Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 34

“Your Excellency!” Madam Mona cried out desperately, but Hubert did not even respond.

 

The grand duke’s mansion was so vast that it took over half a day to search the entire estate. During that time, everyone had to wait on the first floor for the results.

 

Karen seemed uncomfortable, but not anxious. She even told the worried Madam Mona, “Don’t worry.” It seemed she had something to rely on. But it didn’t take long for it to be revealed that the lifeline she clung to was rotten.

 

“Your Excellency, we’ve found the bust!” The servants appeared, holding the missing bust.

 

Hubert, regaining his composure, asked sternly, “Where was the bust found?”

 

“It was…” The servant pointed at someone. “In Karen’s room!”

 

“T-That’s impossible!” Karen screamed. “No! That can’t be! There’s no way the bust was in my room!” shouted her desperately.

 

Of course, it couldn’t be. Because you snuck into my room last night and hid the bust there. But after you left, I returned the bust to your room.

 

“That’s not all.” The servant handed over something else. It was a luxurious necklace, gleaming brightly. “This suspiciously expensive necklace was found as well. It’s too valuable for a servant to have. We need to investigate whether it’s stolen.”

 

“N-No! That’s, that’s…!” Karen screamed. “Lady Stella gave it to me as a gift!” She then looked desperately at Stella. “Right, Milady? You gave me that necklace.”

 

A look of annoyance flashed in Stella’s eyes. But outwardly, she spoke as if she were a gentle mistress. “Karen, if you wanted my necklace, you could have just asked. I would have given it to you as a gift…”

 

It was clear that Stella had given Karen the necklace as payment for framing me. However, Stella cut her ties without hesitation. To her, Karen was just a tool to be thoroughly used.

 

“Milady!” Karen shouted in betrayal, trembling all over with resentment.

 

I looked at Karen coldly. Even after all that, you still didn’t realize, Karen. You reap what you sow. I felt no sympathy for her.

 

“Karen, tell the truth. Did you steal the bust and Stella’s jewelry and try to frame your mistress?” Hubert asked coldly, without a trace of mercy, which made Karen tremble.

 

I whispered to Karen, pretending to be sympathetic. “If all this is true, Grandpa will formally report you to the investigator’s office. Then you’ll be locked up in the ‘Tower of Condemned’ for years.”

 

The Tower of the Condemned. It was a prison where criminals who had committed serious crimes were confined. That place was a living hell. Only one meal a day, and even that was just a gruel, forcing the prisoners to fight each other for food. They wore tattered clothes, befriended rats, and had to endure the sweltering heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter as they slept. It was said that anyone who spent more than a year in the Tower of Condemned would go mad even after being released.

 

“Do you think someone as pampered as you can survive in the Tower of the Condemned?”

 

Karen felt chills run down her neck.

 

“So for your own sake, tell the truth.” I gave her one last cold piece of advice.

 

At those words, Karen banged her forehead against the floor and collapsed in a bow. “I’ll tell you everything! Please, forgive me!” She raised her face, blood streaming from her forehead, and wailed. “It was all under Lady Stella’s orders!”

 

“What?” Hubert’s eyes widened.

 

The surroundings buzzed with murmurs. Despite that, Karen screamed desperately. “Lady Stella told me to hide the bust in Lady Epirosa’s room!”

 

“Why would my daughter do such a thing!” Diane exclaimed in disbelief.

 

“It’s because Lady Stella was punished to kneel because of Lady Epirosa! She wanted revenge!”

 

Stella’s face turned pale. After all, she had acted as if all grudges had vanished before Hubert.

 

Diane flinched but then shouted again. “And yet you claim that after stealing Stella’s jewelry? Where do you get off lying like this?”

 

“That jewelry was given to me by Lady Stella as payment! I didn’t steal it!” Karen looked up at Hubert, her face soaked with tears. “Your Highness, I was wrong. I accepted the jewelry from Lady Stella and tried to frame Lady Epirosa! But I swear I never stole the bust. Lady Stella gave it to me herself!”

 

“Don’t lie!” Stella screamed. Apparently, she hadn’t expected Karen to confess everything like this, and her usually well-hidden viciousness was plain on her face. “Grandfather, Karen is framing me! Karen is Epirosa’s maid!”

 

“So you’re saying Epirosa framed you?” Hubert asked.

 

Stella didn’t answer, but her silence was agreement. A look of disappointment flickered in Hubert’s eyes.

 

At that moment, I spoke up. “I was the first to be suspected in this incident. Do you really think I would go so far as to risk being framed myself just to set you up? Does that make any sense?”

 

Stella glared at me as if she wanted to kill me. But I responded with a smile.

 

“Karen would have known that if it were revealed her mistress stole the bust, she herself would be suspected, too. The reason she took that risk and tried to frame me was because she was given some enticing reward.” I was referring to the necklace found in Karen’s room—Stella’s jewelry.

 

“That necklace was stolen by Karen.” Stella remained brazen to the end.

 

Hubert observed for a moment, then said coldly, “It will be hard to uncover the truth here. Lock Karen in the servant quarters’ underground room. We’ll interrogate her later to get to the bottom of this.”

 

The underground room of the servant quarters. Though called a room, it was practically an underground prison.

 

Madam Mona screamed. “Your Excellency! Don’t do that! Karen was raised so delicately, she won’t survive in a place like that!”

 

Hubert left without even answering. The servants then dragged Karen away.

 

“Karen! Karen! No!”

 

“Mom! Save me, Mom!”

 

“No, my daughter!”

 

Madam Mona and Karen screamed, but no one helped them.

 

All that loyalty to the Gale family for so many years, and in the end, they get nothing in return. Madam Mona, who always looked down on me. And Karen, who tried to push me to my death.

 

I turned away, laughing coldly at them.

 

* * *

With her daughter locked up in the underground room, Madam Mona chased after Diane in tears. “Madam, please save my Karen!”

 

Diane looked at Madam Mona, who had followed her to her parlor, with annoyance. “There’s nothing I can do. Father-in-law is furious. What do you want me to do? You should have kept your daughter from making mistakes.” She then clicked her tongue. “How dare you ask me to save Karen? Because of Karen, even my Stella was almost falsely accused.”

 

Madam Mona was enraged at Diane’s attitude. “Why do you think Karen ended up like this? It’s all because of Lady Stella!”

 

“What?”

 

“She just did as Lady Stella ordered, and now she’s left to take the fall alone!”

 

“Are you crazy? How dare you blame Stella!” Diane shouted in anger.

 

Faced with her daughter’s situation, Madam Mona didn’t back down. “Why else would Karen have done this? It’s obvious Lady Stella made her do it!”

 

“Can’t you watch your mouth?” Slap! Diane struck Madam Mona across the face.

 

Madam Mona was so shocked that she was left speechless. A slap leaves a mark on the face. If everyone saw it, it would be a blow to her honor. And yet Diane dared to strike her, the head maid! Especially now, when Karen was in trouble because of Stella!

 

“If you say anything about my Stella anywhere, neither you nor your daughter will be spared!”

 

Madam Mona glared at Diane. Startled by that, Diane added, “I’ll think of a way to save Karen, so just leave for now, Mona.”

 

At those words, the fierce look in Madam Mona’s eyes softened a little. “Do you really mean that?”

 

“Of course. Would I abandon you and Karen? I’m just a bit upset because you keep pressuring me about something so difficult.”

 

“Understood. Then I’ll trust you.” Trusting Diane as if clutching at straws, Madam Mona left.

 

Once Madam Mona was gone, Diane gritted her teeth. How dare she crawl up to me?