Lucretia screamed in sheer fury.
“Hey!!! You did it! It was you!”
While true, the circumstances made her look like she was merely throwing a reckless tantrum.
Finding it difficult to watch any longer, even the Metterni Marquis’s Daughter chimed in.
“Enough already! You even made up things I never said just to slander Amarynthis. Why are you so desperate to torment such a kind person?”
The judging glares turned back toward Princess Lucretia.
Enduring the verbal daggers from hundreds of mouths, Princess Lucretia pleaded desperately.
“Kildian! You believe me, right? Don’t you?”
But Kildian was not the type of person to harbor sympathy for such a display.
“I delayed the wedding because I felt her disposition was unsuited for the Imperial Family, but had I known she was such a vicious and heinous woman, I would have broken off the engagement entirely.”
Princess Lucretia’s face contorted with a sense of betrayal.
“Disposition? Ha! Don’t lie to me! You told me you would make me Crown Princess after you killed Princess Isoldra and secured your position!”
Her outburst instantly silenced the room.
The Emperor, who had been watching the situation unfold in silence, turned his head to look at Kildian.
“Is that true?”
Before Kildian could reply, Princess Lucretia cut in.
“It is true, Your Majesty! I heard it myself! When I urged him to marry me, that’s what he said!”
Those words were likely true. After all, he had ordered Scheit to kill Princess Isoldra.
Yet Kildian didn’t even bat an eye.
He remained as serene as someone who had already anticipated Princess Lucretia’s exposure.
“The Princess seems to have a knack for shifting her own guilt onto others.”
“What did you say?”
“Saidel.”
“Oh, dear, Your Highness! I’m coming, I’m coming!”
A light voice entirely out of keeping with the atmosphere interrupted.
Saidel, who had been strolling over leisurely, rushed forward with a smirk and handed Kildian a stack of documents and several glass vials.
Venom filled Lucretia’s eyes.
Desperate not to go down alone, she lunged toward Kildian.
“When I kidnapped and confined Amarynthis’s maid, Kildian sent Saidel Nishurban to help me! If I am a criminal, Prince Kildian is an accomplice!”
It was a flawless confession.
Honestly, it would be wonderful if Prince Kildian got dragged down and exiled along with her.
But he was not an easy target.
“That is incorrect, Your Majesty! I was merely following the Prince’s orders to stay close to the Princess and investigate her suspicious behavior. Here is the evidence I gathered under His Highness’s command.”
The Emperor reviewed the documents.
The Ambassador of Carosel approached, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, could we review those documents for a moment?”
“Take a look.”
As the pages rustled, Kildian added his explanation.
“The glass vials contain arsenic and various other poisons. It is the very poison that nearly killed my sister. The documents are the purchase histories for them. The rest is a list of maids who suddenly died or went missing inside the Palace. As you can see, the last person they served was Princess Lucretia.”
Princess Lucretia’s thrashing stopped dead.
The faces of the Carosel Embassy staff turned deathly pale.
Killing a few maids and attempting to assassinate a princess carried entirely different weights of guilt.
Princess Lucretia trembled, tears streaming down her face.
“It’s true I bought the arsenic, but I bought it and gave it to you. You said you would marry me once your position was secure, and you were the one trying to kill Princess Isoldra.”
“Delusional as always, Princess. Why would I kill my own sister? Your Majesty stated that the position of Crown Prince would go to whoever proves their capability, and I am already proving mine sufficiently.”
To think a man who had assassinated Archduke Yulisian and failed to assassinate Princess Isoldra could speak so shamelessly.
Kildian went a step further, walking over to Princess Isoldra and placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Sister, I was deeply worried when I heard arsenic was detected in your book. Your younger brother has resolved the matter, so you may rest easy now.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Emperor gave the command.
“Lock Princess Lucretia in the basement.”
“No! Your Majesty! Your Majesty, this is unfair! I was not the one who tried to assassinate Princess Isoldra! That is the one thing I didn’t do!”
She had already confessed before everyone that she was an accomplice at the very least, admitting she bought the arsenic while knowing it would be used for the assassination.
Her current screaming only reinforced it.
She was essentially admitting that everything except the direct execution of the assassination was her doing.
The Ambassador of Carosel shut his eyes tightly.
His expression made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to gag Princess Lucretia.
Princess Lucretia struggled until the bitter end to avoid being dragged away, before finally going limp.
Just as the knights adjusted their grip to escort her out.
Taking advantage of the brief slackening of their hold, Princess Lucretia broke free from them and charged forward with the trowel in her hand.
Straight toward me.
“This is all because of you! Die! Just die!”
However, the gardening tool turned weapon never reached me.
“Agh!”
Scheit had bent Princess Lucretia’s wrist to subdue her before shoving her back toward the knights.
Losing her balance, the Princess dropped the trowel and collapsed onto the ground.
The knights rushed over and grabbed her by both arms.
Realizing it was all over, Princess Lucretia resisted no longer and was dragged away limply.
Scheit looked at me, asking with concern.
“My lady, are you alright?”
I was fine.
Even with a weapon flying at me, I hadn’t felt as afraid as I expected.
Because he had promised to be my ally.
“Thanks to you.”
“I am glad.”
Despite his words, his eyes were carefully scanning my face.
As if trying to read the wounds on my heart rather than any physical harm.
Still, I was glad the surroundings were dim.
Otherwise, he would have seen my face flushing red.
Embarrassed for no good reason, I turned my head away, only for my eyes to lock with a pair of crimson ones.
Kildian was staring intently at Scheit and me.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————