TSGDO 76

Chapter 76

Who’s the One Caught in the Trap? (4)

“……!”

The eyes of those who witnessed it widened as if lit by a single lamp. For a moment, an eerily quiet stillness fell over the scene.

Even the gentle music playing in the background had stopped, making the sight all the more bizarre.

At the center of all eyes was Camilla, her face pale and drained of color.

Just as if everyone had rehearsed it, holding their breath, a young lady suddenly let out a scream that sounded more like a shriek.

“Eek!”
“M-Medical attendant! Call a doctor immediately!”
“Lady Camilla! Are you alright?”
“What on earth happened?”

In an instant, chaos erupted as everyone formed a protective circle around Camilla.

The young lady who had screamed moments ago wrapped Camilla’s bloodied hand with a handkerchief and spoke.

“It looks like you’ve been cut by something sharp.”
“Oh my. The blood keeps flowing—this wound must be quite deep.”
“Who could have done such a thing?”
“The flowers! It’s because of the flowers. I saw Lady Camilla get injured while touching them.”

Someone shouted that, and once again, a suffocating silence descended.

Dozens of eyes simultaneously turned toward the flowers lying scattered on the table.

“My goodness!”

The young lady murmured, carefully picking up the fallen flowers with her fingers extended.

“There are thorns here.”
“Good heavens! How could something so sharp remain?”

As everyone fussed and murmured in confusion, Camilla spoke in a relatively calm tone, drawing their attention.

“I was careless. I shouldn’t have touched them with my hands.”
“That’s impossible, Lady Camilla. Isn’t it natural to touch flowers when they’re beautiful?”
“Exactly. This is the fault of whoever handled the flowers so carelessly.”

Anna, who was supporting Camilla, enthusiastically agreed.

“Could it be that someone envious of Lady Camilla orchestrated this?”
“Oh my, that’s absurd. Who would dare target Lady Camilla?”
“Could it be Lady Erin?”
“The one who was severely scolded after chasing after Lord Noel the other day?”
“Ah!”
“Everyone, calm down.”

Camilla shook her head while covering her finger, which had already stopped bleeding.

“I understand your concern for me, but please don’t jump to conclusions and misjudge anyone. I intend to take responsibility for my duties until the end of this banquet. This is merely a small… um, accident.”

Despite the pain, Camilla’s words made people’s gazes flash sharply.

“You mean that person is still here?”
“Good. We need to call them and find out what happened for sure.”
“Yes, my lady. We can’t let this slide. Whoever caused the wound to your hand must be held accountable.”
“I’ll ask about that later. For now, please enjoy the banquet I prepared.”

Camilla pleaded with her pale face. Her selfless demeanor, seeming to protect the culprit until the very end, only fueled the anger of those around her.

At that moment, a servant quietly approached Camilla and whispered.

“Miss, the proprietor of the Fragrant Garden wishes to see you.”

After the servant quietly disappeared, Camilla smiled knowingly and raised one hand.

“Ah! They’re coming! That lady is the proprietor of the Fragrant Garden who decorated the flowers in the Ruber Hall.”

‘This is insane…!’

Eluciana quickly lowered her head, worried someone might recognize her face.

‘I can’t let anyone know I’m the daughter of the Marquis of Wires.’

Being humiliated personally was fine; she had endured that countless times in her previous life. She could easily ignore it.

But thinking about the wounds Simon might suffer because of her… she couldn’t bear it.

‘I thought I had escaped safely.’

Her mistake was forgetting she was terrible with directions. After running for a while, she had ended up at the Ruber Hall, the site of the Eragost family’s banquet.

‘No wonder… when they insisted on moving, I thought it was suspicious.’

The memory of the servant’s sly, sinister smile when she had left earlier made her grit her teeth.

But what infuriated her more was being grabbed by another servant at the entrance, unable to resist.

Before she knew it, Eluciana had been dragged into the banquet hall.

‘…Bastards.’

She clenched her teeth, glaring at the servant’s retreating back with that vile smile.

Once inside, leaving on her own became impossible.

And then, those piercing, deadly gazes that seemed to cut through her skin.

Whatever had happened, it was already clear the situation had become dire.

‘Why are they going this far against me?’

Eluciana’s anxious eyes naturally fell on Camilla.

The world’s most beautiful woman, pale-faced, simply stared at her.

‘What kind of scheme is this?’

Her frustration grew as her gaze shifted to the table below, stained red against the pristine white cloth.

Seeing it, Eluciana felt a sense of foreboding.

The stark white cloth looked almost like a prop in a theatrical finale.

‘Could this be deliberate?’

Eluciana shook her head. Surely, no one would use a clean white cloth just to make the blood visible.

Yet the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Anna, still supporting Camilla, narrowed her eyes fiercely.

“Is it this woman? The one who caused such a serious wound to the young lady’s hand? She’s shameless.”
“You don’t intend to deny your wrongdoing, do you? There’s clear evidence here.”

Anna pointed angrily at the ground, confronting her.

‘This is…’

The shattered remnants of the flowers were scattered grotesquely across the marble floor.

‘Why…?’

When Eluciana reached for the flowers, Anna struck her cheek.

Smack!

‘Gah!’

The sudden blow made her head spin. Instinctively, she covered her face.

‘They hit me out of nowhere?’

Even if they believed her to be a commoner, this was too much.

“Hah.”

She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the absurdity. Anna glared at her, eyes sharp as if ready to tear her apart.

“You’re so presumptuous, acting this way without knowing your place. How powerful must your backing be to act so boldly?”
“……”
“I knew it. Who commanded this? Who told you to wound Lady Camilla?”
“That lady’s gaze is shaking. She must feel guilty.”
“If she weren’t guilty, she wouldn’t be trembling in fear. Or is she scared of being scapegoated?”

Nobles surrounding her began speaking rapidly, each trying to outdo the others. Eluciana hadn’t even had a chance to defend herself, and yet they already treated her as guilty.

It was fortunate her identity remained undiscovered, but this was still a serious predicament.

“Sir Hail, make this woman kneel on the floor. It’s unpleasant to even stand facing her.”
“As my lady wishes.”

Hail, trailing behind Eluciana, stepped forward with serpent-like eyes glinting.

‘What the hell are these lunatics saying?’

Before she could respond, Hail forcibly pressed her arm downward.

“Ugh.”

Thrown down to the floor, Eluciana’s humiliation flared into anger.

At that moment, Camilla stopped Hail.

“There’s no conclusive evidence yet, Sir Hail.”
“This isn’t a matter that can be solved by blind protection, Miss Eragost. Someone inflicted a scratch on your delicate hand and feels no remorse. She must be punished severely.”
“Then I will ask her myself. Please don’t stop me from that.”

At Camilla’s earnest request, Hail reluctantly stepped back.

‘They’ve completely lost control.’

Eluciana gritted her teeth as she looked up at the red-haired woman approaching her.

A woman whose expression clearly conveyed pity.

Eluciana knew that look well.

Deceptive compassion.

Their benevolence could easily transform into a dagger aimed at the backs of the unfortunate.

‘From the start… they never intended to let me go. They plan to end this right here.’

At last, Eluciana realized this trap had been meticulously set. She was finally confronting a truth she had ignored until now.

The woman before her would trample her, regardless of justification.

Whether it meant humiliation or death.

And this woman had the ability and authority to do so.