Chapter 86
As if she wanted me to believe I had some sort of intention toward her, she revealed her thoughts with striking transparency.
“So, you say I have a lot to say. Did I?”
“You said you wanted to apologize to me. Doesn’t that mean you have a lot to say?”
“Did I say I wanted to apologize? To you?”
As expected, the Grand Duchess clung to her pathetic pride. I hadn’t come here to receive a genuine apology anyway.
I simply wanted to talk to her. This conversation was nearing its end, after all. I couldn’t wait forever for the Grand Duchess to make her move alone. So I silently looked at her.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Well. Perhaps there was some mistake. I don’t think there’s anything for me—the Grand Duchess—to apologize to you for.”
“I see. It seems all the maids serving Your Grace are incompetent. They can’t even properly relay a single message from you.”
Watching her face crumple, I let my feelings show.
Get angrier. Be more furious. Show your true feelings.
“……”
“You must be very generous too, Your Grace. Seeing how you overlook people who make mistakes every time—it’s truly admirable.”
“You sound like you’re mocking me.”
Instead of answering, I smiled. Because I was.
Perhaps fortunately, the Grand Duchess understood my feelings all too well. She struggled with her expression before forcing a smile, as if she had barely managed to rearrange her face.
“Fine… well. Anyway, I came today to talk… so let’s talk.”
She picked up the teacup in front of her and took small sips.
“Won’t you have some tea?”
For a moment, I remembered something the Grand Duke had said before. That the Grand Duchess always offered tea in her garden. This was such a familiar cliché—the classic situation where someone drinks tea in a private garden, something feels off, and trouble follows.
Even if something like that happened to me, it wouldn’t really matter. I could heal myself. I couldn’t help others, but cowardly as it might be, I could protect myself.
So I considered drinking it, then shook my head.
“No. I’m fine.”
I wanted to see how she would react. If the Grand Duke’s guess was right—if she really had such intentions—then she would insist more strongly.
But unexpectedly, she didn’t react much.
“I see. Do as you like.”
Then she reached for the snacks laid out before her. Cookies studded with chocolate chips.
“You may eat if you want.”
Cookies should be fine, right? After a brief hesitation, I picked up one from the side she had been eating from. I crunched on it while looking at her.
“So, how are the children these days?”
“They’re doing well. Lari has woken up now.”
“And she hasn’t said anything?”
“What would she say? She’s been dazed, so she’s just resting these days.”
“I see. Aisha.”
The cookie tasted better than expected. As expected of the Grand Duke’s household—their food was artistry. The slightly bitter chocolate flavor at the end was especially excellent.
“If you had answered me this well from the beginning and told me about the children, perhaps we might have gotten along quite well.”
“I suppose so.”
“I didn’t dislike you that much either. Of course, at first I was annoyed, wondering if there was yet another child besides those twins. An unexpected child appearing out of nowhere is irritating.”
“Did you know? About the twins’ existence?”
“Of course.”
Why was she admitting this so easily now?
“You knew, and still left them there?”
“Yes. I knew everything and still left them there. You must have suspected as much, didn’t you? That’s why you were always so sensitive toward me.”
It was true—but hearing it directly from her felt strange.
“Ah…”
“What, does it feel odd hearing me say all this?”
“…Yes.”
“Then let’s think with that clever head of yours. Why would I tell you this so casually? First possibility: even if you went outside and said, ‘The Grand Duchess told me this,’ no one would listen to a mere child like you.”
That wasn’t entirely wrong—but it wasn’t right either.
If it were the old me, no one would have listened. But not now. The Grand Duke listened to me more than anyone—almost excessively. There was no way she didn’t know that.
I simply looked at her.
“Second. Because you won’t be able to tell anyone?”
“…What do you mean?”
“You’ve been acting so smart, yet nothing comes to mind about this?”
I stared blankly at her. Because I feared it was exactly what I was thinking. Because I feared this woman was truly contemplating something extreme.
“Foolish child.”
“That’s not what you mean, is it?”
“What do you think I mean?”
A path from which one could never return. You could eliminate someone you despised—but in the end, gain nothing from it.
“…It isn’t, right?”
“Well. It seems you’re not completely stupid. The way you’re trembling suggests you’ve guessed what I’m about to do.”
“I hope I’m wrong.”
“Why? Are you afraid? Then you should have known your place. Sometimes, talking to you disgusts me. You’re just an orphan, yet you act like you’re something special.”
I shot up from my seat.
“Please don’t do this.”
There was madness in her eyes. I had expected she might try something the moment I came here—but I hadn’t imagined she would do exactly what I feared.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Harming me won’t benefit you at all. In the end… everything will be revealed… And His Grace the Grand Duke—”
“What? Do you think I should spare you because I’m afraid of him? I have no such intention. If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened. Even if he pretends otherwise, he relied on me. I managed everything in this household. But after you appeared, things changed. Even Lari used to listen to me—yet after you came, she stopped listening altogether…”
As if overwhelmed by stress, she began clawing at her own hair.
“It’s so infuriating. Who do they think they are, daring to ignore me? And then handing my responsibilities to that insignificant child? The Grand Duke looked down on me, saying I couldn’t even do what an eight-year-old could…”
“So that’s why—you did that to Lari?”
“What?”
“You were the one who put Lari to sleep… who tried to kill her. Wasn’t it you?”
“Yes. That’s right. So what? If she had listened to me, nothing would have happened. This is all because of you. Do you know that? If not for you, Lari would never have suffered that.”
“You’re incredibly shameless. Blaming even that on me.”
I let out a dry laugh as I looked at her.
“Shameless?”
“Yes. I already knew. That you put the seed inside Lari’s doll. That’s why she kept falling asleep.”
“I thought you had investigated somewhat. But it seems you’re the only one who knows about it.”
“That’s…”
“Oh, perhaps that lowborn knight out there knows too. But if the two of you disappear together, no one will know, will they?”
“…You’re planning to harm Rex too?”
I could understand targeting me. I had ruined everything for her. But touching Rex was unforgivable.
“Why? Going to ruin everything again with that insolent behavior?”
“…There’s no need to involve Rex.”
“Well. I don’t like either of you.”
“…What are you going to do to me? Lock me up like you did the children through the orphanage director?”
“How did you find out I was behind that? Though there’s no need to go through the trouble of imprisoning you. It took manpower—and even involved someone I didn’t want to use. I’ll simply kill you. You won’t be lonely, though. I’ll say that man Rex drove you to it and send you along with him.”
“And what exactly can you do after saying all this—”
That was when it happened. As I spoke, my mouth felt paralyzed. I stared at her silently.
“Isn’t it amusing? I figured you were smart enough not to drink the tea. And as expected, you didn’t. But foolishly, you ate the cookies I was eating.”
“Th… that… was… together…”
“I took the antidote beforehand. You pretended to be clever, yet you’re so very foolish.”
I looked at her quietly. The strength was draining from my body.
“Lift her up. You stupid child. You’ve fallen into your own trap.”
“Even… if you do this… everything will… be revealed…”
“Will it? I wonder. Aisha. Without you, they’ll all listen to me like fools. The Grand Duke used to do exactly that before you came. So there’s nothing to worry about.”
