The Collapsed Mine and the Princess’s Pawn

Rachel’s voice, though not loud, pierced the deathly stillness of the Silver Mistletoe Estate’s grand hall with remarkable clarity. Standing beneath the dazzling crystal chandeliers, her deep purple gown accentuated the pallor of her face. Yet, her back remained ramrod straight, and her gaze, utterly serene, met Princess Ariya’s eyes, which resembled frozen lakes.

“Certainly, Baroness Lockwood.”

Princess Ariya’s voice remained cool and steady, betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion, as if she were merely stating a pre-ordained procedure. Her gaze lingered on Rachel’s face, a pure, dispassionate scrutiny in its depths.

Having received the Princess’s assent, Rachel offered a slight nod of acknowledgment. She did not immediately turn to Yuri, who knelt on the floor, her face a mixture of triumph and a faint unease at the Princess’s cool reaction. Instead, Rachel pivoted to face the surrounding guests, who were all holding their breath in anticipation, and her voice rang out with distinct clarity:

“Miss Yuri just stated that her ‘reliable witness’ discovered traces of a wicked cult performing rituals near my Gray Mountain Mine. Twisted symbols, the scent of sulfur and blood… this certainly sounds disquieting.”

Rachel’s tone remained calm, a faint smile even playing on her lips, which momentarily bewildered Yuri, whose face had been contorted in a sneer. Equally perplexed was Vera, who tilted her head, watching Rachel standing before her, utterly bewildered as to why she would agree with Yuri.

Rachel’s tone shifted abruptly, her gaze finally settling back on Yuri, a perfectly calibrated hint of confusion in her voice.

“However, Miss Yuri, I have a question. Precisely when, and at what exact location near the Gray Mountain Mine, did your ‘reliable witness’ observe these so-called ‘traces’?”

Yuri froze, clearly unprepared for such detailed questioning from Rachel. Stiffening her neck, she feigned composure, saying, “This… is this important? It was recent, anyway! Right near the mine! The exact location… my servant was too panicked to remember clearly when they saw it!”

“Oh? They can’t remember clearly?”

Rachel raised a delicate eyebrow, an almost imperceptible hint of sarcasm lacing her tone.

“Then at the very least, having your witness confront me directly, face-to-face, should certainly be possible, wouldn’t you agree?”

“He… he…” Beads of sweat began to prickle Yuri’s forehead, her eyes darting nervously, repeatedly glancing towards the glacial Princess Ariya.

“After witnessing those horrifying scenes, he was so overwhelmed by fright that he… he’s been recuperating at home ever since, so he can’t possibly…”

“How truly regrettable.”

Rachel lowered her gaze, appearing genuinely regretful, but then, her tone took a sharp turn.

“Nonetheless, to accuse a noble of colluding with heretics, based solely on the vague testimony of a ‘witness’ who cannot recall the time or place, and cannot even step forward for a direct confrontation… Miss Yuri, isn’t that a trifle too childish?”

A wave of murmurs immediately swept through the assembled nobility, many voices echoing Rachel’s sentiment, for Yuri had indeed failed to produce any credible evidence.

Yuri’s face flushed crimson instantly, and she became utterly exasperated.

“You… you’re just quibbling! The evidence is right there in the mine! Send people to investigate, and you’ll see!”

“Send people to investigate?”

Rachel nodded in agreement.

“That is indeed an excellent idea. However, Miss Yuri, I presume neither you nor your witness have been to my territory recently, have you?”

“What do you mean?!”

An alarm bell rang loudly in Yuri’s mind.

“What I mean is—”

Rachel’s voice suddenly turned crystal clear and chilling.

“Just yesterday! The Gray Mountain Mine, that long-abandoned excavation site, suffered an extremely severe landslide for reasons unknown! The entire mine has completely collapsed, transforming into a vast expanse of ruins!”

A deafening clamor erupted in the hall instantly! This news was simply too sudden and too shocking!

“Collapsed?!”

“Heavens, how could…”

Yuri was utterly stunned, her face rapidly shifting from crimson to ashen white, then to a sickly green. Her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word. She looked at Princess Ariya with disbelief, her eyes brimming with panic and an unspoken plea—this was completely different from their prior plan! The mine had collapsed? Then all those supposed pieces of evidence would naturally cease to exist, and in that case…

In her disarray, Yuri’s gaze incessantly flitted towards Ariya, as if desperately seeking the Princess’s help. Yet, the Princess maintained her icy demeanor, offering no response whatsoever.

‘So, it was as I suspected.’

Witnessing this, Rachel couldn’t help but exhale a silent breath of relief.

From the very beginning, from the moment she first saw that countdown, Rachel had been plagued by a single question: who, and for what purpose, sought to claim her life?

Even after she later discovered the notebook in the mine, confirming the secret collusion between Princess Ariya and the Cult hidden behind it, Rachel still couldn’t fathom Ariya’s true motive for acting against her.

Although she had purchased the mine, she had always been indifferent to its affairs, and logically, she should never have uncovered the secrets concealed within.

In fact, if the Princess had not intended to move against Rachel, leading Rachel to see the countdown, Rachel would never have ventured to a place like the mine.

Even if it were truly for the sake of prudence, to eliminate everyone connected to the mine, there would have been no need to specifically send an invitation, luring her to a banquet before making a move.

