Episode 12 – The Grave She Dug Herself
“Repent and regret your sins.”
Anyone who has ever lived in prison would never forget that sentence.
Three times a week, the priests who came to reform prisoners repeated it until everyone was sick of hearing it.
Each sermon lasted at least three hours, and those hours were the most boring time for every prisoner.
So if someone recognized that sentence immediately, they had definitely been in prison before.
And when Agatha saw that sentence, she reacted far too nervously.
Of course, Everett didn’t assume she was a prisoner just from one sentence.
There were other signs — for example, the cheap cigars she smoked.
They were rolled with fake leather paper, and the tobacco inside was low-quality — the kind usually smuggled into prisons.
Everett clearly remembered that same cigar from when she lived in Ingrid Prison. The inmates there used to share it secretly.
Everett straightened a finger and pointed at Agatha’s turtleneck, which covered her neck.
“Why don’t you check for yourself, Aunt Charlotte?”
“N-no! That’s not true!”
When Charlotte’s eyes turned toward her, Agatha shook her head wildly. The proud, confident teacher from before was gone; now her eyes shook in panic.
“It had such an interesting design,” Everett said innocently. “A burning wolf under a hot sun.”
There was no way Everett could forget that mark — because she once had it too.
I wore high collars like you, she thought. To hide the same mark.
It was something only another ex-prisoner would know.
Agatha’s eyes widened. “How do you know about that—!”
She almost confessed before quickly changing her words.
“Y-you misunderstood! She saw something strange in a book yesterday and started saying nonsense! She’s insulting me with that!”
Agatha began to panic as she realized Charlotte was growing suspicious.
But when people panic, they always lose.
“What do you mean, Teacher? Today’s the first time you taught me how to read,” Everett said with an innocent tilt of her head.
Caught.
“You already knew how to read! Don’t lie!”
“How could I? Today’s the first time I ever studied Bastapha language.”
A lie mixed with a bit of truth always sounds more believable.
Everett had learned that the hard way during her trial.
She also knew that to defeat a villain, she had to become one worse.
“Don’t make me laugh!” Agatha’s face turned red like an apple.
“You said something weird after reading the book!”
“I told you, I copied the sentence because I didn’t understand it and wanted to ask you what it meant.”
Everett handed the paper with the written sentence to Charlotte.
Charlotte didn’t know what the words meant — she wasn’t a prisoner — but she could tell Everett wouldn’t have needed to write it down if she could already read.
Her expression grew cold, and Agatha stepped back nervously.
“You knew! You’re pretending not to!”
“If I already knew Bastapha, why would Aunt Charlotte hire you? You think my aunt wastes money?”
Agatha clenched her teeth.
If she said yes, she’d be insulting Charlotte.
If she said no, she’d be admitting she was a criminal.
“N-no… She already knew how to read…” Agatha stammered weakly.
Everett gave the final blow.
“I’ve lived in this mansion all my life. I don’t know anything.”
Charlotte knew that was true. She had locked Everett away in the attic for years, never teaching her anything, treating her like a forgotten child.
That was all the proof she needed.
Charlotte slapped Agatha’s cheek instead of pulling down her collar. Agatha fell to the floor, and Charlotte roughly brushed her hair aside.
There it was — the mark.
The burning wolf Everett had described.
“Y-young Lady… Madam…”
“A criminal pretending to be a teacher?!”
“I didn’t lie! I only— aah!”
Charlotte yanked her hair again, cutting her words off. Her eyes were full of disgust.
You idiot. You got caught by that stupid girl and caused this mess?
Charlotte clicked her tongue. She couldn’t let anyone see that she had hired such a lowly woman.
Even if Everett was usually ignored, letting the servants see this would ruin the family’s name.
“Throw this woman out. Now.”
Charlotte let go of Agatha’s hair and ordered coldly.
“Madam! I only did what you told me — to teach her letters! That’s all!”
Everett softly added, “That’s true. She did teach me. I just spent more time getting hit with her stick than studying.”
She rubbed her arm as if it hurt and let a tear fall.
The atmosphere in the room turned icy cold.
“Ow… It still hurts. Maybe Hedia can treat it for me,” Everett murmured sadly.
Charlotte’s face turned red with anger — not at Everett, but at Agatha.
“Tie this woman up and throw her into the yard!” she shouted.
“And bring me a whip. I’ll punish her myself for daring to deceive the Fellum family!”
The maids quickly tied Agatha’s hands and dragged her away.
Her makeup ran down her face, leaving black tear marks as she screamed.
When the room was finally quiet, only Charlotte’s heavy breathing filled the air.
Everett calmly stood and brushed her hair back.
Charlotte looked worried and patted the dust off Everett’s dress.
“Everett, are you hurt?” she asked softly — far too softly for her.
She had to act kind now. People had seen her mistake.
“She only taught me the Bastapha language,” Everett said. “I guess I asked too many questions, and she got angry.”
“Getting angry at a child for asking questions? A true adult wouldn’t do that. She was a criminal — of course she was small-minded.”
Sounds like you, Everett thought.
“I only wanted to help you learn quickly,” Charlotte said. “Next time, I’ll find you a proper teacher.”
She patted Everett’s shoulder gently, trying to move on.
But Everett wasn’t done.
“I’m fine,” she said softly. “But Father will be upset when he hears this. He trusted you to choose my teacher, and she turned out to be a criminal…”
Everett trailed off meaningfully.
Charlotte froze.
“Everett…? There’s no need to tell the Marquis about this.”
“But Father should know everything that happens, shouldn’t he?”
“He’s very busy. He doesn’t need to worry about small things.”
Everett smiled and lightly held Charlotte’s hand. Her skin was smooth — untouched by hardship. Everett suddenly wanted to ruin that softness.
“Father cared enough to step in when Joanne bullied me,” Everett said sweetly. “I wanted to ask him if I could visit my nanny too. Maybe I’ll tell him both things together.”
“Your nanny… You mean Gemma?” Charlotte asked, pretending to sound affectionate.
“Yes. She left the mansion because her little sister was sick. I can’t sleep because I’m so worried about her.”
Charlotte’s long earrings jingled as she nodded eagerly.
“You should’ve said so earlier. I’ll arrange for you to meet her.”
“Really?”
“Of course. She worked here a long time. If I had known, I’d have sent her off with more money. You can go check how she’s doing.”
“Thank you!” Everett smiled brightly.
“Everett, about today’s incident…”
Charlotte clearly wanted her to promise not to tell the Marquis.
Just a moment ago, you told me not to act above my place, Everett thought with an inward laugh.
Outwardly, she only nodded.
“I understand.”
But then she added sweetly —
“On one condition…”
