Wasn’t I the Female Lead of a Regret Novel? [Novel] Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Ceracil Vanne.

That was the real name of the third-floor tenant who had called herself Cecilia.

Vendia only learned her true name today, along with the fact that she had been a
researcher at the Magic Tower. Cecilia had always been sensitive, even to kindness.
She had seemed perpetually anxious, as if she were a woman who preferred to avoid the world.

If she hadn’t stopped Sasha then, would things be different? Vendia knew now
that Cecilia had likely died almost immediately after moving in. The unpacked
trunk. The clothes she was wearing were the same ones she’d had on the day she
arrived.

She knew she couldn't change the past. But still, if she had been just a little
more meddlesome that day, she might have found her sooner. Just a little sooner…

“Don’t think you can act your way out of this. We’re already searching your
house. For your own sake, you’d better confess now That this earring is yours.”

Gregory slammed his fist onto the table, his voice a low threat.

“It’s not mine,” Vendia replied firmly.

When Gregory first pulled out that earring, she had been momentarily stunned. It
was, without a doubt, her lost earring, the one that had vanished into thin air a
while ago. If she hadn’t been prepared, the shock would have written itself
across her face. And Gregory, watching her like a hawk, surely would have
pounced.

But Vendia kept her expression flat, avoiding Gregory’s hungry eyes. She had no other choice.

Before the police had swarmed the mansion after Cecilia’s body was found, Sasha
had suddenly grabbed her hand.

“No matter what, say it’s not yours.”

“…What?”

“It’s not yours. It doesn’t belong to you, Lady Dia. That’s all you have to say.
Trust me.”

At the time, amidst the chaos, Vendia hadn’t understood what Sasha meant. But
the moment she saw the earring, she realized. Sasha’s warning had been for this
very moment.

If they searched the house, they would surely find the matching earring. Despite
that, the only reason Vendia dared to lie was because of the fierce, determined
look Sasha had given her.

Questions swirled in her mind, but she had no answers.

“There were no signs of a break-in,” Gregory continued. “Which means either the
victim opened the door for you, or you walked right in yourself.”

“…”

“Someone the victim would open the door for without a second thought. Or someone
who could enter the apartment whenever they pleased.”

“…”

“That leaves only you, the landlord. I hear you even have a master key.”

Gregory rambled on, his voice rising in pitch as if he were already celebrating
a closed case.

“How long do you think you can keep playing dumb?”

“…”

“Are you going to keep denying it even after the victim’s mother identified you
as the killer?!”

“…”

“You. What is your relationship with the Magic Tower?”

“…”

“Answer me!!”

Furious at her continued silence, Gregory flipped the interrogation table. A
tray of food that had been sitting there landed squarely on Vendia’s lap. Cold,
gelatinous soup soaked into her skirt, and a piece of bread slid off her thigh
and onto the floor.

“How long are you going to keep your mouth shut? If you confess now, before we
find the evidence, I might show some leniency.”

Vendia ignored his growling threat, her hands moving with detached calm as she
brushed the food off her clothes. She was exercising her right to remain silent,
but more than that, she simply saw no point in answering his absurd questions.
How could she confess to something she didn't do? She had no connection to the
Magic Tower, and she had never even met anyone from there.

The timing of it all was too perfect, too orchestrated. Cecilia’s mother
appearing out of nowhere. Her immediate accusation of Vendia and Ron. It had all
felt like a trap designed to drag them into this room.

“Um… Investigator. Shouldn't we move her to the holding cell now? It’s been well
over twelve hours,” the junior officer who had entered with Gregory whispered,
checking his watch.

It seemed half a day had already passed since she’d been hauled into this
station. Most of that time had been spent listening to Gregory’s senseless
shouting.

“Hah! Human rights. It’s a joke that even criminals have rights these days,
isn't it?”

tsk.

Gregory scowled and spat on the floor. It was standard protocol that a suspect
could not be interrogated for more than twelve hours a day.

“What should we do?”

“Throw her in a cell.”

At Gregory’s command, the officer approached. Vendia stood up on her own. The
handcuffs were snapped back onto her wrists.

“You sure have a lot of little rats on your side, don't you? But too bad for
you. I’m going to make sure you rot in prison. It’s moments like these when I
really love my job.”

Gregory’s voice trailed after her as she followed the officer out of the room.
Vendia stopped and looked back, meeting the arrogant, crooked stance of the
investigator.

“Yesterday, people were pointing fingers and screaming at me. Today, those same
people are groveling at my feet, begging for mercy. The same goes for your
future, too.”

“I didn't realize you loved your job so much,” Vendia remarked. “I thought for
sure you were planning to switch careers to real estate, given how interested
you are in my property.”

“…We’ll see how long that arrogance of yours lasts.”

“Good luck with that. You can do it!”

Vendia offered him a bright, citrus-sweet smile before stepping out of the
interrogation room. She heard the sound of something being kicked behind her,
but she didn't care.

Leaving the dim room and walking through the brightly lit hallway, Vendia
blinked her tired eyes. She had been held for at least eighteen out of the
forty-eight hours they were allowed to detain her. That meant thirty hours left.
If they found no evidence, they would have to release her. But if they found
that earring…

Well, she’d deal with that when the time came.

“You can go in here.”

The officer who opened the cell door blushed as he looked at her. Vendia ignored
him. As she stepped through the low door into the cell, someone sitting on the
floor jumped to his feet.

“Hey. You okay?”

It was Ron. He had clearly finished his own interrogation and was already
waiting for her. He looked at her with a complicated expression, one that held a
flicker of genuine worry. Imagine that Ron actually worrying about
someone, she thought.

“…You look like a mess.”

“It’s nothing,” Vendia shrugged, noticing him glancing at her stained skirt.

“You’ll be out of here soon.”

Before she could smile at his attempt at comfort, two shrill voices echoed
through the station.

“Sisterr!”

“Lady Dia!”

The two women’s voices were so loud they seemed to vibrate through the entire
building.

“You can’t cause a scene here!”

The officers tried to block them, but it was useless. Sasha and Yulije shoved
their way through, racing toward the cell where Vendia was held.

“Ugh… those women are back,” an officer nearby muttered with a look of pure
exhaustion.

Only then did Vendia realize that the ‘little rats’ Gregory had mentioned were
these two. They must have been waiting here ever since she was arrested.

“What on earth is happening?!”

“Are you alright? Your face has gone so thin in just one day!”

Both women gripped the bars, their eyes brimming with tears as they looked at
her.

“Sister, don’t worry. I’ve already hired a lawyer. If they don’t release you
after forty-eight hours, I’m taking legal action immediately! Arresting you in
the first place is absurd! You were just the one who found the body! If this
isn't a coercive investigation, I don’t know what it is!”

Yulije’s voice was thunderous, echoing through the station so everyone could
hear. She was making a scene on purpose. Given that she was the daughter of
Marchioness Heden, the officers couldn't bring themselves to stop her; they
could only sigh in exasperation.

“Thank you. I feel much safer now,” Vendia said sincerely.

In the midst of the noise, Sasha leaned in, her expression grave.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Of course.”

“Nothing happened, right? You told them the right thing?” Sasha’s voice was so
quiet it was intended only for Vendia’s ears.

Knowing exactly what she was referring to, Vendia nodded.

Sasha let out a long breath, looking relieved. “Then that’s enough. Don’t you
worry.”

Sasha, how did you possibly know? Vendia wondered.