I wonder who would be fooled by such obvious staging and planning, but I doubt it's the people here. They prioritize belief over truth. I sighed.
“My husband gave it to me as a gift.”
The maid asked with still suspicious eyes.
“Do you have any evidence?”
"I keep the auction receipt and warranty at home. Who would wear stolen goods right away?"
"That's gone too, Countess. Perhaps it was to avoid suspicion. Perhaps your impoverished childhood made you greedy for other people's possessions?"
Erita giggled. "Is that all you can do if you keep whining like that?" "Yes, I suppose it's possible, since she's a Princess." Noah, who had been standing next to me, staring blankly at Erita, spoke.
“How much was the winning bid?”
“Your Excellency, do I really need to know that much? There are so many jewels and trinkets that I can’t even remember.”
"We could launch an official investigation, investigate how the royal budget was used, and compare prices. There's no reason not to disclose this transparently."
Perhaps because so many eyes were watching, the two exchanged polite greetings for the first time in a long while. Erita's mouth tightened at the mention of the budget investigation. She apparently hadn't anticipated the situation would escalate to this point.
"There's no need to go to such lengths to investigate. If this maid tells the truth, I will be lenient and forgive her. Ayla Delson, speak honestly. If someone ordered you to do this, I will generously forgive you."
Ayla's azure eyes were fixed on me. If she pointed this way, she could easily escape this situation. After all, that's what Erita wanted. Having pushed Ayla out of the stadium, I figured she'd still be able to do it. But Ayla was more foolish than I'd thought. Slowly, she stepped forward and spoke.
“I did it, Princess.”
“Yeah, who bought it?”
“It doesn’t matter, Countess. I just stole it.”
Erita's lips twitched in confusion, as if she hadn't anticipated Ayla's reaction. I, too, was incredibly flustered. If I were investigated, I'd be proven innocent, but that woman wasn't. Why would she risk her life so recklessly?
A gentle, soft voice, yet with a hint of coolness, came. The Marchioness of Wales approached with an elegant stride and pointed to my necklace.
"When I invited you to the previous dinner party, the Countess came wearing that necklace. My husband saw it too. Do you remember, my dear?"
The Marquis, whose face was red as a persimmon from having already drunk a lot of alcohol, tilted his head slightly and nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I see. So you’re saying it was a solo crime?”
Erita snorted in disbelief and stared intently at the Marchioness. The Marchioness of Wales's amber eyes met hers without averting their gaze.
"How about we look for it again? If possible, the Princess's maids and I will look for it together."
Erita, who had been stroking her neatly tied hair at my suggestion, narrowed her eyes and snapped.
"You dare enter the Princess's chambers? You plan to claim I lost it and turn it around."
I covered the side of my mouth with one hand so that only Erita could see, and moved my lips silently.
“Isn’t it?”
Her sanguine face flushed bright red. I smiled leisurely.
"I don't think it's right to coerce a confession out of someone based solely on their testimony. Since you don't even want to be questioned by the police, what should we do?"
I turned my gaze to the maid named Nina, who was standing there anxiously. My fingertips pointed towards her.
“Common sense tells me that the maid is the most suspicious.”
“Yes? Ma’am, I just said I saw it.”
The maid's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden designation.
"Anyway, you're saying you were there too? That's reasonable suspicion."
The maid fidgeted, perhaps frightened, as she watched Erita's reaction. Erita, quite frustrated by the situation not going her way, gritted her teeth and turned her head sharply away.
“Yes. The maid has already confessed, so I’ll take care of it.”
“It didn’t work.”
Noah, standing with his arms crossed, lifted his chin. Erita's eyebrows furrowed at the sound of his raspy voice.
“My wife has already been suspected of being a thief in front of many people.”
“Didn’t the Marchioness say no?”
"This isn't something we can just brush aside. Shouldn't you be held accountable for suspecting someone by uncovering the truth? You're the one who will one day become Queen."
