The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 53: Confirmed her guess.

Chapter 53: Confirmed her guess.

Rosa balled her fists when she heard this. She had never poisoned her mistress, but there was really no way to prove her innocence. Even if she mentioned seeing Nile sneak around the kitchen it would not prove her innocence.

"My lady, I am sorry," Rosa said, bowing on her knees before Anastasia.

Since she couldn’t clear her name, she might as well take the opportunity to drag the Duchess down with her. If they wanted to frame her, she would make sure she didn’t go down alone.

"Rosa..." Anastasia was shocked. She never believed Rosa would betray her.

"Your Majesty, Leah, the maid who serves Her Grace, gave me the poison. She threatened to kill me if I refused. I was afraid that if I defied her, she would kill me and have someone else do it. So I agreed," Rosa said.

Duchess Anita suddenly felt a cold sweat. She had not expected Rosa to admit to the crime. Given her stubborn personality, she had assumed Rosa would keep denying it; especially since all the evidence pointed to her. She thought that the Queen would loose her patience and torture her.

Anastasia took a deep breath. Rosa had always been willing to endure hardships for her, even when her future was uncertain. Knowing Rosa, if Leah had truly threatened her and forced her to comply, she would have informed her (Anastasia).

At this moment, Anastasia understood: Rosa was using her life to drag the Duchess down.

"Your Majesty," Anastasia suddenly fell to her knees before anyone could react to Rosa’s confession. "I knew about the poisoning. Rosa told me everything. I was the one who instructed her to follow the plan. After all, if Rosa refused, someone else would have carried it out. Since I was already coming to the palace yesterday, I took the opportunity to eat something bad. I wanted to fall sick so the poison would be detected," Anastasia said.

She could not stand by and let Rosa die for a crime she did not commit. Since there was no way to deny it, they might as well take ownership of the situation.

The Queen was stunned. She had suspected that Rosa was lying, but now Anastasia had confirmed her story. Moreover, all the evidence pointed to Rosa as the one who had administered the poison.

"Could she be trying to frame the Duchess with her life?" the Queen wondered as she studied Anastasia.

Duchess Anita was equally shocked by the loyalty between master and servant. However, she trusted that Leah would take all the blame if necessary. The Queen was no fool, she would surely realize that Anita was behind the poisoning once Leah was involved. If that happened, Elizabeth’s chances of becoming the Crown Prince’s wife would be ruined. Still, as long as Anita’s own name remained clean, they could find another suitable match for Elizabeth.

But now that Anastasia had confirmed Rosa’s story, the Queen might decide to investigate further.

"Lady Anastasia, are you telling the truth? You know the consequences of lying to a Queen," the Queen asked.

"Your Majesty, I dare not," Anastasia replied. Her head was lowered no body could tell what she was thinking.

"Your Majesty, please investigate. My personal maid, Leah, would never dare do such a thing. It is difficult to be a stepmother. I understand that Anastasia is now engaged to the Crown Prince. How could I possibly plot against the future Crown Princess?" Duchess Anita spoke as she rose to her feet. "There have always been conflicts between stepmothers and stepdaughters, but I would never go this far."

She knew that staying passive would only put her at greater risk of exposure. So she decided to take the chance to turn Rosa and Anastasia’s words against them.

"Your Majesty, I am just a young lady. What conflict could I possibly have with my stepmother that would drive me to poison myself?" Anastasia countered. "Before yesterday morning, I had no idea I would even be summoned to the palace today. How could I have planned all this? Would I risk my entire you for a chance to frame the Duchess?"

"But you knowingly consumed the poison?" The Queen raised an eyebrow. She felt that this stepmother and stepdaughter were good at acting. The Queen could tell that they were both trying to frame each other.

"Your Majesty, I had no choice. I did not know what kind of poison it was, and I was afraid Leah would become suspicious if I didn’t take it for real. The physician also confirmed that the dosage was small," Anastasia explained her reasons for eating the poison.

Duchess Anita felt a chill run through her. She had never imagined that her ignorant stepdaughter could argue so eloquently. She realized that her only option now was to have Leah take full responsibility. If a proper investigation were launched, Anita herself would not escape punishment.

"Your Grace, I am sorry, but this was indeed my doing," Leah suddenly stepped forward and knee down.

No matter how much she resented the situation, she had no choice. She had been involved in the scheme, and if she confessed now, she could at least protect her mistress. If she saved the Duchess, perhaps her son’s future would not be completely ruined.

"Leah, what are you saying?" Duchess Anita gasped, feigning shock.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I held a grudge against Lady Maureen, so I wanted to ruin Lady Anastasia," Leah confessed. She choose this words in order not to implicate Duchess Anita.

"What? How could you do such a thing?" Duchess Anita cried out. "No matter what, Anastasia is the daughter of a Duke! You dare to harm her?"

She put on a convincing display of outrage, knowing that she and Leah had already prepared for this scenario.

"Your Grace, forgive me. I was blinded by revenge and did not consider the consequences," Leah sobbed.

The Queen observed Leah and Duchess Anita carefully. She did not believe for a moment that Leah had acted without the Duchess’s orders. However, according to the law, a criminal who had already confessed could not be tortured for further information.

"Take her to the dungeon," the Queen commanded the servants present.

Leah felt unwilling, but she did not resist as two servants dragged her away.

Elizabeth, who had remained silent until now, clenched her fists. She could not accept this outcome.

"Sister, since you knew about the poison, why didn’t you report it to Mother and avoid taking such a risk? No matter what, Mother would have sought justice for you," Elizabeth asked, hoping to make the Queen see Anastasia as scheming and deceitful.

"Sister, what are you saying?" Anastasia turned to her with a faint smile. "Leah is Her Grace’s personal servant. I heard she has served her for more than thirty years. Without evidence, would Her Grace have believed me? Would Leah have been punished just because I accused her?"

Elizabeth struggled to find a response. If Leah had refused to confess, there truly would have been no way to prove her guilt. Just now her mother had defended Leah before the Queen, this proves that the Duchess trust her maid and would not have believed Anastasia.

Elizabeth suddenly felt furious. Anastasia’s answer made her look foolish. Of course, as a stepdaughter, she could not expect the Duchess to believe her over a trusted maid.

The Queen raised her hand.

"Lady Anastasia, rise and return to your seat," she instructed.

"Your Majesty, may I ask if the poison Lady Anastasia consumed can be cured?" Duchess Anita asked. She had just lost her closest servant, so she hoped Anastasia’s fate would be equally sealed.

She knew the truth; Anastasia had not willingly taken the poison. Since it was the final dose, she believed there was no chance of recovery.

"Yes, fortunately, it was discovered in time," the Queen replied.

She watched as the concern on the Duchess’s face froze and turned into barely concealed anger.

The Queen already suspected Duchess Anita to be the mastermind behind the poisoning. Her reaction confirmed her guess.