Heena trembled slightly. "I did NOT kill without reason!"
The Duchess looked at her. "Of course. I heard that you killed him because you were suspicious he tried to kill Emperor Consort Larus. And you killed him without presenting any evidence to the court."
"I HAVE evidence!" Heena protested. "The assassins confessed—"
"Uh-huh." The Duchess's smile became sharper. "Literally, my dear niece, whenever I think you're 'not' my brother's daughter, you prove me right."
Heena didn't want to say anything more.
The Duchess continued, "But sometimes you really do these foolish things, and then I remember: yes, you 'are' the daughter of my idiotic brother."
Heena looked at her aunt indignantly. "Aunt! You cannot insult Father like that! It's treason!"
The Duchess raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Treason? Then what about it? Should I go to the execution grounds and kill myself?"
She gestured dramatically toward the door.
