CHAPTER 32.Suicide.

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Akira stepped closer to Thalia's twisted body and felt something shift in her chest. Not pity exactly, but a very uneasy knot in the pit of her stomach. She wondered if she was involved in whatever had happened to Thalia. She thought of Beth right away—Beth had told her that Thalia accepted not to say a word, which was quite surprising. Yet, she believed it because she trusted Beth. The time frame also felt too short for someone like Thalia, who was her sworn enemy. Beth had also refused to tell her anything more when Akira asked what she had used to blackmail Thalia into silence. Instead, Beth was more focused on changing the bed and sheets than on explaining how she had managed to convince Thalia not to speak to Lyra or Madam Estelle.

Akira narrowed her gaze, her eyes sweeping across everyone as she searched for her friend Beth.

But somehow, just somehow, Beth was notably absent. She swallowed hard, concluding that it might just be a coincidence.Beth appeared to be sick in the early hours of the morning.

Dominus’s gaze was fixed on Akira as others pointed accusing fingers at her. His cold eyes followed her every move like a hunter tracking a possible kill. He didn’t look away; he didn’t blink. He was weighing the possibility of Akira being the one behind the push. This might not be his Akira, but she was just as soft and chill as his late sex mate.

“If she's behind it, then why are we still watching her give a performative cry?” Cierra cut in from the back. “Drag the murderer out of here!”

A cold chill ran down Akira's spine once she realized Cierra was referring to her.

“I am not a murderer, my lady. I didn't kill Thalia. I don’t even stay in the senior slave quarters; I'm a junior slave,” she tried to defend herself, but Cierra scoffed.

“Who asked you to speak? You only speak when I ask you to, and right now, I didn’t ask you to, so close that latrine of a mouth!”

“Madam Estelle said she saw you yourself go up there. Lyra also said she saw you push down the fat slave!”

Akira gasped in shock, her eyes widening. “I didn't push her down. I swear I didn't push her down! I only slept with Beth since the other slave quarters were locked up by the time I finished serving my lord.”

“Oh, now you slept there?” Aurora chuckled darkly. “A minute ago you didn’t, and now you're admitting to having slept there. This bitch is a pathetic liar. I hope you get hanged for killing your colleague.”

Beads of sweat formed on Akira's forehead and jaw, her teeth gritted together in both pain and anguish. She couldn't believe they were trying to rope her into being Thalia's killer when she was just hearing about it at the same time as everyone else. Her eyes darted around, looking for Beth again. Right now, she needed her more than ever to tell them she hadn’t pushed Thalia down the stairs.

“I swear, my lady, I didn’t do it. Like I said, the other side was locked because I arrived late.” Akira's voice cracked, now fragile.

“Liar!” Madam Estelle shouted. “You were never picked to serve the royals yesterday!”

Before Akira could say a word, Brevin cut in. “Yes, she did,” he announced, and the longest wave of relief ever washed over Akira.

“She served us yesterday, and she left the hall very late. I was the one who dismissed her to leave because it was already too late and almost morning,” Brevin said.

“Everything she’s said here is true; she is not lying. I was a witness to her staying up all night serving us yesterday,” he pointed out.

“But my lord…” Madam Estelle cut in with a deep frown on her face. “I never picked her for that. After the first time she spilled it all over the hall, I banned her from serving the royals.”

“Everyone makes mistakes. She made hers and has learned from it. Yesterday’s serving was fantastic, and I would love for her to always serve whenever my family is having dinner or breakfast.”

Madam Estelle swallowed hard, her face burning with shame.

“Come on, Brevin, don’t start your noble act,” Cierra snapped angrily, her eyes flicking to him, reading him in that irritating way siblings could. “She’s a murderer, and a murderer will she ever be. Stop trying to sugarcoat it unless you have taken a special interest in her kind.”

Brevin didn’t react; he simply suppressed a smile at how his sister could shift the goalposts to suit her narrative. Just a few days ago at the table, she had kicked him about not having a cock to fuck women, and now she was accusing him of taking an interest in Akira.

He looked up, his lips curling into a smile. “Dear, I don’t have a cock to do that. Have you forgotten so quickly?”

“And I take interest in facts. Last time I checked, nobody branded her as a murderer. She is just a prime suspect with zero evidence to suggest she’s the killer.”

Lyra stepped forward, seizing the opportunity. Her eyes narrowed sharply toward Akira. “My lord, she has always hated Thalia and has threatened to harm her a few times. You can ask Madam Estelle, she is also aware of this.”

“I told her—I told Thalia to check on that girl this morning,” Lyra said, pointing directly at Akira, her voice rising. “And then hours later, Thalia’s lying in a pool of her blood? My lord, do you think that’s a coincidence?”

Madam Estelle's lips pressed tightly together, her voice icy. “This girl,” she snapped, looking at Akira, “has been nothing but trouble since she came here. Very uncooperative, defiant, and now a murderer!” She gestured toward the blood-smeared corpse.

“Say that word again!” Prince Dominus growled, startling everyone and forcing Madam Estelle to step back, her palms clasped together, her lips trembling in fear.

“Tag her a murderer without good proof, and I will make sure your tongue doesn’t remain housed in your mouth.”

Akira gulped, her gaze fixed on Dominus. She wanted to hug him so badly and thank him for standing up for her when no one else did, but right here and right now, she couldn’t. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.

Brevin shifted, stepping slightly into the center of their circle without making it look like he was defending her. His eyes swept from Lyra to Estelle to Dominus, pausing just long enough on each to make them feel the weight of his scrutiny.

“You’re quick to point fingers—extremely too quick. That tells me you want this case closed, not solved.” He crouched again by the body, taking a slow glance at her. “If she was sent to fetch someone, perhaps the one who sent her should be looked into more closely than the one she was going to fetch.”

Lyra bristled, her brows shooting up immediately. “What are you implying… my lord?”

“I’m implying nothing.” Brevin’s gaze pinned her, his tone soft enough to make her lean in. “I’m asking why a plus-sized woman with a slow step and poor balance was sent down such long stairs alone to confront someone you claim she hated. Unless, of course, you knew what might happen since their hatred for each other was mutual.”

Madam Estelle stiffened, surprise marrying her features. “That’s absurd, my lord. She—”

“Not absurd… it’s logical,” Brevin countered smoothly, his voice very calm.

Dominus watched the entire exchange without moving, his attention splitting between Akira’s trembling figure and Brevin’s careful maneuvering. He didn’t intervene; he didn’t speak. He knew Brevin was too good with situations like this. But the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth suggested he was enjoying watching the trap tighten from both sides as long as Nia was saved.

“Thalia is a plus-sized slave who might have gotten tired and tripped. From the look of things, she’s too heavy for anyone to push down comfortably, so whoever sent her is her killer,” Brevin announced boldly, and Lyra’s knees dropped to the floor at once.

“M-my lord, that’s unfair! I was only trying to get the slave to do whatever needed to be done for the dinner after the full moon,” Lyra pleaded.

Brevin stared at her, the corners of his lips tugging into a triumphant smile.

“My lord, I didn’t think of the complications due to her size. I am very sorry!” Tears rolled down her face as she clasped her hands together in a loud plea.

Dominus’s lips stretched into a thin smile as he watched Lyra beg for her life. The way it switched so quickly from pointing accusing fingers to pleading made him chuckle. “Let the slave do her funeral proceedings and let this case close up!” he announced authoritatively before storming out of the place.

Brevin tilted his head sideways, a triumphant smile plastered on his face as he glanced at his sister before turning to Akira.

“Nia, come with me. I’ve got some good wine you need to serve me.”