Chapter 186: Public Call-out
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: Public Call-out
“My daughter only wanted to become the Grand Duchess!”
When the words finally burst out, gasps of disbelief erupted from the crowd.
“Is that something to go around bragging about?” someone hissed in a low, rebuking tone.
The Countess clutched her wretchedly crumpled dress and cried out, “It was only because my daughter was under a black mage’s hypnosis!”
“A black mage?”
“How long has it been since black mages vanished from the world!”
Most reacted with derision, though a few wore looks of unease. The Countess’s venomous gaze fixed on Loik.
“Meisel has adored His Highness the Grand Duke her entire life!”
Loik’s expression remained a mask of indifference.
The Countess turned to the crowd, her voice thick with desperate passion. “The black mage exploited my daughter’s pure heart, hypnotizing her and using her! Meisel is nothing but a victim! Why must that poor child face execution?”
I had suspected as much, seeing how Loik changed the subject whenever Meisel was mentioned.
So, Meisel has been sentenced to death.
I finally understood the Countess’s objective. She was trying to force a breakthrough by making this a matter of public debate.
“I intended to handle this quietly out of respect for the House of Arbor, but the Countess is acting recklessly,” Loik said, his voice devoid of emotion. “I am currently discussing the matter with the Count. Return home.”
“No, Your Highness! Forgive me, but I cannot!” The Countess ground her teeth. “Can you promise to thoroughly investigate the truth so my daughter isn’t wronged? I cannot trust you, so I demand a trial instead!”
Her acting is worthy of a prima donna.
Listening to the Countess, one might actually believe Meisel was a tragic victim. Just as a few people began to look genuinely wavered, Loik let out a short, mocking laugh.
“A trial?” He scoffed. “It seems the Countess knows very little about her own daughter. Are you certain? If a trial is held, execution will likely be the most merciful sentence she receives.”
At those words, the crowd’s expression shifted back to one of ‘Of course, that makes sense.’
“Ugh…”
Unable to offer a rebuttal, the Countess’s face contorted as she turned her gaze toward me.
“Your Highness, are you not a fellow woman?” She crawled forward a step on her knees. “That child’s only sin was loving the Grand Duke. Please, have pity on her! Are you not known for your generosity, Your Highness?”
Was it just my imagination? Beneath her desperate face, I sensed a strangely twisted expectation.
With so many people watching, are you going to ignore me? Can the Grand Duchess, famous for being kind and broad-minded, really turn a blind eye to my plea to save a life?
That seemed to be what she was asking. Emboldened, the Countess’s voice grew even stronger.
“Of course, Meisel’s affection for your husband must have been uncomfortable for you. But regardless, it is a fact that Meisel, a daughter of the North, is more suited for the position of Grand Duchess than you are!”
At that, Loik’s voice rose in anger. “Silence. I’ve heard enough. Norton!”
This time, the knights truly stepped in, grabbing her by both arms to haul her up.
“I understand you are angry because you almost suffered a terrible fate because of her! But in the end, did you not return safely without a single hair on your head being harmed?” the Countess screamed at me, even as the knights held her.
To an outsider, it might have looked like the Countess was a lone figure resisting injustice. Indeed, a few noblewomen wore pitying expressions as they watched her being restrained.
“Oh, but to go that far…!”
“Execution does seem a bit harsh.”
Sympathetic murmurs began to drift through the air. A hot lump of something surged in my chest. I could understand her losing her mind when her daughter’s life was on the line.
I understand, but…
I couldn’t forgive her.
The knights who were about to drag the Countess away hesitated. As if they had been waiting for this moment, everyone’s eyes turned to me. Their faces were filled with curiosity, wondering if the Grand Duchess would truly show mercy.
Loik looked back at me with a worried expression, but I gave him a look that said I was fine.
I looked directly at the Countess and asked, “Have you come to beg me to save Lady Meisel?”
“I have, Your Highness!” the Countess cried out urgently. “Is she not in the flower of her youth, just like you?”
“Yes, she is indeed my age.” I looked at her slowly. “But do you know something? In all the many words you’ve spat out just now, there hasn't been a single word of apology to me.”
The Countess stammered.
