Chapter 8 – English Translation
“It was definitely in the jewelry box this morning, but when I opened it to take something out… h-hic.”
Just as Lizaina said, the jewelry box was so empty it was embarrassing to call it the possession of a princess of a nation.
“It doesn’t seem that only the emerald bracelet is missing.”
At the head maid’s cold remark, the servants tensed up. But before any interrogation could continue—
“This is terrible, Head Maid! The ducal treasures!”
More news of theft arrived.
“…You’re saying the Mason ducal treasures have gone missing?”
Lizaina’s eyes wavered.
Seeing the confusion mixed into her gaze, she truly looked like an innocent victim in this matter.
“How very amusing.”
The Marchioness of Devon, who had been idly fluttering her fan, spoke for the first time.
“You’re Princess Lizaina, was it?”
She was the younger sister of Edwin’s mother, the late Grand Duchess of Mason, and the true power behind the ducal house.
“I’ve been coming and going from the Mason estate for over twenty years, from when my sister was still alive until now, and this is the first time I’ve seen so many of its treasures disappear at once.”
“….”
“Perhaps this is the price of welcoming the wrong kind of guest.”
At words that seemed to blame herself, Lizaina bit down hard on her lip.
The questioning didn’t end there.
“Moreover, it’s strange that the artifacts with historical value are untouched, while only jewel-adorned ornaments have disappeared.”
As the head maid’s gaze lingered on her while checking the remaining treasures and jewelry, Lizaina suddenly cried out as if in a fit.
“This is a frame-up!”
“And who, pray tell, would go so far as to frame the princess?” the Marchioness of Devon asked.
At her words, Lizaina slowly turned her head.
“This is too cruel, Your Highness! Eddie and I are nothing more than pure friends! How could you do this to me?!”
At her blatant accusation aimed directly at Trisha, the room fell silent.
“So what the princess is saying is that the Grand Duchess orchestrated this incident to frame you—is that it?”
Interest flickered in the Marchioness of Devon’s eyes, and Lizaina, brimming with confidence, nodded.
“If I were the culprit, I wouldn’t have committed such an act knowing I’d be the first suspect! And more importantly—”
Lizaina pointed to the table where the ornaments and treasures were laid out.
“You said earlier that the historically valuable artifacts were left behind while only jeweled ornaments were taken. But if you look closely, there are still some diamond and ruby pieces left.”
“They might have missed a few in their haste. What of it?” the Marchioness replied indifferently.
“Pearls.”
At her question, it was Trisha who answered.
“Especially black pearls. There isn’t a single one left. In Ephelverno they’re common and not particularly valuable, yet they took every last one.”
Because Trisha had gone in and out of this room countless times over the past few years as Grand Duchess of Mason, even the head maid nodded in agreement.
“Now that you mention it, it is strange that not a single pearl-adorned treasure or ornament remains.”
“Pearls are the most precious jewels in Solten! Especially black pearls—they’re incomparable to any other gem!”
Lizaina continued eagerly.
“I’ve heard that Your Highness grew up in Solten as a child. Then you would naturally know how precious black pearls are there, wouldn’t you?”
“……”
“Isn’t that right?”
At Lizaina’s insistence, Trisha’s face stiffened.
She nearly let out a hollow laugh.
I thought this time might be different.
In the past as well, Lizaina had lost the emerald bracelet that was a Mason family heirloom.
And to escape Edwin’s wrath, she had framed Trisha.
The details were different, but her intent—to escape the crisis by blaming Trisha—hadn’t changed at all.
“The Grand Duchess grew up in Solten?” the Marchioness of Devon scoffed.
She had always looked down on Trisha, the daughter of a foreigner, and sneered at her jet-black hair as something base.
“I knew the Grand Duchess was the daughter of an outsider, but this is the first I’ve heard that she grew up in Solten.”
Her tone made it sound as though Trisha had just gained yet another weakness, and Lizaina grew more confident.
With Edwin absent, the real power in the ducal house is the Marchioness of Devon. If only she takes my side…
“Of course you’ve never heard it before,” Trisha said calmly.
