<h4>Chapter 148: Not proven guilty</h4>


    "And that is thest one, my love," Dera finally said, closing the book with a gentle thud that echoed softly in the quiet garden.


    She turned slightly on the bench to look at Dexter, a fond smile pulling at the corners of her lips. They had been there for quite a while, sitting beneath the soft golden hue of the descending sun, surrounded by the gentle rustling of leaves and the asional chirp of birds returning to their nests. A few fallen petals from the overhead flowers dancedzily in the air, adding a dreamlike quality to the moment.


    Dexter let out a dramatic puff of air and leaned back slightly as though he had just climbed a mountain. "Phew," he breathed, eyes slightly drooping from the mental exertion.


    That reaction got Deraughing, a soft, warm,ughter full of affection. She looked at him with amusement and love swirling in her eyes.


    "Tired?" she asked, already knowing the answer but still enjoying his little disy.


    He nodded earnestly. "Yes. And hungry too," he added quickly, clutching his stomach in mock agony, his small face scrunching up toplete the act.


    "Let’s go inside then," Dera said, rising from the bench and stretching her hand toward him. "I have something you can snack on before it’s time for dinner."


    "Okay!" Dexter said brightly, jumping down from the bench and taking her hand in his. His little fingers curled around hers as they began the slow walk back toward the house. The garden behind them swayed gently in the cooling air of dusk, and the scent of jasmine and earth followed them.


    They were almost at the entrance, just a few feet from the doorway when Dexter looked up at her and asked the question that made her heart skip.


    "Mommy, when is Daddying back?"


    Dera slowed for a second, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. "He’ll be back soon," she answered softly, her voice slightly uneven as she tried to steady herself.


    She was still getting used to him calling Williams "Daddy." It always touched a soft part of her heart she hadn’t fully acknowledged. The fact that Dexter had epted Williams so wholeheartedly and now saw him as his father warmed her, even though it still felt surreal at times.


    But that tender moment was quickly interrupted when they stepped into the living room. Dera’s senses sharpened instantly. Her eyes caught the tension in the room before her nose did. Something wasn’t right.


    A small scene was already unfolding ahead of them. Daniel stood tense, his brows furrowed deeply, his voice sharp. Ruby was kneeling on the floor, her face flushed and damp with tears. Tessy sat there, her face nk, yet her shoulders slightly drooped as though burdened by an invisible weight.


    Dera hastened her steps toward them, her grip on Dexter’s hand tightening protectively. But just as she reached them, an unpleasant and bitter scent hit her nose. It was a familiar, sharp, metallic tang that made her nostrils re instinctively.


    She paused and frowned, her senses on high alert. She looked around quickly, trying to locate the source of the smell.


    "Why didn’t you check the bowl properly before using it?" Daniel snapped at Ruby, his toneced with restrained anger as he pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping Tessy’s hand, which has some milk spilled on it. His movements were stiff, precise, like someone trying to hold themselves together.


    "What if the ss had injured her?" he added, his voice tight with frustration.


    "I’m sorry, Sir Daniel," Ruby stammered from where she was still kneeling. Her voice trembled, and tears welled in her wide, frightened eyes. "The bowl was pretty solid when I took it off the rack, so I didn’t bother to inspect it further."


    She then turned her eyes to Tessy, her voice cracking further. "I’m so sorry, Ma’am Tessy. I deserve to be punished."


    Tessy exhaled softly, the sound weary. "No, no, no one is getting punished," she said. "It’s alright, Ruby. Get up. This is not your fault. Just clean this mess up while I go wash my hands."


    Her tone was calm, but anyone who knew her well could detect the undercurrent of uncertainty and concern. She already suspected this had something to do with the strange disturbances in her powerstely. But this... this was different. It had never happened with Ruby before.


    Why now?


    As Tessy made to turn toward the stairs, Dera’s voice stopped her in her tracks.


    "Hold on, my queen," Dera said, her gaze locked on Tessy. "Did you mean to eat that?" Dera asked, pointing at the spilled sd.


