Saving The Villainous Monster From The Male Lead-Chapter 84 - 83: All Proof Point At Eleanore

Once out, Eleanore lets go of Caelestis’ hand. She took the support of the wall behind, and her breathing started to stabilize. Her crying had stopped. The atmosphere inside was so overwhelming, that once out, it felt like she could finally breathe.

Out of nowhere, Adena also appeared along with Verbena. It could be assumed that it was the uproar in the mansion that pulled them here, or maybe they had only come to enjoy the show.

"I heard Stella was poisoned?" Adena asked Caelestis, who looked more concerned about Eleanore.

He couldn’t stop worrying about the fact that she might snap at any moment like a bomb. Her face had turned red, and her eyes were all puffy from crying.

Before Adena could receive an answer for that, Marina and Victor came out of the room. Victor had the blue sachet in his hand. "It was poison. Probably in this medicine."

Caelestis, who was facing his back to him, turned around in astonishment. "Did the—"

"I don’t think so. He has been working here for years. Can’t doubt his loyalty." Victor cut him off, before he could blame the poor doctor.

"Then who?" It was an open question; it was just something he wanted to say and was not expecting an answer to that question.

"The culprit is right in front of us, yet you ask who did it?" Verbena spoke up.

Eleanore knew instantly who she was blaming, her gaze turned to those two vile women. Could it be that they—

A small smirk on the edge of Verbena’s smile stunned her. Adena on the other hand looked just as clueless as herself. ’Did Verbena alone do this? Is that even possible?’

"What are you doing here?" Caelestis was immediately plagued by anger. He acted as if he didn’t even hear that absurd question. "Who even allowed you to enter my mansion?" His slow heavy steps towards her, scared the shit out of her body.

Adena jumped between the two, blocking Caelestis’ way. "I invited her. She is my friend. Am I not allowed to?"

Caelestis didn’t answer her, he simply shook his head in disbelief before walking back to Eleanore. He leaned at the wall beside her, folding his arms around his chest, showing his support for her.

"Marina." Eleanore called. "Find the head maid for me." She orders. Marina was confused at first, why would her mistress need the head maid? But when Eleanore nodded a little, she understood what she meant.

"Yes, My lady." She bowed before leaving.

Caelestis turned his gaze to Eleanore, he could only see her blond head from above. Until now he never knew that she was this short.

"Grand duke. You must believe me when I say this might be done by Lady Eleanore." Verbena speaks up again.

Caelestis’ eyes shift to her, blazing with fire. "Shut up!" His stern voice scared her again, enough to not have her mouth move again.

"Caelestis—" Adena stood up for Verbena. "If she says that it might have been done by Lady Eleanore Sinclair, there must be a reason. At Least listen to her." She tries to convince him.

"Ask Lady Verbena Mallory to leave." That was his final warning but Adena paid no mind to it.

"Caelestis!" Adena raised her voice. "Think about it. The doctor had passed the medicine to Eleanore, she kept it in your room, there was no way anyone would enter in there and do this treacherous crime. Moreover, she was the one who fed it to Stella by her own hands." She blames Eleanore. "It must be her."

Her argument was valid, somehow everything was done by Eleanore herself. Everything was pointing at her.

"I want to believe her. Once I didn’t and I still regret it." Caelestis says, holding her hand tightly.

"Lady Eleanore has always hated Stella because she was obsessed with you, the grand duke. The whole high society knows that." Verbena started speaking again.

She felt jealous and angry. Why must Eleanore, who has been so evil all along, get treated so kindly, out of nowhere? On the other hand, if compared to Eleanore’s misdeeds. There are hardly any of the crimes she might have committed that could ever match with her heinous ones. Yet why does she get treated like trash?

"Grand duke, you are too kind. You have no idea how vile this woman is. I have been her friend for ten whole years. I know her better than you ever could."

"Shut up!" Caelestis barked. "One more word and I will throw you out of here." he warns.

"It was all an act." Verbena pointed at Eleanore. "She was acting kindly, so that she could find a good chance to attack Stella. I’m sure she had it in her mind from the moment she saved Stella at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet."

"I said shut up!"

