Chaper 43
“By now, they should have arrived.”
I continued staring at the lounge door, which remained firmly shut.
Samantha, glancing at where my eyes were fixed, snapped irritably:
“Don’t try anything foolish! If you’re trying to scare us like this…!”
“Whether it’s foolish or not, that’s for me to decide.”
At that moment, the lounge door opened, and Linette appeared, her face radiating pure anger.
“Sa… Saint…!”
Samantha jumped back, bowing her head in surprise.
The other maids likewise lowered their heads, each trying to avoid eye contact.
’My savior has appeared!’
I bounced forward excitedly toward Linette.
“Saint!”
“Teacher, what on earth is going on? Is everything I heard true?”
“Yes, that’s right. Everything happened exactly as Sara said.”
I smiled faintly at Sara, who was standing behind Linette. Sara returned the smile brightly.
I proceeded to give Linette additional details about the incident.
“So that’s the case.”
After hearing my explanation, Linette’s gaze turned exceedingly fierce.
’She really takes after Eclipse in that regard.’
Look at that cold gaze… how could someone resemble her brother so perfectly?
I stepped back quietly, letting Linette take the spotlight for this scene’s climax.
“…….”
With the click-clack of her heels against the floor, all eyes focused on Linette.
Her aura was untouchable, noble, and commanding.
“You were surely brought here by Mother’s arrangement, weren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Yes, Saint! It’s an honor that you remember us!”
Seeing the three of them bow helplessly was almost too satisfying.
Linette’s gaze swept down over the maids, frigid and cutting.
Strangely, her beauty seemed to peak when she wore that cold, stern expression.
In other words, it was very effective at intimidating others.
“…….”
Linette finally spoke after a tense silence, her words deliberate.
“You dared to slander and scheme against not just my brother but those who served him as well.”
“We never did such a thing…”
“N-No! That’s absolutely false!”
Samantha hurriedly responded, but before she could continue, Dayna suddenly interjected:
“On the contrary, it’s us who were slandered, Saint! We never did such a thing. Please, believe us!”
At Dayna’s shrill, rapid-fire voice, Linette’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Someone quiet her down.”
“Yes, Saint!”
I quickly cast a silence spell on Dayna, faster than anyone could react.
Under the spell, Dayna flopped her mouth open like a dumbfounded goldfish.
“Much better. Thank you, Teacher.”
“You’re welcome.”
I stood behind Linette, puffing up with pride as I stared down the three maids.
The moment the trio realized we were completely on the same side, their faces turned ghostly pale.
“So, you claim my subordinate’s words are all lies?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
At this point, would they really dare lie? They should have confessed already.
Squinting, I glanced at Emma, who was trembling flat on the floor.
I wondered what would come out of her mouth.
“And… yes, that’s correct.”
Wow. The world… my expectations had been completely wrong.
Since it had come to this, they were even daring to speak up. Truly impressive.
’Let’s hear it then.’
Did they know? That their fate could swing wildly depending on how they phrased their words?
From what I could tell, the minimum punishment would be suspension, the maximum, execution.
’Whatever they choose now, it seems bound to end badly.’
Even though Linette rarely mistreated her staff, the actions of these three had far exceeded the line.
After all, they had crossed Linette’s personal limit—Eclipse.
’How could they pick exactly the wrong things to do?’
It seemed their fate was sealed.
I shook my head as I continued watching the three trembling maids.
“We were merely enforcing the late Grand Duchess Eilen’s wishes and overseeing the servants.”
“Your… mother’s wishes?”
Her words made me startle. I hadn’t expected Eilen to be mentioned here.
’Are they trying to survive by invoking Eilen?’
Upon hearing Emma’s words, Linette’s eyes narrowed dangerously. It was obvious that her anger was rising.
“Go on.”
Remarkably, Linette suppressed the fury swelling from head to toe.
I began to fear when this Linette volcano would erupt. My heart pounded; it felt like it could explode at any moment.
Ah, no… not “explode.” That’s ominous.
“You… are the only legitimate heir of the Reder Ducal family, aren’t you?”
And there it was—a colossal bomb from the start.
’I can’t believe she said that right away. Game over.’
I inhaled sharply, watching closely to see how this would unfold.
“Of course, Eclipse currently holds the ducal seat, but Linette, who carries Eilen’s blood, is truly a member of the Reder Ducal family. As Eilen repeatedly stated, we guided the servants with this belief in mind…”
“Shut your mouth.”
The moment Linette spoke, the entire area fell silent.
I was so shocked that I forgot how to breathe.
Moreover, her magic surged violently, threatening to spiral out of control.
’This could blow up any moment!’
I moved beside Linette, preparing to restrain her if necessary.
A glance at her eyes… I finally understood what it meant to kill someone with a glance.
“That… really was Mother’s wish?”
“Y-Yes, Saint.”
“So you’re saying my mother, the late Grand Duchess, did not recognize my brother as a family member? And that’s why you acted this way?”
No one answered. By now, they surely understood that speaking would provoke an unpredictable reaction.
“Speak! Why are all your mouths sealed when there are so many openings?”
Finally, the volcano erupted.
Linette shouted in a voice choked with fury.
’…!’
The magic surrounding Linette visibly rippled. Not only her magic, but unrefined divine power as well, all mixed together.
’This is bad!’
Her emotional upheaval caused the divine power and magic to churn violently, ready to explode.
No! If this immense power goes out of control… everyone here could be in danger! This wasn’t part of the plan!
My plan to calmly watch Linette’s action spectacle was completely ruined.
I clutched her arm desperately, pleading:
“Saint, please calm down. It’s too dangerous beyond this point.”
“Calm down? After hearing that, you’re telling me to calm down? These people dared to slander my brother in front of me using my mother’s name!”
“Ah….”
Linette’s gaze had lost all rationality.
It was my first time seeing her like this, and I couldn’t help but be terrified.
’Oh, right. Linette doesn’t know that Eilen abused Eclipse.’
In the original story, Linette learned that after Eclipse died.
’What do we do now?’
The Linette before me would feel no less pain. Though harsh, this truth was inevitable…
’For now, I need to calm her down.’
If I told her about that fact now, things would escalate to the worst possible outcome.
I pleaded desperately:
“Forgive me for saying this, but Sara also mentioned something similar.”
“What…?”
“She said the servants taken in by the late Grand Duchess continued to look down on the Duke even after her passing. Sara, too, suffered mistreatment after serving His Highness.”
