MPBAGS Chapter 105

Sir Muzeta escorted me to the underground dungeon. I thought they might put handcuffs or chains on me, but perhaps because I was still just a suspect, they didn't restrain me.

The prison was extremely cramped and desolate. At least it was a solitary cell, so I wasn't locked up with other criminals, which was fortunate.

"Do you think I assassinated His Highness, Sir Muzeta?"

Sir Muzeta stopped in the middle of locking the prison cell and glared at me with piercing eyes. I felt like I was going to be cut to pieces by that gaze...

"Your dress is stained with blood, and you brought in the decisive murder weapon. Excluding Lady Rohanson, there isn't really anyone else that comes to mind. At most... no, to tell the truth, I find Bishop Marik just as suspicious as you. However, when His Highness was murdered, Bishop Marik was outside the banquet hall, just like me."

It seems Sir Muzeta had one more person he suspected. And that was Bishop Marik?

You must have read some mystery novels. Indeed, the person who seems least like the culprit is usually the culprit. The probability that Bishop Marik, who seemed to have a perfect alibi, was the perpetrator couldn't be ignored.

Sir Muzeta seemed to exclude Bishop Marik from the list of suspects because she was outside the banquet hall, but in fact, regardless of where Bishop Marik was, she could have used summoning circles to command spirits to cause the incident inside the banquet hall, so her alibi wouldn't hold.

But Sir Muzeta didn't know about the existence of spirits, so it was difficult to explain. While I was pondering how to say it, Sir Muzeta got up from his seat.

"I don't know why I'm even talking about this. I hope Lady Rohanson has a plausible reason for acting so brazenly."

Sir Muzeta left the prison after saying that. So he thinks I'm acting confidently because I'm innocent? It also sounded like he was saying he'd kill me if I were guilty.

Sigh... That's right. Execution scenes are the fate of villainess characters. Then, shouldn't the male lead also come visit the imprisoned villainess...

True to the cliché, Gabriel came to visit, though a bit late.

"I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you the whole time..."

Feeling guilty that another major incident had occurred while he was away, Gabriel lowered his eyes and touched the bars with regret overflowing. Yes, you're late. I thought you came to bring me clothes again. Gabriel saw my exposed shoulders and gave me his coat, telling me to cover up.

"I'm sorry that our agreement seems to have put you in a difficult situation."

What agreement? Don't tell me it was about staying quiet and not acting like a villainess while changing clothes and coming back?

"If I had caused a scene, it would have been even more suspicious."

It would have been the same as confessing and asking to be arrested. Right now I'm just a suspect, but if I had resisted, it might have led to summary judgment. Quietly walking into prison on my own was the best method available. That's why I can have this visit with Gabriel.

"Have you heard how the situation is developing?"

"Yes. Marchioness Totten explained it to me. I told Sir Muzeta about the blade, but he wouldn't accept it. Moreover, no sword could be found among the gifts His Highness the Crown Prince received."

The sword lodged in the Crown Prince's heart was definitely a properly sharpened weapon. So Gabriel and I concluded that there were two swords with identical handles.

It would have been good if both daggers had remained in the banquet hall, but the situation wasn't so accommodating. The sword I had given the Crown Prince as a gift seemed to have already been switched out. Well, they were thorough enough in their preparations to frame me.

Even if I didn't kill the Crown Prince, they're ready to charge me with bringing a weapon into the banquet hall. Bringing a sword openly expresses the intent to assassinate the Crown Prince. I clearly gave a gift with only the handle, but the problem was that all the witnesses were my associates. Gabriel was also under surveillance by palace knights because Sir Muzeta found him suspicious for the same reason.

"Sir Gabriel. You seem to be giving too much information to a criminal."

One of the palace knights interrupted the conversation Gabriel and I were having.

"Lady Rohanson is not a criminal, so it's fine."

"Not a criminal, you say? Are you so blinded by love that you can't properly assess the situation? I don't know how such a noble holy knight came to this state."

The palace knight sneered and belittled Gabriel. Gabriel stared coldly at the knight and replied icily.

"I was probably just overrated before."

"Yes! That seems to be the case! My eyes were mistaken."

