ILTDAMH |CHAPTER 130

Chapter 130

Imperial Tea Gathering (1)

What… what? So this woman isn’t working with that man?

When Marican looked at the woman, she burst into tears and spoke.

She said she worked at a shop that made cookies. The store here was doing so well that her boss scolded her, and in anger, she had deliberately put her own hair into the sandwich. She begged them to forgive her just this once, saying she never imagined things would blow up like this.

Vilhelm was the one who looked the most shocked.

He had thought she shared the same goal as he did… but she wasn’t involved at all.

Feeling a spike of panic, Vilhelm searched for the man who had been standing among the crowd earlier.

Huh? He’s gone!

Did he run away?

Cold sweat trickled down his back as he realized that the man who had given him the fabric scrap—and the one who had brought people over to stir up the crowd—were all gone.

“Alright. Since you regret your actions, follow that guard and face the appropriate punishment. Now then, let’s view the recording orb, shall we?”

Before Vilhelm could stop her, Yani activated the orb.

The projection clearly showed the woman placing her own hair into the sandwich, just as she confessed… and Vilhelm taking the fabric scrap from his coat and slipping it inside.

“What is this? I thought something real had come out of it, but this…?”

“No wonder. Every dawn when we line up outside, we can see you with your hair tied up, wearing gloves, a headscarf, even covering your mouth while making the sandwiches. There’s no way anything like that would get inside.”

“That’s right. I’ve tried sandwiches from other shops around here, but none compare to this place.”

As the onlookers criticized him, Vilhelm collapsed onto the floor, mumbling blankly.

“N-no, that’s not it…”

What is this… am I taking the blame for everything?

No, no, this can’t be happening!

What have I done just for the sake of some gold coins?

Vilhelm scrambled over and fell to his knees before Marican, bowing deeply.

“I truly apologize, madam.”

“I’m afraid you’ve already lost the chance to earn my forgiveness.”

“Please, please just listen to me once. I know I did wrong, but I was acting under someone’s orders.”

“Orders?”

Marican, who had begun to rise, sat back down.

“Yes, I was instructed to do this. That man told me that you had taken this shop by force from someone else, and that you bullied the neighboring merchants. He said he wanted to act for the sake of the shopkeepers in the city, and begged me to help just this once. I really thought he was telling the truth. I’m deeply sorry.”

“So, you did this purely for the sake of the neighboring merchants without expecting anything in return?”

“W-what? Ah… no, not exactly.”

“And this person who told you all this—someone close to you?”

“No. It was the first time I’d ever seen him. We met yesterday.”

“How amusing. You believed a complete stranger and helped him stir up trouble? I don’t know how much he paid you, but your guilt is large regardless. If you take money to do something like this without verifying the truth, you deserve the consequences. Spare me the excuses. Guards—take them away.”

“Yes, madam!”

The guards dragged out Vilhelm—screaming that he was wronged—and the woman who silently cried.

After they left, the others in the shop also departed one by one.

***

“My lady… a recording orb? Since when did you install one without telling us? My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.”

Kat spoke as she picked up the sandwich that had fallen to the floor.

“Yani, put it back where it was.”

“Yes, madam.”

When Yani returned the orb to its original place, Elena let out a sigh of relief and sat across from Marican.

“I was really scared. When they suddenly claimed there was hair and fabric in the food, I thought we’d have to close the shop.”

“Elena, you weren’t thinking I accidentally put those things in, were you?”

“N-no, of course not! I was shocked at first, but Zelda said it felt intentional, so after that I just worried about how we were going to prove it. But still… how did Zelda know?”

“Know what?”

When Marican looked to Zelda, she poured hot water into the teapot, drained it once, then filled it again before speaking.

“When we lived in Phenomenon Village, I installed a recording orb too.”

“Ah… so you assumed we had one this time as well.”

“Of course. I thought you would have it prepared. And even if you didn’t, I believed Marican would still have some countermeasure planned.”

“Did you see earlier?”

“See what?”