“I will investigate this maid and the maid who witnessed it separately, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
The maid Nina's eyes widened. Ayla stood up, her head bowed. A servant came running from afar, panting, and raised her hand, shouting.
“Princess, I found the necklace. It was lying in the hallway.”
In his hand was a necklace made of the same Grandidierite gem, but with a different design. Erita looked between the maid and the attendant, her expression confused.
“You lost it?”
Wasn't she planning this? The expression on her face, bewildered, was a bit odd. Ultimately, this situation wasn't going to benefit Erita at all. The necklace design was different, so flawed that it could be dismissed as the Princess deliberately suspecting and accusing an innocent person. Could this also have been part of a plot by some powerful force to ruin Erita's image and diminish the royal authority? I looked at the servants and maids who had come to retrieve the necklace with suspicious eyes and spoke.
“Princess, I believe it is right to investigate that maid and servant.”
"That servant is the son of a highly trusted baronial family who has worked for the royal treasury for many years. There have been no such problems so far."
“Is that so? I understand.”
My guess was right. At this point, I feel sorry for the foolish woman who believes everyone is on her side.
"If I may be so presumptuous as to suggest, I would advise you to refrain from reprimanding your subordinates in such a public setting. It would only tarnish the Princess's reputation."
“You know how to be overbearing. Aren’t you trying to sow discord?”
It was advice I offered for the good of this country, but she simply took it as a criticism. Ayla smiled brightly at me, as if she was relieved. That smile seemed to pierce something deep inside me.
I feel so uncomfortable with that nice girl.
Erita left with a groan. Just as I was about to say something to Ayla, who was standing there alone, the Marchioness of Wales gently took my hand.
"How can I just sit back and do nothing when injustice is being done right before my eyes? You're like a younger sibling, so I have to help you."
"Thank you."
Ayla had previously spoken of the Marchioness. She said she had never been harassed during her time in her government, and that she was kind and gentle to her servants, so she never struck her as a bad person.
In my opinion, the Marchioness was a strangely ambiguous person, with a strangely ambiguous line between good and evil. She seemed like a good person on the outside, but there was a strange, unsettling feeling. Barbara, who had arrived late, was waving at us. Vincent, dressed in a suit, was with her. Noah feigned disappointment in his voice.
“So you’ve decided to become the Chelsea family’s secretary now?”
“Yes. Please let me go.”
Commander Chelsea looked sharply at her daughter, who was in a state of full-blown ecstasy, and her partner, Vincent.
“Mr. Ford regularly accompanies my daughter.”
“Your Grace, how could I dare refuse your daughter’s request?”
“So you’re saying my daughter asked first?”
“Isn’t it impressive how she always takes the lead and confidently expresses her opinions?”
The commander's hardened expression softened at Vincent's words.
“Oh, my daughter is a general. If she had been a soldier, she would have been a true soldier.”
Barbara, who had been listening to their conversation, put her arms around her waist and pouted.
"Father? You said you wouldn't meddle in my love life, right?"
The commander's beard, clearly a doting doting father, twitched pitifully. He seemed to be experiencing the futility of raising children. While the nobles here preferred marriages with members of the same Medea lineage, this family held a different ideology, so even if the two fell in love, there would likely be no issues regarding their origins.
Amidst the cheerful and cheerful atmosphere, I was secretly concerned about Ayla, who stood at a distance, serving Erita. She bowed nervously to her nervous gestures and seemed intimidated by the harsh gazes of her fellow maids and attendants. I couldn't figure out why she remained here. She seemed to have some kind of weakness that kept her from quitting, but since she didn't say anything, I wouldn't know.
As I left the banquet hall and headed back to the hotel with Noah, Ayla approached me. She smiled brightly at us.
"Hello."
Large, timid, sky-blue eyes. Looking at her emaciated body and haggard face, I tried to say something else, but stopped myself.
