GAVAF 20

Chapter 20

Seara stood there with her hand over her mouth, looking flustered. Meanwhile, her maid, Alin, was gleefully beating Harna’s maid.

Whack!

“Are you still not going to admit it? Admit what you stole!”

“I… didn’t… steal… anything…”

Vera, struck in the back by Alin’s foot, collapsed but continued to deny it despite the pain.

“Admit it! Admit it and apologize to my lady. Then maybe my kind lady will forgive you. But if you keep lying, I won’t let you off.”

Alin walked up to the fallen Vera and warned her, but Vera only shook her head weakly, her expression full of injustice.

Persistent wench.

Alin bit her lip as she stared at Vera, who refused to confess even now.

“Alin, I’m counting on you. I trust you’ll do well this time too.”

Seara held her loyal maid’s hand and smiled angelically. Her orders were devilish, but Alin nodded as if nothing were wrong.

“It will all go exactly as you wish, my lady.”

The order was simple. They just needed to make it look like Vera had stolen the missing magical bracelet.

Alin had done far worse before. Confident she would succeed again, she got to work.

Before heading to the restroom, Alin checked the bracelet Seara had given her. The mystical bracelet shimmered, its glow seeming to sink into her skin. Entranced, Alin slipped it onto her own wrist.

It looked better on her than on Seara’s thin wrist. She admired it greedily before reluctantly taking it off.

A moment later, when Seara left the restroom, Vera approached to clean up and Alin deliberately bumped into her.

“Oh—sorry. I was in a hurry to follow my lady…”

Vera simply nodded as if it didn’t matter and entered the restroom.

So arrogant.

Having grown up on the streets, Alin excelled at pickpocketing—not only stealing things but also slipping things into others’ pockets without being noticed.

At the moment of impact, she slipped the bracelet into the front pocket of Vera’s maid uniform in the blink of an eye. Humming, she followed her mistress.

Seara watched Alin striking Vera—now covered in blood—and demanding a confession, spewing insults as she raised her hand again.

Her plan was simple: punish the arrogant Harna by taking away the maid she cherished.

If Vera, unable to endure the pain, made a false confession about stealing the bracelet, Seara would drag her to the count’s estate and torture her.

But if the girl held out this long, Seara would need another method.

She had intentionally brought Vera out into the hallway instead of staying inside the powder room so that the Julne family’s maids could witness the confession.

Several of them had already stopped in their tracks, frozen as they watched Alin and Vera.

If she let this drag on and Harna appeared, her plan might be ruined.

No choice.

Seara had inherited her father’s magical talent. She had hidden her abilities because her father wanted her to grow up like a normal girl.

But she knew no one in the Julne marquisate—an old lineage of sword knights—had the sensitivity to detect magic.

Seara dropped her feigned surprise and lowered her raised hand. Dark energy began to swirl around her body.

I didn’t want to use this.

A spell to control another person’s mind.

Her magic reserves were low—she could only maintain it for about a minute—but that was more than enough to force Vera into a confession.

Her blue eyes darkened as the magic gathered. She focused on Vera’s gaze—

But just then, Alin grabbed Vera’s hair to force her head up… and Seara saw someone who absolutely should not have arrived yet.

Harna is already here?

Seara quickly withdrew her magic.

“Get your filthy hands off her, you crazy bitch!”

A gust of wind rushed past as Harna ran forward, her loosened orange hair flying wildly. Her golden eyes blazed with fury, and the vulgar curse coming from her pretty lips didn’t match her appearance at all.

Shaken pale, Alin’s grip was ripped away as Harna violently shoved her aside. Harna then knelt and gathered Vera into her arms.

“My lady…”

Vera called weakly.

“I didn’t… steal anything…”

Her lips were split, her mouth full of blood. Her swollen cheeks showed how many times she had been struck. Fresh bruises and scratches covered her exposed legs.

Harna held Vera tightly, lowering her head in silent anguish. Vera felt her shoulder dampen and shakily wrapped her arms around her mistress.

“It’s okay. As long as you believe me, I don’t care…”

“You’re hurt—don’t talk. Of course I believe you, Vera. I’m sorry I came late.”

“Yes…”

Reassured by Harna’s steady voice, Vera faintly smiled before losing consciousness. Harna, holding Vera’s limp body, finally lifted her head. Her expression made Seara recoil.

