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Chapter 68
Clack.
Maybel set her spoon down with a sound and immediately jumped up from her seat.
“Miss~?”
“Just a moment!”
Ignoring Ella’s call, Maybel walked straight toward the table where the women were sitting.
All at once, the attention of the other patrons in the cafeteria, who had been pretending not to care, focused on her.
It wasn’t intentional, but this café was expensive, and many nobles frequented it.
Naturally, not only those who had attended the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet yesterday but also those who had heard about it were present.
“Hello?”
Reaching the table, Maybel greeted them in a clear, ringing voice.
The women, who had been hiding their faces behind fans, flinched.
“Y-yes, hello.”
“Hello.”
They lowered their fans just enough to show their eyes, responding to her greeting.
But as Maybel approached, their discomfort became obvious.
And the moment their eyes met, they immediately looked away, much like the old maids at the Ashilonia estate used to do.
Memories of those times still rose unbidden.
She hadn’t fully freed herself from those traumas yet.
How could they talk so casually without knowing anything?
Unconsciously, Maybel relaxed her stiff body and spoke.
“You were at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet yesterday, weren’t you? I didn’t mean to listen, but your voices were too loud.”
“Huh? Ah…”
“They said earlier that because I look perfectly fine today, it doesn’t seem like I was abused. Isn’t that right?”
“Um…”
Maybel spoke clearly, and the women only exchanged glances, saying nothing.
But soon, as they noticed everyone watching, they cleared their throats loudly.
“If our voices were loud, we apologize. But, young lady, isn’t it impolite to eavesdrop on others and then come over like this?”
“The festival made it noisy, that’s all. We’ll be careful next time, so you can go now.”
The women still held their fans rigidly, hiding their faces.
They tried to turn away and whisper among themselves, but Maybel stopped them.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. If I just walk away, false rumors might spread.”
“False rumors…? You mean we’re spreading false rumors right now?”
“Miss, your words are harsh. We were just telling the truth as it was.”
The women’s eyes flashed coldly, but Maybel did not flinch. She met their gaze steadily.
Behind her, Ella and Hishin quietly stepped closer.
The women also had their escorts with them.
But unlike the women, who had three strong men, Maybel only had a young maid and a single young knight behind her.
The women, emboldened, spoke as if lecturing her.
“You see? Your words yesterday were too clear and precise. How could that be? If what you said were true, it would have been too painful even to recall.”
“They probably think that because you’re still young, Miss, you wouldn’t know—but normally, victims like you wouldn’t be able to speak so well. Too painful memories are agonizing to recall.”
They concluded that Maybel’s behavior yesterday was far from that of a victim, and therefore their doubts were justified.
Snap.
Ella, standing behind, ground her teeth.
The women and their escorts flinched, but they were wary of Hishin, not slight Ella.
Through the gap, Maybel calmly spoke.
“What does a victim act like?”
“…Excuse me?”
“A victim—like you just said—”
“Then, would the Lady of the Ashilonia estate, who pretended to cry in front of me yesterday, be considered ‘victim-like’? Do you have proof that she didn’t abuse me, aside from my behavior?”
The women were momentarily speechless. Maybel continued.
“Conversely, if I had cried like the Lady of Ashilonia, would your attitude be different now?”
“….”
“You would’ve said I was ‘overly emotional,’ ‘too hard to understand through all the crying,’ or accused me of being told to cry on command by the Grand Ducal house, wouldn’t you?”
The women bit their lips behind their fans, struck to the heart by her words.
But Maybel remained composed.
“You said the Grand Ducal house told me to say I was abused? That Ashilonia just wanted to extort money? Do you have any evidence for that?”
“Th-that’s…”
“You can’t refute a single thing I’ve said. So what exactly makes your story not a false rumor?”
As she stepped forward, the women flinched and stood up.
“W-well, that is…”
They glanced around for help, but the other patrons quickly looked away with polite coughs.
Whether the story of abuse was true or false, no one could openly side against the Grand Ducal house.
With no support, the women exchanged hurried glances.
“I-I forgot we had an appointment.”
“Hoho, we’ll be going then…”
As the women gathered their things to leave, Ella, standing behind Maybel, interjected.
“It seems the conversation has reached a close~”
Maybel’s eyes widened as Ella, who had been silent, stepped forward.
Ella, standing between Maybel and the women, asked Maybel,
“Shall we end it here?”
“But….”
Maybel’s lips trembled; she hadn’t received an apology yet.
It didn’t matter whether people believed she had been abused.
She wanted an apology for the disrespect shown to the Grand Ducal house, and to the head, Zigmunt.
Seeing Maybel hesitate, Ella said playfully,
“Really~? Miss, at least for my sake~”
Maybel felt a twinge of irritation.
It sounded like Ella was telling her to just hold her hand and reconcile, as if she had done something wrong.
Yet she knew this: escalating the situation would achieve nothing.
So, frowning, Maybel reluctantly nodded.
She felt tears threatening to spill, even though they hadn’t come before.
“All right~ I’ll handle it and follow behind. You go ahead with Hishin first~”
Hishin, now finished packing the food and their belongings, extended his hand.
Maybel took his hand and walked slowly.
Still lingering with a hint of resentment, it took her a while to leave the cafeteria.
Just as Maybel stepped outside and Hishin closed the door…
Crash! Bang! Thud-thud!
A tremendous noise sounded, as if the cafeteria had been overturned.
“Wha—?!”
Startled, the lingering tears vanished.
“Wh-what on earth…?”
“Excuse us.”
When Maybel turned, Hishin lifted her up in his arms.
He walked out of the cafeteria, and even as they left, smashing noises and screams could be heard from inside.
“What is going on? What happened?”
“Is it a terror attack?!”
“Shouldn’t we call the guards?”
The noise was so loud that everyone in nearby shops ran out to see.
“Uh, uh…?”
Dazed, Maybel looked up at Hishin, who held her tightly.
But he remained calm, as if he had anticipated this.
He was tense for another reason.
I’m holding an egg right now… I’m holding an egg right now…
A little too much pressure, and Maybel would crumble like sugar candy.
Soon after, Ella appeared.
“Phew~”
She looked refreshed, like someone who had just finished a big cleaning.
Behind her, the people crouched in the corner could be seen.
Even though they were nobles of some standing, they trembled like cornered mice.
Turning back, Ella cheerfully said,
“I memorized all your names and families. If you’re upset, feel free to contact the Grand Ducal house~”
She then approached the trembling café master to apologize.
“I’m so sorry for breaking the tables~”
“Oh, no, not at all! Not at all! Rather, thank you for… saving us, uh, we were just about to… change things anyway…”
“Oh my~ Really~? But my conscience wouldn’t let me be at ease~”
She tore the maid badge from her chest and handed it to the master.
“Please bill the repair costs here~”
“Yes, thank you for… yes…”
Ella laughed lightly and stepped out of the cafeteria.
Hishin and Maybel were nearby.
“Miss~ All done~ Shall we go meet His Highness the Grand Duke now~?”
Ella smiled as if nothing had happened, just like usual.
Only then did Maybel realize what Ella had meant by ‘handling it.’
By the afternoon, the weather grew even hotter.
Yet Maybel no longer felt the heat.
Seeing Ella smile calmly beside her gave her a shiver…
‘I need to be careful not to make Ella angry…’
Maybel reaffirmed her resolve.
