The Queen They Buried

Chapter 334

“Carmen never wanted to use your paintings in the competitions. But to prove yourself, you left the Wilson family to get attention. You might be clever and talented, both in your studies and in art, but your heart is rotten to the core. You’re jealous of your sister and want nothing more than to destroy her.”

A stunned silence fell over the crowd. They thought, ‘Could what Mr. Xaver said really be the truth?’

Percival’s version of events suddenly seemed surprisingly plausible.

Carmen’s solo exhibition featured exclusively traditional watercolor paintings. It was a fact that spoke volumes, especially considering she was taken as a protégé by Percival, a renowned master of traditional painting.

Most importantly, the Wilson family’s deafening silence spoke volumes.

The crowd wondered if their silence meant consent.

Bryan wanted to stand up for Aubree, but he knew full well the consequences of helping her.

One onlooker said, “Actually, I’ve always wanted to say this. When I first learned about Carmen, she made a name for herself with her watercolor paintings. So when she was later publicly shamed for plagiarism, I was truly baffled. Why would someone skilled in watercolor paintings be accused of plagiarizing vividly colored oil paintings?”

situation now seemed almost

in Carmen’s eyes as heated debates erupted all around her. Everyone was now questioning if Aubree had set Carmen up. If that were the case, it would be terribly unfair to

exulted inwardly, barely containing her glee. ‘Serves her right!

right does Aubree, an orphan bastard from the orphanage, have to compete with me? Since she left the Wilson family, she should have died out there long ago. Why did

just know her place and stay under my thumb? Why must she fight

“Hold it!”

word, a middle–aged man’s voice sharply cut

the president of the Art

first to expose Carmen’s blatant plagiarism during a competition, and given his sterling reputation, his testimony at the time had practically sealed Carmen’s

claims coming straight from

paintings, but never expected the organizer of the exhibition to be Carmen, the very girl he had personally exposed for plagiarism. Had

he was actually

painting Carmen once used to mislead everyone, hoping to track down its true creator, but

in front of him, Aubree, fit every characteristic. He

over and thought, ‘Oh,

moment of overwhelming grief and anger. The experiences it embodied were too painful to revisit, so when she left the