“Long time no see, Prince Rufus,” she said meekly.
I ignored her and continued to sip from my coffee.
Embarrassed, Alina smiled awkwardly then glanced at my mother for help.
“You two should spend more time with each other, or else you’ll never get to know each other on a deeper level.” My mother tried to smooth things over for Alina. She smoothed the creases on Alina’s clothes as though she was her mother. “You don’t have to visit me so often. Go see Rufus whenever you have time.”
Alina lowered her head shyly. “I’m worried I’ll disturb him at work.”
“You’re so considerate and honest,” my mother praised approvingly. “You can have dinner with him sometime. He’s always so busy that he often forgets to eat. You have to watch over him for me.”
“I wonder if Prince Rufus would be open to that idea…” Alina parted her mouth slightly and looked at me hesitantly. Her tentative and cautious tone was very convincing. She was such a great actress.
“Of course he would. Who could refuse such a good girl like you?” My mother didn’t even bother to consult me and made the decision for me.
I couldn’t help but sneer. “She drugged two students from the military school with an aphrodisiac, took a video, spread fake news on the forum, and caused cyber and physical bullying. Is this what a good girl would do?”
A trace of panic flashed in Alina’s eyes but she quickly recovered. “Prince Rufus, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I traced the IP address through the post on the forum. Guess what I found?” I asked slowly. Alina’s panic was obvious now.
She didn’t dare to say anything. She simply sat down next to my mother, her face as pale as a ghost.
“I traced the IP address to your maid’s phone. What a coincidence, am I right?” I sneered indifferently.
“How can that be…” Alina was completely flustered, her lips trembling, unable to finish her sentence.
My mother, on the other hand, was pissed. “What the hell is going on? Explain to me right this instant!”
Tears started to stream down Alina’s face. “Coco was the one who did it. I… I have nothing to do with it!”
Alina’s POV
At the mention of the aphrodisiac, I instantly suspected that Warren had ratted me out. I was flustered and angry.
My plan was perfect! Rufus couldn’t have traced it back to me unless someone told him.
It wasn’t until Rufus showed me the evidence that I realized it was that stupid Coco who messed up this whole operation.
Laura was glaring at me, demanding an explanation. I had never seen her so angry with me.
Panic-stricken, I was worried she would kick me out of the imperial capital, so I put all the blame on Coco.
“Why on earth would your maid do such a thing without your permission?” Laura squinted at me suspiciously, planting her hands on her hips domineeringly.
“She…” My mind was a complete mess and I couldn’t think logically. “She has a crush on Prince Rufus. I tried to dissuade her, but she didn’t listen to me!”
Coco, who was standing in the corner, whipped up her head in shock. “What? No-“
“Now that you’ve been caught, you have to suffer the consequences. Both Queen Laura and Prince Rufus are reasonable. Maybe their punishment will be light.” I stepped forward to block Laura’s vision and winked at Coco meaningfully.
Coco couldn’t help but burst into sobs. She buried her face in her hands and begged, “Please forgive me, Queen Laura and Prince Rufus. I was the one who did it. Miss Quinn is innocent.”
I turned around. I couldn’t bear to see how miserable Coco looked.
After all, she had worked for me since she was a child. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.
“Did you know about this?” Laura glanced at me and asked in a razor sharp tone.
Despite my guilty conscience, I clenched my sweating palms and shook my head. “I only knew that she had been acting strange lately and often went missing. I never thought she would hurt others. If I had, I would have stopped her.”
Laura snorted and said nothing.
I was so nervous that I broke into a cold sweat. I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not.
“Now that you’ve found the culprit, what are you going to do?” Laura turned to Rufus and asked pointedly.
From the moment Coco admitted her guilt to when she pleaded for mercy, Rufus didn’t say anything. He just looked at us coldly, his expression completely unreadable.
“It’s up to you, Mother,” Rufus finally said.
I instantly felt relieved. Laura was way more easygoing compared to her son. If everything went well, I would be able to protect Coco. I secretly looked at Coco reassuringly.
“Okay. It’ll be simpler if you let me deal with it,” Laura said with a cryptic smile.
It was a relief to hear that. Laura was probably going to let Coco off lightly.
“Execute her.” Laura coldly ordered her men to drag Coco out of the hall without hesitation.
Coco immediately burst into sobs, her face a deathly pale. “Miss Quinn, help me! Please! I don’t want to die!”
I was standing next to Laura, completely stunned. I felt so numb that I didn’t dare to speak. How could Queen Laura be so cruel?
“Miss Quinn! Please! Say something!” Coco was still begging for mercy, her eyes filled with desperation. Suddenly, her expression turned fierce and she shouted, “I wasn’t-“
“Gag this bitch and get her out of here!” Laura interrupted Coco aggressively. “How dare a maid covet a prince?”
With her mouth blocked, Coco could do nothing but cry uncontrollably. She glared at me with resentment.
I avoided her burning gaze, feeling as though I would reach my breaking point any second now. My mind was a complete mess.
After Coco was dragged away, Rufus didn’t stay any longer. Before he left, he glanced at me for the first time.
“Please have Alina sent away as soon as possible, Mother,”
Rufus addressed Laura with an indifferent tone, his expression unreadable. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
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