From the beginning, Oliver remained calm. He didn’t believe for a second that Isolde would poison someone. He also trusted that she could dismantle this scheme. And if she couldn’t—well, he certainly wouldn’t stand by and let her be falsely accused. Anyone who wanted to harm her would have to get through him first.

That being said, he was getting irritated. If this nonsense dragged on much longer, it would delay his return to more pressing… personal matters.

Meanwhile, Heidi led Isolde and Cristina into the inner chamber. Heidi slowly sat down and studied Isolde. “Isolde, I think you should just admit to this. There’s no escaping it.”

Isolde’s expression darkened. “Grandmother, what do you mean? ‘No escaping it’? I refuse to confess to something I didn’t do.”

“Why must you be so stubborn? This concerns the Valen family’s reputation. If this escalates to the authorities, you’ll be the one who suffers. This is a criminal matter—your past achievements won’t protect you,” Heidi said, her face turning stern.

“I will say this once more: if you have evidence, present it. If you don’t, then this is slander, plain and simple,” Isolde’s tone was ice-cold.

Cristina, weak but seething, nearly lunged at her. “You… What grudge do you have against me that you’d try to take my life?!”

“Are you done? I already said it wasn’t me. Do whatever you want—I have no interest in arguing with you. If you have proof, show it. If not, don’t expect me to let this go. I may not be a saint, but I won’t let anyone smear my name.”

With that, she turned and walked out, leaving Heidi momentarily speechless. Heidi had been trying to help, hoping to resolve things quietly. If Isolde admitted guilt in private, the family could smooth things over before the matter reached the authorities. A mere concubine title wouldn’t shake Isolde’s position, and she’d avoid being charged with attempted murder. In Heidi’s mind, it was a generous compromise.

But instead, Isolde had the audacity to call them out for false accusations.

Cristina, seeing Heidi’s silent frustration, felt reassured. “Lady Heidi, your own maids heard what Isolde’s servants said. When the time comes, please don’t cover for her.”

Heidi hesitated. Isolde had indeed reported back to her earlier. And while the family’s reputation was important, so was justice in a life-or-death situation.

She nodded. “I understand.”

As soon as they returned to the main hall, Cristina turned on Isolde. “I’ll ask one more time: do you confess or not?”

Agnes quickly intervened. “No need to involve the officials just yet. We’re family—we can sort this out among ourselves.”

Margaret lifted her gaze. “Indeed. If this reaches the authorities, it will be ugly for everyone.”

Pablo studied Isolde, her face as composed as ever. He couldn’t believe she was capable of such a crime. “If you insist on reporting this, fine. But first, let’s make everything clear. If, after that, you still want to go to the authorities, I won’t stop you.”

Cristina scoffed. “You always take her side. That’s why I won’t reveal my witnesses until the officials are present. Otherwise, you’ll just pressure them into changing their statements, and I’ll have no way to seek justice.”

Pablo’s face darkened. “Do you take me for that kind of man?”

“Forgive me, but I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Cristina said coldly. “I know Isolde once saved your life. If you choose to protect her, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Cristina, that’s enough!” Arthur snapped. He respected Pablo deeply and wouldn’t tolerate such accusations.

“Summon the authorities if you must,” Isolde said indifferently.

Hearing this, Oliver wasted no time. “Guards! Bring the magistrate’s constables at once.”

“Wait.” Margaret finally spoke. She slowly stood and walked toward Cristina. “If you have evidence, present it. If Isolde truly tried to poison you, I will personally see that justice is done—even if it costs me my life.”

Then she turned to Arthur. “Do you trust my word?”

Arthur cupped his hands in a respectful bow. “I do.”

“Good. Then bring forth your evidence,” Margaret said, casting a fleeting glance at Agnes.

Agnes exhaled slowly, though tension coiled in her gut. She felt relieved but also deeply uneasy.

Margaret returned to her seat, her face unreadable. Only her trembling fingers gripping the armrest betrayed her turmoil.

Cristina sat down, her body trembling not just from anger but also exhaustion. “Evie, come forward.”

Her maid, Evie, entered and knelt before them.

“Tell everyone what you heard today,” Cristina commanded.

Evie nodded. “Yes. This morning, I went to the plum garden to cut branches. There, I ran into two of Lady Heidi’s maids. They admired the embroidery on my sachet and stepped aside to examine it. While they did, two of Lady Isolde’s maids arrived, also to cut branches. Thinking no one was around, they began to speak freely. Then the first one sighed. ‘Oh well. She’s lucky. But don’t worry—there’s always next time. I’ll just increase the dose tomorrow.’”

“These were their exact words. I have neither added nor omitted anything. If Lord Allan does not believe me, he can ask Lady Heidi’s maids—they heard it too.”

Silence fell over the hall. All eyes turned to Heidi.

Heidi sighed. “It’s true. My maids reported the same to me this morning. Not a word was different.”

Allan’s expression darkened. “If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I had planned to speak to Isolde privately after the coffee ceremony,” Heidi admitted. “But before I could, they came storming in.”

Murmurs spread through the room. Eyes flickered toward Isolde, suspicion growing. Could she truly be this ruthless?

Allan’s face was like stone. This was damning evidence.

“Isolde,” Cristina said, her voice shaking with fury. “Do you have anything to say?”

Isolde, however, looked completely bewildered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re trying to blame your maids?” Cristina seethed. “They are your trusted attendants. They wouldn’t dare act without your orders.”

Isolde’s eyes remained steady. “I have four personal maids. I don’t even know who went to cut plum branches today—I was still asleep at the time.”

With that, she turned toward the door. “Esme! Who went to the plum garden this morning?”

From outside, Esme’s voice answered, “Hattie and Hazel. Why?”

She remained outside, pretending she hadn’t heard the chaos within.

“Bring them in. I have questions for them,” Isolde ordered.