"What do you mean?"
Vanessa was caught off guard by the sudden question.
Aldric realized he might have sounded a little too harsh.
He quickly clarified, "I mean, are you the one who did it? Don't get me wrong—I just want to know. I'm not accusing you."
Vanessa frowned, but she wasn't angry.
"I understand your concern, but rest assured, I'm not that cruel."
She shook her head slightly.
"Ragan is my husband. There's no way I would do something like that."
Aldric breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared that his mother was the one who did it.
After all, poisoning the emperor was a crime punishable by death. The Malvain family would certainly be affected as well.
"Then do you know who did it?"
"Not yet."
Vanessa let out a long sigh.
"The last person to enter His Majesty's chamber was Clarise. But I'm skeptical that she did it. It's possible someone else took advantage of that moment and framed her."
Aldric nodded in agreement.
