Marcus stepped forward, his boots clicking heavily on the marble. He ignored me entirely, his focus solely on Selene, "My moon, are you alright? Has she threatened you or tried to harm you?"
Selene looked between us, her hand still resting near the cup she had just kept earlier.
"No, my love. She hasn't threatened me in any way. We were actually having a very productive conversation..." Before she could complete her sentence, he interrupted.
"A conversation built on pure lies. I gave you a chance because Xander claimed you as his alibi, but do not think for a second that his favor makes you welcome here. You are a guest by necessity, not by choice," Marcus snapped, his gaze finally cutting to me.
I felt the sting of his words, but I didn't flinch. I knew Marcus was hurt. He loved Selene with the intensity of a hero who believed he had failed to protect his heart, but I also knew that his blind spots were exactly what Josephine intended to exploit.
"Your Grace, if I were truly the mastermind behind the poisoning, why would I have stayed with the Third Prince all night? Why would I risk a public scandal that ruined my reputation and my honor?" I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
"Because you knew I would catch you. You used the third prince as a shield, hoping the royal name would distract us from what you did near the drinks," Josephine interjected, moving to Marcus's side like a shield.
"And what exactly did I do, Josephine? You keep mentioning evidence. You told Selene you were determined to find it, but if the physicians found the toxin in the wine, and I never touched the glass, where is this proof coming from? Is it something you have found, or something you have prepared?" I challenged, stepping out from the table.
Josephine's breath hitched, a tiny crack in her angelic demeanor. "How dare you suggest..."
I cut her off as I continued, "I suggest that the Solyne estate is an easy target for someone who wants to finish the job they started. You want to search my home? Fine, but I want Xander's knights there when you do it. Not the Duke's men, who are already convinced of my guilt, but neutral eyes," I said, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous register that made
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
Marcus paused. He was a man of justice, even if his judgment was currently clouded by grief and Josephine's whispers. My request for Xander's involvement would clearly have caught him off guard.
If I were guilty, why would I ask for the King's son, a man who had already declared his love for me, to oversee the search?
"Why him?" Marcus asked, his tone shifting from pure anger to a wary suspicion.
"Because he is the only one in this ton who doesn't look at me and see a villainess by default.
Also, Your Grace, if you truly love Selene, you should want the truth, not just a scapegoat." I replied, glancing at Selene.
Selene stood up then, her movements graceful despite her lingering frailty, "Marcus, she's right. If there is evidence to be found, let it be found fairly. Josephine, you said you were protective of me, wouldn't you want to be absolutely certain that the right person is punished?"
Josephine's fingers curled so tightly into her silk skirt that I heard the fabric groan. She was trapped. If she refused, she looked suspicious.
If she agreed, she had to plant her evidence under the watchful eyes of Xander's men. The men she couldn't control, and that's what I wanted and have successsfully did it.
"Of course, Selene. I only want what's best for you. If a joint search is what it takes to satisfy everyone, then I have no objections." Josephine said, her voice was sweet, but strained, which only I noticed.
As Marcus led Selene away, promising her rest and better protection, Josephine stayed behind for a moment. The mask of the concerned sister-in-law vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory stare that reminded me exactly why I had written her as the devil.
"You think you have won a reprieve, Irene, but you have only made it more entertaining. I will make sure that even Xander can't save you from this," she hissed, stepping close enough for me to smell the cloying floral scent of her perfume.
I whispered back, matching her gaze. "I have also started to understand this game of yours, my lady. And I know exactly how you like to hide your knives, being your former and only close friend." She stiffened, shock flickering in her eyes for a split second as if she couldn't believe that the person standing in front of her was the same one who used to lick her shoes.
The person who used to follow her around and saw her as the ultimate solution to all her problems.
Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, but before she could do that, she turned away. She might not have understood what I meant, but that didn't matter. I had managed to turn a solitary execution into a public investigation.
Left alone in the pavilion, I leaned against the marble pillar, my legs finally beginning to shake. I had survived the confrontation, but the narrative drift was accelerating.
Selene was alive, which was a deviation from my original plot where she was never actually poisoned, but in this reality, the consequences were much more visceral.
I looked towards the garden one last time. Those wild flowers were messy, tangling together to survive against the perfection of the Duke's estate.
Like me, they were fighting for space in a world that wanted to pull them up by the roots. One step at a time, Kayla, I thought, straightening my dress.
I had to find Xander. If he was going to be my alibi and my protection, I needed to ensure he understood that the bargain we made was about more than just his curse.
We were both monsters in the eyes of the Ton, an illegitimate prince and a merchant's villainous daughter. Together, maybe we could do more than just survive.
Maybe we could burn the script entirely. As I walked out of the garden, the system chimed in my mind, a cold, metallic sound that signaled a mission update.
[MISSION UPDATE: Befriend Selene MoonCrest]
Progress: 25%
Objective: Survive the Search of the Solyne Estate.
I took a deep breath, the evening air feeling like iron in my lungs. The game was far from over, and Josephine was right about one thing.
Even Xander can't save me from this until I play this, but she also forgot that I was the one who wrote this novel. I was the one who wrote all of these characters, including her.