CHAPTER 16
Last night, I received a reply from Callisto.
Istasha Lowen isn’t the tutor I recommended. There must’ve been some sort of confusion.
In fact, Lennox’s tutor was also Istasha Lowen, so I wouldn’t have sent the same person again.
Seems like things got mixed up somehow. Sorry I didn’t check more carefully, Clemence.
When he truly felt sorry, he always used my full name, not my nickname.
I could almost see his apologetic face through the letter, and a faint smile formed on my lips.
But at the same time, something didn’t sit right.
‘So Lennox and Melin had the same tutor?’
Originally, the Lady of Lintrans, whom Callisto had recommended, was unable to take on the tutor position due to her wedding being moved up.
That’s why Lady Lowen had come in as a replacement. You could say she was a last-minute temp.
‘Well, at least I found out now.’
Still, there was something unsettling.
Just in case, I had Agathe request information from an informant, but nothing particularly dangerous came up regarding Istasha.
The problem was a different piece of news the informant had delivered to Agathe.
“Arthur got out of the mine? How?”
“We’re not sure who, but it seems there was outside help. It’s not a place someone could escape alone.”
“Hmm… and after that?”
“There are eyewitness accounts of him heading to the courthouse with Istasha Lowen.”
That’s an unexpected pairing.
I didn’t know if the two had any connection in the past, but I could guess the reason for their interaction now.
‘It’s me, of course.’
Istasha’s reputation as a tutor had already been ruined.
She had been dismissed not just from the Jacqueline family, but also the Skylar family. Naturally, she would want to salvage her honor by blaming me.
Seeing that she even went to the courthouse, I could roughly guess what had happened.
“So what exactly is the accusation against me?”
“Actually… the complaint isn’t against you, but against me. That’s why the informant gave me a heads-up.”
“You?”
Suddenly, the image of Agathe punching Arthur in the gut flashed through my mind.
I had a pretty good idea of what Arthur was planning.
I gave Agathe a glance.
Though small, her sleeveless outfit revealed a body packed with compact, solid muscle.
‘Right now, saying she knocked out a grown man wouldn’t be that hard to believe.’
Having reached a conclusion, I immediately spoke up.
“Agathe, go change into a maid uniform right now.”
“It’s uncomfortable. I don’t want to.”
Agathe frowned.
“Ahem, no arguing. Hurry up.”
“…”
Though she looked displeased, she reluctantly went to change.
“Alright. From now on, we’re going to practice.”
“Practice what?”
She tilted her head.
“Acting like an ordinary maid—one so gentle she wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“How is it normal to have never hit anyone? Wouldn’t that just make me a pushover?”
Agathe wasn’t originally from the Empire.
She was from a warrior tribe that had been wiped out by the Seriel Empire about five years ago.
‘She’s one of the very few survivors.’
Strangely, her background had a lot in common with both Melin and Lennox.
The key difference was that Agathe didn’t care if people discovered her true identity.
But this wasn’t the time to reveal anything.
“Let’s start with how you speak.”
There was still a long road ahead.
The next morning.
The police arrived at the crack of dawn with a warrant.
“We’re from the Investigation Bureau. We received a report of violent illegal activity against a noble.”
The complainant was Arthur Vince. The accused: Agathe.
Agathe looked at me, then immediately burst into tears.
“I didn’t hit anyone…!”
“Let’s discuss it at the main office.”
“My lady… sob…”
Agathe whimpered even harder at the officer’s response.
‘She’s a natural actress.’
Maybe Agathe had more talent for acting than fighting.
I’d already dressed her in a maid uniform that fully covered her limbs.
“Oh dear…”
Even the officers, seeing what appeared to be an innocent, clueless young woman being arrested for assault, seemed hesitant.
“Her arm feels kind of firm, though?”
One officer tilted his head as he grabbed Agathe’s arm. I saw my chance and began acting myself.
“It’s because she hasn’t had enough to eat… She’s all skin and bones. My uncle gambled away all our estate, and I couldn’t even feed the maids properly… sob… I’m so sorry, Agathe…”
“It’s okay, my lady… waah…”
I sniffled dramatically and asked in genuine-sounding confusion:
“How could my maid, who’s never even lifted a flower to harm anyone, knock out a man twice her size?”
“Hmm, that’s true…”
The officers exchanged glances.
They must’ve known what Arthur looked like, since he would’ve filed the complaint in person.
My words seemed to make sense. While they hesitated, Melin suddenly clung to Agathe and wailed loudly.
“Waaah! Don’t take our Agathe! Waaah!”
“Melin!”
“Huuu… sis… Agathe…”
Feeling bad for Melin, I hugged her tightly. She cried even harder in my arms.
The officers murmured awkwardly amongst themselves.
“Uh… this isn’t right.”
They looked as if they’d just been unfairly accused of being villains.
And to be fair, Arthur’s accusation wasn’t false. Agathe had hit him.
‘Still not backing down?’
Looking at them briefly, I spoke with the resolute air of someone rising from hardship:
“I’m the official heir of this household. I have a duty to protect my people!”
“All this over one maid…”
“There better be strong evidence for that report. Otherwise, I’ll be filing a complaint for excessive force!”
The officers scoffed in disbelief at my bold words, but I continued without missing a beat.
“You’re not going to torture or interrogate a fragile maid, are you? Now, where was that newspaper office again…”
“Ahem.”
Most of the officers were low-ranking nobles.
Nobles held their honor in high regard, and they didn’t like being gossiped about over things like this.
“We’ll overlook it this time because we feel sorry for you. But if the maid runs, you’ll be held responsible!”
I responded quickly but politely.
“See you at the trial, officers.”
They left the estate grumbling about wasting their time.
I let out a sigh as I watched them go.
‘Arthur, you’re really flailing around now.’
Arthur’s real target wasn’t Agathe. It was me.
That’s why I had to stand firm.
If I let Agathe be dragged away without resistance, it would be the same as admitting her assault on Arthur was justified—which could raise doubts about the legitimacy of my succession.
‘This must’ve been Arthur’s plan.’
Knowing that, how could I sit back and do nothing?
‘So how did he escape the mine?’
The place I sent Arthur was in a remote village few could even locate.
It was across the sea, so we had to put him on a boat—far and treacherous.
‘Did he get help from someone at the docks or on the ship?’
There were many possibilities.
But I could worry about the mastermind later, after dealing with the current mess.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m going to lose.’
The clear truth was that this situation wasn’t necessarily a disadvantage for me.
The next day.
Agathe’s trial proceeded swiftly.
I was fully prepared.
This wasn’t just about Agathe’s treatment—it was a matter of my honor.
If I lost here, I could forget about becoming Lennox’s supporter.
‘Arthur must’ve intended that too.’
Arthur sat on the plaintiff’s bench. Other than looking a little thinner, he seemed fine.
‘Wait a second… that person…’
As I looked around the audience, my eyes locked with a woman glaring at me with cold hostility.
