The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 66.1
🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀
“Actually, when I first arrived here with the advance team, I dispatched a unit into the forest. His Highness is aware of that, correct?”
“Yes, not just me, others are aware of that fact as well.”
In the process, they discovered a mine.
While the information about the mine hasn’t been shared with the reinforcements yet, there’s a report regarding the forest that prominently features Grace’s name as the head.
Now that the value of the mine was confirmed, Benjamin took measures to ensure no one else could intervene in the selling process.
“When investigating the forest, I had asked the dispatched team to tie ribbons at certain intervals.”
Saying this, Grace produced and showed the red ribbon she had collected.
“Furthermore, this ribbon is coated with fluorescent paint, a new invention sent from the Magic Tool Association.”
“…Ah, that…”
Benjamin looked at Grace with intrigued eyes.
“Yes, as Your Highness might know, the downside to this fluorescent paint is that it smears easily.”
“Pardon my interruption, but how does this ribbon relate to the theft?”
“I applied this fluorescent paint to the ribbons after I came here. During that process, I spilled an ink bottle.”
Grace gestured towards the area where her belongings were stacked.
“Right over there.”
“…!”
“If someone else had placed that item in that spot, no matter how careful they were, they would’ve gotten it on their hands. Let’s check in the dark.”
The necklace in question was a high-priced gem item.
If the thief had been in their right mind, they would’ve acted carefully when setting it down.
Naturally, their hands would’ve touched the belongings.
However, what Grace just said was a lie.
‘But how would they know?’
While the properties of the fluorescent paint were all true, she had never spilled any. Grace scanned the gathered crowd.
‘If the culprit is here, they might immediately try to wash their hands or remove their gloves.’
Grace’s eyes narrowed.
Isn’t it often said that the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime? While she couldn’t understand that psychology, or more precisely didn’t want to, it was the only thing she could rely on at the moment.
“…!”
Just then, a priest was spotted discreetly trying to slip away from the crowd, with his hands behind his back.
Roselia, who had been signaled by Grace earlier, grabbed hold of the priest.
“Such suspicious behavior is prohibited.”
“Let… let go of me! Even if you are from the Felton Knights, you can’t disrespect someone who serves the gods like this!”
‘His reaction is so blatant as if he’s announcing he’s the culprit.’
She had read of such responses in books.
When culprits are caught, they always start by raising their voices, desperately proclaiming their innocence…
“Do you have any evidence?!”
‘And there it is, the demand for evidence.’
Every time she read a novel and came across a culprit shouting such lines, she wondered, ‘Why do they all say the same thing?’.
And today, Grace realized why.
‘In this situation, everyone would react the same way.’
Strangely enough, her mind felt at ease. Perhaps it was due to Benjamin’s strong presence standing firmly behind her.
“Then examine it! If there’s no trace of that fluorescent paint or whatever on my hands, you’ll have to compensate me!”
The priest, his veins bulging and arm gripped by Rozelia, shouted vehemently, glaring at Grace.
It was beyond just raising one’s voice out of grievance; it was unmistakably a threat.
‘They must think Grace is an easy target…’
Such was the conclusion, seeing a mere priest daring to raise his voice and threaten like this. And whether it was effective or not, her heart, which had calmed a bit, began to race again, interfering with her thoughts.
‘Let’s stay calm. Why is he so confident? Because he’s not the real culprit?’
That couldn’t be the case. He had kept his hands hidden behind him all this time, and when Roselia had caught him, he’d worn a face of alarm.
‘He still seems a bit uneasy.’
Having spent a life observing people even before inhabiting this body, she could tell whether that expression was genuine or not.
Looking at the badge attached to the collar of the priest’s robes, he wasn’t of the lowest rank.
‘This means he possesses a hint of divine power.’
To use divine power, one must make barehanded contact with the contaminated subject. There were countless instances where, if the priest’s divine power was weaker than the contamination, the priest could get hurt. That was one of the reasons for revering the Saintess.
‘The Saintess, besides the intensity of her divine power, can purify without even directly touching the contaminated area.’
Grace recalled the golden particle she had seen before. The only time Aria had made direct contact for purification was with Sylvester, the male lead who was cursed.
Anyway, for such reasons, priests do not wear gloves when they’re active. Wearing them would be conspicuous, and someone would surely remember.
🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀⚔️🥀
