HNMCEH~65

CHAPTER~65

At Lady Quina’s statement, the hall—previously buzzing with murmurs—fell suddenly silent.
Even the elders stared at Lady Quina in shock.

“W-What do you mean her eyes couldn’t see?
Does that mean Nanny Quina was blind?
No, this is just…!”

“What a shocking revelation.
Our family’s nanny was… Haha, truly unbelievable.”

Most reacted with astonishment and disbelief.
However, in some corners, voices of pity could also be heard, sharply dividing the reactions.

“…That can’t be.”

Artemene looked utterly confused.
It seemed the news about someone who had once been her close friend came as a complete surprise.

And then it happened.
Anselmus, who had remained silent until now, finally joined the conversation.

“Heh heh, if Nanny Quina truly couldn’t see, then doesn’t this become an entirely different problem?
This is deception.
The quality of education, for one, and the issue of—!”

At the same time, Lady Quina calmly cut him off.

“You were already aware of my condition.
All the heads of the household until now knew.
And so did Duke Frezen Decart.”

She looked as though she had anticipated this reaction, showing not a shred of agitation.

“No, that’s just—!”

This time, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Frezen.
He showed no reaction at all.

‘Still, I never imagined she truly couldn’t see.’

I, too, had only learned that Lady Quina was blind through Frezen.
Even during the trial back then, Frezen revealed that he had deliberately kept that fact hidden.

‘The reason the former Dukes and I protected Nanny Quina’s secret was simple.
It was for her honor.
And Nanny Quina herself wouldn’t want that secret exposed either.’

The reason for staying silent had been clear.
To protect her honor as much as possible, and for her sake.

But the reason it was being revealed now was because I had identified the type of poison.
Frezen believed there was a chance to win.

Perhaps this could become an opportunity to finally clear Nanny Quina’s unjust suffering.

“I wasn’t blind from the beginning.
My right eye was weak, but it didn’t interfere much with daily life.”

“…”

“However, I feared I might become a burden to the Duke who took me in and gave me a new life, so I said I would resign from being a nanny.
It was the former Duke who stopped me.”

“From that moment on, I devoted myself as the nanny of the Decart family.
And there was absolutely no issue with my education.”

“Just look at the Duke standing here before you, having grown into such a fine adult.”

The proof of her devotion stood firmly before them as the head of the family.
Who could possibly argue against that?

The elders fell silent, their lips tightly sealed.

“…I completely lost my eyesight three years ago.
Yes.
Around the time when Young Master Felix was poisoned.”

“At some point, I began seeing nothing at all.
It was despairing.”

“…Even so, I wanted to stay a little longer.
Until the very end of my strength.”

Tears had gathered at the corners of Lady Quina’s eyes as she spoke.
She wiped them away with a handkerchief and took several deep breaths.

Of course it was difficult.
She had never intended to reveal that she was blind.

Frezen had personally visited the nursery where Lady Quina stayed to persuade her.
In the end, he succeeded in bringing her here.

Seizing the now-quiet atmosphere, I asked,

“If your vision loss was acquired later on, then was there anything unusual around that time, Lady Quina?”

“It was so long ago that I don’t remember clearly.
But there is something that bothers me.”

“There was a morning when I couldn’t open my eyes at all.
My vision was extremely blurry, and after that, it rapidly worsened.”

This time, it wasn’t me, but Artemene who asked.

“Then what exactly happened that day?
…Quina.
Can you tell us?”

Aunt Artemene looked impatient.
With the truth of that day so close, anyone would feel restless.

“Yes.
That day, as always, I prepared the tea.”

“But as I mentioned earlier, my vision had suddenly deteriorated…
I remember a maid helping me then.”

“She was a child who hadn’t been there long.”

“Do you remember anything about her?
Yes, her voice!”

“Her voice…
Even though she was a young girl, it was slightly hoarse.
At times, it even sounded like phlegm in her throat…”

At that moment, I was certain.
The maid from three years ago and the culprit behind the recent attempted poisoning were the same person.

“I’m certain it’s the same person.
I’ve spoken with that maid myself.”

“If my guess is correct, she may be skilled with medicine, much like me.
Otherwise, there’s no reason she would have been entrusted with such tasks twice.”

As I finished speaking, I discreetly observed the elders’ reactions.
In particular, I watched Anselmus and Uncle Julich in turn.

Both wore unreadable expressions.

Anselmus looked pale, rolling his eyes restlessly, like a dog desperate to relieve itself.
Uncle Julich, on the other hand, was… far too calm.

