A/N: Sorry guys for the 'wrong' alert. I updated but the text just didn't show up. But now it's fixed. Enjoy the chapter. ^^

“It’s ridiculous to submit that I murdered Han Soohyun. She was my best friend.” Hyun Jung protested haughtily as Daehyun accused her to be the murderer.

“Your majesty, everyone knows I wasn’t in town the whole week because of my husband’s funeral. How should I manage to do it when I wasn’t even here?” She added.

“You’re lying. You were here. You were in the castle together with Zelo and you killed my mother.” Sumin said, causing Hyun Jung to laugh.

“Oh sweetheart, you’re talking nonsense. I hadn’t seen your mother for over a week before her death. Instead of accusing me, you should rather show thankfulness. I cared for you for years as if you’re my own child. Is this what I get from it?” said the woman, playing the innocent one.

“You—“ Sumin tried to protest as Daehyun cut him off.

“How dare you lie shamelessly in front of the King’s family? You cared for her like you own child? You rather treated her like trash. If I could I would stab my sword into your chest right now to see if there is a heart, but I’m sure you do not have such thing. Yet, there is one thing you should know.” Daehyun stated, grabbing Sumin’s hand, pulling the fragile girl closer. “This girl is a treasure and I’m not going to let you or anybody else hurt her again.” He continued, causing Sumin to blush like a tomato.

“My prince, I know you love Cind--, I mean Sumin; but you still shouldn’t believe everything she said. Only because she doesn’t like me, she still can’t claim me to be the murder without any evidence.” Hyun Jung replied calmly, being absolutely sure there was nothing that could prove her guilt.

However, she was wrong. She failed the moment she underrated the girl named Han Sumin.

“Enough talk. Daehyun, show us the evidence or I’m going back to the castle. We still have to find your sister.” The King said and everyone held their breaths.

“Yes, father,” replied Daehyun before turning to Hyun Jung. “Please show us your keychain, the one the King gave you as a gift.”

Hyun Jung was shocked for a second. She didn’t know what the young prince was up to, but she knew he wouldn’t find anything. 

“What is this going to be? What do you want with my keychain?” She asked.

“Just show it to us. You still have it, don’t you?” Yongguk, who accompanied the Prince, questioned back. Knowing she hadn’t lost the keychain at the crime scene, Hyung Jung felt certain. Without any hesitation, she handed it to Daehyun.

“Of course I still have it. It is a crime to lose the king’s gift,” answered the woman with a smirk. She thought she had won. Yet she was so wrong.

 

“Minmin, is this it?” Daehyun asked and gave the keychain to her. Taking it, Sumin looked at it carefully as if she was looking for something.

Silence filled the room as everyone looked at her curiously. And then, she found it. The evidence.

“Your highness, on the first sight this looks like every other keychains. But the truth is, even if they are all the exact copies of the others, this one is different.” She finally said. By that Hyun Jung let out a haughty laugh.

“This is so ridiculous. How is it different?”

“Because…  It belonged to my mother, my real mother.” Sumin answered, causing the three adults to look confused.

“What are you talking about, my dear?” The Queen asked.

“Your majesty, I’m saying that this keychain belonged to my mother and it was taken away from her the night she died … by the murderer.” The young girl explained, pointing at Hyun Jung.

“This is absurd. This is mine unless you can prove the opposite. Is her name written on it?” Hyun Jung asked with sarcasm.

“To be honest; yes, it is” answered Sumin as she opened the keychain. Everyone looked at it curiously and then they saw it, a gravure. His stepmother paled in fear. There was ‘Han Jungnam – Han Soohyun – Han Sumin’ written on it – or rather in it.

“It can open? How did I not know that?” Hyun Jung murmured in anger.

“See? This is anything but yours. Mother wanted it to become something more special and caused to make this gravure.” Sumin said.

“Han Hyun Jung, can you explain this?” The King questioned with his low voice.

Daehyun breathed out relief. Finally it was happening. Finally the truth came out.

“Of course, I can.”

NO, you can’t.

“Your highness, this keychain was indeed Soohyun’s. The truth is…”

NO, don’t lie.

“The truth is she gave it to me.”

Liar.

“You’re lying,” Sumin exclaimed, losing her self-control. This woman, would she ever tell the truth?

“Of course, I am not, sweetheart. Your mom gave it to me.” Hyun Jung insisted playing the calm mother figure.

“If it were so, where is your own keychain? How did it end up on the library’s floor, next to Mrs. Kim’s death body?” Daehyun asked in anger. The thing he wanted the most right now was to punch this woman hardly in her face.

“Of course it was there. We exchanged the keychains and that’s why she had mine. It was like a way to show our friendship.”  Hyun Jung lied once again without flinching.

“And when did you do that? Why didn’t mother say anything about it?” Sumin asked in frustration.

“We have exchanged the keychains for months before her death. She must have forgotten to mention it. After all, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“You disgusted me. How can you tell us one lie after the other?” asked Sumin as her hands clenched.

“Sumin sweetheart, you’re being really rude, do you know that? You can’t call me a liar, if you don’t --,” said Hyun Jung who was cut off by her own son, Junhong.

“Mother,” exclaimed the boy as he walked down the stairways.

“Stop this, please. Tell them the truth. Do the right thing for one time, please.” He begged. Even if she was his mother, she was disgusting him too. He was ashamed for her.

“Zelo, be quiet. This is not a discussion for kids,” warned his mother.

“Mother,” called Zelo once again.

“Be quiet, Zelo”

“Your majesty, this is nothing but a misunderstanding. The prince and my stepson must have this wrong suspicion because of the keychain. But now when it is clear that Soohyun and I exchanged the keychains, everything is fine again, isn’t it?” The woman stated and turned to Sumin. “And sweetheart, I don’t know how you could think of me that bad, if I did something wrong in the past, please forgive me. I love you.”

The four boys felt like throwing up everything they had eaten in the last three years. How was it possible