“Is that so?”
So that’s it.
“It wasn’t you, Amel.”
Without a single doubt or hesitation, without a follow-up question, my lady simply replied — concise and clear.
Even in this unbelievable situation, everyone present could unmistakably see that my lady intended to trust my words unconditionally.
“A-Ah, my lady! Please, don’t be deceived by Amel! Even Anne and Marie were tricked by her! She’s lying to you, my lady! Look—look at this! Here’s proof that Amel has sticky fingers!”
When the situation began turning against her, Emily, who had been watching nervously until now, suddenly shouted in desperation.
The faint smile that had lingered on my lady’s face vanished completely, but Emily seemed too frantic to notice.
In Emily’s trembling hands gleamed a familiar ruby necklace. It was still as dangerously beautiful as ever.
“I found this ruby necklace on Amel’s bed—”
“Emily.”
My lady’s calm voice called her name once — and Emily fell silent immediately.
Lady Dianther gently took the necklace from Emily’s hands and held it up to the sunlight streaming through the windows.
Even with a slight tilt of the pendant, crimson light rippled outward, scattering dazzling reflections around the room.
Still gazing at the necklace, my lady murmured softly, almost to herself.
“This ruby necklace is your proof that Amel’s a thief?”
“Y-Yes, my lady. So, just like the incident with the macarons before, Amel must have planned everything beforehand and lied to you again—”
“…I can’t understand it.”
Her tone was languid, almost leisurely.
“I truly can’t understand why my own servants think they can play the role of the master.”
Her voice, so calm and out of place for the moment, made the room fall utterly silent.
Everyone stared at my lady in awe.
The silver chain of the ruby necklace slipped gracefully through her pale fingers, and the brilliant red pendant glowed with a splendor that contrasted sharply with her serene, icy image.
Bathed in the slanted afternoon light, she looked breathtakingly cold and beautiful.
Dianther del Aspania — the most beautiful lady in the kingdom of Martina.
Emily, who had been momentarily dazed like the rest of us, finally came to her senses and stammered out in panic.
She had to clear up what she thought was a misunderstanding.
“M-My lady, I—I would never dare think or act so disrespectfully toward you!”
“But Emily, this necklace is one I gifted to Amel. Naturally, it should be in her possession, shouldn’t it?”
“……!”
Emily froze mid-sentence, as if she’d just heard something impossible.
But my lady continued speaking in the same composed tone.
The ruby necklace slipped from her hand with a soft clink and fell back into Emily’s, yet Emily could no longer find joy in holding what she once thought was “proof.”
“I don’t know how this necklace relates to what happened yesterday, but if you were trying to brand Amel a thief and a liar, Emily — you were wrong.”
“M-My lady, I didn’t mean—really—”
“It seems everyone in this estate already knows about last night’s events. What should I do with you, Emily? Tell me how I ought to deal with this.”
Emily, trembling, could only stand pale and speechless.
Watching her, I couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
Foolish girl.
This all began from a simple, foolish thought — that if she humiliated me publicly, my lady would be pleased.
Though more than that, I suppose it was driven by her seething sense of betrayal.
But when the ruby necklace she believed I’d stolen turned out to be a gift from my lady herself, everything fell apart — beyond repair.
Now, Emily’s words no longer mattered.
What mattered was Lady Dianther — and the fact that she believed me, not Emily.
Emily trembled, realizing there was no way out. Her stiff body finally collapsed inward as she clasped her hands and began to sob.
“M-My lady, I’m sorry! Please forgive me! I only did it… hic… for your sake… I—”
“I do not keep those who harm me by my side.”
My lady’s voice, cold and unyielding, made Emily’s head snap up.
At that moment, Meg quietly approached and gave a short bow beside my lady.
Judging from her expression, she had witnessed everything from the start.
Without looking away from Emily, my lady continued,
“…But since you’ve served me faithfully for a long time, I’ll forgive you this once.”
“!”
“Emily, you’ll be confined to discipline for one week. You’ll work alongside the new servants, and afterward, I’ll decide whether to reinstate you as an attendant.”
