Chapter 19
The Winter Tower was bitterly cold.
If only to forget the chilly wind seeping through the only window, I delved into my thoughts tens, hundreds, thousands of times.
Why did father have to be killed?
The father I knew was gentle in nature, not the kind of person to incur hatred.
So I changed the direction of my thoughts.
To: Who would have reason to frame me?
There were many who saw me as a thorn in their side.
The first candidate that came to mind was Her Majesty the Queen.
I’m sorry to say, this was only natural.
The face of that young lady, bewildered as she looked down upon her fiancé’s affair and its illegitimate result, is still vivid whenever I close my eyes.
She was the one who suffered because of my existence but, finding it even more painful to part from father, had long ago made her peace with reality and decided to use me to solidify her image as a benevolent queen.
I considered candidates like the Pardis ducal house, the Queen’s family, and the numerous nobles whose names and faces were hard to remember.
No matter that I’m an illegitimate child, wasn’t I still a princess of a nation?
My potential utility was infinite.
Especially in politics and diplomacy.
Those fools weren’t so foolish as to waste a useful political tool.
The conclusion was: There is no one with a motive to kill me by framing me as a traitor.
***
“Are you disobeying me now?”
“I mean that I cannot accept this unreasonable treatment.”
“Then prove your innocence.”
Seeing her cross her arms and sneer made my blood boil.
I mustn’t get excited. Everything will go wrong.
I took a deep breath and paused for a moment.
“The Yenenhaft Empire has such an invention, doesn’t it? A magic tool that shows what happened at a specific scene.”
The Yenenhaft envoy had boasted about a tool that was useful in cases where it was difficult to ascertain the truth.
With that alone, the culprit could be caught in an instant.
“Do you think there would be a Yenenhaft item in Kanis? Don’t talk nonsense.”
“This is a case where the symbol of Kanis Castle has been desecrated. Isn’t it only natural to mobilize even foreign tools to get to the truth?”
“How dare a mere foreigner lecture me while invoking the name of Kanis!”
The head maid’s face contorted with displeasure. She flew into a rage, even pointing her finger.
I could endure this kind of humiliation as much as needed.
If only I could clear my name.
***
“Come to think of it, Laythe, why are you here? I’ve never once assigned you near the Ritual Chamber.”
Oh no, she’s going for the weak spot!
“Tell me. Why did you, who should be cleaning the lobby, enter the Ritual Chamber?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Were you aiming for Euerf’s statue from the beginning?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Then give me a proper explanation.”
What do I do?
If I tell the truth, Sonya will be in trouble.
No, it will only put Sonya in danger as well.
This must have been a trap set for me from the start.
Look. The corners of the head maid’s mouth are rising. As if she’s seized the advantage.
“Everything about this is suspicious, from start to finish. Girls!”
At the head maid’s command, the maids who had hesitated rushed at me again. I picked up my crutch, intending to block their approach.
“Stay still!”
But soon, a hand shot out from behind my shoulder and grabbed my wrist. It was a brutal strength. Unable to bear the pain, I dropped what I was holding.
“Let go of this!”
“If you don’t want to get hurt, come along quietly.”
I was dragged away, held by no less than four people. I was furious. At the reality that I couldn’t even kick with my leg in this state.
At times like this, I resented the fact that I had no special abilities.
But I had no intention of obediently being driven out. Baring my fangs, I prepared for a last-ditch struggle.
***
“What is all this commotion?”
That’s when it happened.
A cool baritone voice brushed over my head. Everyone instinctively held their breath.
As if engraved in their genes, they split to either side, clearing a path, and bowed.
Forgotten even my struggles, I was mesmerized by the imposing figure of a man dressed in black hunting clothes.
“It seems there was a problem while I was away from the castle.”
When did he return?
Behind him, I could also see Fritz holding documents.
Perhaps he came here to enter the secret space like last time?
“L-Lord of the House. You’ve return…ed…”
“Explain.”
Cutting her off, his steps approached without hesitation. The closer he got to the Ritual Chamber, the stiffer Ash Kanis’s expression became.
I could even hear the head maid swallowing hard.
“Laythe Tiel broke the statue of Euerf.”
Though trying her utmost to appear calm, the head maid’s voice trembled unprecedentedly.
No wonder, since Ash Kanis’s gaze left the door gap open just a hand’s breadth and shot directly to the head maid’s face.
