<h4>Chapter 602: She Lied About the Poison</h4>


    "So tell me... what’s your n? Poison him slowly? Break him down until he dies? All because he doesn’t love you back?"


    Her words hit like a de of their own. "Isn’t that kind of stupid?" she pressed, her tone sharp but not cruel. "Killing someone you im to love?"


    "The n was never to poison him," Cynthia snapped, her voice trembling as if she was convincing herself as much as Nnenna. "I could never do that to Carl. But when I saw how badly he was being affected, how much of it was because of you, I realized his feelings for you were only growing firmer each day that passed. I had to do something."


    Her eyes flickered with desperation. "At first... I thought maybe I could poison him just enough to make him weak, then swoop in and save the day. Who wouldn’t love the person who risked their life to save them? Maybe then he would see me as someone worth spending the rest of his life with. That’s all. I never meant to let it go too far. I could never hurt him."


    Her grip on the knife shook. "And then you showed up out of nowhere." Her face twisted, hatred spilling out. "So I thought... why not adjust the n? If I framed you for Carl’s attempted murder, you would be executed for treason, and I would be the hero who exposed you. Then he would finally see me, love me, more than you. It was perfect." Cynthia’s voice cracked into a shout. "But you ruined everything with your stupid investigations! And now you’re trying to get my parents killed on top of it!"


    Nnenna’s chest tightened, but she refused to back down. "Don’t you see what you’ve done?" she demanded. Her words cut through the room’s chill like fire. "When I came here, Carl had one month left to live. One month! If I hadn’t stepped in, he would already be dead. You talk about never letting it go too far, but every step you took brought him closer to the edge."


    "That’s not true!" Cynthia shouted, but her voice shook, weaker than before. Her denial faltered as her hands trembled.


    "Then why was he dying?" Nnenna pressed, eyes narrowing.


    "I—I was told nothing would happen to him," Cynthia stammered, shaking her head violently. "I was told... he would still have six months even with the dose I give him..."


    Her voice trailed off, fear creeping into her anger.


    "Who told you that?" Nnenna asked, her voice low but sharp.


    "Queen Athena," Cynthia blurted without thinking, still wrapped up in convincing herself she had done nothing wrong. "She told me Carl would be fine, that even if I gave him the dose, he would still have six months left. I wasn’t going to let him die..."


    The knife in her hand trembled, but Nnenna was no longer focused on it.


    Her breath caught. Athena.


    The name echoed through her like a curse. First the housekeeper, then Nanny, now Cynthia. She had dismissed it, thought it coincidence, thought the housekeeper and nanny were justtching onto that name to make the crime seem convincing. But Cynthia’s words left no room for denial.


    It was you, Aunt...


    Her mind reeled. Why? Why go after everyone I love? First my parents, then Somto, now Carl...


    Memories churned, that day on the cliff. She saw how Athena seemed desperate to not let that figure see her. As if she actually wanted to protect her from it.


    Yet Athena had started making her next move barely two months after the cliff. Arthur had guessed she would stay in hiding longer, yet she was already striking again, already trying to take Carl’s life.


    And then the other thought hit her, cold as steel. That thing in the ck cloak... is it still alive? Is Athena still working with it?


    A shiver ran down her spine. That creature, no matter how much strength she threw at it, it simply refused to die. The fear of it coiled in her chest like ice.


    Nnenna’s fists clenched at her sides. I can’t wait any longer. If this is what Athena is nning... if she’s not going to stop... then I have no choice but to ept my destiny now.


    Nnenna looked straight at Cynthia, her voice steady even though her heart raced.


    "If Athena is really behind this, then she knew exactly what she was doing, betting on your willingness to hurt Carl if you couldn’t have him. Cynthia, open your eyes. Athena is using you. She lied about the poison, and she knew you would end up here. Drop the knife. Don’t let her win. Trust me, you’ll regret it if you go through with this."


    "Shut up!" Cynthia screamed, her voice cracking as her grip on the knife trembled. She looked more and more unstable, like she was breaking apart right in front of Nnenna.


    "Cynthia..." Nnenna softened her voice, almost a whisper now, watching the dangerous shift in her eyes.


    But Cynthia shook her head, tears spilling over. "Queen Athena is the only one who understands me," she whispered, no longer hearing Nnenna. "She knows what has to be done." Her voice grew firmer as if she was convincing herself.


    Before Nnenna could move again, Cynthia raised the knife high, ready to bring it down once and for all.


    Nnenna’s body reacted before her mind caught up. Sheunched herself forward, diving across the room. She crashed onto Carl, shielding his unconscious body with her own.


    The knife came down.


    A white hot pain exploded in Nnenna’s lower back, just above her waist. The de pierced deep into her spine, exactly where Carl’s heart would have been if she hadn’t covered him.


    Her whole body jolted, breath ripped from her lungs. For a terrifying moment, she couldn’t feel her legs. A chilling numbness spread downward, as if her body no longer belonged to her.


    The room fell silent, except for Cynthia’s ragged breathing and the ringing in Nnenna’s ears.