Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Dogfight (5)
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"I saw Lilith working in the kitchen. Yesterday... and even this morning at dawn."
Just before the disciplinary action against me and Katarina was about to be decided, Ethan's testimony began, and the atmosphere in the room flipped a complete 180 degrees out of nowhere.
"...Young Master Ethan? What do you mean by that?"
"She's getting punished for not working at dawn, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"Lilith was in the kitchen at dawn. I saw her."
"......"
...What?
What's his angle?
Although Ethan's sudden testimony started steering the disciplinary committee in a strange direction, for some reason, a greater sense of unease began to sprout in my chest rather than relief.
Why on earth was Ethan testifying on my behalf like this?
And what if he demanded something in return for his testimony? Anxious thoughts like that began to bubble up.
"Young Master Ethan, I'm sorry, but this disciplinary committee is for determining the punishment level for the servants, so if you're making a false testimony as a joke..."
"It's not a lie. I really saw her. I even talked to Lilith. And it wasn't cooking... but she ate something like food."
"......"
The moment details were added to Ethan's testimony, Head Maid Melissa's eyes changed as she began listening intently.
For now, Ethan's testimony seemed to be taking hold, so Melissa turned her gaze to me to cross-verify it.
"Is what the young master just said true, Lilith Rosewood?"
"...Yes."
The etiquette classroom suddenly buzzed the moment I answered.
And right away, Aeria jumped in with a panicked expression, trying to cut between me and the head maid.
"Wait a minute, Head Maid! Hasn't the punishment level already been decided?! Bringing in new witnesses at this point is unfair..."
"Aeria Lawrence. This is not just a place to hand down punishment according to procedure. It's a place to uncover the truth about what happened between you all. The more information we have about what occurred during those three dawns, the better."
"......"
Aeria turned speechless like she'd swallowed honey at Head Maid Melissa's words.
In fact, I'd vaguely sensed it earlier.
For some reason, the head maid seemed to be slightly more protective of me than Aeria.
I had no idea why she was siding with me, who'd worked a year less than Aeria.
"Lilith Rosewood."
"Yes, Head Maid."
"If it's true that you talked with the young master in the kitchen at dawn, why didn't you request him as a witness?"
"......"
...How do I explain this?
I couldn't exactly say I'd hoped Ethan would testify but didn't call him as a witness because I was afraid he'd stab me in the back, no matter what.
Plus, if things went wrong, it might dig into how I'd held a kitchen knife to Ethan's throat in the pantry.
As I pondered how to dodge it, I suddenly recalled the conversation I'd had with Ethan on the first night when we parted.
A plausible excuse that might just work in this situation.
"It was... our little secret."
"What do you mean by 'our little secret'?"
"I was worried that if word got out that Young Master Ethan sneaked into the kitchen in the middle of the night because he was hungry, it might tarnish his honor. So, we promised each other not to tell anyone about him sneaking into the kitchen or eating the food I made before leaving."
"Oh, right! That's it! I wasn't supposed to tell anyone!"
...From the looks of it, Ethan had completely forgotten about that promise too.
Thanks to him, I felt like I was being pulled back from the brink of ruin by a hair.
"Then, Lilith Rosewood."
"Yes."
"...You're saying you didn't summon Young Master Ethan as a witness, even if it meant taking the punishment alone, to protect his honor?"
...Is that how it comes across?
I didn't really care about Ethan's honor one way or the other.
But with the head maid's confident tone, the murmurs grew louder, and suddenly I was the devoted maid protecting Ethan's honor.
To be honest, I didn't love the idea of this misunderstanding between Ethan and me.
But at the same time, I realized I could definitely make use of it right now.
As all eyes turned to me, I nodded quietly, pretending to be as nonchalant as possible.
"Yes."
The moment I answered, people around the room started chattering excitedly.
I couldn't catch every word, but from the positive comments about me floating around, the mood wasn't bad.
Isabel was shooting me fierce looks from the crowd.
And Katarina was practically clinging to me, leaning her body against mine.
...Meanwhile, Aeria was the only one who couldn't accept the situation and raised her voice.
"Th-that's a lie!"
"Pardon?"
"If Young Master Ethan really visited the kitchen at dawn, there's no way this girl... I mean, Miss Lilith wouldn't have called him as a witness from the start! Young Master Ethan is just giving false testimony because he pities her, and Miss Lilith is making it up on the spot..."
Whoa, that's a huge own-goal.
Pointing out that Ethan might be lying right here, right now?
And in front of Harold, who's glaring with wide eyes?
"You."
"M-Master...?"
"Are you claiming my son is a liar right now?"
"......"
I told you so.
The moment Harold's cold voice and gaze hit Aeria, she froze like ice with a "oh no" expression.
There were two ways to piss off the normally mild Harold: one was badmouthing Ethan right in front of him.
