You Are My String Of Fate

1.8 || Lips As Red As Blood

The investigation of the matter concerning the White siblings was quickly concluded. Although Duke White had done what he could to get rid of all witnesses who used to know Frost White and Snow White, the Crown Prince heard the truth from Snow White herself.

Combined with the suspicious arrival of the two maidens three years ago at the Duke's manor, based on the narration of various manor workers, everyone concluded that the Duke was a criminal. Not only was he lecherous, he was a murderer as well. Farmer Snow's old farm was just an empty spot of land now, having been burnt to the ground. The surrounding villages were empty and there were a lot of unmarked graves, presumably the people the Duke had murdered to shut their mouths.

Duke White had been transported under heavy escort to the dungeons to await capital punishment.

"But it is also true that Frost tried to murder Snow White a few times before!" Crown Prince Friedrich slapped his hand on the table. Sitting across him, Prince Theodore sighed. Without Snow White's testimony that Frost did not do all those, they were at a stalemate.

The dwarves had also admitted that Frost had given them a comb to be given to Snow White. Snow White said that as soon as she used the comb, she fainted. 

Snow White attributed her ailments to the things that Frost had given her, from the corset, the comb, to the apple.

Frost witnessed all this from her own room at the Duke's manor. Black Mirror had let her use his mirror form to view what was happening outside as Frost was being tightly guarded. Until she was proven innocent, she was not allowed to take a step out.

She really did not want to take a step out. She just wanted to die gloriously as a villain!

Black Mirror's surface turned calm and soon a dark-haired man appeared in front of Frost,

"Hence I have always said you are the fairest of all, and not Snow White. Do you really think she is as innocent as she looks? She chose to not disclose anything that might rid you of your crimes, yet narrated clearly what you have done to harm her. Despite the latter being true, your seventeen years of sisterhood do not hold the slightest candle to her jealousy."

There was a slight pang in Frost's heart. But this was not the first time her close kin had chosen to abandon her. Hence, she had always been steadfast to not feel anything towards any of the worlds' residents.

That night, Second Prince Theodore visited her with a proposition.

"Lady Frost, if you are willing to be my Consort, I will use my authority as the Prince to absolve you of all crimes. No one will know what you have done towards Lady Snow. My elder brother has consented to this as you will be one of our family members if you become my wife."

Frost looked at him with her head slightly tilted, as if she could not believe such words had come out of his mouth. She slowly muttered, "'No one will know'... . What about the dwarves?"

"Naturally, the dwarves as well," the Second Prince mistook her question as a probing one, "I'll take care of them. We shall burn the forest as well as the Duke's manor. No one will know your past. My elder brother dearly loves Lady Snow and she will be future Queen, but he will be able to reign her and guarantee her silence in this matter as well." He fidgeted closer and daringly took her hands in his. He marveled at the smoothness of her skin against his palm that he could not help but to squeeze them a few times, "Us brothers and you sisters will be the future rulers of the Kingdom. We shall be just and benevolent towards our subjects, and we shall live happily ever after."

Frost White stayed silent for the remainder of his visit. Mistaking her lack of response as a possibility that she was considering his proposal, Second Prince Theodore left in high spirits.