The housekeeper swallowed hard, his shoulders trembling. "But you don't understand. It was staged. All of it. I never intended to let Carl drink that soup. I knew… I knew I would be arrested before it ever reached him."
A stunned quiet fell over the crowd. The weight of his words seemed heavier than the confession itself.
He raised his eyes for the first time, voice breaking. "I did it to protect someone."
Daniel's jaw tightened, his confusion flickering into anger. The Prime Minister leaned back in his chair, hiding whatever storm of thoughts crossed his mind. Around them, murmurs began to ripple, disbelief mixing with suspicion.
But it was the housekeeper's family who felt it the deepest.
Lora sat up. Her previous given up posture gone.
Nanny's hands trembled where they clutched her dress, her eyes wide with confusion. Cynthia pressed her palms together, her lips quivering as though praying it wasn't what she thought.
