"She said Jasmine was especially good to her. She'd secretly save her treats and teach her how to draw, and she'd praise her talent." Barton answered without hesitation. "But she also said that Jasmine smiled less and less. Sometimes she'd stare at herself in the mirror for a long time, and she also said... Baron Lord would often secretly watch Jasmine."
Barton's words once again confirmed what the diary said.
Both Jasmine's kindness toward Tami and Tami's observations of Jasmine's changing demeanor and fear of the baron matched the diary, forming a complete picture.
Once again, everything seemed to point clearly to Baron Godric.
But the sense that something was wrong in He Xi's heart only grew stronger.
He felt that things couldn't possibly be that simple.
At the very least, the Blood Axe Gang's appearance that night could not have been a coincidence.
Had Jasmine called in the Blood Axe Gang to take revenge on the baron?
The thought flashed through He Xi's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
How could a victim under surveillance contact a notorious band of brigands?
Even if she had some unknown way of contacting them, how had the manor's defenses been overcome on the night of the massacre?
Based on his earlier preliminary exploration, although Shadow Rift Manor had fallen into disrepair, its defensive fortifications were still intact.
And even if Jasmine had been able to control or kill the baron right away, the guards would still have patrolled along their assigned routes. If they discovered the brigands' invasion, they would have sounded the alarm and organized a defense at once.
Unless... someone had given them different orders beforehand, or somehow lured them away.
And the baron clearly wouldn't have let Jasmine take control of the guards.
As He Xi pondered, Barton seemed