If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 160
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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After a while, the person who entered the interrogation room was Vice-Commander Ethan of the Vernat Knights.
Stella, who had been furious about being confined in such a place and was ready to curse at whoever had placed her there, was taken aback by the unexpected figure entering through the door.
“Where is the Marquis?”
“Madam Calvino, please sit quietly.”
“I asked where the Marquis, who dragged me here, has gone!”
With a glare full of negative emotions, Stella stared at the large knight sitting across from her. She had no intention of respecting the barbaric people who wielded swords and took lives. It was all rage, rage, and more rage… with a touch of contempt.
“You’ll soon be a criminal yourself. Perhaps you should start worrying about that. It won’t be long before you stop being called Countess.”
“What do you mean by that? Why would I become a criminal?”
“The crime of having secretly helped a criminal escape and hide, after the Emperor personally ordered them to serve. I trust you know how severe the consequences are for such a crime.”
“Ha! I knew it. Just like your superior, you too are accusing innocent people! What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Everyone who has been brought here to be questioned says the same thing you are saying, Madam Calvino. ‘What have I done wrong? I am innocent, this is a misunderstanding, a conspiracy. If you do this to me, you’ll regret it….'”
“…”
“However, Madam Calvino, do you know this?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Of all those who threw tantrums like you, not a single one has left this place walking on their own two feet.”
As Ethan finished speaking, he smiled. To those who didn’t know any better, his smile might have seemed like that of an innocent boy, but to Stella, it was nothing but the grin of the devil who had come to catch her.
“Stella Calvino. Did you leave the capital in the early to mid part of last month?”
The real interrogation began. Ethan had taken over the questioning of Stella, standing in for Cain, who had left abruptly.
“I’ll ask again. Did you leave the capital?”
“I don’t see why I need to answer that.”
Having started to grasp the situation, Stella’s earlier attitude of superiority began to fade, and she subtly started to gauge Ethan’s reactions.
“Whether or not you need to answer is not up to you. Answer the question. Stella Calvino. Did you leave the capital in the early to mid part of last month?”
Ethan already knew the answer. In his hands was a document that had tracked the evidence of Stella Calvino leaving the capital and traveling south. The reason he kept asking the same question was to see if she would lie.
“…No.”
“You say you didn’t. Then, tell me about your whereabouts in the early to mid part of last month.”
“Ha, how am I supposed to remember all that? Do you remember what you were doing a month ago?”
“I’ll say it again. Here, only I ask the questions. Answer the question that’s asked.”
“…Damn Vernat Knights.”
Stella muttered under her breath, trying to keep it quiet, but Ethan was able to read her lips.
“I can’t remember. I don’t even remember what I did last week. Since my son was wrongfully accused, my health has greatly deteriorated.”
“I see. And this son, are you referring to the criminal John Calvino?”
Stella’s face, who was sarcastically emphasizing the word ‘wrongfully’, immediately stiffened.
“A criminal? Who’s the criminal here!”
The false pretenses she had been putting on vanished. Throwing away the fan she had been holding over her mouth, Stella’s venomous glare surged forward.
The fan, thrown at Ethan’s face, missed by a hair and crashed into the wall before falling to the floor.
The Vernat Knights standing guard in the corner of the interrogation room, along with the Imperial guards, found the Countess’s recklessness unsettling. Although Ethan, in his role as the person in charge, remained calm and gave no reaction, the others didn’t bother trying to hide their displeasure.
The tense atmosphere of the room continued, unnoticed by Stella, as the questioning continued.
“Let me rephrase the question. Have you met with John Calvino in the past few months?”
Ethan’s refusal to react to her earlier behavior seemed to make her even angrier. Her face grew redder, and she glared venomously at the man in front of her.
The people in the room weren’t her servants who would bow and apologize at her fiery gaze. No one in this room was afraid of her fierce anger. It took Stella a few moments to realize this.
“…No.”
“You’re saying you’ve never met with John Calvino?”
“Yes, I said no. I don’t know why you’re bothering me after pushing an innocent kid into such a horrible situation.”
“So, where is John Calvino now?”
Stella couldn’t answer immediately. Her empty hands seemed to want something to hold, and after briefly eyeing the fan that had fallen on the floor, she began looking around the room.
“You probably know better than I do. Why are you asking me?”
“Our information suggests that John Calvino should be buried by now. Is that correct?”
Though he tried to appear casual, Ethan noticed Stella’s lips tremble as she heard his last question.