“M-My lady—”
“Be silent, Emily. Lady Dianther, I apologize for the disturbance. I’ll ensure no more gossip spreads within the estate,”
said Meg, stepping in smoothly to bring order back to the chaos.
Lady Dianther gave a short nod in acknowledgment.
Then she turned and walked toward me.
Her gaze lingered for a long moment. I was still standing there, dripping wet.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
“Amel, your clothes are soaked. Come with me.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
And with that, everything was settled.
In the now-quiet annex hall, only Meg, Emily, and the rest of the servants — all witnesses to what had just transpired — remained.
________✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧𓉞___________
The rooms of the Aspania mansion were enchanted to always maintain the perfect temperature for the season.
I dragged my stiff limbs up to my lady’s chambers. I reached for the door to open it for her, but before I could, she opened it herself. Given the situation, I didn’t dare insist and quietly followed her lead.
As I stepped inside, the room seemed to grow warmer. Maybe because I was still trembling so hard. No matter how I tried to stop, I couldn’t.
The cold I felt now made yesterday’s champagne incident seem almost pleasant.
Even warm water turns cold eventually — and what I’d been drenched in was freezing from the start. No wonder I was shaking.
If it had been midwinter, I might have fainted already.
Click.
The door shut behind us.
“…Haa.”
My lady exhaled a long sigh and walked into the adjoining bathroom. When she returned, she carried a large towel, the thickest blanket, and a soft shawl from the wardrobe.
Approaching me, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, she wrapped the towel around me as if enveloping me completely, gently drying my hair and face.
I wanted to thank her — it felt far too burdensome to let her do something like this herself — but my lips were trembling too much for words to come out.
She simply watched me quietly.
Was she angry about what happened earlier? Frustrated her plan didn’t go as intended? Or maybe…
“You’ll warm up soon. Once you’ve calmed down, rest for the day. You’ll catch a cold.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
“I heard Hazel poured champagne on you at the ball.”
“……”
I’d never told her that. The story must have spread from the banquet hall faster than I expected.
I looked up at her silently.
“You must’ve reacted the same way then as you did now,” she said softly.
“Enduring everything alone without a single complaint — that’s just who you are.”
“I’m fine—”
Fwump.
I froze.
“…I’m sorry, Amel.”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
Her words and actions came so suddenly that I couldn’t react.
My lady was holding me — gently, almost hesitantly — while I stood wrapped in towel and blanket.
What do I do? This… this is too much.
There was no way I could hide my expression now. I had to keep myself from crying — no matter what.
But my vision blurred as tears began to pool despite me.
I lowered my head slightly, avoiding her gaze. Just as I was beginning to calm enough to speak, her next words made my throat tighten all over again.
I’m the fool — not Emily.
Truly, I’m the foolish one.
“Foolish Edward.”
Edward? Why bring up his name now—
I looked up, startled, as she released me. A faint smile curved her lips.
“…Will you scold Edward for me later?”
“…What?”
“You do it, Amel.”
“……”
“Scold him. A lot.”
The words were sudden and strange, but I couldn’t think at all.
Because for just a fleeting moment, I saw something unfamiliar — shimmering faintly within her clear, water-colored eyes.
Something fragile. Something like the look of someone holding back tears.
Dianther del Aspania — the cold, composed noblewoman of Aspania — yet the same woman I’d come to believe would give everything for love, now stood before me in a light I’d never seen before.
I believe, this, too, was her true self.
Without a shadow of doubt.
That day’s events might have temporarily silenced the mansion’s rumors, but as my lady had warned, it wouldn’t last long.
However, because of the way she had handled things, everyone now knew just how much she trusted me.
No one dared mention Emily’s gossip again — not even among themselves in private.
Yet, though they stopped whispering, none of them approached me either.
I had become invisible — a person who existed and yet didn’t.
When I walked into a room, eyes averted, conversations ceased, and they quietly moved away.
Whether they still believed Emily’s words, or simply feared becoming entangled with me, I couldn’t tell.
But on the second day after it all happened, I met Emily in the corridor — and it was far from pleasant.
