The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 8

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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 8

Those words came from the elderly personal physician of the Hyperion Duchy who had followed Serene.

The doctor trembled nervously as he opened his mouth.

“The current atmosphere is flowing as if our Young Lady staged some kind of self-poisoning scheme… But that is absolutely not the truth!”

“It’s not?”

“Yes. Before God, and before His Excellency Ruellian Lacroix, God’s Representative, I can swear. The reason the Young Lady cannot readily answer is actually because of her kind heart. She’s trying to cover for someone’s mistake.”

Huh? What’s this about now? This isn’t just random nonsense to get out of a crisis, is it?

Under the puzzled gazes of everyone including myself, the physician bowed his head.

“I will explain everything. Not here, but somewhere quiet…”

Ruellian looked him up and down and said.

“Fine. Let’s recess for a moment.”

The trial was suspended and only a few people followed him into the waiting room as related parties.

Me. Duke Carnel who was called from the witness stand. Serene and the physician.

After the door closed, Ruellian asked.

“So, who is this person that Princess Hyperion is covering for?”

Instead of Serene who was trembling, the physician answered.

“It’s an employee of the Rosen Duchy.”

What?

I was shocked. Duke Carnel, who had been brought along half-believing, was the same.

“My employee?”

“I will explain.”

The physician spoke step by step.

“That day, the Young Lady and I arrived early because we were nervous. I couldn’t enter until the tea party started since I didn’t have an invitation, and all the employees were busy getting scolded by Princess Aristina, so the Young Lady was sitting alone awkwardly.”

Just hearing about it sounds uncomfortable.

“During that difficult time, one of the maids preparing the tea party approached and kindly suggested touring the greenhouse. The Young Lady, who loves plants, gladly entered the nearby greenhouse…”

The physician paused there and looked at Serene.

“Young Lady, please show them. It would be best for these people to see it directly to clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Alright.”

Serene removed her long gloves that came up to her forearms and rolled up the fluttery short sleeves of her dress.

‘Hmm?’

I opened my eyes wide and stared.

The upper part of Serene’s arm was wrapped in bandages.

When she unwrapped the bandages, a wound was revealed that appeared to be a long tear that was healing.

Ruellian asked with a puzzled expression.

“What is this?”

“It’s a wound from grazing against a landscaping sickle.”

The physician answered.

“I only learned about it belatedly while treating the Young Lady’s poisoning symptoms, but that day the Young Lady was injured in the greenhouse due to a gardener boy’s mistake. He was a newcomer who couldn’t meet the deadline and was working overtime alone, when he swung a landscaping sickle toward where the Young Lady was and wounded her.”

“What happened?”

Sparks flew from Duke Carnel’s eyes.

An employee of a great noble house accidentally injuring a guest? For a family head like a duke, this was absolutely unimaginable.

“Knowing that Your Grace would be furious like this, that child grabbed the Young Lady and begged her tearfully. Thanks to the child’s quick first aid, the wound was safely treated, but if this became known, he would receive terrible punishment from Your Grace.”

Punishment? From Duke Carnel?

“The Young Lady felt that punishment would be too cruel and horrific, so she promised this would be a secret between just the two of them and she would never tell anyone. Then she tied a ribbon around the torn part of her arm to hide it, wrapped a shawl around it to conceal it completely, and left that place.”

‘This is a secret only we two know.’

Serene’s line came from that situation? The one who answered ‘Yes’ was the new gardener boy?

I muttered as if I’d been hit in the head.

“Then, the reason the ring was covered in blood and fell on the greenhouse floor was…”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

Serene finally opened her mouth cautiously.

“I first pressed the wound with my right hand, but it became slippery from the blood and must have gotten caught on something and slipped off. I was out of my mind then, and right after that… the attempted poisoning incident happened. When I finally came to my senses after being sick for days, I realized the ring was missing and looked for it…”

“I lied as her physician, worried it might hinder the Young Lady’s recovery. I said I had taken good care of it. It’s all my fault.”

“No. What fault does William have? It’s my fault. But what about that child now? I couldn’t keep my promise to keep it secret, so what should I do? If he really suffers such terrible things… I could never forgive myself!”

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. Since this has been made public before His Excellency, the Rosen Duchy can’t very well cut off that poor child’s hands and hang him under a bridge.”

I doubted my ears at their whispering.

Duke Carnel was also flustered enough that blood rushed to both his cheeks momentarily.

“What are you talking about? We don’t do such horrible things! We just cut.”

“Yes. The wrists.”

“No! We fire them!”

“Ah, yes…”

“You don’t believe it at all. What on earth did that guy babble about?”

“According to what I heard from the Young Lady… The child said that the very next day after being hired, he directly witnessed a maid named Mary having her wrists cut in the rear courtyard of the main building.”

“???”

Even as Duke Carnel and I gaped in bewilderment, the physician continued speaking.

“All employees must gather and watch without exception, and if they look away even for a moment, a whip immediately flies. Such things are so common at the ducal mansion that there’s even a craftsman permanently stationed there who attaches iron skewers instead of hands, and this year alone over 10 people have already received such punishment…”

“That’s complete nonsense!”

The Duke burst into a coughing fit.

“How much effort have I put into making this mansion beautiful and dignified! Why would I do such messy things? I just fire people! Besides, there’s no maid named Mary in our mansion at all!”

Ruellian fell into thought.

“If Your Grace says so, it must be true, but why would that boy tell such lies?”

“Didn’t he intentionally provoke Serene’s fear? To get a promise that she’d keep it secret even with a knife to her throat.”

At my words, he turned to look at Serene. Then he suddenly asked.