The complete lack of agitation on his face made me even more suspicious.

“Of course, this is merely speculation.
But if we conduct additional questioning of the maid, we may obtain more information.”

“With that, I’ll take my leave.”

I calmly wrapped things up and returned to my seat.
As I sat down, I felt Frezen’s gentle gaze upon me, making my heart itch strangely.

It felt as though he were saying, ‘Well done.’
A smile naturally formed on my lips.

Before long, the trial reached its final stage.

In the solemn atmosphere, the judge read the verdict.

“Based on the key testimonies, it is clear that the culprit behind the incident three years ago and the current incident is the same individual.
The suspect, Grimora, bears no guilt in this matter.”

“However, for the crime of deliberately confining a minor victim, severe punishment shall be—”

At that moment, Grimora, who had been silent until now, leapt onto the platform.

“I object, Your Honor!
It is unjust for me to be punished alone.
Please allow me to reveal the mastermind here and now!”

Despite the guards’ restraint, Grimora did not budge.
She shook them off and screamed.

“…Three years ago, I was summoned here by the Decart Council of Elders.
By Anselmus Decart!”

“It’s unfair for me to die alone!
Please punish him as well!
I beg you!”

“How dare you, Grimora!
Where do you think you are, behaving so vulgarly—!”

Anselmus jumped to his feet, shouting furiously.

“You!
How could you do that to my sons!
They’re your sons too!”

“W-What are you saying!”

Grimora screamed for him to stop pretending ignorance.
The courtroom descended into complete chaos.

“What are you all doing!
Why hasn’t that vile woman been thrown into prison yet!
Cut out her tongue, at once!”

Anselmus hurled abuse, his face flushed red.

At that moment, someone grabbed Anselmus’s arm.

“…That’s enough, Ansel.
I’d rather this not become any more of a disgrace to the council.”

It was Julich.
Rising from his seat, he spoke in a cold voice.

The other elders clicked their tongues and stood up as well.

“B-Brother, what do you mean…!
No!
Brother, are you abandoning me—!”

Julich shook off Anselmus’s arm and turned away.
The other elders followed him out of the courtroom.

Artemene passed Anselmus with a look of utter contempt.

“And Elder Anselmus shall also be subjected to further investigation.
If guilt is confirmed, he will be punished accordingly.”

“Your Honor!
That can’t be true!
Why would I—!”

The guards entered and dragged both Anselmus and Grimora away.
Despite Anselmus’s resistance, the judge remained unmoved.

With the final strike of the gavel, the trial came to an end.

* * *

Anselmus was placed under additional investigation regarding the allegations.
As the honor of the council was at stake, his expulsion would be decided through an elder assembly.

Everyone watched to see whether the first expulsion would occur within the seemingly impregnable council.

“Ugh… it’s finally over.”

I felt relieved at having achieved my goal, yet a lingering unease remained.
Still, perhaps it was fortunate that things ended this way.

As I stretched, someone hurried over from afar and spoke in a frantic voice.

“M-My lady!
You need to come quickly.
Miss Mela is—!”

* * *

At the same time, Reia was holding Mela’s hand tightly, praying.
She wished fervently for her to wake up soon.

Seeing that bright child lying as still as a corpse was still hard to believe.

‘Please wake up, Mela.
You promised you’d call me sister once you got better.’

At that moment, the door opened again, and someone naturally sat beside Reia.

“I thought I’d read this book to Mela today.
In Loren noona’s place…”

It was Morris.
Reia nodded familiarly and offered a faint smile.

When the adults weren’t around, the two of them often kept watch in Mela’s bedroom together.
Though awkward at first, being close in age allowed them to grow close rather quickly.

Then, in the midst of the lingering awkwardness as they each continued their tasks, Mela’s body rapidly grew cold.

Startled, Reia nudged Morris and waved her hand frantically.

“Huh?
M-Mela!
Are you cold?
Wait, I’ll go close the window!”

Morris immediately jumped up and rushed toward the window.
Reia was flustered, wondering if she should call a physician.

“…”

Strength suddenly returned to the hand she was holding.
Reia froze and slowly turned her head toward Mela.

Mela’s eyelids twitched, then gradually opened.

“…!”

Seeing that, Reia stiffened, her eyes darting back and forth.

Mela woke up.
Mela finally—

“…Ah.”

Reia desperately tried to call out to Morris.
Her heart pounded wildly.