“Claude?” Count Leyton questioned his son. “What is the meaning of this?”

Claude jumped up angrily. “I’m innocent! You’re not believing the words of a maid over your own cousin, right?”

Lorelai was lying when she said Abigail implicated him, but they don’t need to know that right now. Despite Abigail’s reactions betraying the truth when Carlyle announced his theories, she had never named Claude as the culprit out loud.

As Duke Ashburn and Count Leyton stared at Claude with a mixture of shock and distrust, Claude continued rambling, “She used to pursue me a lot, but I never returned her feelings. That must have upset her, so now she’s trying to besmirch my reputation!”

“But either you or Irene handed the real key to Abigail while returning the fake key to Uncle.” Lorelai continued

“It wasn’t me.” Claude’s answer came a little too quickly. “Abigail works for Irene, not me.”

“In addition,” Lore continues, ignoring Claude’s desperate pleas for his innocence. “Someone in the Leyton territory purchased the poison that was used at my heir anointment ceremony. A poison that the daughter of a baron family cannot afford to purchase.”

“It must have been Irene.” Claude insisted.

Lorelai decided to press harder.

“Sorry, dear cousin,” Lorelai spoke, her unexpected words drawing everyone’s attention. “After I had Abigail arrested, I went to look for you in your room.”

This was a bold outright lie.

“You weren’t there, of course, but I did find something unusual.”

“What?” Duke Ashburn spoke up for the first time in a while.

“A bottle with some remaining substance inside. I had the physicians identify it, and they confirmed it to be the same poison as the one used on my chalice.”

“It’s not me! I was framed! I didn’t buy any Lethrindor poison! Why would I ever poison you or your brother?” He paused, as he realized he said something wrong.

Lorelai turned to Count Leyton. “Did I ever mention the name of the poison that was in my chalice?”

Count Leyton’s hands were trembling under the weight of the knowledge that his son attempted to murder his own niece and nephew. “No, Lorelai. You didn’t.”

Claude’s face blanched. It was almost funny to see. Does he realize now that he had been caught in Lorelai’s trap?

“Did I mention that Lorenzo’s chalice was poisoned as well?”

“It was?”

“I only found out from the physicians’ report the following morning. Father, did you know?”

Duke Ashburn nodded. “I had Alfred bring me a copy of everything he brought you. After all, this is something that concerns my house. But I didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Count Leyton, did you know?”

Her uncle shook his head. “It’s not my place to intrude with your investigation.”

“Then, Claude, how did you know the name of the poison and the fact that my brother’s chalice was also poisoned? There wasn’t a taste-test done on my brother’s wine the other night.”

Claude was trembling now, his eyes full of rage at being outsmarted. “I knew better than to trust that wench. I can’t believe she betrayed me.”

“Oh, about that,” Lorelai put on an expression of pure innocence. “I lied. Abigail said she was acting on her own. She never implicated you in her testimonies. But it was Irene who deduced that you were the culprit. I thought you were more likely to confess if you thought it was one of your people who exposed you.”

Claude’s face fell in horror as he realized he was tricked. “Why would you even need a confession if you already have all the evidence in your hand?”

“It’s not easy arresting my own kin for the crimes of attempted murder and conspiracy, you know? But I’m sure that’s nowhere as hard as attempting to poison your cousins and using your sister’s maid to frame your sister.”

“What about Irene?” Count Leyton’s voice carries a note of desperation. “She’s innocent, right?”

Lorelai can imagine how hard it must be for him, thinking that both his children might be possibly guilty of heinous crimes.

Lorelai nodded, “Yes, Irene is innocent. Abigail had been ordered by Claude to disguise herself as Irene in order to draw the suspicions away from him.”

Count Leyton’s face showed relief for a brief moment, then it fell again as he turned to his son. “I can’t believe you, Claude. How could you do such a thing? Your mother is going to be so disappointed. And Kassius, he always looks up to you. How could you let them down? Where is your sense of duty?”

Claude took one look at his father’s stony expression and answered, “I have nothing more to explain to you.”

Then he turned and ran for the window.

“Guards!” Lorelai called out loudly as she jumped up from her seat. “Stop him!”

Duke Ashburn and Count Leyton immediately leaped to their feet and lunged after Claude, but ended up tripping over each other.

Frustrated, Lorelai leaped over their fallen figures and ran after Claude.

Claude threw his full weight at the window, shattering it and falling through. Lorelai stopped before the broken glass and stared at her cousin’s falling figure.

“Is he crazy?” She cried out. “Is he trying to die?”

Suddenly, Claude stopped falling and started floating upward, back toward the broken window.

Lorelai took a step back. It took her a moment to register the golden mana wrapped around Claude. She turned.

Behind her, Carlyle was still sitting at the table where he’s been silently watching everything. He gave Lorelai a wave when he noticed her looking at him.

“Thank you, Carlyle.” Lorelai let out a sigh of relief as Claude’s squirming body was forcefully brought back inside the drawing room.

Duke Ashburn and Count Leyton straightened themselves after their fall and looked at Claude with disappointment.

“What were you even thinking, jumping out the window like that?” Count Leyton’s voice was filled with immeasurable disappointment. 

“I believed he already purchased a new identity for himself in case everything here went awry.” Carlyle answered for Claude.

Claude glared at him.

Just then, the guards that Lorelai called out for came running into the room.

“Your Grace, what is the problem?” One of the knights asked.

Duke Ashburn took one look at his disgraced nephew and sighed. “Take Claude Ashburn down to the dungeon for the crimes of attempted murder and conspiracy.”