“Lady Meisel is the same,” I said calmly. “Setting aside her constant insolence, the sins the Lady has committed against me are quite numerous.”
I began to list Meisel’s crimes one by one.
“Bribing the head maid to spy on my private life, inciting the other young ladies at tea times to humiliate me, and disguising her actions as those of radicals to throw eggs at me in the street…”
Eyes widened in disbelief among the crowd.
“She incited riots to denounce me, deliberately trying to ruin not only our interactions with the delegation but also the Eve Festival by the lake.”
The list seemed endless.
“She even dragged the head maid of the Grand Duke’s Castle into it. Oh, I almost forgot the most important part. When that head maid failed, didn't she kill her by feeding her poison?”
I looked at the Countess, whose face had turned deathly pale.
“In all the time she was committing those crimes, Lady Meisel never once apologized to me. What was it she said at the very end…? Did she not get angry, claiming her honor was being tarnished over the death of a mere commoner?”
A collective gasp of horror erupted from the crowd.
“From beginning to end, there was never a hint of remorse. Well? Was all of that due to a black mage’s hypnosis as well?”
“Regardless, the head maid was a commoner, was she not!” the Countess shrieked. “And she didn't actually harm Your Highness!”
The atmosphere in the lobby hall turned icy. In Blenheim, there were many commoners wealthier than nobles. At least half of the audience who had come to see the opera today were likely middle-class commoners. A gentleman who looked like a businessman muttered a quiet curse.
“You’re right. That’s exactly what I thought. And because I showed clumsy lenience, I almost died this time.” I looked coldly at the Countess. “That isn't a metaphor. If the Grand Duke hadn't luckily come to meet me, I wouldn't be in this world anymore.”
Loik’s hand, which was holding mine, tightened firmly.
“You asked if I was angry? Yes. I am angry, just as you said, and I don't feel the slightest bit of pity for that girl. I don't find the ‘affection’ of a lady who not only kills people but also puts all of Blenheim at risk to be particularly endearing.”
I spoke clearly so that everyone around us could hear.
“And thanks to Lady Meisel, I’ve realized something. I am now the Grand Duchess of Blenheim, and I must take my decisions more seriously. Because of me, the entire North could fall into danger.”
By now, even Loik and the knights were listening to me with their mouths slightly agape.
“So do not dare utter words like ‘show mercy’ or ‘understand her as a fellow woman’ in front of me ever again.”
Tears welled in the Countess’s eyes. “Then what is Meisel supposed to do! Are you telling me to just let my daughter die?”
She’s impossible to talk to.
There was no point in engaging with her further. I had said what I needed to for the benefit of the people gathered in the lobby, and that was enough.
Loik seemed to think the same, as he looked at me.
I’ve said everything I wanted to say.
When I gave a small nod, Loik signaled the knights.
“Let’s go, Countess.”
The Countess looked around as if clinging to a shred of hope, but no one stepped forward to take her side. Eventually, with a tear-stained face, she was led away, supported by the knights.
*
I don’t even remember how we got back to the castle. Completely drained, I was carried into the bedroom by Loik, who took me straight into the bathroom.
He sat me down on the chair next to the commode and began to fill a silver basin with water himself. Dropping to one knee, he rolled up his sleeves. After checking the temperature, he gently took my hand and submerged it in the basin.
“I can wash myself…”
The lukewarm water soon turned red, and the faint scent of blood wafted up. Loik gently rubbed the back of my hand and between my fingers, washing away the bloodstains. Normally, he would have already asked me a dozen times if I was okay, but today, his lips were pressed firmly together.
“Loik, are you angry?”
I expected him to say no, of course. But with his eyes fixed on my hand, Loik spoke in a low, heavy voice.
“A little.”
When I pressed him for an answer, he hesitated before speaking.
“Annette, you are someone who shouldn't have blood on your hands.” He traced my fingers aimlessly. “Someone like me is one thing, but never you, Annette…”
“It wasn't even my blood.”
I had only gotten it on my hands while trying to stop someone’s bleeding. When I spoke dismissively on purpose, Loik’s brow furrowed. His voice came out thick with emotion.
“It seems you don't think of my feelings at all, Annette.”