10 minutes before Karina called Mikhail.
When Genon was alone in the study with Karina.
Mikhail quietly used stealth magic to hide, following Karina's orders.
After the door closed, Lord Genon's voice had changed was heard.
"...If people came and saw this situation, who would be embarrassed?"
'Huh...'
Mikhail coldly suppressed the disgust that was rising in him.
He wanted to go out right now and shut Genon's mouth.
'If it weren't for the order, I could have quietly dealt with it without anyone knowing.'
Mikhail tried to swallow his regret.
He held onto his legs that kept trying to jump out and held himself back, thinking about Karina's orders.
However, as time went by, the situation became more complicated.
The Grand Duke and Princess suddenly came in, and the atmosphere became more serious.
Seeing everyone join forces to corner Karina, it became increasingly difficult to bear.
'No. She told me to pretend I wasn't there. I can't ruin the plan.'
Even though he knew it in his head, his teeth were chattering.
"...It's dirty and filthy!"
A high-pitched voice that he didn't want to hear pierced his ears.
It was extremely unpleasant, but Michael took a deep breath and maintained his composure.
Karina acted calmly as if she hadn't been hit at all.
Mikhail watched her actions quietly.
And finally.
"Michael."
The moment his name was called, Mikhail moved as Karina had instructed him in advance.
'You were there? Since when?'
Genon's eyes widened in surprise.
According to the original plan, Caroline's maid was supposed to make sure there was no one in the study before the two of them arrived and block it in advance so that no one could enter.
"Pull the curtains."
"Yes, Grand Duchess."
Mikhail walked toward the wall and pulled back the curtain that covered half of the wall.
"...!"
The curtains parted and Genon’s face turned pale at the sight she saw.
The place he thought was a wall was wide open, and the eyes of the people gathered beyond it were all turned in this direction.
“What... what is this...?”
Caroline also looked quite bewildered.
“Actually, I still don’t know much about the North. I asked you to gather here because I wanted to talk to nobles who know a lot about the North and get advice. It’s in the room next to the study.”
Karina smiled brightly.
“The study of the Grand Duke’s family contains a vast amount of data. So that we could look up related books while talking, we removed the wall between the study and the room next to it. Who would have thought that would be such a blessing.”
Karina had gathered people in advance to prepare for this moment.
The reason she used the seal of the Grand Duke and his wife on the invitation was not because Karina alone, but because the Grand Duke and his wife had to make it seem like they had prepared a separate place for them.
That way, they could avoid complicated factionalism and freely speak in favor of Karina without being suspected of being on the side of the Grand Duchess. In addition, since it was an invitation from the Grand Duchess and her husband, they could gather nobles who were fairly influential in their respective fields, regardless of their inclinations.
Karina, who had been speaking with a smile, looked down at Genon with cold eyes.
“Lord Genon. Let’s hear how different what you said is from what those who just heard you say?”
“...”
Genon was at a loss for what to do in this completely unexpected situation.
Karina turned around and approached the people on the other side.
She greeted the oldest lady who was standing most upright with her back straight.
“Ah... That person...”
Genon muttered, swallowing his breath.
The lady Karina greeted was Countess Grace Strict, who Karina couldn’t take her eyes off of in the auditorium earlier.
The Strict family is a collateral branch of the Grand Duke of Colesburg on their mother's side, and is a loyal family that has served the Grand Duke for the longest time.
However, they are not blindly loyal, but rather loyalists who speak the truth, so they often oppose the Grand Duke's opinions or express different opinions.
They are a family that clearly draws a line and points out what is wrong. They are upright and consistent, so they are highly trusted by the people.
The influence that the Strict family has in the North cannot be easily ignored.
And the mistress of such a family, Countess Strict, was usually considered stuffy and old-fashioned and only knew how to speak the truth.
That is why she was the most necessary of the nobles whom Karina had suggested to gather separately.
Countess Strict, who politely received Karina’s greeting, turned her gaze.
Then, looking at Genon, she opened her mouth with a pretended scary expression.
“That Young Lord’s argument is so different from what I heard. I heard that as soon as the study door closed and he thought he was alone with the Grand Duchess, his words and attitude changed shamelessly.”
“But honestly, I was a bit hurt. After all, the Princess was the first to push me away after hearing Lord Genon’s words.”
“...”
“Caroline. You always said you cherished me a lot. Couldn’t you have trusted me first?”
Caroline's mouth trembled as she forced a smile to control her expression.