“From now on, take care of yourself first. Eat well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll go back now.”
"Even if you don't think I'm precious, I do. I wanted to tell you that."
Ayla finished speaking and bowed her head.
"Goodbye."
Those words sounded like a final farewell, and I couldn't quite put it into words. Ayla always seemed precarious, as if she were clinging to a fragile twig. I didn't offer to help her or offer sincere comfort. In fact, I couldn't, fearing responsibility. I decided it was my reluctance to see her, the feeling of being burdened and bitter every time I saw her.
I turned around, constantly justifying my actions.
After the shooting competition, Ayla returned to Loganfield and decided to leave. Even if it wasn't much help, she felt she had helped Diana and conveyed her true feelings one last time, so she felt that was enough.
Naive Ayla handed Mastiff's letter to the Princess, without even checking what was written inside. Then, mustering up her courage, she spoke to the Princess.
"Princess, I have personal reasons to resign from my position. Thank you very much for your time."
Erita, who had been listening to her while reading the letter with an indifferent expression, tilted her head back and burst out laughing.
"Your circumstances? Yeah, yeah, I know. Ah, Mastiff. So that's what you were thinking. You're truly admirable."
“Thank you, Princess. I will hand over the duties and leave.”
“You don’t have to do it, hahahahaha!”
The Princess, who had been laughing so hard she almost choked, looked at Ayla with a face filled with joy. She laughed so hard that her body swayed and the whites of her eyes turned bloodshot. Ayla thought she was a mad witch.
"Oh, that's funny. The baby in your belly will be very useful. You too can be useful at times."
“That... what do you mean? Baby?”
Ayla's face, standing blankly amidst the chillingly shrill laughter, grew increasingly pale. It was only then that she realized she had made the wrong choice. She should have checked the contents of the letter beforehand. Or she should have simply left the palace without saying goodbye.
Erita's blue eyes, which had always seemed so dead, were shining with unprecedented brightness. Ayla simply listened, her eyes unsure of what was happening. Until her crimson lips parted and she let out a terrifying sound.
"Say it's Noah Rotsilt's child. Unless you and the child both want to die."
“My husband gave it to me as a gift.”
The maid asked with still suspicious eyes.
“Do you have any evidence?”
"I keep the auction receipt and warranty at home. Who would wear stolen goods right away?"
"That's gone too, Countess. Perhaps it was to avoid suspicion. Perhaps your impoverished childhood made you greedy for other people's possessions?"
Erita giggled. "Is that all you can do if you keep whining like that?" "Yes, I suppose it's possible, since she's a Princess." Noah, who had been standing next to me, staring blankly at Erita, spoke.
“How much was the winning bid?”
“Your Excellency, do I really need to know that much? There are so many jewels and trinkets that I can’t even remember.”
"We could launch an official investigation, investigate how the royal budget was used, and compare prices. There's no reason not to disclose this transparently."
Perhaps because so many eyes were watching, the two exchanged polite greetings for the first time in a long while. Erita's mouth tightened at the mention of the budget investigation. She apparently hadn't anticipated the situation would escalate to this point.
"There's no need to go to such lengths to investigate. If this maid tells the truth, I will be lenient and forgive her. Ayla Delson, speak honestly. If someone ordered you to do this, I will generously forgive you."
Ayla's azure eyes were fixed on me. If she pointed this way, she could easily escape this situation. After all, that's what Erita wanted. Having pushed Ayla out of the stadium, I figured she'd still be able to do it. But Ayla was more foolish than I'd thought. Slowly, she stepped forward and spoke.
“I did it, Princess.”
“Yeah, who bought it?”
“It doesn’t matter, Countess. I just stole it.”
Erita's lips twitched in confusion, as if she hadn't anticipated Ayla's reaction. I, too, was incredibly flustered. If I were investigated, I'd be proven innocent, but that woman wasn't. Why would she risk her life so recklessly?
