Chapter 19

『Even when you opened the secret drawer which only you and I know of, Anna, I refused to believe that you were embezzler. When you talked with Lucas, that voice was something I could never not recognize. After all, that voice had been with me for the past decade. You were like a sister to me, Anna. I am still having a hard time believing that you are the culprit. Why did you do this, Anna? Why?』

Anna did not say anything. Whether she was ashamed, angry, sad, frustrated, or bitter, she kept looking down. Nobody could tell what she was thinking. Lucas just stood beside her and stared into space. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. Akio could hear him sniffing and choking on himself.

As for the Madam, she looked expressionless from the outside. As if she was a doll with no purpose of existence. She looked like she neither felt pain nor felt angry. Akio thought she was quite peculiar.

『For someone who cries because of her husband, isn't she quite strong?』

But when Akio tried to look a bit clearer, he realized he was wrong. She was crying but expressionlessly. From the distance, it would look like she felt nothing but, in reality, small tears dripped from her face.

『But whether you answer or not, you are going to be branded as criminals either way. Guards!』

As the Madam said that, several guards came forward for the mansion and marched towards the two criminals.

They decided to try to escape one last time. This time, they darted off to their right. They thought that, if they could somehow reach the back of the house, they will be able to escape through the back door.

But Akio wasn't to let this happen. Just as he was about to catch them, he felt a surge of mana from behind him.

『So you will catch them yourself, huh? I guess I can allow that.』

Seeing the Madam behind preparing to cast magic, Akio went out of her way.

The two criminals didn't bother to look back. They kept going for the sake of living. They knew that even if they escaped, they would be caught by the police or the other officials. They had planned to escape abroad once they escaped them and start a new life in another part of the continent. To them, the back door was their gateway of freedom.

Just as they were about to turn a corner, a huge push came from above and pushed them face-first into the ground.

『What the hell?!』

『What happened?!』

The Madam had used a huge amount of mana into controlling a large amount of wind and using it to produce an exorbitant amount of force.

As the guards approached the two of them, they just gave up. They knew that no matter what they did, they would just be caught. So, why use wasted effort?

The Madam released her magic once the guards handcuffed and pinned them to the ground.

She was exhausted but decided to at least show her gratitude to the one who saved her. She turned behind to face Akio but was nowhere to be found anymore.

However, this did not sadden her. In fact, she found it funny and smirked to herself as everything going on was finally over.

『Hmmmmm.....He's gone, isn't he?』