The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 187

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 187

This moment was exactly when I needed to unleash all the acting skills I had accumulated throughout my life.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

I protested while feigning complete ignorance.

“What did I do? What trickery? If you lie in this trial, you’ll burn to death immediately!”

“You must not believe that villainess’s words!”

The knights reported to Tesseud.

“The Rosen ducal family’s protection borrows power from ancestors the family has served for generations, so it’s completely different from ordinary magic power, divine power, or spirit power, making it impossible to detect through normal methods. I believe it’s not entirely impossible to use trickery.”

“That would be the case.”

Tesseud agreed with a cold expression.

“I don’t understand what connection the story the Princess just told has with the incident of attempting to assassinate Their Highnesses and fleeing… But since suspicions have been raised about using the family’s protection for trickery, we cannot continue the trial as is.”

When he nodded, the knights immediately ran off somewhere.

They must be going to get inspection equipment, right?

Tesseud must think the moment has finally come to get rid of me.

He must be confident that he didn’t leave a single trace of evidence at the scene.

‘But you’re completely mistaken right now.’

When did I say you left evidence? I only said that one piece of evidence remained.

The one who left that evidence wasn’t you, the perpetrator, but me, the victim.

I cleverly muddled my words to induce a misunderstanding and trap you.

Now you’re the one who’s going to suffer.

After glaring at Tesseud once, I quickly hid behind Ruellian.

Ruellian shouted angrily at the approaching knights.

“What are you doing right now? Family protection? I didn’t see anything! This is a trial conducted through God’s miracle. If you interfere, you will incur God’s wrath! No one can lay a finger on Aristina!”

At his appearance protecting me with his violet eyes flashing menacingly, the knights who had been approaching confidently hesitated.

While this argument continued, the knights who had run off at Tesseud’s command earlier returned. In their hands was a mirror that appeared to have been used during witch hunts.

“Princess Aristina Rosen.”

The knights approached me and spoke coldly.

“Don’t muddy the issue with irrelevant talk, and honestly confess to the charges of attempting to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince. If you’re innocent, what reason do you have for not being verified by this mirror? Aren’t you avoiding it because you have something to hide?”

“Absolutely not!”

I shouted toward the people.

“Everyone! Actually, all of this was done to expose the murderer! That night I marked the criminal’s body! The murderer is among us!”

Then I snatched away the mirror that was trying to reflect me and spun it around to shine it in all directions.

Light flashed within the courtroom created through God’s miracle.

That light reflected off the mirror and spread, then gathered on one person.

It was Tesseud.

The red aura of our Rosen ducal family blazed up from his arm.

“Huh?”

Everyone in the courtroom saw that sight. They all murmured in surprise.

“Why is our family’s aura coming from there?”

Father, who had been watching with bated breath, shouted loudly.

“Exactly.”

I picked up on Father’s words.

“Everyone! Now that you mention it, isn’t this really strange? Things have come to this point, but where did the mysterious figure who disrupted the knight tournament go? Even though Ruellian escaped so mysteriously, his whereabouts were eventually discovered, so why hasn’t that person shown even a trace? Since the knight tournament, he’s disappeared as if his very existence vanished!”

The murmuring grew even louder.

“The reason is simple. It’s because that person hid perfectly in a place no one would suspect. Right in the Imperial Palace.”

I shouted toward the people.

“The late Duke Lacroix did pass away as we all knew. You were all deceived by a fake. For someone skilled enough in movement to even imitate a thief, how difficult would it be to steal bones and relics from a tomb? Isn’t that right?”

My voice echoed resoundingly throughout the courtroom.

“You all know that fact in your heads, don’t you? But you just chose to believe the sensational story you wanted to believe. Just like how you were captivated by the sensational story that I poisoned Serene without solid evidence and believed it! Now it’s time for everyone to stop deceiving themselves and see the truth!”

I pointed at Tesseud standing at the judge’s bench.

“On the night of July 13th, it was that man who invaded the room where I was confined! At that time, he used Windfearer, which was officially known to be missing, to kill me! While dreaming of the perfect crime!”

The courtroom, which had been quiet for a moment, became noisy like a disturbed beehive.

“…”

Tesseud silently looked down at his arm.

His gaze looking at the red rose-colored aura sparkling on his arm was like looking at a bug.

With a face full of contempt, he reached out and pressed down on that aura to extinguish it like putting out a cigarette.

“Such nonsense…”

At the words that leaked from between Tesseud’s lips, the knights became excited.

“To pull such a dirty trick! Everyone! Don’t be fooled! That villainess met privately with Count Tesseud when she received the betrothal gift before the engagement ceremony! She despicably left this mark then!”