"Ha! You must be dying to kill her right? That’s why even after that poor woman sacrificed herself for a witch like you, you still poisoned her."

"Lady Verbena. Don’t push the limits!" He barked again, ready to actually have her thrown out of the mansion, but Eleanore stopped him.

"If you don’t believe me, Grand duke. Why not search through her room?" Verbena suggested.

"You—"

"Let’s do that." Eleanore interrupted him.

They all head to Eleanore’s room, where Marina had appeared with the head maid. "May lady, I got the head maid." Marina says, stunned to find everyone here.

"Good thing the head maid has arrived." Caelestis said. "Lilith, look for any suspicious item in Lady Eleanore’s room." He ordered.

Lilith bowed and entered the room. She cleanly went through all of Eleanore’s things. Minutes later she came out with nothing. Without a word she simply shook her head.

"Nonsense." Verbena snaps. "Did you check the maid?" She asked.

"My Lady, you are going overboard." Victor stops her, but she ignores his advice and rushes to Marina.

In a very unpleasant way she starts to check Marina, who was stunned and froze in her place. Eleanore was about to interfere but before she could say anything, Verbena pulled out a small glass jar that contained some brown colored powder in it.

"What is this?" She asked. "See, I told you she is the culprit." She smirks.

Marina looked shocked she had no idea where it came from. Her expression showed only true surprise. It didn’t take any word for Eleanore to realise that it did not belong to Marina.

"How are you so sure that the bottle contains poison?" Eleanore asked. "My maid would never do that."

"You are so good at lying Lady Eleanore. Of course it’s the same poison. You ordered her to do it."

"How do you know that? Did you see it yourself?" Eleanore folded her arms around her chest.

Victor steps in and grabs the glass jar out of Verbena’s hand. "Let’s find out if this thing truly contains any poison." He says, "I’ll send it to the royal laboratory, the results will be back soon."

With that he turns, ready to leave but when his eyes meet with Eleanore’s, he simply places his hand on her shoulder and taps on it.

"I believe you." He whispers.

"Lady Eleanore, please remain in your room, while we deal with this." Caelestis said, it was not an order but rather a request. He cannot keep siding with her when all the proofs stand against her.

"And you—" He turned to Verbena. "—I do not wish to see you wandering in my mansion any longer." He orders, with a much stern voice.

After he as well exits the floor, Adena shoots her smirk, to Eleanore’s way and pulls Verbena away from the corridor along with her.

The head maid came out of her room and bowed, however before leaving she gave a very essential piece of advice to Eleanore. "My Lady, instead of waiting in the room and doing nothing, it would be better if you keep a watch on what your enemy is plotting next."

Eleanore nodded and once Lilith had also disappeared through the stairs, Eleanore turned to Marina, who immediately fell to the ground. She knelt in front of her mistress, her head lying low.

"It wasn’t me, my lady." She said, her voice wavering in fear as she said those words, to defend herself.

"I know. You have already earned my trust and it would never waver. One must trust their fellow comrades, right?" She says, as she closes the door behind her. "Stand up." She orders.

Marina stands up but her head still remains low. Eleanore brings it up by the tip of her index finger under Marina’s chin. "If you have done nothing wrong. Never lower your head. Keep it high, always. You are my maid." Eleanore says, sternly.

"Yes, my lady." She exchanges glances with her mistress.

"Was the poison in the room?" Eleanore asked.

"Yes, my lady."

"Then Marina, you should have discarded it." Eleanore’s gaze was sharp, laced with anger.

"I threw that jar away in the furnace of the kitchen, when I went to call the head maid. I do not know how it got in my pocket." Marina answered, gulping in the fear that was running through her veins.

"Did the Head maid see you throwing it in the furnace?"

"I called her after doing the deed."

Eleanore removed her finger from under Marina’s chin and moved to the couch in her bedroom. Marina could finally feel relieved.

"They had another poison, but when did they slip it into your pocket?" She mumbled.

Marina tried to recall her routine throughout the day and could find no clue. It was clean.

"Those two fools could never be able to pull it off alone." She sighed, "Someone else is also involved. An insider. But who?"