Karina, who didn't miss that sight, sneered inwardly.
'That's probably the best Caroline can do right now.'
She must have been thinking about how the situation had come to this, and whether Genon, who had been dragged away, would tell her story.
'The people around her who don't unconditionally take her side, too.'
Karina smiled inwardly.
The people Karina had gathered here were only those from families that were not on Caroline's side.
They were either loyal to the Grand Duke's family itself or from families that were neutral within the North. They were the exact opposite of Caroline, who tried to manipulate and manipulate those around her to her own liking.
Caroline couldn't even get her money back and had no choice but to keep quiet.
Karina felt satisfied.
With this, Karina's first plan ended perfectly and successfully as she had intended.
'This time, I won't just cut off their tails and run away like last time.'
Karina's eyes were filled with a strange look.
Jeremiah silently watched Karina from the side.
Karina proved her innocence with the statements of the nobles gathered in the next room and decisively escaped the crisis.
Suddenly, a question occurred to him.
'Could it be that she knew something like this would happen?'
Seeing the situation that had been prepared so perfectly, such a thought absurdly came to him.
Jeremiah shook his head and shook off the absurd suspicion.
'That's too much to think about. It can't be.'
Karina was smiling softly while receiving comfort from the ladies. Jeremiah's gaze never left Karina.
Jeremiah unconsciously let out a sigh of relief at her improved expression.
At that moment, Mikhail approached Karina.
Karina smiled brightly as she saw Mikhail approaching her.
Jeremiah's lips were tightly shut when he saw that.
When Genon was alone in the study with Karina.
Mikhail quietly used stealth magic to hide, following Karina's orders.
After the door closed, Lord Genon's voice had changed was heard.
"...If people came and saw this situation, who would be embarrassed?"
'Huh...'
Mikhail coldly suppressed the disgust that was rising in him.
He wanted to go out right now and shut Genon's mouth.
'If it weren't for the order, I could have quietly dealt with it without anyone knowing.'
Mikhail tried to swallow his regret.
He held onto his legs that kept trying to jump out and held himself back, thinking about Karina's orders.
However, as time went by, the situation became more complicated.
The Grand Duke and Princess suddenly came in, and the atmosphere became more serious.
Seeing everyone join forces to corner Karina, it became increasingly difficult to bear.
'No. She told me to pretend I wasn't there. I can't ruin the plan.'
Even though he knew it in his head, his teeth were chattering.
"...It's dirty and filthy!"
A high-pitched voice that he didn't want to hear pierced his ears.
It was extremely unpleasant, but Michael took a deep breath and maintained his composure.
Karina acted calmly as if she hadn't been hit at all.
Mikhail watched her actions quietly.
And finally.
"Michael."
The moment his name was called, Mikhail moved as Karina had instructed him in advance.
***
'You were there? Since when?'
Genon's eyes widened in surprise.
According to the original plan, Caroline's maid was supposed to make sure there was no one in the study before the two of them arrived and block it in advance so that no one could enter.
"Pull the curtains."
"Yes, Grand Duchess."
Mikhail walked toward the wall and pulled back the curtain that covered half of the wall.
"...!"
The curtains parted and Genon’s face turned pale at the sight she saw.
The place he thought was a wall was wide open, and the eyes of the people gathered beyond it were all turned in this direction.
“What... what is this...?”
Caroline also looked quite bewildered.
“Actually, I still don’t know much about the North. I asked you to gather here because I wanted to talk to nobles who know a lot about the North and get advice. It’s in the room next to the study.”
Karina smiled brightly.
“The study of the Grand Duke’s family contains a vast amount of data. So that we could look up related books while talking, we removed the wall between the study and the room next to it. Who would have thought that would be such a blessing.”
Karina had gathered people in advance to prepare for this moment.
The reason she used the seal of the Grand Duke and his wife on the invitation was not because Karina alone, but because the Grand Duke and his wife had to make it seem like they had prepared a separate place for them.
That way, they could avoid complicated factionalism and freely speak in favor of Karina without being suspected of being on the side of the Grand Duchess. In addition, since it was an invitation from the Grand Duchess and her husband, they could gather nobles who were fairly influential in their respective fields, regardless of their inclinations.
Karina, who had been speaking with a smile, looked down at Genon with cold eyes.
“Lord Genon. Let’s hear how different what you said is from what those who just heard you say?”
“...”
Genon was at a loss for what to do in this completely unexpected situation.
Karina turned around and approached the people on the other side.
