CH 26.1

There was a saying that went, if you want to fight against and win over the enemy, then you must know the enemy first.

There were so many people who were itching to knock me down and drag me all over the place, but I couldn’t let it go and pretend not to see.

No matter how helpless I was and how many surprises life would throw at me, I was not such a fool that I’d just let myself be a mob’s prey.

In this household, I was ever the target of an ongoing witchhunt. It didn’t matter whether the person who the mob would lynch and burn at the stake was truly a witch or actually innocent.

What these people needed was just someone who could be the target of their anger as they rode on that sick sense of pleasure of oppressing others.

So, I made up my mind.

Rather than letting myself be attacked one-sidedly by your vile maliciousness, rather than letting myself be left in tatters—I’d rather let us all burn in the fire.

It was Charlotte’s presence that gave me courage. I was no longer alone as long as Charlotte was beside me.

Charlotte was my only friend, the only one at my side, and the person I had a duty to protect.

In fact, I was more enraged by the fact that these people’s malice had been directed at her instead of me.

Just like right now.

“It’s true that Serena was the one who pilfered the knight commander’s gold brooch, but you’re the one who ordered her to do it. After you failed to frame Charlotte, now you’re trying to get Serena to take the fall as your accomplice.”

“W-What are you talking about, I… N-No, that’s not…!”

Taken aback, Ayla blinked wildly as she stuttered.

It was a piece of cake to deal with someone who couldn’t take the heat and couldn’t even think rationally when in a pinch.

I continued speaking without an ounce of hesitation.

“I knew the truth from the very beginning, Ayla. That you were going to pay off your lover’s debt with the money that you would have gotten from selling the gold brooch. Then you thought to use Serena to steal it since it would be easier to order her to do it. Serena has a family of six to provide for, so she also needs money to feed them. That’s why she accepted your offer to steal the gold brooch. What do you think? Did I get anything wrong?”

“……”

Ayla’s face was entirely pale as she bit her lips.

To be honest, everything I said just now was nothing but speculation. However, the guess itself wasn’t baseless as I had knowledge of accurate facts.

When a person was in trouble, they would commit something that they wouldn’t normally think of, or they would be completely paralyzed and wouldn’t be able to think of anything.

In this case, Ayla was desperate. So, she would also…

“…Serena, is that true? Did Ayla really tell you to do that?”

Missus Seymour glanced down at Serena as she asked.

As she was sitting collapsed on the floor, Serena continued to be dazed and spaced out. But, trembling, she soon looked at Ayla and nodded.

Serena dropped her gaze back to the ground in an instant. Then, with a quivering voice, she answered.

“Yes, it’s the truth… Lady-in-waiting Ayla, s-she told me… she ordered me to steal something reasonably expensive from the knight commander’s room…”

While confessing, Serena grew emotional and so tears flooded from her eyes, then she unhesitatingly dropped to the floor and prostrated in front of Missus Seymour.

“Missus Seymour, I-I just followed Miss Ayla’s orders. It’s the truth, I—without me, my younger siblings will all die from hunger…! O-Our youngest contracted pneumonia not too long ago, and, and my salary couldn’t cover the cost of the medicine, so… please forgive me, Missus!”

“……”

Missus Seymour stared at Serena for a moment, then she let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She cradled her own forehead.

While pressing down on one temple with an index finger and a thumb, the missus spoke gently.

“First of all…”

Missus Seymour’s gaze reached Ayla. At this, Ayla flinched and grew even paler. Her entire body was trembling just as much as Serena did.

Missus Seymour continued.

“Ayla, who is your lover? Is it your fiancé?”

“……”

Ayla bowed her head and said nothing. It seemed right. She wouldn’t be able to bear answering with the truth.

Because Ayla’s ‘lover’ was not her fiancé.

Ayla had already been engaged, and she had already promised her future with someone else.

And it was not just someone—it was a man who Missus Seymour had personally chosen for her.

Ayla was not originally a citizen of Veronis. She was from the former Duchess’ hometown, and that’s perhaps the reason why Missus Seymour especially cherished her. To the point that she personally found a marriage partner for her.

However, it didn’t seem like Ayla had any feelings for her fiancé, and she recently became enamored with an actor from a wandering theater company.

That actor was Ayla’s lover.

It would have been better if it simply ended with just a brief entanglement, but Ayla had gotten swept away. She slept with the man, and she recently learned that he got her pregnant.

Ayla hid this fact from everyone and consulted the town doctor without revealing her identity, but then this piece of information reached my ears by accident.

‘It really was just a coincidence.’

Of course, I’d been secretly doing a background check on Ayla in the meantime, but… In any case, after further investigation, Ayla seemed to be thinking of breaking off her engagement with her fiancé and eloping with her lover instead.

However, the man had a debt towards the wandering theater company. To be exact, this debt was towards the merchant who was sponsoring the theater company. So, he couldn’t leave until this debt was completely paid off.

Being as thorough as he was, the merchant who sponsored the theater company made sure to brand the actor who owed him money using a magic tool. If the actor were to run away, the brand would instantly burn him.

That’s why Ayla had been stealing from the Valentino Castle all this time—it was to pay off her lover’s debt.

And yes, Lucy’s silver earrings had also been stolen by Ayla.

Now, the person who ‘should be lashed’ was not Charlotte, but Ayla.

However, Ayla continued to remain silent. I couldn’t see her face because her head was down, but… she probably had a look of despair on her face right now.

“Ayla, what on earth happened? I won’t blame you, so just tell me.”

Missus Seymour urged the younger woman with a gentle tone. She cared about Ayla, so she would definitely feel sorry because of the situation. Even so…

“M-Missus… hiic…”

Ayla barely raised her head when she burst out in tears.

Missus Seymour embraced her and comforted her again. Ayla began to murmur into the missus’ ear.

“……”

After a while, Ayla finished talking and looked up earnestly at Missus Seymour.

In turn, Missus Seymour was frozen stiff, silent. She looked as though she was wearing an icy mask over her face, and the look in her eyes gradually became colder and colder.

Right. I knew this would happen.