“Because I’ve never grown up in Solten.”
“…What?”
“What did you say?!”
Facing both the Marchioness of Devon and Lizaina, Trisha continued explaining in a gentle tone.
“I think the princess is mistaken. I’ve never even been near Solten. It’s embarrassing to say, but my circumstances weren’t comfortable when I was young, so I never had the chance to board a ship. As I grew older, I lived only in the count’s estate before marrying Edwin straightaway.”
“That—that can’t be… no! The maids definitely said—!”
“The maids were probably talking about someone else.”
As Trisha slowly lifted her head and fixed her gaze on someone, Lizaina followed her line of sight.
“As far as I know, the head maid grew up in Solten as a child.”
“……”
“Isn’t that right?”
Biting her lip, the head maid slowly nodded at Trisha’s words.
“…Yes. That’s correct. My maternal grandfather was from Solten.”
From the moment Lizaina had mentioned how precious black pearls were in Solten, the head maid’s expression had frozen.
“Head Maid! So it was you who did this! Why are you doing this to me?!”
Now fully grasping the situation, Lizaina immediately latched onto the head maid.
But this time, even the Marchioness of Devon didn’t take her words seriously.
“To think that a mere guest staying in the ducal house would have the gall to lose the family’s treasures and still act so shamelessly!”
With that, she immediately issued orders to the servants.
“Move all of the princess’s belongings to the annex!”
Though Lizaina was a princess of another country—even if a weak one—and Edwin’s guest, they couldn’t forcibly drag her away.
But once her belongings were sent off, she’d have no choice but to move on her own.
“And as for the head maid, since you failed to properly attend to a guest, you will reflect on your actions while eating nothing but hard bread for a week.”
Perhaps because she had only recently been released after being whipped and confined, only to be punished again, the head maid’s expression darkened.
“…Understood, my lady.”
Unlike the head maid, who headed to the attic on her own, Lizaina resisted to the very end and was ultimately dragged, half by force, to the annex.
Watching the two of them, the Marchioness of Devon clicked her tongue.
Most likely, the head maid was the one behind it.
She had long known that the head maid treated the princess with unusual laxity.
She must have wanted to drive the princess out of the late duke and duchess’s chambers through this incident.
Judging by the fact that she had selectively siphoned off jewels prized in Solten, she may have been planning to drive the final nail in when Edwin returned.
But unfortunately for her, the princess caught on.
Of course, the possibility that this was the princess’s own staged act couldn’t be completely ruled out either.
That was why the Marchioness of Devon had chosen to assert her authority by punishing them both.
“Grand Duchess.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Even Trisha’s obedient reply failed to soften the marchioness’s sharp gaze.
“I stepped in to settle this matter today, but next time, handle it yourself.”
Though she pretended to be relaxed while fluttering her fan, her eyes were busy scrutinizing Trisha’s attitude.
“The mistress of the Mason ducal house is you, the Grand Duchess.”
Of course, if Trisha truly tried to act as the mistress, she wouldn’t let it slide.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Trisha neither affirmed nor denied her words.
Either way, it would mean enduring the Marchioness of Devon’s misplaced anger.
“Good. You may go.”
At the dismissive wave she gave as if shooing a subordinate, Trisha bowed and left the room.
“My goodness! The moment she was cornered, she immediately framed Your Highness—honestly, I was shocked!”
As soon as the door closed, Jane began chattering.
“If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have fallen for it. With acting like that, she’s not a princess—she’s an actress.”
“She was impressive, I’ll give her that.”
“Right? Of course, not enough to compare to Your Highness.”
Trisha burst into laughter at Jane’s prim reply.
“For the time being, everyone will be busy keeping an eye on Princess Lizaina, won’t they?”
Trisha nodded in agreement.
Not just the head maid, but every servant would be watching Lizaina closely.
“The princess may feel wronged, but it’s good for us.”
“Well, it is true that the princess lost the emerald bracelet, after all. We just happened to find it on the black market.”
That was right.
The one who had siphoned off the treasures and ornaments from Lizaina’s room was none other than Trisha herself.
