Chapter 44
“Did the Y-young lady kill people?”
I was only quietly staring at Teacher Rima, but instead, Franc shouted in a more frightened voice.
“I never did that. You are the one who killed people!”
Teacher Rima then smiled like a person who has no worries.
“Yes, I do have poison, but in the end, you’re the one who killed people.”
When I muttered ‘You’re really crazy…….’ Teacher Rima yanked my body around and started to tie my wrists.
“Shuelina is now a murderer who has run away on her own two feet. Franc, you’re my accomplice but you also got involved with her. Don’t you think you should do something for me if you want to live?”
“W-what is it?”
Franc asked with a frightened face.
“The adopted Grand Princess of the Grand Duke was cursed, and as soon as she entered the Grand Duke’s estate, she spread rumors that people will die soon.”
“Cursed…?”
“And testify that you found a bottle of poison in her room a few days later.”
Even after seeing Franc trembling all over, Teacher Rima started to threaten her.
It was only after I heard the threats that I realized why Teacher Rima had only met people who hated me.
In the end, it was because she’s trying to use me as a scapegoat so she could push the blame onto me for the people who died.
‘Because if the deportation order arrives while I’m gone, no one will be looking for it.’
I felt annoyed because of how tight my wrists were tied.
I couldn’t stand it anymore. I heard everything I wanted to hear, so I didn’t want to waste any more time.
‘I have to call dad!’
I opened my mouth and tried to yell before a gag was put in my mouth. But the door fell open first.
“Shushu!”
“You dared do this to my daughter!”
Grand Duke, Wyndert, Deleign, and Sir Hilohan attacked, with cold expressions plastered on their faces, and struck Teacher Rima like a lightning bolt.
‘I couldn’t stand it anymore….’
I heard all the words I needed to hear anyway, and it was the timing I wanted their entrance to be so I had no hard feelings.
Teacher Rima was struggling for some air after her neck was seized by the Grand Duke after he entered the room with intense anger, and her breathing was a series of gasps.
The mouth gag she was trying to put inside my mouth fell on the floor.
“Shushu! Are you okay?”
“My lady’s wrists!”
While the Grand Duke and Deleign faced Teacher Rima, Wyndert and Sir Hilohan ran straight to me.
“…… I will kill you.”
Wyndert unwrapped the fabric that tied my wrist and gritted his teeth.
Look at my swollen wrists, just how tight did she tie me up for them to be this swollen in such a short period of time.
“I should have killed her when you cried.
“… You can’t justify killing people just because I was crying!”
I was happy to see Wyndert carefully looking at my wrist with an anxious face. His mouth said harsh words but his heart was actually heartbroken.
“It’s dangerous to come alone….”
Sir Hilohan whispered anxiously.
If I hadn’t, Teacher Rima wouldn’t have said a single word of her plans.
My wrists were throbbing and a little swollen, but this was a cheap price for telling everyone the truth.
“That, th-this, who….”
While Wyndert rubbed my wrist, Teacher Rima’s face, who was strangled by the Grand Duke, turned a darker shade of red than a tomato.
She was struggling with her limbs, as if she would lose her consciousness at any second.
Sir Hilohan quickly raised his hand and covered my eyes.
“The lady is watching.”
“Ah.”
There was no emotion in the Grand Duke’s voice.
It looked like he was incredibly angry.
“You dared to threaten my daughter?”
Maybe because of his scary sounding voice, Wyndert covered both my ears.
“You can’t kill her yet!”
I cried out even though I couldn’t hear well. Then the surroundings became quiet, and immediately the hand that was covering my ears was removed.
“Appa, we have to find the antidote! We still have to ask her where they spread the poison!”
“Sir, take Shushu to her room.”
Sir Hilohan then wrapped me up in his arms.
The Grand Duke seemed to send me to my room because he didn’t want to show me something menacing.
“Kyaah! I-it’s not m-me! Miss! Please help me!”
Oops, I nudged Sir Hilohan to stop.
I saw Wyndert, whose hands had now become idle, pointing a knife at Franc.
The terrified Franc was crying ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’, rubbing her hands together.
She was begging for her life but she talked incoherently, that’s why she looked more suspicious than normal.
She was only there to cooperate with me and go with the flow, but she would’ve also looked like a maid who betrayed her master.
“Oraboni, I want to take Franc.”
“It’s your request, but I think I’ll have to send her to jail this time.”
“Franc is a spy who approached the teacher at my request. She’s just being faithful to my orders.”
As soon as I said that, Franc looked up at me with an impressed face. It’s like…… Nina was looking at me.
When we got back to the room, Franc never tried to leave me.
Sir Hilohan was guarding the door, and Wyndert was enthusiastically interrogating Teacher Rima as if it was his means to protect me.
He was extremely devoted, as if he was trying to prove his loyalty.
“Franc, you can act like you normally do….”
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been like this.”
Franc laughed loudly and trembled. It seemed that she didn’t notice that her facial expression had changed dramatically.
Maybe this seems strange because she was originally supposed to stick to me because of the profits she can get, but now her expression is lighter.
