Chapter 53. Calen Castle, Part XIV
While she was engrossed in sweet fantasies about her future, Killian proceeded with the questioning. "Was it just that you showed her the way with kindness, and she suddenly hit you for no reason?"
At Killian's low-pitched tone, Sylvia nodded and glanced toward Viscount Chaister. It seemed that Baroness Lanolf had finally contacted him.
She was more nervous and trembling with the burden, but it had already happened. Sylvia, now unable to retreat, calmed her heart and answered with a sad face, squeezing her tears out as she had practiced numerous times. "Yes, Your Highness. I just did a little kindness..."
Killian stared at the woman crying and ordered Albert, "Albert, repeat what you have heard from my maid."
"Your Highness, why is not here a scandalous bitch that should be killed and my daughter, the victim, is being questioned like a sinner? You can't do this!" Viscount Chaister, who had been displeased at being ignored earlier, protested, unable to contain himself when only his daughter was being called out for questioning.
Killian's heartless gaze remained unchanged despite the angry cry that filled the hall. Anyways, today the family of Chaister would disappear from the Lenaid continent. He had no intention of bringing Julietta in and making a spectacle of her.
"Albert, tell me what you've heard."
The people who gathered in the hall began to be stirred up as Killian continued to treat the Viscount as not existing since a while ago.
Pamela's face hardened as she watched the situation develop. The arrogant and cold-hearted Prince had drawn a distinct line between public and private matters. Even if he considered the maid innocent and Sylvia reprehensible, after being caught up in this, the Prince, who should comfort Sylvia, the victim, did not show any sign of it, even though everyone was watching; it was so suspicious. As soon as she had got married, she had lost her husband, come to Calen Castle, and worked as a maid for a long time. A sense that she had earned over time was sending her a warning.
Celine, the girl who had hit Sylvia, had said that she had not been caught by anyone, but the Prince's attitude made it clear that things were wrong.Pamela gently turned her ring towards the palm of her hand. She had put it on her finger to prepare for a possible situation. The ring was designed to raise a needle that had been hidden inside the ring when the small ruby was twisted around the setting. With a tight grip on the ruby in the palm of her hand, Pamela moved forward gently through the gathered people.
"I see. My maid had an argument with Lady Chaister.
"What she said, that a woman in a black dress suddenly appeared and hit me is a lie. There can be no such person in this castle with a tightened guard. If there were such a suspicious person, why didn't the knights find the person yesterday when they were searching for her?"
Sylvia refuted Albert's words in a trembling voice. She even thought it was a real relief that the maid was not here. It would be really hard for her to lie while facing the maid she had entrapped.
"It seemed that she was very proud to be a personal maid of Your Highness. Although she was born a commoner, she seemed to think that she was different from ordinary maids, and she said that she could go through the main gate, and she got angry with me. However, it was not a problem and I advised her to stay away from the main gate as long as she could, unless she was busy. At my words, she suddenly started hitting me, saying that she was different from ordinary maids, and I was arrogant to teach her."
As Sylvia showed her slightly bruised, bluish left face to Killian, and cried, a grotesque sigh of 'Oh, my god' was in the mouths of those who saw her.
Sylvia raised her head to see the Prince's reaction, boosted by the people's reaction. After he had seen her bruised face, she thought the casual look might have changed. But Sylvia faltered back, because his expression looking straight at her was full of contempt.
Sylvia's legs began to tremble at the expression, which clearly showed that he did not believe what she had said.
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Oswald stopped by the most famous restaurant in Ricaren, Manol, after talking about the jewelry business with the old dwarf.
As the Marquis, dressed in a vivid blue jacket and a golden vest that matched the orange carriage, stepped out in front of the restaurant, his eyes were drawn to the spectacular view. As he entered the restaurant gracefully, enjoying the eyes of the people, the driver of the family of Oswald moved to the coach house.
Normally, he would have stopped the carriage in the coach house and gone to a nearby snack bar and spent some time in moderation, but today was different. The driver pulled over the carriage at the innermost area and opened wide both doors of the carriages.
While the driver was busy coming and going for a while, a luxurious dark blue carriage came in.
The new carriage stopped next to the Marquis's, which was definitely visible even inside the coach house. Soon the dark blue-uniformed driver leapt from the horseback seat, opened the carriage doors wide and began cleaning like the driver of the orange carriage.A team of security guards at the coach house glanced at the drivers, who were diligently cleaning the insides of the wagon from far away, and pulled out the lunch boxes they had prepared. They thought they'd be busy all day today, seeing the crowds of guests coming in earlier than usual, and they had to finish their meals before they were too busy. They picked up their forks.
The driver of the blue carriage, when he saw the guards were engrossed in their meals, grabbed the hand of the prone Duke Martin and raised him up.
"It's my first time laying on the floor of a carriage in more than fifty years." The grumbling Duke of Martin, hiding himself behind the doors of the wide-open carriage, safely moved to the next carriage. As the Duke lay on the floor again out of sight from the outside, Adam, dressed as a driver, whispered, "I'm sorry, Father, but you have to stay under the seat."
An exasperated groan came out of Duke Martin's mouth.
"I'll go in before I get to the castle. I don't know when the Marquis might come, but if I am already in there, I'm not sure if I'll come out alive, because my legs are asleep."
"When the carriage leaves, go in. There's nothing wrong with being careful."
At his ending words, Adam heartlessly closed the doors of the carriage, and ordered the driver of the family of Marquis Oswald, "Before you start, you'll help him hide himself."
"Yes, my Count."
After nodding at the driver's answer, Adam climbed onto the horseback seat of the carriage he had driven and pretended to fall asleep with his hat deeply pressed down.
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At that time, Oswald the wagon provider was having a good time of his own, with his mouth-pleasing works of art.
"Oh my God, who is this? Marquis Oswald! I can't believe we're meeting here."
Duke Kiellini was very pleased to find Oswald dining on the terrace of Manol, a restaurant with a fountain in the square of Ricaren.
"Your Excellency, it's been a long time. I was surprised to hear that you would visit Bertino. When I saw you in the spring, you didn't say that."
After Oswald, an austere aristocrat and closest aide to the Prince, appeared at the restaurant, the attention of a handful of guests and restaurant staff soon turned to him. When a silver-haired gentleman appeared, who seemed to be higher ranked than him, people became more excited and focused on them so as not to miss a word.
"Duke Martin praised Bertino's summer as beautiful so much. I followed him when he came to visit Bertino. In addition, I've had my own business. Has Duke Martin arrived?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. He arrived around yesterday evening. His trip must have been quite difficult. As soon as he came, he couldn't even attend the dinner, and he took a break right away. But I'm glad to hear that the Magic Square will be restored by the end of the year."