The knight didn't speak to Gabriel again after those words. I think that knight was originally a fan of Gabriel's. He seems furious that his favorite idol has fallen into romance instead of focusing on his main job. Somehow I understand that feeling... However, Gabriel didn't just let the palace knight who was glaring at him be.

"I'd like to have a private conversation with the lady for a moment, so could you please step aside?"

"Do you know that you're currently under surveillance? No, never mind. Just have your conversation comfortably. I'll go report to Sir Muzeta instead."

Now to that knight, I've become a witch who seduced a holy knight, and Gabriel has become an accomplice to the witch who abandoned his beliefs.

The knight left the prison with his colleagues, fuming. Gabriel continued talking as if he had no thoughts about seeing that, seemingly not caring about anyone who wasn't his person.

"The eyes watching you were useless."

"The lights went out so we couldn't see ahead."

Even though there were so many people in the banquet hall, once the lights went out, no one could see how the situation was developing. Ah, now that you mention the lights going out, I suddenly remember something strange when I think back to that time.

"When the lights went out, I bumped into someone. We couldn't see an inch ahead, but the other person knew that the person they bumped into was me. The red stains on my dress were made then."

I didn't even open my mouth then, so the hypothesis that they recognized me by my voice doesn't make sense either. If they deliberately got blood on me, wouldn't that person be the culprit?

"Do you remember the voice?"

"Yes, it sounded like a girl about 10 years old."

It was definitely different from Bishop Marik's voice. Then isn't Bishop Marik the culprit? I was suspicious of her because she was wearing a veil and seemed like a mastermind.

She seemed to have a terrible relationship with Sir Muzeta, and she probably had a bad relationship with the Crown Prince too, but would an exorcist kill someone just because they don't get along? Is she confident that she can handle the ghost even if they come back for revenge?

I also thought of the maid who was wearing a scarf, but she couldn't speak at all, so I'll pass on that.

"Rather, the culprit might be close by. For example, Princess Jeremia could be the culprit."

Gabriel brought up a different name, not Bishop Marik. Jeremia... the green necklace who was dancing with the Crown Prince until the end? Not Bishop Marik, but the princess?

"Are you talking about Her Highness the Princess?"

"Yes, we must keep all possibilities open."

It was striking that I was the only one excluded from those possibilities. Even though we weren't together, he believes that I didn't kill the Crown Prince. That's a bit touching, isn't it? It seems all the attention management I've been doing wasn't in vain.

"The banquet hall doors were closed, so it wouldn't be an external intruder, and since it happened in such a short time, even Her Highness the Princess, who was closest, can't escape suspicion."

But when I recall how she stood there dazed, letting blood drops fall on her face while shocked by her father's death, it's hard to see her as the culprit...

However, as Gabriel said, Jeremia had the best conditions to commit the crime. She was closest to the Crown Prince, and it would have been easy for her to switch out the dagger. The reason she was excluded from suspicion until now was because the two were father and daughter.

If Jeremia is really the culprit, then is Gabriel investigating the truth of a case where his niece murdered his brother? Really, wherever you go, the royal family is as dramatic as a morning soap opera.

Wait. Before that, Gabriel must know the secret of his birth, right...? He looks so much like the Crown Prince that everyone must know it tacitly. He can't not know, right?

Should I tell him beforehand that in order to clear the false accusation against me, who's managing multiple romantic interests, he'll have to reveal that his niece killed his brother...?

While I was pondering, the conversation topic changed. I'll tell him next time he visits. First, I need to prepare myself mentally for the shock of the birth secret...

"Marchioness Totten and Ms. Henna safely escaped the palace. I assigned Uriel and a trusted knight as escorts. However, Lady Rohanson's coachman..."

Gabriel paused in the middle. The coachman? He must be talking about the beast-man coachman who stepped in as a substitute for Melech.

"He was found decapitated. It seems they prepared this in advance in case Lady Rohanson tried to escape."

The person who framed Evangeline, considering she might escape, must have eliminated the coachman too. No, coachman! Did he die because of me after coming to help for no reason? He only came as a substitute today because Jelly called him...?

