It is far more realistic to say that she committed suicide out of resentment. That is why I have never doubted the nanny’s words that the Marchioness committed suicide out of resentment toward my father and Landt. At the time, the nanny had no reason to lie to me, and the behavior of a madwoman was not something that could be understood or accepted with the mind.
However, now that I have come to this point, I have started to have doubts.
'Did the Marchioness really commit suicide?'
At the time, the only person keeping watch over her was my nanny. This means that the nanny is also the only person who knows the truth about why the Marchioness fell from the window and died.
The nanny had attended to the Marchioness by her side her entire life. There seemed to be no reason for her to harm the Marchioness now, but as the saying goes, "You can know the depths of the ocean, but you cannot know the depths of a person's heart"; perhaps there were circumstances between them that others were unaware of.
But even if there is a different truth, what does it matter now? The Marchioness is dead anyway, and I have already made up my mind to get rid of the nanny right in front of me.
I slowly approached the nanny. I saw her flinch at my sudden movement.
Even if not now, back then, my nanny was my one and only person. I trusted only her and relied solely on her. That was because, back then, I believed the nanny was unconditionally on my side. But what is she like now? With eyes filled with desire, she speaks lies and deceives me. This must be the nanny's true nature that I never saw back then.
Poor Bjornne, foolish Bjornne, looking at it now, the world was a lie to the very end.
I didn't feel any sudden sense of shame or pity. I had a feeling for a while that this might be the case, so I didn't feel like I had been betrayed by her now. However, just because I felt indifferent didn't mean I intended to gloss over it.
I was not generous enough to spare a dog that bared its teeth at its master. One instance of courtesy toward me was enough.
“Ugh..."
A pained groan escaped the nanny's lips. Her fingers squirmed, trying to slip out from under my shoe heel.
"You clearly told me that Mother committed suicide because of Landt. You said she died cursing Father for bringing home an illegitimate child."
I don't know what my expression looked like, but my voice flowed out calmly. I heard someone swallow hard as they watched me, but I did not take my eyes off the nanny.
"The very mouth that once told me to cast out the illegitimate Landt is now calling me an illegitimate child."
"Ugh!"
The squirming movement beneath the soles of my feet annoyed me, so I tightened my grip. Thick beads of sweat began to form on the nanny's forehead.
"I spared your life out of affection for you raising me when I was young, yet to think you dare challenge me without knowing your place."
"You're no different from me at all!"
The nanny tried to sit up, glaring with bloodshot eyes. The knights who had been waiting right beside her quickly approached, pinned her down, and forced her to her knees.
"How can you hold your head up so stiffly, knowing whose seed you are?"
Struggling, her body held by the knights, she screamed as if pouring out a curse.
"Your father is one of the male prostitutes who used to roll around in the red-light district. Your mother is the one who rolled around so much that she didn't even know whose seed you were… Aaaargh!"
With a slashing sound, red blood flowed onto the floor. Father, who had approached before I knew it, was slowly pulling the sword stuck in the nanny's foot with an indifferent, expressionless face.
The blood flowing to the floor shot up like a small fountain as the sword was drawn. Behind my father, who was swinging his sword to shake off the blood, stood a knight with a look of disbelief on his face, having had his sword snatched from his waist in an instant despite having his eyes wide open.
"Marquis Elliot, what have you done!"
"How dare you swing a sword inside the sacred council hall where His Majesty the Emperor is present!"
The nobles, realizing my father's actions belatedly, let out a furious roar. Only the Imperial Guards protecting the Emperor or those recognized by the Emperor were permitted to carry a sword in the Emperor's presence. The nobles' criticism was only natural, and if he were unlucky, he could be charged with treason for attempting to assassinate the Emperor, but my father glared only at the nanny as if he didn't care about such things at all.
"Elliott..."
"You dare to blabber on just because you have a mouth. If you run your mouth just one more time, I will cut off your head next time."
It was impossible to tell whether my father’s cold voice, laced with murderous intent, was directed at the nobles who had burst into shouting, or at the nanny who was groaning while clutching her bleeding foot. However, his single low remark had the effect of plunging the noisy nobles into silence like mute people.
Before the meeting began, Father had promised that he would not get involved no matter what unless I wanted him to. It happened in an instant. It seemed as though his body reacted before his mind the moment he heard the nanny's words.
My father's eyes, which had been fixed on the nanny, slithered toward me. Beneath his mask-like, expressionless face lay a sense of despondency that others would not have recognized. It was the nanny's pained groan that broke the tension, which had prevented anyone from speaking rashly.
