THIBV - Chapter 27


It was after meeting Millea at the convent that I realized all this.

Millea could not bear to see me ruined by regret and self-reproach and told me that I was merely a scapegoat.

"Instead of stabbing yourself, curse and blame those who used you. It wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck."

At the time, I did not understand what Millea was saying.

Why do people who don't even know me make me into scapegoats? I was barely in my right mind and kept asking questions even though Millea avoided me and tried to be sparing with my words.

At that time, Millea was as frail as me, and neither of us could leave the convent until we died.

I was the perfect conversation partner, with no fear of her secrets leaking out.

Maybe Millea also wanted to vent her hardships to someone at least once.

It was then that I heard the name of the Count of Kensington.

Even his secrets, which are not known at this point will be revealed to the world in the future.

"The Duke of Linchester will not tolerate the death of the Count of Kensington."

"The Duke of Linchester"

Millea found it odd that I wouId suddenly mention the name of the Duke of Linchester, who had been living in hiding as if he were a mouse.

How on earth does Bridget know him and say such things?

"The Count was smuggling military supplies abroad to fund the Duke of Linchester's slush funds."

"....How did Bridget know that? He must have kept it a secret."

Rather than just lying, I gave her a way to verify my words.

"Investigate the people who have been coming and going since the day Your Majesty attacked the Count of Kensington. Those who moved the bodies and cleaned up the belongings, or the thieves who hid in the haunted mansion."

"..."

"The Count of Kensington would have had a secret ledger, and the Duke of Linchester would have tried to get his hands on it."

"Even if what Bridget said is true, it's been several days since then, so if there were ledgers, they would have been stolen a long time ago."

"Order the Military Inspectorate to investigate the military assets, let them find out where the Iron ore used to make weapons is being used."

I remembered exactly what Millea had said Indignantly. 

"If we had only known that the Cpunt of Kensington was committing corruption, there would have been many ways to dig up evidence. We could have found and investigated the people who frequented the Count of Kensington's house or moved the Inspectorate, or even arrested and interrogated his top staff members, and we would have been able to obtain a clue."

Julian had never been interested in politics, not even after he became King.

Having used up too much of his powers to seize the throne and then prevent war with the other kingdoms that had supported his previous rule, Julian knew that his life was running out.

Unlike previous Kings, he did not care how his name would be recorded in history or how much he would be hated by everyone.

So, Julian decided to become a scarecrow until the day he died.

Under the tyrannical but helpless King, countless corruptions were rampant.

Even his maid, Milea, couldn't stop it all, and Julian's forces, whose center had rotted away, were powerless.

It was a royal power maintained solely by Julian's force.

In past lives, and in the present.

I was determined to change that.

I will make Julian hold on to his life a little longer, even though he has given up and wasted it.

At the same time, I planned to stop the Duke of Linchester, who was slowly gnawing at his flesh beneath the surface.

"Why are you telling me these facts? Is there a purpose?"

Millea asked warily, and I confessed honestly.

"People will not know that His Majesty saved me. They will think that he is just a tyrant who kills nobles at will."

That was true. Even in the House of Lords, there was already talk that Julian could not be left alone in the wake of the Count of Kensington's death.

But in the face of Julian's power, the discussion was nothing more than meaningless empty talk. It had always been that way.

So neither Julian nor Millea paid much attention to it.

Because no one can stop Julian anyway.

But who would have thought I, would care about that?

"We must turn public opinion around. His Majesty is not the one who murdered the Count of Kensington, but the righteous King who executed the traitor who diverted military power abroad."

"That's... that's not true, Bridget."

"Whatever the motive, the result is like that. History is judged by results."

"But to claim that the Count of Kensington was executed, even his innocent servants were killed."

"Because it was all in one."

"Are you going to sell out his employees to push your argument?"

 I shook my head.

"The maid of that mansion gave me sleeping pills. The servants who kidnapped me were also the Count of Kensington's people. They knew what the Count of Kensington was up to. I'm not the only victim."

"This is disgusting."

Millea made a bug-bitten face.

"The fact that the employees have been secretly helping with such dirty work must mean that they have been receiving satisfactory compensation. Do you think that they only assisted the Count of Kensington's dirty hobby?"

"Stop, stop."

Millea covered her mouth and waved her hand as if she thought she wouId feel nauseous if she heard anymore.

She tapped her chest a couple of times to calm herself down and asked.

"How does Bridget know all this?" 

"With information, whether it is authentic and who uses it is more important than its source."

Millea's eyes narrowed.

"I bet you know that you look suspicious."

"I don't mind being treated any way I can as long as I can help the person who saved me."

I looked straight at Millea with my calm blue eyes.

"If I am suspicious, then investigate me and keep an eye on me. But if you are going to start, please dig into everything from beginning to end, without leaving anything out.

Millea felt confused by the inexplicable earnestness in my eyes.

'You're asking me to do a background check. Is there a grievance that you can't resolve on your own?'

If not, how could she have asked me to strip her clean as if she had been waiting for me to do so?

If we look at Brigitte's life up to this point, it seems strange.

But were there other big things going on?

"Even if you say such things to me... I am just a maid. There is not much I can do."

Millea drew the line.

But Bridget knew she would soon take action.

***

A few days later, Bridget left the palace as she had said, as soon as the scabs on her lips fell off.

Wearing a plain dress purchased through a maid, and riding in a hired carriage.

It was to keep the fact that she had been staying in the palace a secret.

As soon as the carriage carrying Bridget disappeared from sight, Millea called over her personal confidant and gave him an order.

"Tell Prime Minister Douglas Langston quietly that I asked to see him."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And check out Bridget Winston. Check out every last one."

Immediately afterward, Millea headed to Julian's bedroom.

Julian was awake, not in a dream, not in alcohol, not in despair.

He sat on the sofa, still and composed, lost in thought, even though he knew someone had come in.

If you didn't know that you were dying of hunger, even just sitting there seemed pretty cool.

Millea felt even more heartbroken seeing him looking so fine today.

It was heartbreaking to see this young and beautiful man, about the same age as her own son Eric, dying alone, carrying his misfortune.

If he hadn't been the illegitimate son of the former King, or at least not born with the Shadow Curse, he might have lived as an ordinary young man in his twenties.

Taking an interest in women of the same age and having fun at parties with friends.



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