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"Just because someone claims to have seen him doesn\'t mean they are telling the truth," Iyana retorted, her glare fierce.

"Ah, if only it were one person," Terrence replied, rubbing his temples. "But three separate witnesses, Commander. Three! And a crowd to boot, all of whom heard His Grace threaten to end Marquess Ryen\'s life. Not exactly the jesting sort of threat, either."

Iyana folded her arms, the defiance in her stance clear. "People make threats to scare others—it\'s a tactic, nothing more. That\'s all Vyan was doing."

Terrence\'s shoulders slumped, but he held her gaze. "A tactic, perhaps. But it\'s a bit hard to overlook when three people swear they saw His Grace plunge a sword into the marquess."

"And since when does Vyan carry a sword himself? He has his knights for that," Iyana shot back.

Terrence straightened, a hint of bemusement in his eyes. "There are these handy things called magic pouches, Commander. Even you use one, if I recall."

Iyana clenched her jaw, a huff of frustration escaping her. "Since when did you become so quick-witted, Terrence?"

He gave a slight grin, his eyes twinkling with an odd delight at matching wits with her. "It\'s a talent, one that helps me keep my job."

She ran a hand through her open hair and added, "Look, you know that I don\'t lie and I know that it\'s just my words against theirs, but I am telling you that Vyan was with me the entire time. You have to believe me."

"I do, in fact, trust that you don\'t lie. So, I am pretty sure you wouldn\'t deny that His Grace left the military quarters for twenty minutes around the time of the incident. The guards saw it too."

"Yes, but he merely went to check on the carriages, whether they had arrived or not," she said, her voice straining with conviction.

"And it took him twenty minutes?" Terrence asked, raising a brow. "Did the carriages decide to play hide and seek?"

"That\'s… I—I don\'t know." Iyana\'s resolve wavered slightly. "I didn\'t get to ask him. I lost an earring, and we both got busy searching for it."

Terrence let out a long, resigned sigh. "Commander, I know you believe in His Grace\'s innocence, but evidence is still evidence. Unless you bring something to counter it, I can\'t simply dismiss the charges."

She opened her mouth to argue further, but nothing came to her defense. Admitting that Vyan was too clever to get caught publicly murdering someone only opened more doors than it closed.

"Fine," she relented, her tone edged with frustration. "I will find the proof myself. But promise me he won\'t end up in a cell."

Terrence\'s expression softened slightly, and he gave a small nod. "Fear not, Commander. He has that nobility perk. So, he will be lounging in style until the court has its say." Continue your adventure with m|v-l\'e -NovelBin.net

———

"Commander, you went a bit overboard in there—" Terrence began as they stepped out of the interrogation room, casting her a wary glance.

"I know," Iyana sighed, more at herself than at him. "But I was only asking legitimate questions."

Terrence gave her a look that bordered on exasperation. "Legitimate, yes, but not quite gentle. You were positively ferocious."

"There is a reason I was banned from interrogations back when I was a lieutenant," she stated, uncaring.

Terrence chuckled, shaking his head. "And here I thought you had mellowed with age and rank."

Iyana rolled her eyes. "Has Lady Ryen been informed? And what of the rest of his family?"

"Yes, she should have been notified by now. As for other family, well… he had none. Just a wife left behind to mourn him."

"Not sure if she would really mourn him, but okay," Iyana muttered under her breath, remembering everything Vyan told her last night. She wouldn\'t be surprised one bit if she found out at the end that it was Daphne who commited the murder.

"Anyway, I am going to investigate the crime scene now," she informed Terrence, already half-turning to leave.

He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Commander, I am not sure it\'s wise for you to be so… deeply involved in this case. I mean, considering how the prime suspect is your—"

He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as they caught sight of a regal figure moving toward them.

Terrence cleared his throat and, with a flash of wide-eyed urgency, rambled, "You know what? I just remembered I left something in the interrogation room. Vital evidence. Very important. I should go get it." While he loved some good drama, he didn\'t want to get caught up between two exes—especially when one of them had a reputation of violence.

So, with that, he spun around and disappeared back through the corridor at a speed that almost bordered on undignified.

"Easton, what brings you here?" Iyana asked, halting in front of the crown prince.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to check on you." Easton\'s face was as impassive as ever, but Iyana caught the flicker of concern in his gaze. "I assume you are worried about His Grace."

"Worry?" Iyana scoffed, folding her arms. "Hardly. I am furious, if you must know. Someone is trying to frame Vyan, and I intend to find out who."

Easton tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "And you are certain, are you? Not even a shadow of doubt that His Grace might actually be behind this?"

For a moment, his unnerving stare made her hesitate as her mind did the pleasure of flashbacking through Vyan\'s sin confessions, of his apathetic nature, and of his chilling threat from a few hours ago.