Episode 15
Running alongside Betty, Albus was thinking frantically. He needed a wizard to inspect the spell on the study anyway.
*‘Before that, I have to find out what Latia stole!’*
If it was a dossier exposing a noble’s weaknesses or an item put up as collateral, things would become incredibly troublesome.
*‘Family or not, there’s nothing good about her knowing the precise weaknesses of the nobles I’ve taken hold of!’*
As soon as Albus reached Reicina’s room, he flung the door open without even knocking.
“Reicina!”
“My lord Marquis, welcome.”
Reicina hurried into Albus’s arms. Betty’s eyebrow twitched for a moment, but no one noticed.
Reicina spoke weakly.
“I know you’re busy, but I simply couldn’t handle her. How could she even think of barging into your study…?”
Albus turned sharply toward Latia, who was kneeling with a pale face. Her small shoulders trembled.
“And Latia doesn’t even want to admit her wrongdoing.”
“I—I truly…!”
“There, again! Another lie! How can everything that comes out of your mouth be a lie?”
Latia tried to speak, but Reicina cut her off sharply.
Albus immediately moved to check what Latia had stolen. Luckily, before he had to interrogate Reicina, the item came into view.
Right there in front of Latia’s knees—Siren’s magic potion, rolling on the floor!
*‘That’s…!’*
Siren’s magic potion was extremely expensive and was under the direct management of the Imperial Castle. It wasn’t something a child like Latia could get her hands on. And Albus kept the potion he received from Count Raumdissel in none other than his study.
The moment he realized that, Albus exploded in fury like a volcano.
“Latiaaaa!”
His thunderous roar filled Reicina’s chamber as though it would burst the room apart. Even Reicina, nestled in his arms, jolted in fright.
“You dared to enter my study without permission!”
He pushed Reicina aside and strode toward the trembling Latia. Then he seized the terrified girl by the collar and hauled her to her feet.
“Ugh…!”
Latia winced in pain, but Albus, blinded by rage, didn’t see it.
“You don’t even try to hide your lowborn nature!”
Lowborn nature?!
Those words were essentially a public declaration that Latia was illegitimate. Latia’s eyes trembled, and everyone in the room held their breath.
Albus shouted,
“How dare you steal? Do you even understand whose room you snuck into?!”
“I—I… F-Father…”
Latia tried to explain, but Albus didn’t allow even that.
“Latia! If you cannot suppress your vulgar blood, then it must be because your nursemaid taught you poorly!”
Albus knew well that Latia adored her nanny, Susan. People who steal and stay silent—torture is useless on them.
*‘Only when you destroy what they cherish do they finally speak.’*
A child would be no different.
“Beat Susan and throw her into the underground prison! And lock Latia in her room! Don’t give her even a sip of water until she tells the truth!”
At Albus’s booming order, despair washed over Latia’s and Susan’s faces. Meanwhile, Reicina and Betty lit up with satisfaction.
Afterward, Albus snatched up the potion rolling near Latia’s feet and hurried to the study.
*‘I need to check if she stole more or looked through anything!’*
But when he returned to the study…
“…What is the meaning of this?”
The Siren’s potion that Latia supposedly stole was still there exactly as he had stored it.
Albus summoned a wizard just in case to inspect the traces of footsteps inside the study. But no matter how thoroughly the wizard checked, neither Latia’s nor Susan’s footprints were found.
“There are only your footprints and those of one maid, my lord.”
“Probably the maid I called earlier for an errand.”
The wizard inwardly tilted his head.
*‘But she came and went far too many times for that… Well, it shouldn’t matter.’*
Given how large the mansion was, perhaps there were simply many errands. Without thinking too deeply, the wizard left.
Albus then compared the potion from Count Raumdissel with the one taken from Latia several times. Eventually, he shrugged and put both back into the drawer.
“She must have stolen it from somewhere else. How could she get such an expensive potion when she has no allowance?”
