CHAPTER 597: STRANGE, ISN’T IT?

"What if she faked it, just like she planted that bottle in my room?"

But Daniel didn’t let her finish. His voice cut like a blade. "Give me the phone."

One of the guards quickly handed him the device, the same hidden phone Nnenna had seen in the compartment that day. Daniel’s hands tightened around it, his jaw clenching.

"Something tells me..." he said bitterly, regret heavy in his tone, "...I don’t even need to open this phone to know it holds the exact same evidence as what Princess Nnenna is holding. She traced the registration of the SIM card to you!" His gaze locked on Nanny, burning with fury. "Do you still deny it? Admit your guilt now, and your sentence might be lightened."

For the first time since the trial began, Nanny fell silent. Her tongue, always quick to defend or accuse, froze in her mouth.

First, the arsenide derivative discovered in her room and in Carl’s medicine. Now this private phone, filled with damning evidence she couldn’t explain away.

Something was wrong.

Her eyes finally shifted to Nnenna, really looking at her for the first time that day. But what she saw stopped her cold. There was no smugness, no victory shining in the girl’s face.

Nnenna’s expression wasn’t one of triumph, nor of someone who had set her up. It was calm, steady... almost sorrowful.

That could only mean one thing.

The evidence wasn’t fake. It was real.

Her chest tightened. A memory flashed in her mind, something that had happened four months ago, a shadow she had buried deep. No... The whisper escaped her lips, so faint no one else could hear. Her face drained of color before she forced composure back into place.

Too bad.

Nnenna didn’t miss the flicker of fear. The way Nanny’s expression cracked for just a heartbeat told her everything. Nnenna’s own eyes narrowed, mind racing, diving into deep thought.

Nanny’s eyes shifted to her husband. His face remained unreadable, a mask she couldn’t break through. Slowly, she looked away.

"I’m... guilty," Nanny said at last, her voice low but clear.

Silence.

The chamber froze, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them. Regardless of the evidence piled up, some had still clung to the hope that Nnenna had fabricated it all. But now, the confession had come from Nanny’s own lips.

"You... really did it?" Daniel was the first to break the suffocating quiet.

Nanny didn’t answer. She stood still, her expression stiff, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.

Daniel’s hand rose sharply. "Guards, arrest her immediately. No visitors are allowed." His gaze flicked deliberately to the housekeeper, then to Lora and Cynthia. The warning was clear: no interference.

"If Her Highness approves," Daniel added, his voice heavier than before as he turned to Nnenna, "she will be punished according to the law tomorrow."

"What’s the punishment?" Nnenna asked, though the answer was already written in her heart.

"High treason." Daniel’s jaw tightened. "The sentence... can be nothing less than death."

Gasps rippled through the hall. Even those who despised Nanny when she pleaded guilty felt the weight of it. Death. The word alone chilled their blood.

"You’ve solved this mystery, Your Highness. We are forever in your debt." The Prime Minister bowed deeply toward Nnenna, his tone filled with respect that hadn’t been there before.

"I’m glad I could help," Nnenna replied softly, but her face betrayed no joy. Her eyes were distant, unreadable.

"Get Alice to check on Carl," she instructed firmly. "I put him on chelation therapy a few days ago."

The Prime Minister’s eyes widened. "You did that without anyone knowing? How—"

Nnenna only shrugged, brushing off the question. "I have to go," she said simply, turning and walking out of the courtroom.

Her steps echoed in the quiet corridor, but her mind was anything but quiet.

Love System, she whispered silently, something’s wrong.

"What do you mean? Haven’t you solved the mystery?" the system asked.

"I have," Nnenna admitted, her brows furrowing. "But I feel like something’s missing. Nanny... she confessed too easily."

Her fists tightened as a new thought struck her. I have to see her tonight.

Night fell quickly over Riverum Castle. Shadows stretched long across the stone walls, and the torches lit along the halls flickered with a faint, watchful glow.

Nnenna pulled on black clothes, simple, snug, and quiet. She tied her hair back tightly and slipped a dark scarf around her neck.

Every movement was quick, precise. In this castle, where guards patrolled every corridor and the smallest noise could raise alarm, sneaking around wasn’t just risky, it was almost impossible.

What do you plan to do? the Love System asked, its voice echoing in her head as she adjusted her boots.

"I have questions only she can answer," Nnenna whispered, her tone steady. "And I’ll get them tonight."

With that, she slipped out of her chambers.

The corridors were alive with guards, their boots thudding in steady rhythm. Nnenna moved like a shadow, pressing herself against the cold stone walls, waiting for their flashlights to pass before darting forward.

Halfway to the west wing, she nearly froze, two guards turned the corner earlier than she had calculated. Their torchlight spilled dangerously close. Nnenna flattened herself into an alcove, holding her breath as their voices grew louder.

"Strange, isn’t it?" one of them muttered. "Nanny... guilty of treason. Never thought I would see the day."

"Shh," the other hushed. "You’ll get us in trouble."

The light passed inches from her face. Nnenna’s heartbeat thundered in her ears, but her expression stayed calm. As soon as they turned the corner, she slipped behind them and darted toward the staircase that led downward.

The dungeon door was locked, guarded by two men who looked far more alert than the ones on patrol. She crouched low in the shadows, studying them. Their eyes were sharp, but their routine was predictable, every few minutes, one stepped aside to stretch his legs, leaving a small blind spot.