Marican accepted Zelda’s tea and looked to Kat. Kat nodded toward the shop across the street.

“Uncle Paulo. When that man started causing a fuss, he couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto his face. But the moment you brought out the orb, he suddenly scowled and stormed back into his shop. Surely he wasn’t involved, right?”

“Well… the guards will find out. Hopefully this time, nothing worse happens.”

Sipping her tea, Marican murmured, remembering the vagrants who had committed suicide not long ago.

***

“M-my lady, please calm down.”

At Mary’s words, Suzan shot her an irritated glare.

“How do you expect me to calm down? I told you to finish this before the duchess arrived! And what did you do? Waited until she showed up?”

Suzan, panting angrily, fell onto the bed. Mary hurried close and fanned her.

“You kept your mouth shut, right?”

“Yes, don’t worry. I even retrieved the pouch of gold coins from the inn he stayed at. No one will be able to prove anything.”

“If my name comes out of his mouth even once, I’ll kill your entire family. Do you understand?”

“T-t-that won’t happen, my lady.”

Terrified, Mary bowed her head. Suzan gently stroked her cheek.

“Good. They must never know it was me. Understand?”

“Yes… yes, my lady.”

“Now go bring me some tea. Since it’ll be hard to cause trouble at the shop, I’ll simply humiliate that woman at the tea gathering instead.”

“The tea gathering? Oh right—the imperial tea invitation arrived. I thought you wouldn’t be attending this time.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Did you think I wandered into the palace to see the dead empress for no reason? It was all to set up a backup plan. The imperial tea gathering is in three days. I’ll need a new dress—something eye-catching enough to outshine that oh-so-perfect duchess when she’s embarrassed in front of everyone.”

With a sudden bright smile, Suzan looked so beautiful—yet terrifying—that Mary felt a chill run down her spine.

***

A few days later, Vilhelm was sent to summary judgment for planting the fabric scrap in the sandwich.

He insisted he had been hired by someone… but with no evidence, he was forced to pay a fine equal to twice the amount of money he had received for selling his items—every last coin of it—before he could be released.

Thankfully, the inn where he stayed had been paid in advance. Vilhelm hurriedly packed and left. He briefly considered trying to find the man who had ordered him… but soon gave up.

He had believed his visit to the capital would bring him amazing luck, but his own greed had cost him everything—including the money he had earned. Penniless, he returned to his hometown… and did not go near the capital again for a long time.

***

“Oh my, Countess Theor—were you invited to the tea gathering again this year?”

Suzan, visiting a boutique to choose a dress for the event, responded as the madam approached, drenched in perfume.

“Of course. How could the imperial tea gathering happen without me?”

“A new dress just arrived. Would you like to see it?”

“The gathering is in two days. Wouldn’t the fitting take too long?”

“Oh no. I believe it will fit you perfectly without any adjustments.”

“Fine. Let me see.”

The soft rose-tinted gown was a gentle red—elegant, not gaudy. The neckline dipped slightly, adorned with beads that kept it from looking too revealing. A tight bodice and voluminous skirt emphasized her narrow waist beautifully.

“What do you think? In my opinion, this dress was made for you, Countess.”

“Hmph. I’ll try it on.”

With the help of the attendants and Mary, Suzan put on the dress. She admired her reflection, satisfied.

“The quality is quite good.”

“You truly have an eye for these things. This fabric isn’t produced anywhere in the empire. This dress is the only one of its kind. And I was right—no need for fitting adjustments. Your figure is simply perfect. I’m envious.”

Pleased by the compliments, Suzan nodded.

“Good. I’ll take it.”

“However… the price is a little high.”

Suzan’s expression sharpened.

“How high?”

“Fifty thousand pein.”

“That’s all? And you hesitated that much? Mary, pay her.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Mary wrote the check. The madam bowed deeply.

“As expected of the countess—you’re so generous. I’ll have the dress delivered to your estate.”

“I’ll visit again soon.”

As Suzan left, the madam remained bowed for a moment. Then she slowly straightened, muttering: