Chapter 186 – A Public Confrontation
“My daughter wanted to become the Grand Duchess!”
When those words came out, shocked murmurs spread through the crowd.
“Is she actually bragging about that?”
Someone whispered critically.
“But…”
The Countess Avoir clenched her wrinkled dress tightly.
“That was because my daughter was hypnotized by a dark mage!”
“A dark mage?”
“Dark mages disappeared long ago!”
Most people reacted as if the claim was ridiculous, but a few looked uneasy.
The Countess’s fierce gaze turned toward Loic.
“My daughter has admired Your Grace her entire life!”
Loic remained expressionless.
The Countess turned to the crowd and shouted passionately.
“A dark mage took advantage of her pure heart and hypnotized her! My daughter is a victim too! Why should such a pitiful girl be executed?”
Whenever Meisel was mentioned, Loic always avoided the topic, so I had suspected something.
So Meisel has been sentenced to death.
Now I understood the Countess’s goal.
She was trying to make the matter public and create a way to save her daughter.
“I intended to settle this quietly out of respect for the Avoir family’s reputation,” Loic said coldly.
“But the Countess has acted recklessly.”
“This matter is being discussed with the Count. Return home.”
“No, Your Grace! I cannot do that!”
The Countess clenched her teeth.
“Can you promise to thoroughly investigate the truth so that my daughter is not treated unfairly? I cannot trust that! Open a trial instead!”
Her acting is worthy of a prima donna.
Listening only to her words, it almost sounded as if Meisel were an innocent victim.
Some people even looked uncertain.
“A trial?” Loic scoffed.
“It seems the Countess does not know her daughter very well. Are you sure you want that? If a trial is held, execution will be the most merciful punishment she could receive.”
Hearing that, people nodded as if they expected it.
“Ugh…”
Unable to argue, the Countess turned her gaze toward me.
“Your Highness, you are a woman too!”
She crawled a step closer on her knees.
“My daughter’s only crime was loving Your Grace. Please pity her! You are known for your kindness!”
Was it my imagination?
But behind her desperate face, there seemed to be a twisted expectation.
So many people are watching. Are you really going to ignore me?
You are famous for being kind—can you really ignore my plea not to kill my daughter?
It felt as if she was silently challenging me.
Her voice grew stronger.
“Of course you must have felt uncomfortable about Meisel loving your husband. But the truth is that Meisel, who is from the North, is more suitable to be the Grand Duchess than you!”
Loic finally raised his voice angrily.
“Enough! I won’t listen to this any longer. Norton!”
The knights immediately grabbed the Countess by both arms.
“I understand you are angry because my daughter almost caused harm to you! But you returned safely without even a scratch!”
Even while being restrained, the Countess shouted at me.
To others, it looked as if she were bravely resisting injustice.
Some noblewomen even looked sympathetic.
“Still… this is too much.”
“Execution seems too harsh.”
Voices of pity appeared here and there.
Something hot rose in my chest.
I could understand her desperation. Her daughter’s life was at stake.
I understand… but…
I cannot forgive this.
“Wait.”
The knights paused.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.
They looked curious, wondering if the Grand Duchess would show mercy.
“Annette.”
Loic looked worried, but I gave him a reassuring look.
Then I looked at the Countess.
“Did you come here to beg me to spare Lady Meisel’s life?”
“Yes, Your Highness!” the Countess cried.
“My daughter is young and beautiful, just like you!”
“Yes, she is about my age.”
I spoke slowly.
“But do you know something? Among all the things you’ve said, you haven’t apologized to me even once.”
“T-that’s…!”
The Countess stuttered.
“Lady Meisel is the same.”
I continued calmly.
“Leaving aside her constant disrespect, she committed quite a few crimes against me.”
Then I listed them one by one.
“She bribed the head maid to spy on my life. She stirred up the other noble ladies during tea time to humiliate me.”
People’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“She arranged for extremists to throw eggs at me in the street.”
Gasps spread through the crowd.
“She caused disturbances to condemn me and intentionally tried to ruin both the diplomatic exchange and the lakeside festival.”
The list kept going.
“She even involved the head maid of the Grand Ducal castle. Oh—and I almost forgot the most important part. When that maid failed, she poisoned her to death.”
The Countess’s face turned completely pale.
“During all that time, Lady Meisel never apologized to me even once.”
I continued calmly.
“Do you remember what she said at the end? She became angry that her honor was stained just because a mere commoner died.”
The crowd gasped in horror.
“She never showed even the slightest sign of regret. So tell me—was all that because of a dark mage’s hypnosis too?”
“But the maid was only a commoner!” the Countess shouted desperately.
“She did not harm Your Highness!”
The atmosphere in the lobby suddenly turned cold.
In Blenheim, many commoners were richer than nobles.
More than half of the audience watching the opera today were middle-class commoners.
A man who looked like a businessman muttered angrily.
“That’s right. I thought the same thing once.”
I looked at the Countess coldly.
“That’s why I showed mercy before. And because of that, I nearly died this time.”
“This is not a metaphor.”
“If the Grand Duke had not come to meet me that day, I would already be dead.”
I tightened my hand in Loic’s.
“Did I say I was angry? Yes. I am angry. And as you said, I do not pity your daughter.”
“The ‘love’ of a noble lady who killed someone and endangered Blenheim is not adorable to me.”
I spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“And thanks to Lady Meisel, I realized something important.”
“I am now the Grand Duchess of Blenheim. My decisions carry great responsibility.”
“If I make the wrong choice, the entire North could be put in danger.”
Even Loic and the knights were listening silently now.
“So do not dare to tell me to show mercy or say that I should understand her as a fellow woman.”
“B-but…!”
The Countess’s eyes filled with tears.
“Then what should happen to Meisel? Are you saying I should just watch my daughter die?”
This conversation is pointless.
There was no point continuing.
I had already said what needed to be heard.
Loic seemed to think the same.
I gave him a small nod.
I’ve said everything.
Loic signaled the knights.
“Please escort the Countess.”
The Countess looked around desperately, hoping someone would support her.
But no one stepped forward.
Finally, with tears covering her face, she was dragged away by the knights.
Back at the Castle
I barely remember how we returned to the castle.
Completely exhausted, I was carried by Loic into the bedroom.
But instead of placing me on the bed, he took me straight into the bathroom.
“Please sit here.”
He sat me on a chair beside the commode and began filling a silver basin with water himself.
Loic knelt on one knee and rolled up his sleeves.
After checking the water temperature, he carefully placed my hand into the basin.
“I could wash it myself…”
The lukewarm water quickly turned red as the blood dissolved.
Loic gently rubbed between my fingers and across the back of my hand to clean the stains.
Usually he would already be asking repeatedly if I was okay.
But today his mouth remained tightly closed.
“Loic… are you angry?”
I expected him to say no.
But without lifting his eyes from my hand, Loic replied quietly,
“A little.”
“Why?”
He hesitated before answering.
“…Annette is someone who should never have blood on her hands.”
He gently held my fingers.
“Someone like me is fine… but Annette should never be involved in things like this.”
“It wasn’t even my blood.”
I had only gotten it on my hands while stopping the Prince’s bleeding.
But when I tried to speak lightly about it, Loic frowned.
His voice suddenly became emotional.
“Annette… it seems you never think about how I feel.”
