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Chapter 43
At the break of dawn, Genos headed straight to the reception room where the servants had gathered. There, he was thoroughly briefed on every statement related to yesterday’s incident.
“So… according to everyone here, it seems that Katarina Hugo intentionally tried to harm the Grand Duchess.”
“Yes, yes! That’s correct, Your Grace.”
“I see. And yet, you young ladies’ opinions haven’t changed, I take it?”
At that question, the young ladies exchanged glances.
“Your Grace… actually…”
Just as the green-eyed woman seemed to have made up her mind to speak, suddenly—
Bang!
“Genos!”
Unlike usual, Katarina burst into the reception room in a disheveled state. She hurried directly toward Genos, who sat at the head of the room, and began speaking nonstop.
“I just can’t believe this! Everyone here is trying to paint me as an attempted murderer! What is this…?”
“Shut your mouth.”
The low, simmering anger in his voice froze the room. It wasn’t even very loud, yet the deep tone carried a weight that made everyone tense.
But Katarina’s fury didn’t wane.
“Hah! You actually believe those lies? There’s no way I would do such a thing! I’m the Grand Duchess’s only maid!”
Katarina raged and thrashed about. Her words were utterly outrageous. Genos narrowed his eyes and immediately sneered.
“And you hated the Grand Duchess very much. The only one unaware of this is probably the Grand Duchess herself.”
“Th-That…! L-Lilian, say something!”
At a loss for words, Katarina seized upon Lilian, whose eyes happened to meet hers. Startled by the sudden call, Lilian shook her head repeatedly.
“Me? How could I…”
“Then why are you even here?! Useless from head to toe!”
Katarina shouted as usual, losing herself in anger. But she overlooked one thing: the situation had changed completely from before.
“….”
Lilian’s face went blank in an instant. The same was true for the other young ladies.
“Your Grace, allow me to finish what I couldn’t yesterday.”
Without even glancing at Katarina, Lilian spoke directly to Genos. Just as Katarina began to feel unsettled by Lilian’s unusually cold expression, an unrelenting revelation followed.
“We came to Celeste at Lady Katarina’s request.”
“Wh-What?”
Despite Katarina’s shocked question, Lilian continued as if she hadn’t heard.
“It was to embarrass Lord Rene and make him understand the harsh reality of high society. In other words, it was meant to humiliate him in a big way.”
“Lilian!”
As Katarina, more than just surprised, became furious and lunged at Lilian,
“Do not move!”
“Ahhh! What—let me go!”
Knights who had been surrounding the room quickly pulled Katarina in front of Genos, restrained her hands, and forced her to kneel.
“How can you do this! I’m the Countess’s daughter! Do you have no sense of chivalry? How dare you treat a lady like this!”
“Quiet. If you make another sound, I will gag you.”
“…This is impossible!”
“Continue.”
Ignoring Katarina’s sobbing, Genos turned his gaze back to Lilian. Swallowing nervously, Lilian spoke carefully. Her testimony continued in a measured manner.
“From the moment the marriage rumors spread, Lady Katarina has hated Lord Rene intensely. Whether in the banquet hall or in exchanged letters, she always expressed nothing but hatred for him.”
“It’s true. There’s plenty of evidence in my drawer as well. Any young ladies close to Lady Katarina would say the same.”
Julie and Serena, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement.
“However, I thought it would stop at mere complaints. How could Lady Katarina possibly oppose a marriage arranged by His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yet she even became the Grand Duchess’s maid, seeking opportunities to reclaim her position. Even then, I thought it was unusual, but…”
Genos cut in, getting to the point.
“Back to the main question. I ask all of you: what do you think about Katarina Hugo attempting to harm the Grand Duchess?”
“I didn’t witness it directly, but the circumstances suggest it’s not entirely baseless.”
“That’s right. Lady Katarina’s anger was more extreme than anyone expected.”
“No! What are you all saying! I just wanted to embarrass him a little! That’s all!”
No one paid attention to Katarina’s desperate cries.
“Moreover… Lady Katarina was always vain and boastful. Supporting that behavior was even our responsibility,” Lilian confessed calmly.
It wasn’t easy to admit wrongdoing, but she had no intention of stopping her testimony. The image of Rene’s upright face came to mind. Lilian confessed what she had been denying to herself all this time.
“Shameful as it is, being close to Lady Katarina came with many benefits.”
Being around Katarina drew everyone’s attention. She was beautiful, fashionable, and from the wealthy Hugo family—one of the richest in the Empire. High society practically revolved around her.
“What?! Despicable creatures! Talking about friendship and closeness! Did you think I considered you my real friends? You’re just extras!”
“You persist in your arrogance until the end! Lady Katarina, snap out of it! Understand the situation!”
“Behave like proper nobles!”
Four young ladies shouted over one another, making the reception room even more chaotic.
“Enough.”
Genos pressed his temple, groaning at the noise, and spoke. The moment he did, the room fell silent. Everyone felt a suffocating pressure, as if their very lives were in his hands.
Never forget: this man is the Celeste Archduke. A figure with power and influence rivaling the Emperor himself. He could manipulate everyone here if he wished.
“Y-Your Grace.”
Trembling, Lilian clasped her hands and knelt before Genos. Julie and Serena followed suit.
“Please show mercy. We deeply regret taking this matter lightly and feel a great sense of guilt and responsibility.”
“Now, all we can do… is hope that the Grand Duchess recovers safely.”
As the situation turned increasingly unfavorable, tears welled up in Katarina’s large eyes.
“But I swear I didn’t harm the Grand Duchess! This is all a conspiracy by those who hold grudges against me! Who did this? Was it you?”
Yet Katarina showed no sign of reflection. She grabbed the skirt of a young maid hiding behind her and yelled defiantly.
“Ahh!”
The maid flinched and took a step back.
“Ka-Katarina pushed the Grand Duchess… everyone here saw it…!”
The maid’s trembling voice retreated behind the knights.
Then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A knock came urgently at the reception room door.
“Your Grace!”
A middle-aged couple, as pale as Katarina, entered in a hurry.
“…Count Hugo?”
They were Katarina’s parents, Count Hugo and Countess. Surprise flashed across Genos’s face. The Hugo estate was quite far from Celeste.
‘I expected them to come, but not this quickly.’
Worried about their cherished daughter, they had ridden overnight as soon as they heard the news.
“Mother! Father!”
Tears began streaming from Katarina’s eyes like a flood.
