~Chapter 123~
Ch 6. The Scoundrel Duchess Beats Trash Instead of Testing a Stone Bridge
Time passed quickly, and the day of the orphanage inspection arrived.
When I saw Mariana outside the palace after a long time, I was shocked. She had clearly lost weight during her confinement.
But before I could speak, Mariana screamed.
“Oh my goodness, Elysia? What happened to your beautiful face?!”
Her maids screamed as well.
“We heard rumors, but we didn’t know you were hurt this badly! Are you alright?!”
“No matter how I think about it, the Imperial Army is at fault! Anyone who sees this face and still says the Duchess was wrong deserves to die!”
“Wait, say that on the right side! Her Majesty warned us!”
“Right, right! We’re so sorry…!”
“It’s alright…”
Mariana’s maids were exhausting in a completely different way from Rosalind’s.
Rosalind’s maids used to pick fights with me over every small thing. But Mariana’s maids were emotional to the extreme.
Two of them were already close to tears as they looked at my bruised face.
Seeing that I was getting dizzy, Isabella stepped in.
“It’s actually much better now. At first, it was so serious that even I almost cried seeing it.”
Mariana sighed heavily.
“My niece was injured like this, and I couldn’t help at all…”
“Please don’t feel too bad. It wasn’t only bad things that happened.”
The bruises still hurt.
Thanks to Brother Matteo, I recovered faster, but my left ear still could not hear well.
But because of this injury, Edwin confessed to me, and…
“Oh… well, you do look different somehow.”
“That’s good, then.”
Mariana and Isabella exchanged a certain look when they saw my ears turning red.
Actually, Caterina was the best at making that subtle smile.
As if thinking the same thing, Mariana asked,
“How is Princess Caterina?”
“She is staying at our family’s townhouse. She was very disappointed that she could not join today’s inspection.”
Mariana sighed.
“She is in such a difficult position.”
From the moment the marriage between Charles II and Rosalind was mentioned, we knew Caterina’s situation could become even more dangerous.
At first, I planned to protect her. But too many eyes were already on the Lombard family.
So we decided it would be safer for her to stay with the Ferrand family, who were more distant from the center of trouble. Isabella, her relative, took responsibility for her.
“Let’s talk about details later.”
There were too many people watching.
As the Empress leading a social event, Mariana could not speak with only one or two people for long. She turned away.
The noblewomen gathered in groups bowed when they saw her.
“The orphanage inspection will last two days. It will be tiring, but helping the poor is our important duty. Please do your best.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The inspection itself was simple.
The real administrative work was handled by palace officials. The Empress and the noblewomen only checked if the orphanage was running well and sometimes handed out meals.
And finally, we donated money—my precious gold coins!
In short, it was an event to show to the public.
Unlike the Lombard inspections, I felt very relaxed.
Before I intervened, Lombard’s administration had been messy. It had improved, but problems still appeared from time to time.
But in the imperial palace, procedures were strict and audits were thorough. I heard that it was almost impossible for officials to embezzle funds.
Even the Empress’s visit was announced in advance. If there were problems, they would have time to prepare.
What could possibly go wrong here?
With a light heart, I stepped into the orphanage.
“It is a great honor to welcome such distinguished guests!”
“Please come this way. We have prepared everything for your inspection.”
The manager and staff were already waiting at the entrance.
We listened to explanations about their charitable activities and first visited the ward for sick patients.
The rooms were clean. There was not even a speck of dust on the floor. The patients looked well cared for.
Next, we went to the storage room where food supplies were kept.
Inside were piles of flour sacks. The manager proudly opened a few and showed us the contents.
“Our imperial orphanage is on a different level from those outside institutions.”
“His Majesty values helping the poor very much. Even the flour we provide is of good quality.”
“It does look fine,” Mariana nodded.
It was not the pure white flour that nobles ate. It was slightly yellow, probably mixed with bran. But for free flour given to the poor, it was quite decent.
It was the same quality commoners in the capital ate daily.
But my expression grew even colder.
‘God… why do you show me this kind of mess wherever I go…?’
Perhaps my feelings showed on my face, because Mariana called me.
“Elysia? Do you see something strange?”
The manager bowed deeply to me.
“You must be the Duchess of Lombard, niece of Her Majesty. If there is anything lacking, please speak freely.”
But my eyes stayed on the flour sacks.
The warehouse was full of identical sacks. Yet instead of the nutty smell of grain, there was a damp, earthy smell.
High nobles who never entered such places might not notice.
But I knew this smell too well.
It was the smell of embezzlement.
‘Should I pretend not to know?’
I seriously considered it.
This was not Lombard. Why create trouble for myself?
But if the weak patients kept eating this, they would surely become ill.
My cursed conscience stabbed me.
If I didn’t know, it would be one thing. But now that I did, I could not ignore it.
Damn it, God…
“I would like to see the other sacks opened as well.”
“Of course. Being careful is a good thing.”
The manager opened other sacks nearby. The staff randomly pulled more sacks and showed us the contents.
They looked no different.
Mariana seemed relieved. But I was not.
I called Gareth, who was standing guard.
“Move all the sacks near the entrance outside.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Gareth, who had long since entrusted all thinking to me, began moving the sacks without question.
The manager and staff rushed forward in panic.
“D-Duchess of Lombard? Please wait! You have already checked the flour’s quality!”
“There’s no need to disturb what we arranged so carefully!”
Even Mariana, who had been watching in confusion, sensed something wrong.
“My niece’s will is my will. Remove all the sacks at the warehouse entrance.”
The knights obeyed.
The manager and staff stomped anxiously.
Some noblewomen close to Rosalind whispered loudly on purpose.
“How will the Duchess handle this?”
“Why does she need to? She is His Majesty’s only niece. Only our feet will hurt from standing.”
I ignored them.
Soon, even the faint grain smell disappeared completely.
Now the damp, earthy odor filled the air.
“Sir, give me your sword.”
“Here.”
I took the dagger from Gareth and, without hesitation, sliced open the side of a sack.
From inside fell a powder completely different in color from what we had seen before—
mixed flour with lime and dirt, pouring onto the floor.
