“If anyone asks you what happened leading up to this, tell them you know NOTHING. Even if they become intimidating and persist, you must not say a word.”
“…What?”
“In any way, if you were known to be involved with the murder of a member of the imperial family, no good will come out of it. You cannot be involved in this. Do you understand? This incident is done solely by the Consort―”
Smack. Kathia slapped away Madam Murphy’s hand. She could no longer stay still while listening to her.
“Why? Why are you speaking as if you already gave up on mom?”
“Your Highness.”
“The Crown Prince did something immoral first! He did something wrong to m-me! Either law or judgement, shouldn’t they at least consider that?”
“…The Imperial Law states that the life of a member of the imperial family must be paid back with another life. Even if they are of the same family.”
On top of that, if it were someone like Hannah, who’s only half-imperial family, there’s almost no way to save her.
They had no one to depend on and no one in the aristocratic assembly would ever help them get through.
So, if they tried to place hope on his Majesty, the First Consort would NEVER let that happen.
This was the one person Madam Murphy was worried about the most.
“We have no idea what the First Consort has up her sleeves. Neither do we her kin, the ducal family of Tanium. It’s not important to them who was at fault first.”
“What kind of crap is that?! I-I’m the victim, and Mom was trying to protect me…!”
“No, your Highness. That’s not it. From now on, this is the bedroom of the Consort, and your bedroom is the next room over. You heard some ruckus in the middle of the night and came into this room with us. We all arrived after the incident occurred. Isn’t that right? Besides that, you know nothing, like us.”
“But…!”
“Think about your mother!”
Kathia flinched at Madam Murphy’s words.
Long before the palace guard gave them a suspicious look, she thought of Hannah’s small back walking forward.
Perhaps, I really don’t want to admit it, but perhaps, what Madam Murphy said may be correct after all.
Letting out a sigh of frustration, Madam Murphy continued to hold Kathia, who was about to break down.
“Princess, your Highness. This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong. This is just… an accident. An unavoidable accident.”
As soon as Madam Murphy ended her speech, the maids rushed back and forth to wipe all the evidence off of Kathia’s tracks.
Blankly watching as her and Hannah’s belongings were being thoroughly separated, Kathia buried her face into Madam Murphy’s shoulder.
Her 18th birthday was, until the very day she died, unforgettable.
***
The world moved on, separate from whatever it was that froze Kathia’s own life.
As usual, the days came and went, along with the nights.
Often, dawn lingered for a time, as if it was broken, but then waking herself up, there was a new sun rising.
Meanwhile, she started to use the next room over. The maids acted as if that room was the one Kathia used from the beginning.
She had to encounter the second in command of the palace guards a few times.
Kathia somewhat recognised him, but come to think of it, he was also one of the men who barged into the mansion of Viscount Haze seven years ago.
Having a somewhat uneasy look, every time he threw a question, Kathia had an expressionless face and saved her voice.
‘I’m not sure’, that phrase was enough. In fact, there wasn’t much for her to confess in the first place.
Hannah confessed that this incident occurred because she was trying to protect herself from the Prince who came to violate her.
She also added that her daughter and the maids came much later.
It was no different from Madam Murphy’s scenario, down to the details; she thought the whole situation was ridiculous.
Like this, Kathia Milo del Brezina, the center of this murder case, got completely pushed out fo the circle.
Sacrificing her mother, Hannah Leive del Brezina.