Joanna didn’t raise her head to look at me. She continued to stare at the shackles put on her wrists and quietly examine them, as if we weren’t even in the room.
I sighed while saying my words clearly, “You know then, too, that it was Harry who asked me to come see you here. He’s worried about you and he believes that you didn’t do it.”
Finally, I had gotten a reaction out of Joanna. Although she still didn’t say a word, she finally raised her head up and took a good look at me. Behind her calm eyes, I could sense that there were some emotions there that I don’t fully understand. It was a good thing, then, that I mentioned Harry.
I rearranged myself to appear more serious and threatening. With pursed lips, I said, “Yes, we all know that you and Harry are each other’s mate. And now Harry is being considered as an accomplice. Did you know that, according to the law, he should be sentenced together with you?”
Sylvia’s POV
“No. It has nothing to do with Harry,” Joanna stated. “He’s innocent and was implicated because of me.”
I could tell that she was getting anxious. She probably thought that we really were going to sentence Harry to death.
“In that case, tell us everything you know so we can prove Harry’s innocence.”
As expected, she began to waver. She wanted to say something but decided against it when she glanced at Rufus beside me.
It didn’t take long for me to realize what was weighing on her mind, so I took Rufus’ hand and signaled him to go out first.
Rufus frowned. “I don’t want you to stay with her alone.”
“Honey, you can wait for me at the door. Don’t worry; everything will be fine.”
Rufus hesitated for a while, but he eventually agreed. He inspected the cell again and didn’t go out until he was sure that nothing was wrong.
“I know you’re lying to me. You won’t let anything to happen to Harry because he’s your friend. No matter what happens, you will manage to find a way to save him,” Joanna said as she calmly glanced my way.
I didn’t give her a direct reply. Instead, I leisurely sat on a chair across from her. “Even though Harry is fine for now, he didn’t tell us about your true identity. Not to mention, the king’s life is still on the line. If he dies, I can’t protect Harry even if I want to.”
Even if I couldn’t protect Harry, I knew his pack wouldn’t sit idly by and do nothing. He was, after all, Martin’s only son and the next Alpha of their pack.
But the problem was that if something really did happen to Joanna, Harry might go into a state of depression.
“So whether it’s for Harry or yourself, I hope you’ll tell me the truth from now on,” I added.
Joanna stared at me seriously for a few moments before she said, “I didn’t assassinate the lycan king.”
I nodded and crossed my arms. “I already heard that from Harry. But if you don’t have any evidence, no one will believe you.”
Joanna lowered her head. “Yes, I know that. That idiot is the only one who believes me.”
When Joanna called Harry an idiot, the tone of her voice was very light and soft, but there was also a bit of affection and guilt in it that she probably didn’t realize.
Because of that, I could tell that she definitely had feelings for him, and I became less wary of her.
I took a deep breath and asked, “Who ordered you? Why do you have to listen to that person?”
Joanna gave me a bitter smile. “Because I was poisoned. I need to take the medicine regularly to keep living.”
Upon hearing what she said, my head began to ache. I had a hunch that Noreen was the mastermind behind this.
“Did Noreen poison you?” I asked again.
However, Joanna stayed silent. She looked as if she was in a dilemma.
“Do you still want to hide the truth from me? I can only find a way to help you if you tell me what happened. I know you’re a smart woman, Joanna. You shouldn’t be indecisive when it comes to matters like these. Otherwise, you’ll only be stuck in the mire. You’ve worked so hard to live, so I’m pretty sure you don’t want to die just like that. You have to be honest with me. Harry is trying everything he could to get you out of this situation as we speak. If I hadn’t come back to the imperial capital ahead of time, he would have planned to break you out of prison,” I added, trying my best to exaggerate the situation and persuade Joanna to actively cooperate with the investigation.
A tinge of pain and guilt became visible on Joanna’s face as I said that. “I feel bad for Harry, but I can’t tell you this person’s name or else I’ll die and the people related to me will also get hurt. I don’t want Harry to be implicated again.”
“She wears a long, black robe, has pale skin, carries a string of bells on her wrist, and a blue crystal ball often appears beside her,” I replied. “She also has a southern accent and sometimes comes to see you with a different identity.”
As soon as I described Noreen’s features, Joanna’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve seen her before!”
Sylvia’s POV
Judging from Joanna’s attitude, I was certain that it was Noreen.
I nearly went insane. Damn it! Noreen was literally everywhere.
“It’s the person you described,” Joanna whispered.
“I see.” Feeling a little relieved, I questioned her about her true identity. “Rufus discovered that you’re not John. The real John died two years ago.”
Joanna’s lips curled up with disdain. “I know he’s dead. Because I’m that loser’s twin sister.”
I was a little taken aback. Did this mean Joanna was actually the daughter of an Alpha? But why had John’s parents claimed that they had no knowledge of it?
When were at school, we knew that John was the son and successor of an Alpha. But at that time, several rumors had been floating about that John was dissolute and incompetent, and he was a worthless person. However, when I’d become acquainted with John at school, I discovered that he wasn’t as bad as the rumors claimed. Instead, he was pretty amazing.
At that time, we’d all thought that the rumors were false. It was only now that we knew we had mistaken someone else for him.
Still, there was no doubt that compared with the dead John, Joanna was superior in all aspects, including her capabilities and the manner in which she handled situations.
I just couldn’t comprehend why she would assume John’s identity. And why did her parents deny her existence?
Noticing my puzzled expression, she began to narrate her story. “Before I was born, a witch had prophesized to my mother that the twins in her womb couldn’t both live. If she didn’t give up one of them, it would bring disaster on the entire pack.”
“So your mother believed the witch?”
Joanna shook her head and indifferently replied, “Not at first. But the day she gave birth, a sudden avalanche took place in the northern region of our pack, leading to the death of numerous werewolves. Everyone else immediately believed this prophecy and thought this was the disaster the witch was talking about. All the elders of the pack gathered to force my mother to make a choice.”
When I heard this, I thought it was absurd that a witch’s prophecy could wipe out a life.
“Maybe the avalanche was just an accident. It might be just a coincidence,” I commented.
“Who knows?” Joanna sneered. She seemed to be in a sour mood as she stared at the light on the wall. “I was born ten minutes after John. And also because I’m female, I was the one they abandoned.”
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