Rachel had once been utterly baffled by this. It wasn’t until she was poring over the notebook she’d retrieved from the mine, during Vera’s recovery, that she suddenly recalled the change in the countdown that had occurred before her trip to the mine.

Suddenly, a realization dawned upon Rachel.

At that time, Rachel had believed the banquet was the cause of her demise and thus sought to use a simulated death pill to avoid the upcoming event. However, the countdown had abruptly shortened at that very moment.

Rachel had then concluded that her would-be killer’s resolve was too firm; upon realizing she couldn’t attend the banquet, they would simply strike earlier.

But the true situation was likely not so simple.

If Princess Ariya intended to silence her to conceal the mine’s secrets, then there was another group with an equally compelling reason to eliminate her.

That group was the Cult.

Indeed, compared to Princess Ariya, the Cult’s motives were even more substantial.

Miriam’s previous rash approach to the mine had caused the Cult considerable unease. They had abandoned their stronghold within the mine, planted explosives capable of destroying all evidence, and repeatedly orchestrated accidents to ensure Miriam’s demise.

If the Cult would resort to such extreme measures for a mere passerby, then they would have no reason whatsoever to spare someone directly connected to the mine, such as herself.

Recalling it now, upon her initial arrival in this world, she had experienced something akin to a near-death sensation. It seemed the Cult had already made their move against Rachel at that point, only for her to transmigrate at that precise moment, thereby bringing Rachel back to life.

Just before that, the Princess’s invitation had arrived. Though she was then on the brink of death, the messenger had specifically emphasized to Vera that if she awoke, the invitation absolutely had to be delivered into her hands. From this, it could be inferred that her presence at the banquet was of paramount importance to Princess Ariya.

In other words, the Princess’s plans and the Cult’s plans diverged.

Following this line of reasoning, the full scope of the situation slowly began to crystallize before Rachel’s eyes.

In Princess Ariya’s eyes, both the Cult and Rachel herself, as well as Yuri standing before them, were merely pawns in her grand scheme.

Ariya’s cooperation with the Cult had been predicated on betrayal from the very start. She had likely intended all along to openly eliminate the Cult, using Yuri’s public accusation against Rachel as a pretext, once she had fully exploited them.

In other words, Ariya harbored no actual animosity towards Rachel. She simply required a criminal colluding with the Cult for her scheme, and Rachel happened to be the ideal candidate to play that role.

The Cult’s decision to detonate the mine was likely due to their discerning Princess Ariya’s intentions, prompting them to destroy the evidence prematurely, thereby thwarting Ariya’s subsequent machinations.

However, at the time, Rachel lacked sufficient evidence to prove her hypothesis. It wasn’t until this moment, witnessing Yuri’s proactive attack, that Rachel could finally confirm, albeit tentatively, that her suspicions were correct.

Thus, what needed to be done next became abundantly clear.

Yuri’s face was now ashen, a profound panic having completely disoriented her. Pointing at Rachel, her voice, distorted by fear, became sharp and grating.

“You… you’re lying! How could the mine collapse? It must be you! You did it to destroy the evidence! Prin—”

In her disarray, Yuri was on the verge of revealing the identity of the person who had instigated these actions. Just then, Rachel cut her off.

“Miss Yuri!”

Rachel’s voice was steady and composed.

“That’s enough!”

Yuri flinched, startled by the sharp command, and was momentarily speechless.

“I am aware that you have always harbored ill will towards me, but such a jest crosses a line.”

“You!”

“I imagine you merely overheard some rumors, learned that something had happened at the mine, and then hastily rushed to Princess Ariya to lodge a complaint. I admit, that area has indeed been troubled recently, but…”

“…you truly should have thoroughly investigated the matter before approaching Her Royal Highness.”

“Eh? Eh?!”

Yuri stared at Rachel, a mixture of shock and uncertainty on her face; she couldn’t comprehend why Rachel would suddenly admit to the mine’s issues so readily.

But Rachel no longer looked at her, instead turning to face the other nobles present.

“In fact, regarding the strange occurrences at the Gray Mountain Mine and the cruel experiments conducted there by that mysterious Cult, I reported them to Her Royal Highness long ago!”

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present (including Vera), Rachel turned to Ariya and bowed respectfully.

A tremendous wave of astonished gasps instantly erupted throughout the hall!

Yuri, meanwhile, looked as if she had been struck by a lightning bolt, utterly petrified. Her mouth hung wide enough to fit an egg, her face a tableau of ‘This is impossible!’ shock and bewilderment. Instinctively, she glanced at Princess Ariya once more, her eyes filled with extreme incomprehension and terror.

Princess Ariya’s icy blue eyes, at this moment, were finally no longer stagnant pools devoid of ripples. A fleeting, almost imperceptible gleam—a blend of surprise, scrutiny, and… some ineffable amusement—flickered deep within their depths.

She fixed her gaze steadily upon Rachel, who bowed before her, and for a fleeting instant, time seemed to freeze.

Then.

Under the converging gazes of countless incredulous, breathless onlookers, and beneath Yuri’s despairing stare as her world seemed to crumble, Her Royal Highness Princess Ariya Loganis slowly, distinctly nodded her head.

Her voice remained cool and clear, yet it carried the definitive weight of a final judgment, resonating distinctly through every corner of the Silver Mistletoe Estate.

“It is indeed true.”