Why it never ends

Chapter 1269 Trial
From another window of the palace, Ximoya watched from afar as the woman wept bitterly at the entrance. A moment later, Xia Yixue appeared in sight and handed the woman a bottle of water, but the woman immediately knocked the bottle away, and it rolled onto the grass nearby.

“…Jane still has to do something,” Simona said, looking at the scene. “We’re in the palace now, in the countryside. Once we move to the Mercury Needle base, are we just going to let her cry like this in the city? The reporters are swarming around us right now.”

Ximoya turned around and looked at Silei behind her.

"Did you ask her why she insisted on bringing that girl named Grass Sprout along?"

Si Lei shook his head.

“Is it something to be proud of to steal someone’s daughter?” Simoya frowned. “Why does this person always invite trouble? She’s already taken care of Albada.”

Si Lei looked up: "...Did Jane tell you that she did it?"

"Does she even need to say that?" Ximoya glanced at Silei. "Believe it or not, if I asked her right now, she would admit it directly."

Si Lei took a slow breath, then exhaled with a sigh.

Simoya was still standing by the window when she suddenly changed her tone, her gaze shifting from Lucia to another woman getting off a motorcycle: "Officer Clara is here again—wait, she didn't come in, she's just standing there—she seems to be on the phone with someone."

Si Lei's phone rang immediately, and Xi Moya turned around again.

“…Hello.” Si Lei answered the phone.

“Come down here,” Clara said curtly. “I’m at the palace entrance now, and I have something to ask you.”

“Okay.” Si Lei stood up, her gaze inadvertently meeting Xi Moya’s—Xi Moya was looking at her curiously.

Sire quickly went out, and Ximoya looked at Klar again. Although they were not close, Ximoya could still tell that Klar was furious.

……

Just before stepping out of the palace, Si Lei felt an unprecedented hesitation, as if she were facing a trial, unsure if she could withstand the gaze of this young man, Clara.

But at that moment, her gaze met Clara's.

“Let’s go, officer,” Clara said, her face grim. “Let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

Si Lei silently followed.

The two walked along the dirt road for a long time until there was no one around, then Clara finally spoke: "You must have heard about Simon Albaradar."

"Ah."

“The deceased climbed to the top alone, and there were indeed many traces left at the scene. Everyone said that he was drunk and out of his mind, which led to the tragedy… But I went to check the body and also went to the scene to conduct an investigation.”

Klar was silent for a moment, staring intently into Sire's eyes.

"Would you like to hear my conclusion, officer?"

"Tell me about it," Si Lei said in a low voice.

“The wounds on the body don’t match the structure of the scene at all. Rolling down from such a height would certainly be horrific, but it would definitely be a series of impacts in the same direction. However, Albareda’s body has wounds all over the front, back, left, and right, and the direction of the force is completely contradictory. There simply aren’t enough impact points at the scene!”

"What does this prove, Officer Si Lei?" Clara said coldly. Si Lei looked ahead, his expression calm. "What...?"

"This means Albarada was repeatedly thrown from a height before she died!" Klara shouted angrily. "You were indeed protecting her!"

Si Lei frowned slightly: "Who?"

“Jane Hester! Your inspector!” Clare snapped. “Only Mercury Needle could repeatedly lift a grown man to high places without leaving any obvious marks! You are aiding and abetting a crime committed by Mercury Needle—”

“Klar,” Si Lei immediately interrupted Klar, “watch your words! I understand your frustration, but… why are you taking it out on me like this?”

"Because the body was cremated yesterday!" Klar's voice was filled with barely suppressed rage. "I strongly objected, but it was no use! You guys are really something, you've already learned to go along with it in just a few days!"

Si Lei was taken aback: "...What?"

"The forensic doctor issued the autopsy report the very next day, saying it was a natural fall. The moment I started investigating, the body was forcibly cremated—isn't that destroying evidence?" Klar was furious. "I know Simon Albaradar is a scoundrel, the likes of whom deserve to be shot a thousand times over—but what's the point of killing such a small fry?! Kill him and then protect the people behind him? I thought you'd be different, but you're just henchmen for those officials and nobles—"

Si Lei's features scrunched up: "Klar, that's a bit of slander—"

“Whom have I slandered? Is Arevalo currently in your Hersta palace? Did Albarada receive a pass personally issued by the governor before he died? How much did your inspector gain in exchange for this murder—I wouldn't be this angry, Sirai, I thought we were… I thought we were—”

We're just passing through.

Clara didn't utter the word after all; her body was trembling almost instantly. Sire's silence today had left her extremely disappointed.

Her voice suddenly became very soft: "Everything...everything, everything, in your eyes, is just a transaction, isn't it, as long as the price is right?"

"Klara, I..."

A subtle pain slowly crept onto Sire's face. Before today, she had never thought much about Albaradar's death... even though she knew in her heart that Hersta was the one who did it.

But this is... this is actually a deal between Hersta and Arevalo? Hersta is actually using such a thing to profit himself—Siri simply cannot believe it.

But how does this explain the various signs that Klara mentioned? The forensic pathologist ignored the suspicious points at the scene, issued a completely unreliable autopsy report, and the whole case was quickly closed. When Klara raised questions, Albareda's body was simply burned to ashes...

This is not something Hesta could have accomplished by himself.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes. Si Lei and Clara turned their heads at the same time and saw a short-haired woman suddenly sit up from the bushes.

“I’m sorry, you two, I know this is hard to believe, but…” the woman turned around, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop for so long, I was sleeping.”

Si Lei recognized the face in shock.

"Iron tin..."

Clara panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down. She took a few deep breaths and then left without looking back.

Si Lei didn't chase after her, but just stared at Clara's departing figure, lost in thought.

“My cabin is nearby,” Tiexi said, brushing the grass seeds off his clothes. “Would you like to sit down, officer?”