Even if she hadn’t entered the study, the crime of coveting others’ belongings was still great. Albus did not withdraw the punishment he had issued for Latia and Susan.
—
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I didn’t even know how I got back to my room.
Curling up on the sofa, I bit my lip. It wasn’t because my ankle throbbed from being dragged from Mother’s room.
“Susan must be… right now…”
Betty had dragged Susan away while sneering at her.
*‘You should’ve sided with the right person.’*
To make things worse, Betty would be the one administering the beating. There would likely be no uninjured place left on Susan’s body.
Imagining Susan being locked in the cold underground prison with her battered body made me hate myself even more.
“It’s all my fault… If only I had hidden the potion more carefully…”
I buried my face in my arms wrapped around my knees. I knew Betty would act eventually.
But this quickly? And in the *worst* possible way?!
Pressing my heated forehead against my forearms, I gritted my teeth.
“I didn’t think Betty would go so far as to mess with my room.”
I knew Betty was greedy.
*‘My lady is so pale—gold accessories don’t suit you at all. Something like this suits someone with healthy skin… like me.’*
She would casually try on expensive jewelry.
*‘Goodness, look how well this suits me! My lady, doesn’t it look wonderful on me?’*
And she would subtly ask me to give it to her.
In my previous life, while tormenting Karsian, I grew close to Betty and even gifted her jewelry with a happy heart. But I never imagined she would steal from me on top of that.
No—did I really not know?
If I had just thought a little deeper, I could have guessed she had sticky fingers.
“Stupid Latia…”
A self-mocking sob slipped into my voice.
Why am I so stupid?
I came back in time, yet nothing has changed. In my previous life and this one, I’m equally foolish.
“Prrt…”
Did he sense something was wrong?
Pirori chirped anxiously.
Come to think of it, I promised him something tasty when I returned…
I lifted my head. Pirori peeked out from the basket, watching me with glossy obsidian eyes.
“Pirori, I’m sorry.”
“Pree?”
“I can’t give you anything tasty.”
“Preee?”
“Father ordered them not to give me even a drop of water.”
I let out a bitter laugh. Pirori’s body suddenly elongated in shock, as if saying, *‘What kind of nonsense is that?!’*
Reading the word “nonsense” in a bird’s expression—despite myself, a short laugh escaped. But it didn’t last. The helplessness and gloom swallowed me again.
When I buried my face in my arms—
“Prrit!”
Pirori flew over and perched on my forearm. I looked at him with dull eyes.
*‘What on earth happened?’*
He tilted his head repeatedly, as though asking exactly that.
Reading even a bird’s expressions… ridiculous.
Maybe it was just my imagination. But right now I didn’t care who it was—I just needed someone to listen. So I spoke to Pirori as if whining.
“Because of me, Susan is being beaten.”
“Prrr?”
“The maid Betty trapped me.”
“Prrr…”
Pirori’s black eyes darkened, as if he had guessed something. I gently rubbed his tiny head with my fingertip as I continued.
“Betty sneaked into my room and stole the potion.”
“Preee! Pri! Prik!”
Pirori stomped his feet furiously. I could practically read his expression: *‘I knew it!’*
He must have seen her stealing while he was in the room.
“Why did you let her steal it? You could have flapped your wings or pecked at her to chase her away…!”
My bitterness spilled over, unfairly blaming Pirori. But the surge of emotion faded quickly.
“…No. You were hiding so you wouldn’t be discovered. I hid you because it would cause trouble for me if they found you.”
I really was an evil supporting character. How else could my thoughts always twist this way?
In a damp voice, I apologized.
“Sorry. When things get bad, I start blaming others.”
Pirori pecked at my fingers as if telling me it was fine, that I could blame him more, that it was his fault. But that wasn’t the answer, so I didn’t blame him further.
Even after venting to Pirori, the gloom didn’t fade.
“Haa…”
A heavy sigh escaped me.