The other was insulting his late wife, Thanacia.
"N-no, Master... That's not what I meant..."
Harold was a noble broad-minded enough to overlook personal insults, but these two things were absolute no-gos for him.
In the Lilith succession war episode, going all-out against Harold was dozens of times harder than dealing with Ethan.
Her guts to badmouth Ethan right in front of him were admirable.
That cunning woman must be really desperate if she couldn't even manage basic survival instincts.
"No need to get angry, Master."
"...Head Maid."
"We can cross-check what Young Master Ethan and Lilith Rosewood said and find out the truth right away. There's no need for you to lose your temper."
Melissa calmed Harold down and alternated confident glances between me and Ethan.
Then she opened her mouth and asked both of us at once.
"Young Master Ethan, and Lilith Rosewood."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"You said Lilith Rosewood made you food when you visited the kitchen, right, Young Master?"
"It wasn't cooking! Just food!"
"...Yes."
"...Then, Young Master Ethan, whisper in my ear what food Lilith Rosewood served you."
"Well, it was like..."
Ethan leaned in and whispered something in Melissa's ear as she bent down.
He seemed to be testifying about the food I'd given him over the two days for a more solid cross-verification.
...Honestly, even I knew it was barely qualifying as food.
After the fairly long whisper ended, the head maid straightened up and turned to me.
"Lilith Rosewood."
"Yes."
"Tell everyone here what the two foods you served Young Master Ethan were."
"One was a tomato-turnip salad mixed with honey, and the other was a radish roll with thinly sliced radish wrapped around turnips, onions, and carrots with olive oil."
"...I see. I've heard you clearly."
Head Maid Melissa responded with a faint smile after listening to me.
Then she immediately revealed what Ethan had whispered to her.
"Young Master Ethan told me this."
"......"
"He ate some sweet tomato and turnip dish on a plate, and some weird thing wrapped in thin radish with turnips and other vegetables."
'Weird food...'
"Based on that description and the ingredients, it matches exactly what Lilith Rosewood described."
I was a bit annoyed that he'd openly called the food I'd made in stolen moments "weird,"
but since he'd remembered and testified about the food I'd given him accurately, I could finally relax in several ways.
Now, my dawn shifts were completely proven, and soon it would be shown that the other junior maids hadn't clocked in either.
I'd nearly gotten slapped with a full month of stable cleaning as severe punishment.
It was ironically satisfying to be saved by Ethan, whom I'd despised in my previous life.
"W-wait a minute..."
"Do you still have something to say, Aeria Lawrence?"
"W-well... um..."
At this point, she had virtually no way to reverse the punishment.
To refute this testimony, she'd need a witness far more powerful than Ethan or ironclad evidence even he couldn't deny.
If something like that popped up easily, things wouldn't have escalated this far.
But the unyielding Aeria rolled her eyes desperately trying to survive,
and her gaze shifted to Katarina, who was trembling and leaning against me.
"Ka-Katarina is suspicious!"
"Eek?!"
Katarina yelped in surprise at suddenly being singled out by Aeria and hid behind me.
Even I was curious what she'd say—it was so out of left field.
Aeria immediately pointed at Katarina like it was her last stand and desperately defended herself.
"Ka-Katarina is the one who stole Lady Thanacia's keepsake necklace from Young Master Ethan's room a year ago!"
"H-heek?!"
"The fact that a girl like her is defending Lilith is suspicious in itself! Lilith must have something to hide just like Katarina!"
"N-no... I-I never stole Lady Thanacia's necklace..."
"You did steal it, you wench!"
"H-heek...!"
"......"
Can't win through words? Now attack the messenger, huh.
But Aeria, what you just said dug your own grave even deeper, and you don't even realize it.
Thanacia's necklace?
The moment she mentioned that item no Luminor Academy player could forget, I nearly burst out laughing.
Bringing it up in front of me was basically her confessing she'd stolen it herself.
Thinking I could send her packing for good, I slyly raised my hand and cut into the conversation between Aeria and Katarina.
"...Just to make sure, but..."
"Yeah?"
"What is it, Lilith Rosewood?"
"Are you talking about the gold necklace with the blue gem... Lady Thanacia's keepsake necklace?"
"......"
"...How do you know that...?"
In front of Harold's half-suspicious gaze toward me, I continued playing the innocent 'Lilith Rosewood.'
It was a golden opportunity to clear Katarina's wrongful accusation and completely oust that annoying Aeria.
"I-I think I've seen it before."
"......"
"I think I saw a flashy, expensive-looking necklace in Senior Aeria's room once..."
The room fell silent again at my words.
Everyone's eyes stabbed toward me once more, unsure where my statement would lead.
"Wh... wha...?"
One thing's for sure: Aeria, you're as good as dead now.