She greeted the oldest lady who was standing most upright with her back straight.
“Ah... That person...”
Genon muttered, swallowing his breath.
The lady Karina greeted was Countess Grace Strict, who Karina couldn’t take her eyes off of in the auditorium earlier.
The Strict family is a collateral branch of the Grand Duke of Colesburg on their mother's side, and is a loyal family that has served the Grand Duke for the longest time.
However, they are not blindly loyal, but rather loyalists who speak the truth, so they often oppose the Grand Duke's opinions or express different opinions.
They are a family that clearly draws a line and points out what is wrong. They are upright and consistent, so they are highly trusted by the people.
The influence that the Strict family has in the North cannot be easily ignored.
And the mistress of such a family, Countess Strict, was usually considered stuffy and old-fashioned and only knew how to speak the truth.
That is why she was the most necessary of the nobles whom Karina had suggested to gather separately.
Countess Strict, who politely received Karina’s greeting, turned her gaze.
Then, looking at Genon, she opened her mouth with a pretended scary expression.
“That Young Lord’s argument is so different from what I heard. I heard that as soon as the study door closed and he thought he was alone with the Grand Duchess, his words and attitude changed shamelessly.”
Countess Strict’s voice was solemn as she spoke.
The weight of her words was heavy.
Then, the others next to her added what they had heard and gave strength to her words.
“That’s right. I also heard the Grand Duchess’ voice telling him not to come near.”
“On the contrary, it was Lord Genon who tried to force the Grand Duchess. I heard the Grand duchess screaming that he was impertinent to touch her body without permission.”
“It’s true. He threatened her, saying who would be more embarrassed if people came to this situation.”
As the people’s testimonies continued one by one, Genon could not run away and froze in place.
The people frowned at Genon with eyes filled with disgust and condemnation.
When all their testimonies were over, a heavy silence lingered.
Jeremiah’s cold gaze, like frost, pierced Genon like an arrow.
Genon began to tremble under that gaze.
“This... This...That, that...”
“Take him away and put him in prison right now.”
Jeremiah ordered the knights.
“I will personally punish him.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The knights followed Jeremiah’s orders in unison.
“Sa... Please spare him, Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Genon, who was captured by the knights, looked at Caroline desperately and shouted,
“Princess, Princess! Please save me!”
Caroline turned her head and ignored Genon who was calling her.
“I was wrong. Please spare my life! Your Highness! Your Highness the Grand Duke!”
Genon, who was crying desperately, was dragged away by the knights.
Countess Strict, who had not loosened her expression, approached Karina only after Genon was dragged away and offered words of comfort.
“Grand Duchess. You were accused. You almost suffered a great misunderstanding.”
Karina calmly expressed her gratitude for the comfort.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you, Madam. Thanks to you, I was able to escape from an unfair situation.”
“You are welcome.”
The others surrounded Karina and added their own words.
“You almost suffered needless humiliation.”
“That is truly fortunate, Grand Duchess.”
“If you need specific testimony, please call me back anytime.”
Among those who offered comfort to Karina were the ladies of noble families who liked to talk about other people.
Until a while ago, they had been watching Jeremiah’s expressions with interest despite the serious atmosphere.
Then, when the situation turned against Karina, they finally came to her defense. However, Karina pretended not to know and accepted their comfort.
She had brought them here on purpose because they had their own uses.
“Thank you all.”
Caroline, who had been watching, also changed her posture and approached her in a friendly manner.
“Oh my, Karina. If you had said no from the beginning, I wouldn’t have misunderstood. I almost ended up being the only one who was strange.”
Although she still blamed Karina, Karina snorted inwardly and quickly made a hurt expression.
Then she lowered her eyes and imitated Caroline’s actions in the garden.
“The Princess is right. At first, I was so flustered by the situation... I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything.”
She covered her mouth with her hand and spoke pitifully.
“But I believed that those of you here knew the truth and would prove my innocence. That’s why I was able to calm down and resolve the situation one by one.”
At those words, several of the surrounding ladies looked at Karina with gazes that were even more pitiful and admirable.
On the other hand, their gazes were directed at Caroline as if they were criticizing her for not being able to read the mood.
“No, I’m not blaming the Grand Duchess...”
The weight of her words was heavy.
Then, the others next to her added what they had heard and gave strength to her words.
“That’s right. I also heard the Grand Duchess’ voice telling him not to come near.”
“On the contrary, it was Lord Genon who tried to force the Grand Duchess. I heard the Grand duchess screaming that he was impertinent to touch her body without permission.”