“Princess Hyperion, how did that gardener boy perform first aid?”

“He disinfected with antiseptic and wrapped it with bandages.”

“Disinfection, specifically how?”

“He poured antiseptic on the wound and let it flow in. Like this.”

“How much?”

“Quite a lot. He used about half a bottle right there.”

Ruellian looked at the physician again.

“What happened to the bandages that boy first wrapped?”

“Of course we threw them away. We burned them long ago.”

Hmm? Why is he looking for those bandages?

As I wondered about this, suddenly a light bulb went off in my head.

‘Ah!’

Was it thanks to reading some detective novels in the past? A hypothesis suddenly occurred to me. My heart began to race.

The reason Serene suddenly collapsed from poison while Aristina did nothing to the wine glass.

I thought I knew what it was.

I muttered blankly.

“Right. You don’t have to poison someone only through drinks or food. Criminals rack their brains in all sorts of ways to avoid leaving evidence.”

As expected, I recruited the right talent.

Ruellian, who had experience with such matters, quickly caught the scent of what was strange about the case. Thanks to him, I could immediately get a sense of it too.

“There are really all kinds of methods. Putting poison on books so the victim gets poisoned while licking their finger to turn each page. Mixing it into daily-use shaving cream or lotion to cause gradual poisoning. Of course, mixing it into medicine is also very common.”

Duke Carnel glanced at me even in his confusion.

“How do you know such things?”

“Ah, well, I really like poisoning…”

I stopped mid-answer.

“Of course, I mean I like reading books about poisoning.”

I hurriedly added an explanation, but everyone seemed unconvinced.

Aristina reading? Given her past behavior, it sounded more like she actually enjoyed poisoning itself.

‘I should put some pharmacology books in my room to clear up misunderstandings. If I survive here, that is.’

I quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway… ordinary poisons usually take effect immediately, so they’re easily caught at the scene. But if you use a special poison, you can delay the timing and pin it on someone else. What kind of poison was used? That wound on Serene is the decisive clue. There’s a substance that becomes a powerful poison when mixed with blood. It’s ‘curare’!”

“As far as I know, that’s not the name we use, but I understand what you’re referring to. It’s a substance foreign tribes apply to arrowheads when hunting, and it’s not yet well known in the Empire.”

Ruelian looked at me as he spoke. His expression said ‘What’s with this kid?’

“That substance is normally harmless enough to be used as medicine, but becomes toxic when mixed with blood. When that poison penetrates the nerves, it causes paralysis and death from respiratory failure.”

“Those are exactly the same symptoms as our Young Lady!”

The attending physician exclaimed in surprise.

“I should mention this now, but I actually thought it was strange. Even though she was clearly poisoned through alcohol, there were no traces of ingested poison in the Young Lady’s body.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought Princess Aristina had used some tremendously expensive new type of poison. She certainly has more than enough means to do so. But if it wasn’t that, and instead poison was injected through a wound and spread throughout her body? Oh, dear God! I was completely fooled by a professional con artist! No wonder the arm injury was in such a cleverly chosen location that wouldn’t greatly hinder movement…”

Good heavens.

Goosebumps rose on both my arms. The puzzle was finally coming together.

“Look at this! Didn’t I tell you? Even basic investigation reveals everything this quickly! You’re all being too much, really!”

Duke Carnel must have sensed something was seriously wrong, as he immediately stood up.

“Bring that new gardener here immediately.”

“Wait a moment.”

I calmed him down for now.

“That guy is just a hired blade. He’s a puppet brought in from outside. There’s a separate puppeteer inside. The one who knew that day’s schedule and everyone’s movements perfectly, who orchestrated the crime scene. It’s the maid who recommended Serene go to the greenhouse at exactly the right timing.”

“Right.”

The Duke muttered as if he didn’t understand.

“If she’s a maid in our household, she’s fairly high-level personnel. Why on earth would she plot such a thing?”

“You’ll have to ask her yourself.”

I turned my head to look at Serene.

“Do you remember the maid’s appearance and clothing?”

“…!”

Serene had been lost in thought when she startled at my voice.

Well, I understand. Even if all the circumstances fit perfectly, it would be hard to suddenly accept that I’m innocent.

Serene answered in a barely audible voice.

“I, I don’t remember at all. All the maids wear identical outfits, and I suffered severe aftereffects right after…”

After seeming to search her memory for a moment, Serene picked up a pen and drew a square object.

Ruelian stared at it and asked.

“Is that supposed to be the maid’s face?”

“No. It’s a disinfectant bottle. That’s all I remember.”

He was speechless. Duke Carnel also had an expression that said ‘Are you kidding me?’ But that actually looks surprisingly useful.

“Give me that!”

When I snatched the paper, Ruelian twisted his lips sarcastically.

“The bandage with disinfectant disappeared, so there’s no evidence that poison was used then. We can’t identify which maid is the key suspect either. So what are you going to do with just that one disinfectant bottle? Torture? Princess, you know that’s illegal, don’t you?”

You’d be the one doing torture. I swallowed those words and replied.

“Of course I plan to use completely legal methods. If you just leave it to me, I’ll find out which maid is the suspect right now.”

“Right now?”

Duke Carnel asked incredulously.

“Yes, Father.”

I answered confidently. Then I explained my plan to get those despicable and vicious bastards.

“…”

People’s faces became strange.

Well, I said it was legal, but I never said it was fair and square. Sometimes people have to be a bit underhanded to survive, right?

As long as I could catch the real culprit, I was truly prepared to do anything.

Crack.

I gritted my teeth and said.

“Now then, shall we start the show?”

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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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