The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 311: Interrogating Maria

Cindy's POV:

"Shady factory." I said the two words in a cold, steady voice.

"Yes, Your Highness." The treasurer swallowed hard. "And the purchase price for those products is extremely low. So low it's frightening. If they mix those items in with the real products and sell them together, the profit multiplies many times over. But..."

"But the safety is questionable. They could be toxic." I finished the sentence for him. My eyes turned sharper than ever.

I don't wear much makeup myself. Still, back at the academy, I studied basic alchemy and chemistry. I know how these things work.

Those illegal factories cut costs by using cheap oils. Worse, they sometimes add heavy metals like lead or mercury to make the products look shinier and whiter. At first, the results might seem amazing. Skin looks smooth and bright.

But over time, there will be side effects.

If the buyer is a high-ranking werewolf with a strong body, they might be able to flush out the toxins. But lower-ranking Omegas, or weaker Betas, may not be able to process the poison. In mild cases, their faces could break out in sores. In serious cases, they could suffer poisoning that threatens their lives.

"T-that's horrible!" Isabella gasped. Her face turned pale. "If something happened, those noble ladies' faces would be ruined..."

"If something happens, the first person they will blame is you."

I looked at Isabella. My voice was calm, but it carried weight. "Don't forget. You are the largest shareholder of this shop on paper. Your lady-in-waiting is the legal representative. When the trouble starts, Margaret and Lily will simply claim they only received dividends and had nothing to do with management. Every bit of blame will fall on you." I paused, then added, "At that point, it won't just be about paying compensation. The royal family's reputation will be dragged through the mud because of you."

Isabella shivered in fear. Her teeth began to chatter.

"How cruel..." she whispered. "They're not just after my money. They want me dead."

"You can't keep this shop," I said firmly.

I closed the account book. "Guards! Bring Maria to the interrogation room. I will question her myself."

The interrogation room was in the basement. It was dark and damp. The air smelled like rust and old metal.

I had already ordered a set of silver tools prepared—silver whips, silver clamps, and a branding iron glowing red in the fire. For werewolves, silver is more than enough to make a point.

When Maria was dragged inside and saw the tools, she lost control immediately. A foul smell filled the room.

"Your Highness, please spare me! Please!" she cried, banging her forehead against the floor until it split and bled.

I frowned and stepped back in disgust.

"I don't want your life," I said flatly. "It isn't worth much to me."

I sat down and opened the purchase ledger in my hands. "I will ask questions. You will answer. If I hear even one lie, I will use that red-hot silver needle to stitch your mouth shut."

Maria trembled violently. "I'll tell the truth! I swear!"

"Did Lily know about these cheap counterfeit products?" I asked directly.

"Yes, she knew." Maria kept her head low. "It was her idea. She said genuine products cost too much and profits were slow. She told us to find illegal factories to copy the packaging and mix the fake goods with the real ones."

"Did you tell her the materials were unsafe? Things could go wrong."

"I did! I told her!" Maria sobbed. "I warned her the lead content was too high. If used for a long time, skin would darken and rot. But she said... she said it didn't matter."

"Didn't matter?" I gave a cold laugh. "Explain."

Maria hesitated, too afraid to speak her mind.

I gave a look to the guard beside me.

The guard lifted the glowing branding iron from the fire and slowly moved it toward her face. Heat waves rolled through the air.

Maria screamed and shrank back. Her fear shattered what little resistance she had left.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" she cried. "She said those vain, foolish women only care about looking good. As long as the damage doesn't show right away, it's fine! And she said—even if problems show up years later, the shop would already be closed or sold by then. It wouldn't trace back to her!"

"Close the shop?" I repeated sharply. "And after closing it, who would take the blame?"

Maria's body shook even harder. Her terrified eyes darted toward Isabella, who stood behind me.

"Speak!" I ordered.

"Q-Queen Isabella..." Maria shouted with her eyes squeezed shut. "Lady Lily said business is good this year. They would make another round of big profit. Then, before next August—before customers start noticing large-scale problems—they would suddenly shut down the store. If anyone came demanding compensation, they would claim... they would claim Queen Isabella got greedy. That she ordered us to use cheap materials. They would claim they were victims too."