“It’s true. He threatened her, saying who would be more embarrassed if people came to this situation.”
As the people’s testimonies continued one by one, Genon could not run away and froze in place.
The people frowned at Genon with eyes filled with disgust and condemnation.
When all their testimonies were over, a heavy silence lingered.
Jeremiah’s cold gaze, like frost, pierced Genon like an arrow.
Genon began to tremble under that gaze.
“This... This...That, that...”
“Take him away and put him in prison right now.”
Jeremiah ordered the knights.
“I will personally punish him.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The knights followed Jeremiah’s orders in unison.
“Sa... Please spare him, Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Genon, who was captured by the knights, looked at Caroline desperately and shouted,
“Princess, Princess! Please save me!”
Caroline turned her head and ignored Genon who was calling her.
“I was wrong. Please spare my life! Your Highness! Your Highness the Grand Duke!”
Genon, who was crying desperately, was dragged away by the knights.
Countess Strict, who had not loosened her expression, approached Karina only after Genon was dragged away and offered words of comfort.
“Grand Duchess. You were accused. You almost suffered a great misunderstanding.”
Karina calmly expressed her gratitude for the comfort.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you, Madam. Thanks to you, I was able to escape from an unfair situation.”
“You are welcome.”
The others surrounded Karina and added their own words.
“You almost suffered needless humiliation.”
“That is truly fortunate, Grand Duchess.”
“If you need specific testimony, please call me back anytime.”
Among those who offered comfort to Karina were the ladies of noble families who liked to talk about other people.
Until a while ago, they had been watching Jeremiah’s expressions with interest despite the serious atmosphere.
Then, when the situation turned against Karina, they finally came to her defense. However, Karina pretended not to know and accepted their comfort.
She had brought them here on purpose because they had their own uses.
“Thank you all.”
Caroline, who had been watching, also changed her posture and approached her in a friendly manner.
“Oh my, Karina. If you had said no from the beginning, I wouldn’t have misunderstood. I almost ended up being the only one who was strange.”
Although she still blamed Karina, Karina snorted inwardly and quickly made a hurt expression.
Then she lowered her eyes and imitated Caroline’s actions in the garden.
“The Princess is right. At first, I was so flustered by the situation... I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything.”
She covered her mouth with her hand and spoke pitifully.
“But I believed that those of you here knew the truth and would prove my innocence. That’s why I was able to calm down and resolve the situation one by one.”
At those words, several of the surrounding ladies looked at Karina with gazes that were even more pitiful and admirable.
On the other hand, their gazes were directed at Caroline as if they were criticizing her for not being able to read the mood.
“No, I’m not blaming the Grand Duchess...”
“But honestly, I was a bit hurt. After all, the Princess was the first to push me away after hearing Lord Genon’s words.”
“...”
“Caroline. You always said you cherished me a lot. Couldn’t you have trusted me first?”
Caroline's mouth trembled as she forced a smile to control her expression.
Karina, who didn't miss that sight, sneered inwardly.
'That's probably the best Caroline can do right now.'
She must have been thinking about how the situation had come to this, and whether Genon, who had been dragged away, would tell her story.
'The people around her who don't unconditionally take her side, too.'
Karina smiled inwardly.
The people Karina had gathered here were only those from families that were not on Caroline's side.
They were either loyal to the Grand Duke's family itself or from families that were neutral within the North. They were the exact opposite of Caroline, who tried to manipulate and manipulate those around her to her own liking.
Caroline couldn't even get her money back and had no choice but to keep quiet.
Karina felt satisfied.
With this, Karina's first plan ended perfectly and successfully as she had intended.
'This time, I won't just cut off their tails and run away like last time.'
Karina's eyes were filled with a strange look.
Jeremiah silently watched Karina from the side.
Karina proved her innocence with the statements of the nobles gathered in the next room and decisively escaped the crisis.
Suddenly, a question occurred to him.
'Could it be that she knew something like this would happen?'
Seeing the situation that had been prepared so perfectly, such a thought absurdly came to him.
Jeremiah shook his head and shook off the absurd suspicion.
'That's too much to think about. It can't be.'
Karina was smiling softly while receiving comfort from the ladies. Jeremiah's gaze never left Karina.
Jeremiah unconsciously let out a sigh of relief at her improved expression.
At that moment, Mikhail approached Karina.
Karina smiled brightly as she saw Mikhail approaching her.
Jeremiah's lips were tightly shut when he saw that.
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