Chapter 157
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157
The laughter started as a low simmer before boiling over into a grotesque, piercing shriek. Even her son, Jaden, flinched, freezing in place at the sound.
In the midst of the madness, Joseph—who had barely managed to finish grinding the drugs—nervously handed Lauren a cup of water clouded with the powdered toxin.
“Now, all you have to do is make her drink this.”
Lauren’s laughter cut off abruptly. She took the cup, her expression shifting back to one of elegant refinement, and asked, “How long will it take for her to die once she drinks it?”
“Well, considering how much blood she’s lost, it probably won't even take thirty minutes.”
“Good.”
Lauren swirled the pale yellow liquid in the cup before gracefully seating herself at the head of the bed.
“Now, Roxana. Drink the medicine Auntie brought for you. All your pain will disappear.”
Lauren smiled, slipping her hand under Roxana’s neck to roughly haul her upright.
Roxana, who had been as still as a corpse, suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her sapphire-blue gaze fixed unblinkingly on Lauren.
“As I thought. It was you.”
“Agh! Wh-what?!”
Startled, Lauren instinctively tried to recoil, but her animalistic intuition screamed that this was her final chance. She lunged forward, grabbing Roxana’s hair and shoving the cup against her lips.
“Drink it! Drink it!”
At that exact moment, the screen beside the bed was thrown aside. Imperial Investigators stormed into the room, swarming Joseph, Jaden, the guards Lauren had brought, and Lauren herself.
“Lauren Marshall! You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Roxana Fellon and conspiracy to murder Trisha Fellon!”
As the shout rang out, the cup slipped from Lauren’s hand, shattering against the floor with a sharp clang. It was the sound of her dreams breaking into a million pieces.
* * *
“Lady Marshall’s recent movements have been… unusual.”
It had been a month since Roxana and Trisha first heard those words from their informant. At the time, they had both shared the same thought: 'That figures.'
“She appears to be holed up at home, but she’s been quietly stockpiling massive amounts of cash. It’s just a hunch, but that money seems to be flowing into illicit channels.”
“How did you know she was filling her house with cash?” Roxana asked.
“The bank’s bullion carriages have been making frequent trips to the Marshall Mansion. A carriage heavy with coin has a distinct, weighted rumble; once emptied, the wheels rattle with a hollow lightness.”
Roxana frowned. “Is there really that much of a difference?”
“Ordinary people wouldn't notice. But we are trained to catch those details. If we’re to charge twice the fee of other informants, shouldn't we be this capable?”
He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Roxana nodded in satisfaction.
Trisha, however, was not yet convinced. “Why do you believe the money is going to 'strange places'?”
“There were quite a few people crossing her threshold in attire entirely unsuitable for a noble’s mansion—specifically during the periods when the cash carriages were coming and going.”
Trisha idly turned the gem of the ring on her finger. The informant was certainly proving his worth. While others might have dismissed such sightings as mere coincidence, he meticulously analyzed every detail to provide actionable intelligence.
He wasn't finished, either.
“This might not be welcome news, but based on my experience in this line of work, those visitors looked like back-alley thugs or hired assassins.”
“Hired assassins, you say…”
“I don’t know what job they were contracted for, but the intent was clear.”
His task complete, Trisha offered a brief smile and paid him even more than the agreed-upon sum. After he left, she watched Roxana quietly sipping her tea before letting out a heavy sigh.
“It seems your prediction is coming true.”
“…”
“Must you really use such a dangerous method?”
Roxana set down her teacup. “Yes. Because we must end this with a single strike.”
Trisha sighed again. Roxana wasn't blind to her mother’s worry; in fact, it was because of that worry that she had to ensure this 'lure operation' was a total success.
‘If I let her escape now, she’ll eventually bring down the entire Fellon Family. I have to put an end to this while I am still her primary target.’
On the day of the Ducal House’s party, Lauren had been pushed to the brink. Lauren had brought that ruin upon herself, but having observed her for years at Trisha’s side, Roxana knew the woman was incapable of admitting fault. She would blame everyone else, and believing herself cornered, she would resort to something extreme.
Anticipating this, Roxana had told Harriet not to overreact, though she had to admit it was satisfying to watch Harriet finally put Lauren in her place.
