The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 336

Chapter 336: Chapter 336 Talking About Minerva’s Involvement 6
The report only traced a connection between Minerva and these women through their public altercations. Witnesses reported an incident where Minerva, furious over a dispute involving Alexi, violently attacked a woman, scratching her face and tearing her clothes. After documenting the woman’s disheveled state with video evidence, Minerva would always leave with a triumphant smirk, embodying the image of a shrew in that context. Despite her visible hatred and anger toward Hera during the variety show, Minerva never resorted to drastic actions against her.

The only drastic action Minerva took was online slander, but even that cannot be conclusively attributed to her. They agreed that Minerva lacked the cunning mind required for such a meticulous online attack. Her apparent stupidity may, ironically, be working in her favor, as it makes it difficult to believe she could orchestrate such a complex scheme.

Hera found Rafael’s perspective convincing because both she and Gerald shared the sentiment that Minerva lacked the capacity to orchestrate such a scheme and then act as if nothing had happened. From Hera’s point of view, Minerva was not particularly intelligent but rather a useful pawn. Her nature made her easily manipulable, making it plausible that someone could exploit her to carry out actions she didn’t fully comprehend.

Minerva’s heightened emotions often clouded her judgment, leading her to act based on her feelings rather than rational thoughts. This emotional volatility made her vulnerable to manipulation, as someone with ulterior motives could easily exploit her sentiments. Currently, Minerva’s emotions are intensely tied to Alexi, raising questions about the motivations behind the crimes. Was the person who killed the women aimed to gain Minerva’s favor, or was Minerva encouraged to commit these acts to eliminate her rivals?

Hera’s thoughts raced as she contemplated the situation. ‘Wait a minute,’ she thought, ‘Is this how I died in the novel? Athena mentioned that I was just a mere cannon fodder character, barely a footnote in the story. The book never detailed my death—Minerva merely claimed she killed me, then panicked and fell apart. Only Alice managed to calm her, pulling her out of her despair and helping her turn over a new leaf. Minerva’s breakdown after the incident and her struggles with being the one who killed the sole heiress of the Avery consortium were well-documented, but if her reaction to the crime she committed was genuine, it could suggest she wasn’t the mastermind behind it. This could be seen as significant evidence of her innocence.’ Hera grasped at this thought, feeling a fleeting yet profound realization, but as she tried to solidify it, her mind buzzed, and her eyes widened in sudden clarity.

Gerald added, “If this crime wasn’t directly orchestrated by your sister but was instead carried out by someone else posing as Minerva, what could they possibly gain from it? It’s plausible that someone introduced her to the criminal group, especially if she was desperate enough to seek them out but lacked the connections. Even if she’s not as intelligent as you might believe, a person’s heart can still harbor darkness and malice.” Gerald didn’t soften his words, even as he noticed Rafael’s face twist with a mix of anger and shame.

Rafael fell into a solemn silence, unable to refute Gerald’s points or provide evidence to support his gut feeling. He was reluctant to condemn his sister as a criminal without knowing the full story because, at the end of the day, she was still his only sibling.

“Gerald, wait,” Hera said, her head bowed in deep concentration. She appeared frustrated as if she was struggling to grasp an elusive realization that had just struck her. It was clear that she felt this fleeting thought might hold the key to resolving the issue at hand.

Although she wasn’t a fan of Minerva and might even take satisfaction in seeing her face consequences for her actions and could enjoy watching her burn in hell for his viciousness, Hera knew Rafael’s concerns were valid. She wouldn’t be able to sleep easily knowing she might have sent an innocent person to prison. Moreover, she recognized that such a decision could create a rift between her and Rafael. Rafael would likely struggle with guilt, knowing he hadn’t done everything possible to prove his sister’s innocence, especially if Hera were the catalyst for that outcome. The relationship between them could devolve into a complex mix of love and hate.

However, if Hera helps Rafael uncover more evidence proving that Minerva was indeed responsible for the crimes, then even if Minerva is sentenced to decades in prison, Rafael wouldn’t be trapped in a complex mix of love and hate with Hera. Both Rafael and Hera would find solace in knowing that they had done everything in their power to gather evidence and ensure justice was served, maintaining a clear conscience in the process.

And with that, they could move on from what happened and continue their lives knowing that they are only doing the society a good deed, and their relationship could still progress as it is now, and she could help Rafael cope with what happened to his sister while continuing helping Rafael be a better version of himself by letting him see what he had failed to see before and what happened to Minerva would only serve Rafael’s change to drastically take effect because his years of neglect and his parent’s coddling has resulted to Minerva losing her way, so in the future, Rafael would take extra care in his decision and he might take his relationship and connection to other people more seriously than he was now.

After sorting through her thoughts, Hera continued, “Gerald, Rafael has a valid point. While I’m no fan of Minerva—given how she has treated those around her and targeted me—sending her to her doom without conclusive evidence that she is indeed the mastermind behind these crimes would give me no satisfaction. We need to ensure that we have clear, irrefutable evidence of her guilt before taking such drastic measures. Regardless, if this investigation helps us cleanse our society of its more vicious elements, whether or not Minerva is behind it, then it would be a worthwhile effort.”

After hearing Hera support him and offer a way forward, Rafael felt a deep sense of relief and gratitude. He realized, for the first time, how powerless he was despite his wealth, influence, and power. At this crucial moment, he was left at the mercy of others, particularly Gerald’s. Hera’s words felt like a lifeline for his sister, and they made him appreciate her even more. Her kindness was not tainted by personal vendettas but was driven by genuine concern for the greater good and the well-being of others, a true kindness that wasn’t affected by personal feelings to be righteous but by genuine care for the bigger picture and the people.

“Then. Young Mis-. Ehem! Then Miss Ainsley, how do you suggest we tackle this issue?” Gerald nearly slipped up because Hera’s sudden authoritative aura caught him by surprised and almost bowed to her instinctively like the aide he was to her, forgetting that Rafael was still there with them and Hera still hadn’t disclosed her identity. But despite all this surprised and conflicting feeling that assaulted him, he didn’t show any change of expression.