Chapter 94: Committed a treason

Caroline knocked gently on the door and called, "Emmett, are you awake?"

She waited for a few seconds, but when she received no response, she knocked again. Still, the door remained closed. Assuming he was asleep, she turned to leave, not wanting to disturb his rest.

Just then, she heard the door open behind her.

"Caroline," Emmett called, prompting her to turn around immediately.

"Sorry. I was asleep until you woke me up," he explained, rubbing his face tiredly. "I haven’t been able to sleep properly since..." His voice trailed off, and he lowered his gaze, unable to finish the sentence.

Caroline understood what he couldn’t bring himself to say. Losing his entire family was a devastating blow, and she knew that no words could ease his pain so easily.

"I understand," she said softly. "We’ve caught the suspect, and they’re being airlifted here now."

"Who are they?" Emmett asked, his expression sharpening with concern.

"Jessica," Caroline answered. "She was previously engaged to my husband, and I believe she couldn’t accept that Andrew married me instead. She’s the one who helped Victor escape. She also used her cousin, who works as a bodyguard at the palace, to obtain information about when you left."

Caroline lowered her head, guilt weighing heavily on her heart. She clasped her hands tightly together, struggling to find the right words.

"Everyone keeps telling me that I shouldn’t blame myself, but I can’t help it," she whispered. "I asked you to become my witness, Emmett. You agreed to help me, and now you’ve lost the people you cherished most. I couldn’t protect them, and I can’t stop thinking that my request put you and your family in danger."

Her voice faltered as she looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"I’m so sorry, Emmett. I never wanted any of this to happen to you. I know an apology can’t undo what you’ve lost, but I can’t pretend that I don’t feel responsible for putting you through such unimaginable pain."

"You couldn’t have known this would happen," Emmett assured her. "I don’t blame you, Caroline. Now that we’ve identified the culprit, I’ll ask Prince Andrew to give Jessica the harshest punishment possible."

When he noticed that Caroline still hadn’t lifted her head, he stepped closer and gently held her by the arms, hoping to ease some of the guilt she was carrying.

"Blaming yourself won’t bring my family back," he continued. "You need to live without this guilt. You’ve already suffered your own loss, so don’t burden yourself with mine as well. I know this incident will stay with you for a long time, but you need to understand that you had nothing to do with what happened to my family."

Emmett paused, his expression clouding with grief.

"If anyone should be blaming themselves, it should be me. I could have saved your parents that night if I’d been stronger or done something differently, but I didn’t. I stood by while everything happened, and now I have to live with that regret. Maybe this is how heaven has chosen to punish me."

"Don’t say that, Emmett," Caroline interrupted immediately, finally lifting her head to meet his eyes. Her expression was filled with concern as she tightened her hands around his arms. "You don’t deserve to suffer like this. What happened wasn’t your fault."

"Then, what happened to your family wasn’t your fault either," Emmett stated firmly.

He gave her arms a gentle pat, hoping his words would help her let go of some of the guilt she had been carrying.

"Now that the culprit is finally coming here, I can’t wait to see her face when she’s held accountable for what she’s done," he added, his expression hardening at the thought of Jessica.

Just then, Edmund, the estate’s butler, cleared his throat to draw their attention.

"Madam, Jessica and her family have arrived," he informed Caroline respectfully.

Caroline and Emmett exchanged a glance before heading toward the living room together.

"Andrew, please believe me. I haven’t done anything!" Jessica pleaded the moment she saw him. Her voice trembled as she tried to appear innocent. "I—I don’t know what Sam has told you, but whatever he said isn’t true. Andrew, you have to believe me!"

Before she could continue her desperate explanation, several sheets of paper came flying toward her and her family, scattering across their faces and falling to the floor.

Jessica flinched in surprise, her words dying on her lips as she stared at the documents around her feet.

With her hands bound, Jessica couldn’t bend down to examine the documents scattered around her feet. She could only stare at them, her expression growing increasingly uneasy as she realized Andrew had uncovered more than she had expected.

"We have direct communication records between you and Sam," Andrew growled. "Did you really think that using a burner phone would keep us from tracing your activities? Did you honestly take me for a fool?"

Before Jessica could respond, Andrew seized her face in his hand, gripping her jaw firmly enough to make her wince in pain. He held her gaze without allowing her to look away.

"Confess. Tell me why you did this." His voice was dangerously calm, making the threat that followed even more intimidating. "If you refuse, your mother will be the one to lose her life right here."

Jessica’s eyes widened, but Andrew showed no sign of relenting.

"Don’t expect even the slightest mercy from me," he continued, his grip tightening. "You helped Victor escape, and you went so far as to murder Emmett’s father and sister. How monstrous can you be?"

His eyes remained fixed on hers, his expression offered no hint of sympathy.

"Now tell me the truth, Jessica. What was your real motive?"

He shoved her with a force that left her hit the floor.

"Prince Andrew, we have no idea why she did this," Jessica’s father, Fenris, stated, joining his both hands. "Her mother and I are innocents."

"No. You two will also pay for the crimes of your daughter. She took two lives and she’s the reason I couldn’t catch Victor. She helped my enemy. She’s committed a treason, Fenris," Andrew declared, his eyes burning red.