‘Now, the aftermath is my responsibility.’
The information that Roxana would be traveling to Genoa alone had been leaked to Lauren through a double agent. A high-priced informant had been tasked with monitoring Lauren’s reaction, and his report confirmed their suspicions.
Lauren was going to try to kill her.
“I’ll go,” Roxana said firmly. “As they say, the one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it. This is a problem I have to solve.”
Trisha tried to offer an alternative, unable to stomach the risk. She looked at Roxana with the genuine concern of a mother fearing for her daughter’s life. However, Roxana knew that Trisha had little leverage in this specific vendetta.
“Lady Marshall doesn’t want your life, Mother. She wants mine. By her calculations, you’re a threat that won't last more than a few years even if left alone. If we don't finish this now, she will just target me again later.”
It was a cold, accurate observation. Trisha found no retort and simply clenched her teeth.
“Don’t worry too much, Mother.”
“Don’t worry? You’re risking your life! Do you think that makes any sense?”
“It would be cause for concern if my preparations were lax, but I have never handled the future of the Fellon Family carelessly.”
At her daughter’s bold reply, Trisha’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t raise you to be this brave.”
Roxana offered a faint smile. “I’ve hired only the most elite guards, and the information has been kept so tight that even Miss Harriet is in the dark. If the horses bolt, specific parts of the carriage frame are designed to break, causing it to overturn safely. It will be impossible for their assassins to confirm my condition in the chaos.”
“Where is the guarantee you won't be injured when the carriage flips?”
“I’ve installed plenty of shock absorbers. Besides, even if I get a little hurt, it’s fine. It’s better than losing my life, isn't it?”
Trisha clutched her head as if nursing a migraine. She wanted to stop Roxana, but she knew the truth. Lauren Marshall was a ticking time bomb. They could either take a calculated risk now or live in fear of the explosion later.
The answer was already decided.
“Very well,” Trisha finally whispered. “Even with the risk, it is better to settle this while I am still alive to see it through.”
* * *
Harriet, who had traveled down to Einspora, was forced to return to Genoa with Trisha after only a week. The trial was proceeding with unprecedented speed due to the massive public outcry over Lauren’s attempted murder of Roxana.
“It seems the Imperial Family has exerted its influence,” Roxana noted as she greeted Trisha and Harriet.
“The Imperial Family? Was there something about this case that offended them?”
“I don’t know the specifics, but His Imperial Majesty was reportedly enraged. He stated that if a crime committed by a collateral branch to seize a family headship went unpunished, it would undermine the very foundation of inheritance law.”
“Hmm… His Majesty has good reason to be sensitive,” Trisha mused. “The Late Emperor spent his entire reign dealing with threats to the throne from his own siblings.”
That was why the current Emperor had firmly established the conditions for succession and raised his own children to prioritize fraternal loyalty—so they wouldn't stab each other in the back.
“It might be improper to say,” Harriet murmured, “but Lady Marshall truly has terrible luck.”
Of all the people to offend, she had triggered the one man who loathed such crimes more than any other.
Trisha let out a dry laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. No one has been as lucky as that woman. It started the moment a great noble’s mistress bore another man’s child and wasn't immediately cast out into the street.”
But Lauren was the type of person who never appreciated her blessings, choosing instead to blame her every misfortune on others. Even during the first trial, after a fortnight of preparation, she spouted absurdities, attempting to shift the blame onto Roxana and Trisha.
“This was an elaborate trap! I was manipulated into this! Anyone in that situation would have made the same choice!”
Her claim—that she, the perpetrator of an attempted murder, was the true victim—only served to prove how delusional she had become. However, the witness testimonies quickly backed her into a corner.
“I only did as Lady Marshall instructed,” Joseph Alden confessed under interrogation. “The poison I gave the Countess was provided by her, and every detail regarding the attack on Miss Roxana came directly from her hand.”
Several members of 'Butcher Harry’s' gang, the thugs who had attacked the carriage, had also been apprehended. They testified that they had received a meticulously crafted script from Lauren and were merely following orders.
The final blow came from her own blood. Even her son, Jaden, didn't hesitate to throw his mother to the wolves, shifting every ounce of blame onto her to save himself.