By the time Crystal got back to her seat, there were only a few minutes left for the lunch break to end and the curtain to be raised again.
With how people had been expressing their dissatisfaction with the unexpected twists and turns, Crystal half expected some of them to abandon the show and leave.
But surprisingly, not only did everyone return after lunch, but there were even two extras!
Of course, it wasn’t that two pregnant ladies decided to give birth during the break time, and Crystal couldn’t be any more familiar with the ‘unexpected guests’.
”Noelle?!”
The gray-haired girl nodded to her with a faint smile. “Hello.”
Sam pouted. “Hey, no greeting for this big sister?”
Crystal snapped her previously slack jaw shut instantly in embarrassment. “B-Big sister, sorry… I was just surprised.”
Of course, with how Noelle and Sam had almost split into four people in the past few weeks, Crystal’s shock wasn’t unjustified.
The two older girls didn’t seem to mind her gaffe too much, and made way for the blonde heroine to get back to her seat next to her mother.
Sam even patted the heroine’s hair. “Crystal is the best when it comes to memorizing things, right? Why don’t you describe everything I’ve missed about my baby’s performance in detail?”
Noelle nudged her with a frown. “The girl’s mother is right next to her, you know? Can you not embarrass her like that?”
Mrs. Miller quickly waved her hands in embarrassment. “Don’t mind me. I just know how to bake and cook, I don’t understand young people at all.”
”Sorry, auntie.”
”Sorry.”
After apologizing, Sam’s attention immediately switched to the other side. “Huh? Would I need to ask if you had let me know in advance that my little darling was going to be on stage?”
Thinking about how everyone but her was over here, enjoying watching Emilia put on a show, how could Sam just obediently stay at the office and work?
Noelle narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “… How did you even find out?”
Sam, who had been watching the live broadcast instead of working, could only cough in embarrassment. “You know what? Forget it.”
The gray-haired girl was just about to question her further when someone from the broadcast room contacted her for an inquiry on her wireless earpiece, and Sam was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Crystal could only stare at the two of them in confusion. ‘Are they still so free…?’
Not to mention taking proper care and precautions for the horses and other preparations for their own event, as well as the live broadcast, weren’t these two already about to split into four thanks to Emilia’s multiple big and small plans?
Thinking about how she had consoled the older girl whenever she complained about working like a mule on their group chat, Crystal felt like she was the biggest idiot in the world.
Unfortunately, her ability didn’t work through the phone.
Sam sighed dreamily. “I can’t wait to see my little angel in a costume, ahh! Of course, she looks even more delicious without one—”
If there was a panel for Crystal’s faith in Sam’s ‘reliable big sister’ image, there would already be a continuous string of ‘-1’ ‘-1’ ‘-1’ floating over her head.
Noelle sighed after she disconnected her headset. “Can you please not make things more difficult for my team? Censor your speech a little?”
Sam just huffed.
The lifting of the curtains put an end to their argument, and Sam gasped in delight as she saw her little sister in the magnificent princess costume. “Look at that gloomy, dark look on my darling’s adorable face, ahhh! I can’t!”
”Hush!”
Of course, the rest of the audience wasn’t immune to the charm that captivated Sam, either, but what surprised them more was the stark contrast between the cheerful and whimsical aura that the little girl had before and the dark, domineering ‘Queen’ on the stage now.
In front of her was the little witch, who looked a lot more weary when compared to the spirited little girl who hid behind the king’s throne cheekily, though her gaze still remained clear, if not a little conflicted.
She had already felt the crisis approach her step by step as she heard people whispering and pointing fingers at her all over the palace, and knew that almost everyone believed that she was the mastermind behind the king’s death.
Of course, they didn’t dare to do anything except sneer and look at her in disgust, though the little witch couldn’t tell if it was because of her status as the ‘suitor’ of the princess, or because they feared her powers.
They looked at her as if they were looking at some monster. And although she knew she shouldn’t care about the opinions of insignificant people, the little witch couldn’t help but feel stuffy in her heart.
Would the princess also look at her with the same eyes now?
Looking at the gloomy appearance of the previously naughty little tomboy seemingly confirmed her thoughts, and the little witch couldn’t help but frown. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I didn’t kill your father.”
Thinking about how she could have snuck out and hidden in the depths of the forest where no one could find her, the little witch could only lament at her foolishness.
Why did she feel compelled to take a look at this girl’s face before leaving, again?
The princess smiled. “I know.”
”I obviously—! Eh? Y-You… you believe me?!”
Princess Emily smiled sadly as she reached out to hold the hands of the shocked little witch. “I know I’ve been unreasonable, and I’ve bothered you a lot already, but… please… help me.”
”W-What?”
The crimson-haired beauty stepped even closer to the panicking little witch, and stared directly into her eyes. “Help me find the murderer. Please.”
The little witch gulped, wondering if this was her way of saying she would let her off only if she could show her proof of her innocence by discovering who really did it, but Emilia’s following words brought her thoughts to a grinding halt.
”You’re the only one I can trust with this. Please… help me.”
The dark, gloomy expression of the princess cracked a little, and her eyes pooled with unshed tears. The little witch felt as if she had been struck by lightning as she caught a glimpse of the crying little girl inside her protective armor.
”I-I…”
Not to mention the little witch, even some of the audience was clamoring to go. “Princess, I can!”
Fortunately, the volunteers were able to quickly calm them down.
The ministers and courtiers on the stage jumped up and down in rage when they learned that their princess had been ‘bewitched’, and was now letting the ‘murderer’ do as she pleased with the remains of the king.
”Insolence!”
”How could such a thing be allowed?!”
Unfortunately for them, the princess was so stubborn that she couldn’t be pulled back with the strength of ten bulls, and the royal guards listened to her orders like dumb puppets, impervious to any reasoning or arguments.
Opening an already sealed royal coffin went against their thousands of years of heritage, but despite the old ministers frothing at their mouths in protest, the princess still did it.
She pursed her lips as she saw her father’s body glow with an ominous purple glow after being soaked in the potion that the little witch had prepared, and then, a small, toxic-looking purple cloud escaped from his mouth.
”This cloud will lead us to the person who created the poison, as long as they’re within a hundred kilometers—!”
The little witch had just felt the words get stuck in her throat in horror when the cloud headed straight for her, and then started going around her in circles in the dumbfounded eyes of the crowd.
”I knew she must have been the one who did it!”
”No… but… why prove it herself?”
”How fearless!”
”So insolent!”
Even the audience was dumbfounded.
”What the heck? So the little witch was really the one who killed the king?”
”But it makes no sense to frame herself like this, right?”
”Right, look at her expression, I don’t think she did it!”
”But won’t she be punished now?”
”Will the princess have her killed?”
The statement caused a lot of worried murmurs from the audience. After all, most of them had already been won over by the chemistry between the princess and the witch. How could they watch one of them die and be happy?
Some of them even swore that if these stupid students dared to show them a tragedy, they would definitely leave a bad review!
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