"Ugh!"
She clenched her teeth, clutching the top of her foot, which was gushing blood. My father's gaze turned back to the nanny. She screamed at him.
"Do you think that ugly truth will be hidden just by killing me?"
Unlike her face, which was contorted with pain, her gleaming eyes were filled with venom. She looked just like a demon.
"Even if you kill everyone who knows the truth, the base blood flowing in your veins will never change!"
The nanny looked confident as she pointed her finger at me, as if stating an absolute truth. Judging solely by her attitude, it appeared as though she were not lying, but was acting on the truth she genuinely believed.
There was only one reason why the nanny acted so confidently while lying. It was because there was still no reliable way to prove bloodline in the Empire.
As the nanny had said, the doubts regarding my lineage, which had already been officially raised, were not a problem that could be resolved by killing her. If I were to try to harm her by citing the crime of insulting a noble, I could instead be misunderstood as an attempt to conceal the truth. The First Consort was not one to overlook a hand that was in her favor. If it were her, she would do anything to use this matter as a pretext to attack me.
I quickly grabbed my father's arm as he was about to move. It wouldn't be too late to kill the nanny after everything was over.
From the moment I learned that the nanny was involved in this matter, I had no intention of letting her live. Sooner or later, the nanny would die. Her words had no effect on me anyway.
What I had to prioritize right now was not whether the nanny was alive or dead, but proving my lineage.
As soon as Father released the grip on her arm, the First Consort spoke.
"This is quite troublesome."
She continued speaking with a face that looked not troubled at all.
"It would be different if the Marchioness were alive, but since there is no way to definitively prove the Young Lady's lineage, this has become a truly difficult situation."
"Does Your Highness the Consort truly think so?"
"As the person directly involved, it must be more urgent for you than anyone else, but do things in this world really go as you please?"
A sneer settled on the corners of the Consort's lips. It was a sneer that held the confidence that it could never be proven. At the thought that I could shatter her faith, a similar sneer also lingered on the corners of my lips.
"A similar incident happened thirty-five years ago as well. I wasn't even born at the time, so I don't know the circumstances well, but I believe those of you here are well aware of what took place back then."
The smile vanished from the Consort's face in an instant.
"Does Lady Elliot know what you are saying?"
Anger filled her voice, and murderous intent seeped from her eyes directed at me. The issue of the First Prince's bloodline, which was a disgrace not only to the First Consort but also to the Imperial Family, was like a raw nerve to her.
I had mentioned that incident, which was like the First Consort's deepest nerve, before. At the time, she was desperate to prevent me from bringing up the matter again, but now, unlike usual, she was reacting sensitively to my words.
This was understandable, as this place was not merely a battleground for gossiping women, but a venue for official meetings. Everything said here was to be recorded in writing and preserved as a record for future generations. There was a risk that the issue of the First Prince's lineage could once again become a subject of public debate.
"How dare a nobody like you!"
The First Consort, filled with venom, threw off the mask she had been wearing.
"Your Majesty, that young girl is insulting the Imperial Family. Do you intend to just stand by and watch?"
"How could I insult the Imperial Family? I am innocent."
"You certainly speak well with a mouth. Did you think you would get away with daring to bring up what was once a taboo?"
"It is not officially forbidden, is it? Is that not so, Your Majesty?"
It was merely a matter of taboo due to the Emperor's tacit consent and the First Consort's power, but it was not an officially forbidden word.
The Emperor looked down at me with a strange gaze as I tried to bring up the events of that time. His expression was as ambiguous as the look in his eyes toward me; at first glance, he seemed displeased, but at another glance, he seemed pleased.
"Young Lady is right. It isn't officially a taboo."
"Your Majesty!"
The First Consort called out to the Emperor like a scream, but his gaze still lingered on me.
"First, it is a matter that was taboo in the Imperial Family. The Young Lady must be speaking with the weight of those words, right?"
I approached my father, who was still standing beside me holding his sword, and placed my hand in his. With the sound of the sword hitting the floor, my father grasped my hand. His large, warm embrace enveloped my hand. I looked straight at the Emperor and spoke.
"My lineage has been denied. Shouldn't I reveal the truth, even if it means using everything at my disposal?"
The corners of the Emperor's mouth twisted slightly upward.
"Keep talking."
"Your Majesty!"
The Emperor's gaze turned toward the First Consort.
The First Consort was glaring at the Emperor and me with a face flushed red with excitement.
"Isn't this meeting meant to uncover Lady Elliot's lineage? The Elliot family should be allowed to present their counterarguments."
"There is no way to prove it."
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