“You two. Take Vera to her room.”

“Yes, my lady!”

After the maids rushed to carry Vera away, Harna pointed at another maid.

“You. Go fetch a physician and send him to Vera’s room.”

“Yes!”

“And you—go buy healing potions. As many as you can find, I don’t care about the price. If you don’t have enough money, say we’ll pay later.”

She removed her necklace and bracelet and gestured for the maid to take them as payment; the maid hurried off.

“And the rest of you—drag that one over here and make her kneel in front of me.”

“Yes!”

It was the order they’d been waiting for. The remaining maids seized Seara’s trembling maid and forced her to her knees before Harna.

“Lady Seara!”

The girl screamed for her mistress as she was surrounded. Seara finally snapped out of her shock and approached as Harna crossed her arms and stared down coldly.

“Lady Julne, please don’t be too harsh on my maid. She only acted out of loyalty. My bracelet was found in your maid’s pocket…”

“And?”

“I’ll apologize for her hurting your maid. She’s just… very loyal.”

“Ah, I see. Loyalty. And you’re certain Vera stole your bracelet?”

“W-well… it was in her pocket, so…”

Harna ignored her stammering and approached Alin.

“…!”

She rolled up the girl’s sleeve. A faint glow lingered on her wrist. Harna’s expression hardened; Alin turned pale.

“Why is your wrist glowing? Almost like you tried on your mistress’s bracelet.”

“T-that’s…”

“Strange, isn’t it? Look—your palm has a trace of light too. Just like Lady Foron’s wrist.”

“…”

“But Vera, who supposedly stole it, had no trace on her hands.”

“L-Lady Seara!”

Just like Alin, Harna looked toward Seara—who pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing.

Harna chuckled and pulled a jeweled ring off her finger, showing it to Alin. The maid silently begged her mistress for help, but Harna only smirked and slipped the ring into Alin’s pocket.

“What are—”

“Oh my! My most precious ring is missing! Girls, what shall we do?”

“We’ll look for it right away, my lady.”

One of the Julne maids immediately retrieved the ring from Alin’s pocket.

“Oh dear! So the thief has been here all along. Who will punish her for me?”

The Julne maids’ eyes sharpened. Understanding Harna’s intent, they surrounded Alin. Painful screams soon echoed through the corridor.

Harna kept her gaze pointedly away from the beating Alin, putting on a fragile expression as she addressed Seara.

“What should we do, Lady Foron? Please don’t scold my maids too much. They only acted out of loyalty. After all, your maid had my ring in her pocket.”

She echoed Seara’s earlier words with mocking sweetness while her eyes delivered a chilling warning.

If Seara touched her people again, she would not be forgiven.

“Hm…”

Vera let out a weak breath as she slowly opened her eyes. When she blinked a few times and saw me, she jolted upright in surprise.

I watched her quietly and asked,

“Does your body hurt?”

“I’m all right, my lady. What… happened?”

Her answer made my eyes burn.

“I’m so sorry. Truly.”

My tears spilled over. Vera panicked.

“M-my lady, please don’t cry.”

Her awkward attempt to comfort me only made me cry harder.

Vera was the first person to stay by my side in this foreign world. And while she was being falsely accused and beaten, I had been sitting there eating snacks.

I felt like the worst human alive.

“I’m really okay, my lady, so please don’t cry…”

“But I’m not okay. You’re not just a maid to me. Vera, you… you’re…”

“I know. You don’t have to say it.”

Despite being the one who was injured, she comforted me like an older sister soothing a foolish younger sibling. I cried for a long time in her arms.

When I finally calmed down, my eyes were swollen.

“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”

“…Yes.”

Vera wiped away my remaining tears.

“My lady… thank you for believing me.”

“Of course I believe you. You’re not the kind of person who would steal—nor would you ever want Seara’s bracelet.”

After all, Vera never took off the bracelet I had given her recently.

“That’s right. Even if it’s a magical bracelet, I don’t want it. The bracelet you gave me is already too precious.”

She touched it gently, and my tears welled up again.

“My lady!”

Vera panicked, calling my name, but my tear ducts had already burst open again.

And so, I ended up crying for a long, long time.