    "Yes, why?" Tessy asked, confused, her brow creased slightly.


    "I really don’t know what happened here," Dera said carefully, her tone steady but urgent, "but I am very sure that food has beenced with Gavalon."


    The room fell silent.


    Tessy blinked, processing the strange word. "What is Gavalon?"


    "A poison," Dera revealed, her voice grim. "A very potent one."


    Gasps erupted around her.


    "What?!?!" Tessy and Daniel eximed at the same time.


    "Huh?" Ruby echoed, her face frozen in stunned confusion.


    "What are you saying, ma’am?" she asked again, this time directing her question to Dera, her voice rising a little in panic. "I prepared the sd myself and nothing was added to it."


    She looked around desperately, her eyes pleading for someone to believe her.


    "That is a very grave usation, Madam Dera," Daniel said carefully, stepping in. "Are you insinuating that Ruby poisoned the sd?"


    "I’m not insinuating," Dera replied firmly, her tone unwavering. "And neither did I point a finger at anyone. I simply stated that the sd has poison in it and that is a fact."


    Her words were like iron. Calm,posed, yet heavy with certainty.


    "I’m pretty good with identifying poisons, though not as good as Williams. If you doubt what I’m saying, then let’s wait for Williams to either confirm or refute my im."


    Tessy didn’t speak immediately. She looked at the sd tray with a slightly widened gaze, then turned slowly to Ruby, who now looked like her entire world was crumbling.


    Ruby’s eyes pooled with tears that overflowed silently, streaking down her cheeks. She shook her head slowly, as though physically rejecting the words.


    "No, it’s not true, Madam. I have made sd for you on several asions, and you’ve eaten it without any problems. I would never poison you. I can’t evene up with such a thought."


    Her voice was a broken thing now, hoarse and wounded from disbelief and fear. She didn’t know where such usation wasing from or why Madam Dera would say anything like that. She was pretty sure she had never offended thedy. She hadn’t even seen her before until that morning.


    "It’s not true?" Dera asked, raising a brow. "Which means you’re saying I’m lying."


    She tilted her head slightly. "Fine then. Would you mind eating from the sd?"


    "I don’t mind it," Ruby answered almost immediately, desperation pushing past hesitation. "I’m going to eat it if that is the only way to prove that I am innocent of what you are using me of."


    "Go ahead and eat," Dera said quietly, folding her arms.


    Ruby took a shaky breath and reached toward the tray. But Tessy stepped forward, her voice firm.


    "No, don’t eat it, Ruby," she said. "Let’s wait for Roman and Williams to be back first." She decided, not sure how everything escted to that point. If it was truly poisoned, the girl was going to die, and Tessy wasn’t sure she wanted that. Still, she couldn’t find any sane reason as to why Dera would say something she wasn’t sure if with such confidence.


    "I’m sorry, Madam, but I have to lock her up until Boss returns," Daniel said, his voice low but firm.


    "Lock her up? In her room, you mean?" Tessy asked, still unsure of where things were heading.


    "No. In the dungeon," Daniel revealed.


    "What?!" Tessy eximed, her voice rising. "She has not been proven guilty yet."


    "It’s protocol, Madam," Daniel exined. "So she doesn’t try to escape by any means. And it’s also for her own good. If Boss returns and finds out someone tried to poison you, and she is not in the dungeon, she may lose her life before she gets the opportunity to be proven guilty or innocent."


    "I didn’t do it," Ruby muttered between soft sobs. Her shoulders shook uncontrobly. She looked so small, so broken, so unlike the usual Ruby who Tessy knew.


    Tessy looked at her, and then at Daniel, torn betweenpassion and responsibility.


    "Just lock her up in her room so she won’t escape," she finally said, her voice quiet but decisive. "I’ll talk to Roman."


    Ruby was still crying as Daniel moved to carry out the order, and Dera stood still, eyes watchful, arms crossed, the scent of Gavalon still faintly present in the air, haunting the room like a dark omen.