“I don’t think that’s it at all.”

Father interjected.

“To leave a mark like that, there must be contact. You’d have to grab the arm very tightly. The attendants and maids who were present at the scene will testify, but according to etiquette, there would be no such contact when receiving engagement gifts. They couldn’t have met at any other time…”

As he spoke, anger seemed to rise, and his pale face turned bright red.

“Then are you really the criminal? Count Tesseud! Did you invade my house that night and harm my daughter?”

“This is outrageous slander.”

Tesseud replied.

But then.

“Absolutely not!”

“We have evidence!”

Someone burst out from among the people, shouting loudly.

A middle-aged woman with graying hair and a monocle, and a young man wearing a round hat.

It was Editor-in-Chief Gremory and Benjamin.

“Chicken droppings smell?”

The expressions of the surrounding people became strange, but the two didn’t care and approached the witness stand. Soul cards emerged from their bodies too and were surrounded by flames.

“You’d better think carefully.”

One Royal Knight spoke with an intimidating attitude.

“Do you know what this is? If you give false testimony, you’ll incur God’s wrath and burn to death immediately.”

“It doesn’t matter. Every word from my mouth is the truth.”

Editor-in-Chief Gremory stood at the witness stand without batting an eye.

“I am Melissa Gremory, Editor-in-Chief of 【Justice Daily】. I will make one report for the public good. Among the materials the Ancient Literature Research Foundation handed over to us, mistaking us for investigators, several entertainment expense receipts for the Security Bureau were found. Some executives had been backing the foundation for a long time. What secret could there be for them to do that?”

“You can see it right here in this accounting ledger.”

Benjamin quickly interjected while unfolding documents.

“The foundation regularly transferred large sums to a person called Count Prey under the pretext of consultation fees. But Editor-in-Chief Gremory remembered this name ‘Count Prey.'”

“Tenacious journalists like us rarely forget names that enter our heads. This Count Prey is a Royal Knight. He went missing during a mission. Isn’t it really strange? That a person who went missing five years ago was still receiving consultation fees until just two months ago?”

“Count Prey. This fellow here would have something to say about that person too.”

A deep voice echoed.

Everyone turned around.

A white-haired old man with broad shoulders was walking over with his subordinates.

It was the Head of the Dark Guild.

In the middle of subordinates wearing black suits, a middle-aged nobleman with a pale face was visible.

Count Reno.

He was the person who had falsely accused the late Duke Lacroix.

Before he even reached the witness stand, he was trembling and spilling words.

“The one who approached me was that Count Prey. When he deposited the advance payment, I quickly looked at the name and memorized it. That person gave me a script and told me to read it exactly. But that’s not a capital offense! Is there anyone here who hasn’t spread a rumor once? I’ll pay any price for my sins, so please just spare my life!”

Editor-in-Chief Gremory looked at Count Reno, who was trembling in fear, with disdain and spoke.

“Everyone will remember. That man said the late Duke Lacroix learned black magic through foreign merchants. That script didn’t just come out of nowhere. Writing is usually based on one’s own experiences.”

“Editor-in-Chief is right. As evidence of that, I submit a receipt from the Ancient Literature Research Foundation for goods purchased from a certain merchant. The item is clearly listed as ‘office supplies,’ but the amount is ridiculously high. I found it with my eagle eyes.”

Benjamin said proudly.

As expected of our hamster. As expected of my editor-in-chief.

‘I will never forget this favor!’

With those thoughts, I shouted while safely hidden behind Ruellian’s back.

“Did everyone hear that? Through this evidence, we’ve learned the truth. Someone from the Ancient Texts Research Foundation obtained dark magic through the ‘suspicious funds’ mentioned in the newspaper and framed the late Duke Lacroix. But who could that person be?”

I looked around at the people.

“How fascinating. Someone freely used a missing Imperial Knight’s identity for a whole five years. Even if he had no family, the Order of Knights would have been searching diligently for his whereabouts. Multiple transactions occurred under Count Prey’s name, yet the Order of Knights was never contacted? How very strange.”

Silence fell.

I continued speaking.

“The power to conveniently use an Imperial Knight’s identity as if it were their own—not just any ordinary person’s. The wealth to completely control a foundation while thoroughly concealing their identity. The cunning to establish connections with the Security Bureau in advance for emergencies. Who could possibly possess all of these qualities? No matter how much I think about it, only one person comes to mind.”

Then, I stuck my head out from behind Ruellian’s back and deliberately turned my gaze to stare at Tesseud.

“….”

His eyes were burning bright blue.

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