I Promise, I'll Leave! But, With No Regrets!!

Chapter 78

♦Chapter 78: Facing Another Fragment of Reality♦

[]Melissa's Perspective []

Staring down the scenery beside the window, I whimsically wore a sullen face and gave Viola an order.

"Please leave me for a while."

"Understood.", she replied and took her time to leave the room, as I commanded.

Then, the moment I heard a clack from where I felt the maid's presence, I whispered.

"The time has come."

It was quite unfortunate that with my current age, I couldn't possibly enter the trial court despite having myself as the victim of the current case. Which is why I'm worried about how things would turn out at their side.

People under the age of sixteen just like me were prohibited to enter trial courts. Technically, within the Empire, sixteen was the age to be considered as a semi-adult, and only semi-adults and adults were allowed in trials like this. Though, it's a different case if the suspect's a person under the required age.

In case the victim was a minor, a close relative or an acquaintance that would like to volunteer could be sent there in their stead and respond to the questions that the court would ask concerning the case; of course, with the info that was provided by the victim, himself or herself, in advance. Yet, it's not like I was told to confess by the Duke or anything.

Since the events were all a part of our plans, I have expected much that the Duchess has already presented the occurrences that time, during her discussion with Duke Wendell before it even happened. Most likely, he was also told of the things that would be enough to offer as a testimony to the court, so that could explain why the Duke didn't bother to return to the mansion, and continued to act according to the plan.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to be at ease, presently.

Although I easily thought that things mustn't have went to downfall in my previous life a few days ago, I currently realized that that wasn't the case after all.

In the first place, previously there weren't any traces of the Duchess' returning even after I lived my life for twenty-four years already until I was sentenced to death. No matter the fact that I was but the Duke's adopted daughter, it didn't change the way that I was adopted through legal means by a person that possessed royal blood. Which means if it all went wrong, or in case there wasn't anything like this kind of scheme in the past, her punishment was for sure...

Execution...

I widened my eyes and nervously took a gulp at that thought.

I was stupid. I should've known that this was a gamble that placed the Duchess' life at stake all along!

If she were to be saved, it would only be to have a back-up plan to escape before the execution and keep hiding at a place that no one would find if the search party gets dispatched.

I wasn't informed of a back-up plan, but she has the Duke's support with her, so they have probably considered that already, right? Right?????????

While I had that in mind, a cold sweat fell down the side of my cheek.

"......Eh?"

Amid that I came to notice something that made me have frowned expression.

When I willingly surrendered and was 'caught red-handed' to have tried to murder the Empress, Natasha, I was certain that I would be killed under the orders of the Emperor as a punishment for the crime that I've committed. But in fact, at a case like that, the whole Shevaria family should've been involved and obligated to be beheaded as well since my actions were enough to be considered as treason to the ones that held their crowns and sat on their thrones as the rulers of the Empire.