“Furthermore, I have never sponsored the opera troupe run by Lisander Wills. Neither has my mistress, the Grand Duchess Alberic. All of the inquisitor’s claims are mere guesswork.”
“Don’t lie! The witness, the Marquis’s daughter Helena Strand, said she saw the Grand Duchess and the opera director talking with her own eyes in his office!”
“…”
“And according to the witness, the baroness told Lisander Wills, ‘Thank you for the wonderful gift; my mistress was very pleased.’ If the mistress you mentioned isn’t the Grand Duchess Alberic, then who is she?!”
He pointed to Helena, who was sitting in the gallery, and retorted. Helena, confident that this testimony had cornered Grey, put on an arrogant expression.
Ashid watched the situation unfold and let out a small chuckle. It was exactly as the reports from his spies in the Marquis of Cadogan’s household and the temple, as well as the messenger he had bribed from the Strand family, had stated. Richard was making a claim that didn’t differ in the slightest from the information they had secretly given to him. Ashid subtly gestured to Grey with his eyes.
‘Just say what I prepared for you.’
Grey caught his eye and nodded slightly. She put on a troubled expression, frowned slightly, and said, “…Since you already know everything, I cannot hide it any longer. Yes, that’s correct. The mistress I mentioned was indeed my lady, the Grand Duchess Alberic.”
“Hmph, now you’ve decided to tell the truth!” Richard said with a smug attitude.
Daniela’s face darkened, and she bit her lower lip hard. Grey couldn’t possibly be unaware that it would be a problem if she was revealed as Lisander’s sponsor. So why would she give such a testimony? As she stood there flustered, Ashid gave her hand, which he was holding, a firm squeeze. It was as if to reassure her once more. Daniela flinched and turned to look at Ashid, who gave her a relaxed smile as if to show off.
At that moment, Grey opened her mouth.
“However, I didn’t say it in the way the inquisitor believes I did.”
“What?”
“In fact, a few days before the day the witness mentioned, I bought tickets to the opera on the Grand Duchess’s orders. The Grand Duchess had previously gifted a ticket to a certain young lady, and she was very pleased with it.”
Grey continued in a calm, nonchalant voice. “After seeing her reaction, the Grand Duchess ordered me to buy more tickets because she wanted to gift them to ‘someone else.’ I simply followed her orders.”
“…Hah!”
“In other words, what I meant when I thanked the director was for the opera tickets. And when I said my mistress was pleased, it meant that ‘she was pleased that I had successfully obtained the tickets.’ I absolutely did not have that conversation because the Grand Duchess was a sponsor of the opera troupe, as the inquisitor assumes.”
The courtroom stirred at Grey’s testimony. Her explanation was quite convincing. Richard, flustered, hit the lectern threateningly and shouted again, “Hah, you expect us to believe such a far-fetched claim?! If that were true, why did you meet with the director alone in his office?! There was no need to meet privately just to buy tickets!”
“The inquisitor would know that reason better than anyone.”
“What?! What do I know?!”
“The Grand Temple is making such a fuss about the opera’s content, so how could anyone openly go to buy a ticket?”
“…!”
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that the empire’s royalty and nobles wear masks to watch the opera to hide their identities. The Grand Duchess was simply being careful and discreet by taking others’ eyes into consideration.”
“If—if that’s true, where are the tickets the Grand Duchess supposedly bought?! Who were you trying to gift them to?” Richard, cornered, asked, not knowing what else to do.
Just as Grey smiled faintly, Ashid raised a hand and said, “It was me.”
“…!”
“My wife gifted me the tickets that day and asked me on a private date. And these are the tickets.”
Ashid said this, took tickets out from his pocket, and waved them for everyone to see. Daniela’s eyes widened in surprise. She had not expected him to protect her and Grey in such a peaceful way.
‘Wait, this man can solve problems peacefully, too?’
Daniela was flustered but also impressed as she looked at him. Ashid smiled back at her. The people gathered in the courtroom whispered among themselves as they watched them.
“That makes sense.”
“Didn’t I tell you? It seems the Grand Temple held this trial over a ridiculous accusation.”
The whispers reached the ears of the three judges and the inquisitor, Richard. Richard swallowed hard, looking at the judges. Cold sweat was running down his forehead and back. If he just stayed like this, he would surely lose the trial. He had to somehow turn the situation around. He steadied his wavering heart and shouted to the judges, “Your Honors! You cannot simply believe the baroness’s words! As you know, the baroness is the Grand Duchess Alberic’s person! The Grand Duke Alberic may be lying to protect his wife and her retainer!”
“…Hmm.” The judges muttered and exchanged glances. It was as if Richard’s claim held some water.
At that moment, Grey opened her mouth again. “That’s not true. There isn’t an ounce of falsehood in what His Highness Grand Duke Alberic and I have said. It is in fact the Marquis’s daughter, Helena Strand, who is resorting to lies and baseless claims to falsely accuse His Highness Grand Duke Alberic and me.”
“What?! Are you insulting the accuser without any proof?!”
Helena frowned at her words, and Richard, his face flushed, glared at Grey and yelled. One of the judges looked down at Grey with a cold gaze and asked, “Why would the Marquis’s daughter Strand falsely accuse you and the Grand Duke Alberic’s household? Is there any reason for her to do so?”
“Because I know about the Marquis’s daughter’s scandal. Lady Helena planned this whole thing to silence me.”
“…!”
“Th-that’s a lie! I swear I have never done anything to be ashamed of!” Helena stood up and screamed.
The judge paid her no mind and asked Grey, “Do you have any evidence to support that claim?”
“Of course.”
Grey smiled meaningfully and pulled out a bundle of letters from her pocket. The holy knight guarding the courtroom immediately took them and handed them to the judges. The judges quickly opened the letters, and their eyes widened in shock.
“Is—is this true? Are these really the Marquis’s daughter Strand’s letters?”
“Sh-show me too!” Richard anxiously approached the judges and reached out his hand. He checked the contents of the letters, and his face turned pale.
[…Though we’ve only ever run into each other at parties, the other day was the first time the Marquis of Cadogan and I had a proper conversation. Why are we so helplessly drawn to each other? Perhaps it’s because we’re destined to be together.]
[…I want to see you even when I’m looking at you. Is this love? It’s a shame that we can only exchange sweet nothings through letters.]
[I am sorry to Lady Claire, but I am confident that my love for the Marquis of Cadogan is greater than hers.]
[Due to the circumstances of our families, the Marquis has no choice but to marry a woman he doesn’t love, but please don’t turn away from me and my love. Yours, Davis.]
They were love letters Helena Strand had sent to the Marquis of Cadogan.
The hand that held the letters trembled. He was her older brother, and they had exchanged hundreds of letters to check on each other. There was no way he couldn’t recognize his sister’s handwriting. Still, he wanted to deny the situation. His face turned ashen as he shouted in a trembling voice, “N-no! This—this is a conspiracy! The baroness fabricated these letters to tarnish my sister’s honor! …Otherwise, how could this… this be…!”
“I saw with my own eyes Lady Helena’s carriage entering and leaving the Marquis of Cadogan’s household. And the servants of a noble family nearby also told me that they saw a Strand family servant entering the Marquis of Cadogan’s household.”
“…!”
“Lady Helena, having been caught in this disgraceful relationship, fabricated this whole ordeal to hide it and falsely accuse me.”