‘I can’t go back for 3 days anyway, so what?’
Well, there’s nothing bad about it. It didn’t matter if it was because of money or loyalty, as long as she worked with all her heart.
“… Actually, you’re right. This is not how I usually am. I thought you would abandon me earlier, but you covered for me so I lived.”
“Well, Franc originally hated me, however, you chose to listen to me, and both dad and brother wouldn’t stand still so I chose to help you.”
At least I’m sure you’ll get kicked out of the mansion.
But still, Nina told me that Wyndert will be compiling a list of the people who dislike me in the Grand Duchy.
I don’t have much regret for them, and I didn’t want to keep them at home, so I wasn’t going to prevent them from being fired.
“I’m thankful you saved me instead of throwing me away. In fact, you could’ve done that and I wouldn’t be able to blame you, my lady…. I thought my heart stopped when I saw the Master.”
Come to think of it, since Franc was stuck in the laundry room, she wouldn’t have had the experience of seeing the Grand Duke and his two sons from such a close distance.
It was enough that she’s just shocked and not frightened to death by their aura.
“To be honest, my eyes were spinning like I was going to faint at any moment.”
You almost fainted. The Grand Duke’s curse is fine on its own, so someone like her (Franc) wouldn’t understand.
“I was only looking at the benefits I can get from you, my lady…… and yet you generously forgave me….”
Franc looked at me with moist eyes. Then she muttered, ‘You’re an angel.’
Ugh, goosebumps. I shook my head with a disgusting face.
“You can’t look at what you gain while you work? It’s about eating and living well.”
“Pardon?”
“Some people worked because they liked me, and there were also some people who only worked for the amount of money they can get.”
I shrugged and picked up the teacup on the table.
It was a mini teacup for children bought by the Grand Duke. It was very small in size with a delicate pattern, and had the same design as the adult’s.
I’m sick of the abuse and disdainful treatment I received from the orphanage, so I wanted to run away.
I liked such beautiful, precious, and kind things. That would be the same for Franc.
“Franc likes me and I know you will work harder to make more money. I don’t think it’s a bad arrangement.”
“… My lady is really mature. If you didn’t say ‘kkong kkong,’ I would’ve thought I’m talking with a real grown-up.”
Uhh, kkong kkong, kkom kkong, kkom kkom*! I still let out some weird sounds when I can’t speak the correct pronunciation of some difficult words.
(*T/N: weird sounding words)
I pouted my lips as I sip on my tea.
“Shushu! How are you feeling?”
Wyndert entered my room as I was sipping on my tea.
“Oraboni!”
He finally came!
I’ve been waiting all this time. I’m curious about what punishment they decided to give her, and about the antidote!
As I stood up, Wyndert beckoned me to sit on the sofa.
“You alright?”
“Yes. Oraboni, what happened to the antidote? Did you find it? Did she say who was behind the scenes?”
“Think about yourself first.”
I was so curious that I asked a lot of things, but Wyndert cut off my line of questioning with a firm face.
Rather than that, I wanted to ask how my opponent is.
“I’m really okay. It doesn’t matter.”
“Why does this keep happening to you….”
He seemed upset as he hugged me with his frowning face.
‘You ask why? It‘s because of the empress.‘
Teacher Rima didn’t answer me when I asked her if the Empress instigated her into doing it. But I have basically already confirmed it.
“First of all, she never told me who was behind it.”
“That can’t….”
What kind of loyalty does she have to cover up for the empress even in the midst of being caught? Or is there something she can’t say?
I was a little disappointed, so I lowered my head slightly.
“I know. It‘s the empress, right?“
Wyndert whispered in my ear. I raised my head and stared at his face.
“However… she never said anything.”
Probably, the Grand Duke will find a way to make Teacher Rima tell the truth.
Still, it’s certain that she must have a reason not to say it, or she had no intentions to do so from the beginning out of some kind of loyalty.
“Indeed, you know, but you can‘t publicly prove it.”
There is no way for the Grand Duke to publicize the empress’s involvement as long as the royal family and the empress’s family are in existence.
‘Who would believe that she killed that many people just to take away my powers that she’s anxious to steal.’
There is very little evidence left other than Teacher Rima’s testimony.
Unless there’s an effective way to confront the empress, a sloppy approach would turn into a case of defamation of the imperial family.
It would only be possible if there’s evidence that she can’t get rid of.
“Then what happened to the antidote?”
Instead of regretting the behind-the-scenes aspects of this situation that I couldn’t use, I immediately asked for the whereabouts of the antidote.
It’s a pity for the place that countless people have already died at, and if there are still people dying of the poison, an antidote is necessary.
“The antidote…. It’s poisonous.”
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Wyndert’s expression turned dark with fatigue and anger.
“What are you saying there’s no antidote? Then how can you cure those people?”
“It must’ve been like that from the beginning, and they didn’t think of shouldering any responsibility.”
Even if they take me away, they have no intention of saving those people?
That’s why they didn’t make the antidote from the start.