“By what means?”
“Pardon?”
“Tch.”
A pallor of fear rippled across people’s faces.
“Let’s ask the person involved directly.”
He passed the head maid and stood before me.
“Euk…!”
As if shadows had sprouted thorns, the maids swiftly released my arms and stepped back. Having lost my support, I couldn’t maintain my balance.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact on my buttocks.
“Hm?”
But there was no pain. When I opened my eyes, swaying gray hair was right before my nose.
“L-Lord of the House?”
Surely he wasn’t planning to uphold his belief that a woman shouldn’t sit on the bare floor?
Didn’t he not want others to see?
“Answer me. Did you break the statue of Euerf?”
For a moment, his voice seemed sweet. The eyes holding reddish pupils curved into a crescent close up.
What? This man, he can smile like this too?
“N-no.”
“Is that so?”
His tone, as if he knew everything, was also unfamiliar.
But something else bothered me more. His arm holding my thigh seemed to be tensing.
Is it my imagination?
“Lord of the House, there is a witness here.”
It seemed the head maid was determined to pin me as the culprit to the end.
The maid who had gathered people with her scream stepped forward.
“Laythe was…”
“Did she use monstrous strength to push the statue over?”
“Pardon?”
“You said you’re a witness.”
“Uh… I just saw Laythe coming out of the Ritual Chamber right after the sound of the statue breaking…”
“So you didn’t see it directly.”
As if there was no more to hear, Ash Kanis waved the back of his hand dismissively.
“So what did you see there?”
The direction of the questioning returned to me.
“Fragments of the statue. When I opened the door, it was already broken.”
“I see.”
Is that really it? That wasn’t an interrogation?
It was the first time my words were accepted in a situation like this, leaving me only dazed.
“However, Lord of the House, Laythe is in charge of cleaning the lobby today. Her motive for coming all the way here is suspicious.”
Absent from her post.
This much, even he probably couldn’t cover for me.
Although, to begin with, I couldn’t understand why he was steering the conversation in my favor.
Thinking that I couldn’t avoid punishment, big or small, gave me a headache.
Still, I should be grateful it would be lighter than the crime of destroying the Kanis family’s symbol.
“Her motive, you say…”
Ash Kanis’s eyes darkened as he repeated the words.
Surely he’s not going to fall for the head maid’s intention hook, line, and sinker?
“Perhaps that child is a spy…”
“I know about it.”
Suddenly, a voice interjected, drawing all eyes in one direction.
A familiar face cautiously raised her hand and walked forward.
It was the maid who worked in the dining hall, the one who had secretly shared carrots with Kkamang.
“Speak.”
“Yes. Actually, I was the one who asked Laythe to go.”
What is she saying? I haven’t even made eye contact with this person today, let alone had a conversation.
“Why did you make such a request?”
At the reproachful question, she trembled.
“Sonya… I mean, that child’s roommate left cleaning supplies in the dining hall. Since she was on duty for the Ritual Chamber today, I thought she would definitely need them, so I made an unreasonable request of Laythe.”
Ash Kanis’s gaze moved.
Toward the crutch and basket spewing cleaning tools scattered on the floor.
“If punishment is deserved for the reason of coming here, it should be me who receives it.”
“As one devoted to the Kanis family, you fulfilled your responsibility. I will let it pass.”
“Thank you.”
Fortunately, the spy allegation was shed.
But the real culprit was watching the situation leisurely.
Having targeted me, the head maid would tenaciously cling to me.
What should I do?
“Ahem, ahem. I’d like to point out something everyone seems to have missed in their surprise.”
Fritz, who had been quietly observing the situation, subtly intervened.
“I’ve sprained my ankle before, so I know well—if you need crutches to walk, you can’t put any weight on that foot at all.”
He was right. Leaning on one foot, the door had only opened a palm’s width at most.
“And with those limbs that look like they’d break if you fell, what could you break? If it were the work of a fairy living in Kanis Castle, that would be another story…”
…Out of nowhere, what’s this about fairies? Isn’t that a ghost story associated with Kanis Castle?
Anyway, no one refuted his words after that.
Even the head maid bit her lower lip and remained silent.
The moment I sensed her defeat, Ash Kanis delivered the verdict.
“I will investigate the details myself. Dismissed.”