“As Ayla said, she is not Countess Rotsilt, Your Highness.”
"When I invited you to the previous dinner party, the Countess came wearing that necklace. My husband saw it too. Do you remember, my dear?"
The Marquis, whose face was red as a persimmon from having already drunk a lot of alcohol, tilted his head slightly and nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I see. So you’re saying it was a solo crime?”
Erita snorted in disbelief and stared intently at the Marchioness. The Marchioness of Wales's amber eyes met hers without averting their gaze.
"How about we look for it again? If possible, the Princess's maids and I will look for it together."
Erita, who had been stroking her neatly tied hair at my suggestion, narrowed her eyes and snapped.
"You dare enter the Princess's chambers? You plan to claim I lost it and turn it around."
I covered the side of my mouth with one hand so that only Erita could see, and moved my lips silently.
“Isn’t it?”
Her sanguine face flushed bright red. I smiled leisurely.
"I don't think it's right to coerce a confession out of someone based solely on their testimony. Since you don't even want to be questioned by the police, what should we do?"
I turned my gaze to the maid named Nina, who was standing there anxiously. My fingertips pointed towards her.
“Common sense tells me that the maid is the most suspicious.”
“Yes? Ma’am, I just said I saw it.”
The maid's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden designation.
"Anyway, you're saying you were there too? That's reasonable suspicion."
The maid fidgeted, perhaps frightened, as she watched Erita's reaction. Erita, quite frustrated by the situation not going her way, gritted her teeth and turned her head sharply away.
“Yes. The maid has already confessed, so I’ll take care of it.”
“It didn’t work.”
Noah, standing with his arms crossed, lifted his chin. Erita's eyebrows furrowed at the sound of his raspy voice.
“My wife has already been suspected of being a thief in front of many people.”
“Didn’t the Marchioness say no?”
"This isn't something we can just brush aside. Shouldn't you be held accountable for suspecting someone by uncovering the truth? You're the one who will one day become Queen."
“I will investigate this maid and the maid who witnessed it separately, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
The maid Nina's eyes widened. Ayla stood up, her head bowed. A servant came running from afar, panting, and raised her hand, shouting.
“Princess, I found the necklace. It was lying in the hallway.”
In his hand was a necklace made of the same Grandidierite gem, but with a different design. Erita looked between the maid and the attendant, her expression confused.
“You lost it?”
Wasn't she planning this? The expression on her face, bewildered, was a bit odd. Ultimately, this situation wasn't going to benefit Erita at all. The necklace design was different, so flawed that it could be dismissed as the Princess deliberately suspecting and accusing an innocent person. Could this also have been part of a plot by some powerful force to ruin Erita's image and diminish the royal authority? I looked at the servants and maids who had come to retrieve the necklace with suspicious eyes and spoke.
“Princess, I believe it is right to investigate that maid and servant.”
"That servant is the son of a highly trusted baronial family who has worked for the royal treasury for many years. There have been no such problems so far."
“Is that so? I understand.”
My guess was right. At this point, I feel sorry for the foolish woman who believes everyone is on her side.
"If I may be so presumptuous as to suggest, I would advise you to refrain from reprimanding your subordinates in such a public setting. It would only tarnish the Princess's reputation."
“You know how to be overbearing. Aren’t you trying to sow discord?”
It was advice I offered for the good of this country, but she simply took it as a criticism. Ayla smiled brightly at me, as if she was relieved. That smile seemed to pierce something deep inside me.
I feel so uncomfortable with that nice girl.
Erita left with a groan. Just as I was about to say something to Ayla, who was standing there alone, the Marchioness of Wales gently took my hand.
"How can I just sit back and do nothing when injustice is being done right before my eyes? You're like a younger sibling, so I have to help you."
"Thank you."
Ayla had previously spoken of the Marchioness. She said she had never been harassed during her time in her government, and that she was kind and gentle to her servants, so she never struck her as a bad person.
