Chapter 72: Wounds Cut by Words
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Wounds Cut by Words
This was as good as stripping her of her title. It meant that from now on, the actual duties of the Head Maid would be entrusted to Benet.
Yet, Marzella didn't know how to protest. After all, the Grand Duchess hadn't said she wasn't the Head Maid anymore.
But her authority had already crumbled.
"Zella’s Parlor"—the room she had spent years cultivating, saving up the budget to replace the sofa leather and change the curtain fabrics—had become a common breakroom where all manner of lowly maids could come and go as they pleased.
Marzella looked around with a dazed expression.
Now that she looked closely, the maids gathered in the parlor were a bizarre mix from every department, from the laundry to the kitchens. It was as if they had been handpicked from each sector.
By this afternoon, word would spread to every maid in the castle.
‘The Grand Duchess did this on purpose.’
Sensing her defeat, Marzella lowered her head.
*
While I was at it, I stopped by a few of the maids' rooms. Their condition wasn't terrible, but because the castle was old, there were quite a few minor repairs needed.
I was on my way back to my room after instructing Benet to compile a list of necessary repairs.
"Did you see the Head Maid? She looked quite flustered, didn't she? Her hands were shaking like leaves when she handed the key ring over to me!"
I had just turned the corner of the hallway with Cecilia, who was bouncing her shoulders in delight, when a tall man standing in front of my door turned his head.
It was Tiern, dressed in his full uniform.
Tiern was not in the best shape. The bruise next to his right eye hadn't fully faded, leaving his skin mottled with purple and blue, and his torn lip was covered in scabs.
‘Goodness, look at that handsome face.’
I hadn't quite believed the stories that the gentle Grand Duke had given someone a sound thrashing, but seeing Tiern’s state, it seemed he had truly been beaten black and blue.
"I have come to seek your forgiveness for failing to properly escort Her Highness the Consort."
He placed a fist over his heart and bowed his head. It was the most respectful attitude I had seen from him since we met.
"Did the Grand Duke send you, or did you come of your own accord?"
"…I would have come even if he hadn't sent me."
Which meant the Grand Duke had sent him.
I swallowed a small sigh.
"Come in for now."
I led Tiern into the room. Seeing his usually clean-cut face looking so battered didn't make me feel particularly good. Moreover, hadn't he suffered the ordeal of being locked in a dungeon because of me?
‘Well, once my guards are changed, I won't have to see him much anyway.’
"As you can see, I'm fine, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."
I was about to give him a polite dismissal and send him on his way.
"I heard you are changing your escort," Tiern asked, his eyes fixed on the tips of my shoes.
"The Grand Duke said as much."
I had declined the Grand Duke's excessive proposal to have the entire 1st and 2nd Knight Divisions as my escort, but I hadn't refused having Norton take over the duty again. I had realized just how unsettling it was to entrust one's safety to someone untrustworthy.
To be honest, Tiern had made his dislike of me quite clear. Though his honor might be slightly tarnished, he should be happy to return to his original duties.
"Please allow me to continue escorting Her Highness."
"…What do you mean by that?"
Surprised by his words, I searched his eyes. Even though he had softened his gaze, that characteristic streak of rebellion hadn't entirely vanished.
"I would like a chance to make amends."
I stared at him for a moment before glancing back at Cecilia. Quick to catch my drift, Cecilia left the room. Once the door closed and I was sure only Tiern remained in the quiet parlor, I spoke.
"No."
That was it. Just one word.
Perhaps my answer seemed insincere, as Tiern’s brow furrowed. He looked as if he couldn't believe that was all I had to say after dismissing my maid.
"The honor of the 9th Knight Division is at stake. Please, show me some leniency."
"No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same. No."
"Why is that?"
What should I do? I hadn't intended to bring this up.
"I am well aware that I have been disrespectful to Her Highness in the past. If you wish to hold me accountable for that, I will gladly accept the punishment."
"It’s not because of that."
When I saw Tiern’s eyebrows twitch as if asking what else it could possibly be, I found it hard to hold back any longer.
"I cannot trust you as a knight."
"What… what do you mean by that?" Tiern muttered, his voice strained. I could see the veins bulging in his clenched fists.
"The incident the other day was…"
"Was it really a mistake?"
Tiern’s pupils shook slightly at my cold remark.