Guilt grew tremendously. It wasn't even official employment, so how do I notify his family of his death? I should tell Jelly about it. I don't know how many people will die in just one day. Even though it's inside a novel, I felt uneasy in one corner of my heart.

Gabriel explained more about how the outside situation was developing, then finally got up from his seat when the palace knight who had returned started urging him sarcastically about how long he was going to chat with the criminal.

"I'll make sure you can get out soon."

After Gabriel left, investigators appeared as if in a relay race and conducted questioning. The investigation finally ended after I said a hundred times that I didn't kill the Crown Prince.

It was only after midnight that I could finally rest alone. After checking around for any signs of people and confirming no one was there, I quietly called for Jelly.

"Jelly."

"Yes."

An answer came from where no one had been. You came! My secret weapon! Teleportation really is the best. The fact that I could maintain relative peace while facing the anxious future of possibly being executed was all thanks to Jelly. If things get bad, I'll just grab Jelly's hand and run away.

"I was wondering when you'd call."

He seemed to have been waiting after I sent word through Pudding to come when called. But why did only Jelly come?

"Where's Pudding?"

"He's reflecting on his powerlessness. What did that Pudding accomplish after even going through the trouble of disguising himself?"

Jelly giggled and mocked Pudding. Really, such a narrow mind. Even if a young cat transformed into a human and infiltrated the palace to protect me didn't achieve much, I should praise him for being admirable.

Actually, at first I didn't recognize him because I was only looking at his face. The second time I saw him and got a little used to his striking appearance, I noticed the collar. The collar had my embroidery so obviously on it, how could I not notice it immediately when I first met him?

"Humans really are amazing. To think they'd actually arrest you, master... No wait, in this case, you let yourself be arrested."

When Jelly snapped his fingers, the bleak prison interior changed to something bright and cheerful. A bed, sofa, and even a fireplace - except for the walls being barred, there was no inconvenience for living. Is this some kind of prison hotel?

"Kanna said we should prepare at least this much since you'd be cold and uncomfortable, master... But it still seems uncomfortable, so couldn't you sleep at the mansion and come back?"

Honestly, I wanted to go to the Rohanson mansion by teleportation too. But what if someone comes and sees the empty prison and thinks I escaped in the meantime? It's better to have strange furniture suddenly appear.

When I said I'd stay in prison, Jelly even brought clothes to change into. I returned the blood-stained dress to Jelly. Misha will be horrified seeing those clothes... I decided to keep the blanket Gabriel gave me. When I said I was hungry, he brought dinner after a while.

After finishing the late dinner, enjoyed in prison, I spoke quietly.

"Jelly, about the coachman who drove the carriage today. I think we should notify his family of his death."

Since an acquaintance died sadly after being involved in my affairs, it would be proper for Jelly to be angry. But Jelly responded calmly while eating sherbet.

"You mean we should officially file a death report? You don't need to worry about that. A death report has already been filed."

What? How? Jelly wagged his tail and continued explaining.

"That human was actually living a double life, you know?"

The coachman was actually quite a womanizer. His legal wife, who had been turning a blind eye to his affairs, recently realized he hadn't been coming home and that he had set up another household, so she got angry and filed a death report. She even held a funeral, so the neighbors in that area think the coachman is already dead.

I should have known from when Jelly, Daisy, and the third one were making memories together. The coachman just seemed to like triangular relationships.

"How's that? It's okay for someone who has a reason to die, dies, right?"

"That's true."

Of course, the shock that he died because of me remained, but relatively speaking, my guilt seemed to lessen a bit. Right, this isn't the first or second time I've seen someone die since I was reincarnated, and this is a world with particularly strong class systems, so such things will be commonplace in the future. I'll just have to adapt.

"Is there nothing else you need?"

It seemed like Jelly brought up that story to comfort me and tell me not to be crushed by guilt. The one who's always lazy is now asking me to give him errands first. Come to think of it, there was one thing I wanted to ask.

"Could you pick some cherry blossom petals from the garden and take care of Melech's meal? And while you're at it, could you also look after Marchioness Totten?"

"Can I make Pudding do it?"

"Go together."

"...Yes."

Perhaps not expecting me to actually give him work, Jelly puffed out his cheeks reluctantly and agreed.