In my opinion, the Marchioness was a strangely ambiguous person, with a strangely ambiguous line between good and evil. She seemed like a good person on the outside, but there was a strange, unsettling feeling. Barbara, who had arrived late, was waving at us. Vincent, dressed in a suit, was with her. Noah feigned disappointment in his voice.
“So you’ve decided to become the Chelsea family’s secretary now?”
“Yes. Please let me go.”
Commander Chelsea looked sharply at her daughter, who was in a state of full-blown ecstasy, and her partner, Vincent.
“Mr. Ford regularly accompanies my daughter.”
“Your Grace, how could I dare refuse your daughter’s request?”
“So you’re saying my daughter asked first?”
“Isn’t it impressive how she always takes the lead and confidently expresses her opinions?”
The commander's hardened expression softened at Vincent's words.
“Oh, my daughter is a general. If she had been a soldier, she would have been a true soldier.”
Barbara, who had been listening to their conversation, put her arms around her waist and pouted.
"Father? You said you wouldn't meddle in my love life, right?"
The commander's beard, clearly a doting doting father, twitched pitifully. He seemed to be experiencing the futility of raising children. While the nobles here preferred marriages with members of the same Medea lineage, this family held a different ideology, so even if the two fell in love, there would likely be no issues regarding their origins.
Amidst the cheerful and cheerful atmosphere, I was secretly concerned about Ayla, who stood at a distance, serving Erita. She bowed nervously to her nervous gestures and seemed intimidated by the harsh gazes of her fellow maids and attendants. I couldn't figure out why she remained here. She seemed to have some kind of weakness that kept her from quitting, but since she didn't say anything, I wouldn't know.
As I left the banquet hall and headed back to the hotel with Noah, Ayla approached me. She smiled brightly at us.
"Hello."
Large, timid, sky-blue eyes. Looking at her emaciated body and haggard face, I tried to say something else, but stopped myself.
“From now on, take care of yourself first. Eat well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll go back now.”
"Even if you don't think I'm precious, I do. I wanted to tell you that."
Ayla finished speaking and bowed her head.
"Goodbye."
Those words sounded like a final farewell, and I couldn't quite put it into words. Ayla always seemed precarious, as if she were clinging to a fragile twig. I didn't offer to help her or offer sincere comfort. In fact, I couldn't, fearing responsibility. I decided it was my reluctance to see her, the feeling of being burdened and bitter every time I saw her.
I turned around, constantly justifying my actions.
***
After the shooting competition, Ayla returned to Loganfield and decided to leave. Even if it wasn't much help, she felt she had helped Diana and conveyed her true feelings one last time, so she felt that was enough.
Naive Ayla handed Mastiff's letter to the Princess, without even checking what was written inside. Then, mustering up her courage, she spoke to the Princess.
"Princess, I have personal reasons to resign from my position. Thank you very much for your time."
Erita, who had been listening to her while reading the letter with an indifferent expression, tilted her head back and burst out laughing.
"Your circumstances? Yeah, yeah, I know. Ah, Mastiff. So that's what you were thinking. You're truly admirable."
“Thank you, Princess. I will hand over the duties and leave.”
“You don’t have to do it, hahahahaha!”
The Princess, who had been laughing so hard she almost choked, looked at Ayla with a face filled with joy. She laughed so hard that her body swayed and the whites of her eyes turned bloodshot. Ayla thought she was a mad witch.
"Oh, that's funny. The baby in your belly will be very useful. You too can be useful at times."
“That... what do you mean? Baby?”
“Was it written in the letter? It said to give you money in return.”
Erita's blue eyes, which had always seemed so dead, were shining with unprecedented brightness. Ayla simply listened, her eyes unsure of what was happening. Until her crimson lips parted and she let out a terrifying sound.
"Say it's Noah Rotsilt's child. Unless you and the child both want to die."
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