How To End This Marriage-Chapter 136: Tangled Webs

"I said someone call a goddamn doctor!!!!!!" I shouted as I pressed the stomach of the maid to stop the bleeding.

"Yes, yes, Madam! Someone went to call the doctor. You don’t have to worry," another maid said, but I’m worried. I don’t want her to die. She is the only one who understood me here when no one did.

"Don’t die!" I mumbled while I held her body. My tears dripped down my cheek.

"Why are you shedding tears when you are the one who did this?" the princess spoke, making me all confused.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Wow, see! How your duchess is acting after trying to kill an innocent maid!!!" she said, looking at the crowd.

"Princess, what are you saying, please say in clear words! I don’t understand what you are saying at all," I said, trying to suppress my anger.

"Duchess, why are you acting as if you don’t know what is happening? See, the knife is on the floor, which has blood on it. See your dress, which is completely drenched in blood, and your hand on her wound. What more proof do you want me to show? That you have killed this innocent maid," she said, making me burn in anger.

"Princess, I’m not here to know who killed her or not. Right now, I want her alive. I will save her at any cost. Did you get it?" I said, trying to raise the maid to my bed, but the other maid came forward and took her from me.

"What? What are you all doing? I’m letting her rest here," I said while my voice broke.

"No, Madam! We will take her to her own room. We can’t leave her here in your room," they said while looking at me with suspicious eyes.

"You all believe her?" I asked while my eyes filled with tears.

They stared at me.

"I’m asking if you believe her!!!!" I asked again.

"We don’t know, madam. Who should we believe or whom should we not? But what we see here is something we opt to trust. And all are pointing at you. Your hands are drenched in blood as the princess said. And in this case, we can’t trust you," they said and took her from me while I thud on the floor, all helpless.

"I didn’t think this would happen, but as the people say, whatever happens is good for us, and this is so good for me at least. Even though I couldn’t kill you, I made it look like you have committed the murder. Now whom are you going to take on your side? Duke? Your personal maid? Or the other workers? Who?" the princess said as if she is rubbing salt on my wound.

I glared at her.

"Oh, I’m scared that you glared at me like that," she said, acting and laughed at me.

"Do you think your glare will terrify me? No!!! I’m the princess. The firstborn from the emperor. The heir and the royalty. And you will always be the one obeying me," she said while pushing me into the blood pool.

"Now stay here until everyone knows what you did," she said and walked away, leaving me in my room. I quickly got up from the floor, trying to get out of the room, but it locked on its own. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Open the door!!!!!" I shouted.

"Open the door!!!!" I shouted once again.

"Didn’t you hear what the duke has said? He said no one should place their feet outside of the mansion. And especially, you can’t place your feet outside of the room, so stay here until he returns and punishes you for the crime you have committed," the princess said from outside while I kept on knocking on the door, but no one opened.

"Open the door!!!! I have not killed anyone. The princess is lying. Don’t believe her!!!" I shouted numerous times, but my voice didn’t reach anyone.

***

"Crown Prince Maximus, you are aware of the reason I came here, right?" the duke said as he came out of the carriage.

"Yes, I do. I have got your letter, but no one has filed a complaint about someone missing for the past few days, so I’m not sure what information you have got is true or not," the prince said.

"The princess’s personal maid has sent the letter, so I think she is well aware of the situation that occurred in this palace. We need to interrogate her to let her spill the truth so that the true criminal can come out," the duke said, and the prince let him show the way to the maid’s quarter.

"Who is here working for Princess Vixara?" the prince asked.

"Greetings, your highness, the crown prince. Can we help with something?" the maids came forward and asked.

"I didn’t ask what you can help me with, but I need those who worked with the princess, so spill who are those," the prince said once again, making them try to say the truth.

"We work with the princess from the moment she was born. Why are we being called? Did we do something?" an old lady came forward, claiming.

"You have to come with us!!!" the prince said while the guards placed handcuffs on each maid who worked with the princess.

"Prince, where are you taking us? Tell us what crime we have committed to be treated like this!!!" the maids shouted, but no one listened to them but pulled them to jail.

"Why are we treated like this? We want some explanation!!!! If the princess were present here, we wouldn’t be treated this way," the maids shouted once again.

"Oh, princess!!! So you think we don’t know what has been cooking between the princess and the maids?" the Prince Maximus said.

"W-what are you saying, prince?" the maid asked.

"The princess has assigned the assassin to kill someone. We have got the letter you have written to the princess. So, utter whom did you all kill? Who is the one who got slaughtered by the princess and for what reason? Confess, and you all will be spared!!!" the prince said while placing their cuffs on the chain to make them hang on the jail cells.

"W-we don’t know anything, my prince. We are being falsely accused," the maid said crying, but the old maid who is calling herself the personal maid of the princess is still silent.

"You are falsely accused? Then how did the letter go from here to Ablia to my mansion? Is there anyone else aware the princess went to Ablia other than the close ones of the princess? No, I guess. Then how did the letter reach the place?" the duke asked.

"We don’t know anything, Duke. Believe us!!! Someone is falsely accusing us of something we never even thought of committing," the maids repeated the same thing while the prince kept looking at the old maid.

"Why are you not saying anything? Should I take your silence as the answer?" the prince said.

"How can I talk back to you, Royal Highness? You and I have a high difference in status, and if you think I have committed a crime, then I must have committed. I won’t argue about that. I have lived enough, so I might just get executed now and rest in peace," the old maid said, chuckling, making the prince angry.

"You will be executed or not; the decision will be taken by me, not you. And I want the answer if you have sent the letter or not. If you say yes, then the princess will be dragged here to get her punishment for the crime she has committed. But if you say no, then you will be pressed even further until you say the truth," the prince said.

"As I said, Prince, I won’t be arguing with higher authority. You can think as you please," the old maid said, making the prince angry.

"You!!!!!! Raise the punishment!!! Call me once they utter their crime!!!" the prince ordered and came out of the jail while he burned in anger.

"What is wrong with these people? They are again and again saving the murderer. First, she tried to kill the duchess, and now an innocent man, which still no one knows. How?" the prince said in anger.

"How are you so sure the duchess was poisoned by the princess?" the duke asked the same thing once again.

"Can’t you see it? Now she has gone with you to your place to marry you, or for what reason could she have to kill your wife and take her place? Is there any other reason? I don’t think so. And you, Alex!!! You might think she is innocent, but she is not. She never once got injured or fell sick. It is all an act made by her to gain sympathy from the people for the crown because once the heir is chosen, she can raise the topic that she is being excluded from the crown because of her health. And you still believe her? Wake up, Duke!!!!! Open your eyes!!!" the prince said, shaking the duke.