"Even my maid, who has never held a sword in her life, reached out to block that egg. And you’re telling me the Captain of the Blenheim Knights missed it?"
I had seen it.
It was when the second egg came flying.
Tiern had flinched and started to raise his arm, but at the last second, he stopped.
If he had reached out until the end, I wouldn't have been humiliated. I became certain of it when I saw the look of panic on Tiern’s face after the egg finally splattered over me.
Tiern stared at me blankly, like someone who couldn't understand what I was saying.
"The Grand Duke probably thinks you were just careless. But I know you chose not to block it."
"The reason I didn't make a scene about this was because I was worried the Grand Duke, who trusts and relies on you, would be hurt. But that doesn't mean I want a knight like you by my side."
Tiern’s mouth clamped shut as if sealed with glue.
"Besides, don't you think you're being cowardly? You can't even argue with the Grand Duke who gave the order, yet you come to me—the person involved—and boldly ask for another chance."
It seemed I had more pent-up resentment than I realized. The words I had been holding back poured out of my mouth without a filter.
"I don't know what you expected from a 'villainess' from the capital, but I'm not so good-natured that I'd embrace someone who clearly dislikes me."
In times like this, the "villainess" label was quite useful. It served as a convenient mask to show people I didn't need to impress.
"However, for the sake of the 9th Knight Division’s reputation, I will consider your apology accepted. You may tell others that I have forgiven you."
Tiern stood there as if nailed to the floor. He seemed quite shocked by the barrage of words I had just unleashed.
"If you understand, you may leave."
His silent, motionless presence was making me uncomfortable, so I finally dismissed him.
Tiern, who had been standing there like a fool, eventually left the room without even a goodbye. It didn't seem like he was intentionally skipping the formalities; he looked so dazed that I didn't bother to call him out on it.
I hadn't intended to go that far.
‘Maybe I shouldn't have called him cowardly.’
Since I had questioned his qualifications as a knight, the bridge between us was likely burned beyond repair. But I had already decided to stop wasting my energy trying to win over people who hated me.
‘Well, I said what I wanted to say, so let's call it even.’
I brushed off any lingering regrets.
*
Tiern walked away with a stiff expression.
— “Was it really a mistake?”
The Consort’s cold words echoed in his ears.
He hadn't done it on purpose.
The moment he heard the locals' resentment toward the Grand Duchess, he suddenly felt as if protecting her was a betrayal of his father. So, without realizing it, he had hesitated for a split second.
His father had died because of Marquis Frais; wasn't it only natural to let that man's daughter be insulted?
It was only after he saw the egg yolk dripping down the Grand Duchess's face that he regretted his actions. He felt utterly loathsome for abandoning his duty as a knight and allowing that small woman to be humiliated.
Throughout his time in the dungeon, his only thought was whether the Grand Duchess was alright. Furthermore, after learning that the commotion was merely orchestrated by someone, he was furious at his own stupidity for allowing such a clumsy scheme to succeed.
That was why he had gone to ask for another chance.
To be honest, he hadn't expected the Grand Duchess—who usually didn't seem bothered by his disrespect—to speak such thorny words.
But he couldn't even argue with the words that pierced him so sharply. Because everything she said was true.
He had been unknightly, and he had been a coward.
The Grand Duchess's words hurt him more than the wounds he had received from his lord.
Tiern left the main castle with a hollow heart.
*
The punishment for the guilty was carried out swiftly.
The man who threw the egg had his assets seized and was permanently exiled beyond the mountains of Blenheim. It was essentially being cast out into a wasteland without a single coin, but Cecilia merely clicked her tongue, saying he wouldn't starve to death since it was spring.
The rest of the rioters were sentenced to hard labor.
The Merchant Association President corrected the false rumors about the Grand Duchess at an irregular meeting attended by an administrator and simultaneously distributed official notices to all shops.
"Anyway, I can't believe Lady Meisel would do such a thing."
Cecilia, who was getting ready to head home, shook her head.
"Really? Your opinion of the Lady is more generous than I thought."
"No, I mean, I knew she had a nasty temper, but I didn't think she had the guts to actually orchestrate something like this."
Cecilia, whose mouth was itching to talk more before she went home, sat back down across the table and asked.
"By the way, how on earth did His Highness the Grand Duke find out that Lady Meisel was the mastermind?"