Chapter 62: The Greater the Hope, the Greater the Despair

That evening, within the manor’s great hall.

“I saw it all,” the Duchess said, her gaze fixed on Alice from her high-backed armchair, a look of approval gracing her features. “You handled it exceptionally well.”

“I believe I’m starting to grasp the purpose of your script,” Alice replied, meeting the Duchess’s eyes. “While you’re pushing Camilla to the brink of despair, you’re also positioning me as her sole lifeline, aren’t you?”

“A keen insight,” the Duchess mused, taking a sip from the wine glass she’d retrieved from the nearby tea table. “The depth of one’s despair is directly proportional to their psychological fall. Simply allowing a target to sink deeper into hopelessness can, at times, lead them to adapt to their plight, or even ignite a fighting spirit.”

“Instead, one must personally craft a beacon of hope for them, fostering a profound psychological dependence, only to then shatter it with their own hands. This is the sole method to utterly crush their spirit, trapping them in an inescapable abyss of despair. The essence of this principle is simple: the greater the hope, the greater the despair.”

“My mistress, I beg you, please torment me to your heart’s content!” Charles Ponzi cried out loudly from his position on the floor, where he served as the Duchess’s footrest.

“Footrests do not speak!” The Duchess stomped forcefully on Charles’s back, only for him to emit a joyful cheer.

“Er… what do you plan to do with this masochistic swindler next?” Alice asked, casting a speechless glance at Charles.

He had already absconded with all of Camilla’s family assets and was currently wanted by Maplewood City’s Public Security Department. From the perspective of their plan, he should have outlived his usefulness.

“He still has a great purpose to fulfill,” the Duchess said, lowering her gaze to Charles. “It’s time to complete the final step of the plan.”

“Your command is my destiny, but the mere thought of parting with you fills me with a sorrow that threatens to become a river of tears—” Charles’s voice was laden with despondency.

“I am an old hand at matters of the heart, yet you dare to preach such hackneyed romantic nonsense to me? Go reform yourself properly in prison, you scoundrel!” The Duchess gave him another fierce kick.

“Hm?” Alice blinked. “Prison?”

“You’ll understand soon enough,” the Duchess said, kicking Charles. “Now, get out. I wish to speak with my daughter alone.”

“Understood!” Charles began rolling gleefully on the floor toward the door, where he was subsequently dragged away by the Duchess’s summoned attendants.

“We will make our move the night after tomorrow,” the Duchess told Alice, looking into her eyes. “Your enemy will then be punished by your own hands.”

Finally, Alice thought.

“I have a task for you,” the Duchess continued. “I want you to concoct a promotion potion.”

“A promotion to the Sixth Rank?” Alice was startled. “Didn’t you say the materials were unobtainable?”

“No, it’s for an ordinary person to ascend to the Ninth Rank,” the Duchess said with a faint smile. “Didn’t you say you wanted to ‘make full use’ of your enemy?”

****

Two days later.

The notorious swindler, Charles Ponzi, voluntarily surrendered to Maplewood City’s authorities.

On the same day, a public security officer, accompanied by a squad of guards, arrived at the Dumpty private residence.

“You, what nonsense are you spouting?” Camilla stood in the foyer, glaring incredulously at the visiting public security officer.

“I am not deceiving you, Miss Dumpty. The swindler you reported earlier has voluntarily surrendered,” the officer stated solemnly. “However, he has confessed to us that you are the mastermind behind the entire scheme, so please accompany us to assist with our investigation.”

“Are you out of your mind? How could such a thing be possible?” Madame Dumpty, also standing in the foyer, roared like a lioness. “We are the victims here!”

“Madame, we would not readily believe a criminal’s unilateral statement. However, numerous victims have submitted testimonies claiming that Miss Dumpty had extremely close ties with the swindler, making her highly suspect,” the officer said, a hint of impatience entering his tone. “Please do not make this difficult for me; we prefer not to resort to coercive measures.”

