h4Chapter 594: Talk About Intent/h4

    The housekeeper swallowed hard, his shoulders trembling. "But you don’t understand. It was staged. All of it. I never intended to let Carl drink that soup. I knew... I knew I would be arrested before it ever reached him."

    A stunned quiet fell over the crowd. The weight of his words seemed heavier than the confession itself.

    He raised his eyes for the first time, voice breaking. "I did it to protect someone."

    Daniel’s jaw tightened, his confusion flickering into anger. The Prime Minister leaned back in his chair, hiding whatever storm of thoughts crossed his mind. Around them, murmurs began to ripple, disbelief mixing with suspicion.

    But it was the housekeeper’s family who felt it the deepest.

    Lora sat up. Her previous given up posture gone.

    Nanny’s hands trembled where they clutched her dress, her eyes wide with confusion. Cynthia pressed her palms together, her lips quivering as though praying it wasn’t what she thought.

    Both women looked at him not with relief at his words, but with a sinking dread, because who was he protecting? And why did the truth suddenly feel more dangerous than the crime itself?

    The bad feeling settled in their hearts like ice.

    "Protecting someone? But we have not reached the main truth yet, have we?" Nnenna’s voice cut sharply through the silence. Her eyes locked on the housekeeper. "Who were you protecting?"

    It was the question that burned in everyone’s mind. The chamber held its breath.

    Minutes crawled by. Still, no answer. The housekeeper turned his face away, his jaw tight, his silence louder than any denial.

    Nnenna’s brows rose slightly. Even stronger than before, she thought. The man’s mental strength to shield this person outmatched her system’s pull. Even the points she had spent could not drag the truth out of him.

    So she turned, facing the court instead. Her voice rang steady, clear. "Distinguished members of this court... I believe I know exactly who he’s protecting. None other than his wife, the very woman you all trust."

    Gasps broke out like a wave across the hall. Murmurs rose, spreading doubt like wildfire.

    The seed had been nted. After his own confession that he was protecting someone, the pieces fell together too neatly. Who else would a man shield with such iron will, if not his own family? The possibility was frightening, yet hard to dismiss.

    Nanny’s eyes went wide, her face draining of color. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her chest heaved as confusion tangled with terror.

    Cynthia, seated stiffly in the stands, frowned deeply, her thoughts racing. Fear flickered across her face, making her look older in that moment.

    Suddenly, the housekeeper lurched forward, shouting hoarsely, "That’s not true! It was all me! It had nothing to do with my wife!"

    His words cracked against the silence, but the damage was done. The doubt had already sunk into the court’s heart.

    Nobody believed him. He had already confessed to protecting someone, and his desperate attempt to take it all back only deepened suspicion. If it wasn’t his wife, then who? The shadow of guilt still hung heavy, and in the eyes of many, Nanny remained the likely one.

    "Do you have proof?" Daniel asked atst, his voice stripped of its usual sharpness. He sounded weary, as though the strength had been drained out of him. His gaze shifted to Nnenna. "Answer me. Do you have proof?"

    "Yes," Nnenna said without hesitation. "As a matter of fact, I do. A search of Nanny’s room will settle this. Start behind the wardrobe, there is a secretpartment there. That is where you’ll find what you’re looking for."

    "You liar!" Nanny’s scream pierced the chamber, her voice trembling with fury and fear. "I would never hurt Carl!"

    "That’s His Highness to you," Nnenna replied coldly, her words like a de.

    "This is all you!" Nanny jabbed a finger at her, eyes zing. "You’ve never liked me from the very first day. Always scheming, always clinging to His Highness. You think I don’t see it? You have ulterior motives for being close to him!"

    Gasps and whispers rippled through the court.

    "For all we know, you’re the one who poisoned him, framing us to push us aside, so you can climb higher! But you’ll never seed!" Nanny spat, her voice cracking under rage. "If I’m so suspicious, then yes, search my room, search every corner, search her made uppartment if you like. You won’t find poison or anything that could harm His Highness."

    She whirled suddenly toward the Prime Minister, her face flushed and desperate. "But while they’re at it, I demand they search her room as well! Ever since this girl came here, His Highness’s condition has only worsened. For all we know, she’s trying to seize control, to take the throne for herself!"

    The court erupted into murmurs, some shocked, some doubtful, others almost convinced.

    Nnenna stood her ground, her expression unreadable. But beneath the rising storm of usations, a dangerous battle line had been drawn.

    The Prime Minister frowned, confusion clouding his face. "I thought you said she doesn’t matter, that she is nobody. Just someone His Highness brought back."

    The unexpected question froze the room.

    But Nanny, trembling with fury, could not stay silent. "This girl was officially adopted by His Highness! Should anything happen to him, she is next in line for the throne."

    Her voice cracked, anger spilling into every word. "And you want to talk about intent? Look at her! She’s only been here a few months, yet she’s already reaching for authority, breaking rules, breaking protocols. If there’s anyone who wants His Highness killed, it’s her!"

    Gasps rippled through the court.

    Nanny pressed on, her face twisted with rage. "It cannot possibly be me! I have cared for him for years. If I wanted him dead, it would have happened long ago. The suspicious one here is her!" She jabbed a finger at Nnenna, her usation ringing across the chamber.

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