Tristan's gaze intensified. He stared the crying woman in the eyes hard enough that she choked on a sob.
"What HAVE you done?" Tristan asked.
"We… we…"
Her lips trembled. It was clear that even saying these things was too much for the maid's mental state. It'd be kinder to leave her alone, but Tristan was in no mood for kindness.
"You have set the mansion on fire, haven't you? The mansion of your own employers."
The woman let out a miserable sob.
Tristan pushed on, making his voice into a drill that burrowed into the woman's mind without regard for how many holes it left behind.
"Who told you to do it?"
"The… the holy man…" The maid suddenly reached out to grab Tristan's pant leg, but he deftly stepped aside. "The Hayes family are bad people! They deserved it! I always knew. It's not a murder if they deserved it… Please, believe me, it's not!"
She sobbed again.