“You scoundrels! The moment my husband dies, you dare to ride roughshod over our family? I tell you—” Madame Dumpty was beside herself with rage. In the past, when Viscount Dumpty was alive, these public security officers, as his subordinates, would all bow and scrape before them.

However, her words were cut short by the officer’s impatient interruption: “Please do not point fingers at public security personnel, Madame. Depending on the circumstances, we could charge you with obstruction of official duties.”

Unwilling to waste any more time, he waved his hand. “Take her away!”

The guards stepped forward, and despite the protests from Madame Dumpty and Camilla, they forcibly escorted Camilla toward the carriage with a cage outside.

“Let go! Don’t touch me!” Camilla could not endure such treatment and struggled desperately, yet she was no match for the guards’ strength.

As she was led out of the house, Camilla caught sight of some familiar faces—other noble students from the Holy Academy. They also resided in this affluent district and were now gathered on the road, observing Camilla’s arrest from a distance.

She saw the gloating mockery in their eyes, and despair washed over her.

Subsequently, Camilla was taken to the Public Security Department, where she spent the better part of the day in an interrogation room.

Initially, she still had the strength to shriek hysterically at the interrogating officer, but he merely responded to her fury with expressions of sorrow and derision, before summoning a guard to slap her.

It was only at that moment that she fully grasped the gravity of her situation.

The swindler had pushed her into the role of mastermind, not only to reduce his own culpability but also to legitimately keep the money he had defrauded from Camilla without restitution. The funds were tainted, and Camilla would find it exceedingly difficult to explain that she was, in fact, the greatest victim of the scam.

As she faced these false accusations, her estranged noble classmates from the Holy Academy began to pile on, using their families’ influence. Proving her innocence would likely be an uphill battle.

Having once used her father’s position to falsely imprison victims, including Levi, she was now personally tasting the bitterness of being framed, reaping what she had sown—albeit only a fraction of it.

Minutes turned into hours, and she could only endure the agonizing silence in the interrogation room, despair tightening its grip on her.

The decline of the Dumpty family was now an established fact, open for anyone to trample upon. No one would come to save her.

Just as she was on the verge of giving up, a high-ranking official entered the interrogation room. He dismissed the officer who had been questioning her and then addressed Camilla. “You are free to go.”

“What?” Camilla failed to react immediately.

“A prominent figure has vouched for you; you’ve been released on bail!” The official pointed outside with a serious expression. “But do not forget that you are still a suspect, and you must always be prepared to cooperate with the investigation. Do you understand?”

A prominent figure had vouched for her? Camilla was genuinely surprised. Just when she herself had almost given up, someone had extended a hand to pull her back.

She was led out of the Public Security Department by an officer, her mind a blur. It was late at night, and a fine drizzle was falling from the sky.

Outside the Public Security Department’s main gate, a carriage adorned with lanterns stood waiting. Alice, dressed in a long black gown, stood beside it, a maid holding a black umbrella over her.

“Alice…” Camilla gazed blankly at her.

“You’ve suffered, Camilla. I know you must have been wronged,” Alice said, stepping forward slowly to embrace Camilla gently. “Don’t worry, it’s all over now. I will certainly help you clear your name.”

Camilla blinked, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. In that moment, the Duke’s daughter standing before her became the sole pillar of support for her crumbling spirit.

“Alice, save me! I don’t want to go to prison!” Camilla pleaded, her voice choked with sobs.

‘How ironic,’ Alice thought. ‘I didn’t want to go to prison either when you falsely accused me.’

Yet, what she said aloud was an entirely different line: “Rest assured, just leave everything to me. I absolutely won’t let you go to prison.”

Upon hearing this, Camilla finally felt a sense of relief.

However, she could not see the dangerous, expectant smile gracing Alice’s face as her chin rested on Camilla’s shoulder.

‘My dearest Camilla, you certainly won’t be going to prison. What awaits your arrival tonight… is only a purgatory of endless torment!’