Chapter 15 – Part 3

“Stop it.”

“What?”

“I told you to stop being rude to Lady Kristin. Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to speak like this, but I can’t stand by and watch this any longer.”

The maid, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, spoke, and Rose immediately slapped her across the face.

The sound of the slap echoed through the air, and Kristin quickly stepped forward, pulling the maid behind her to protect her.”Move aside, Kristin.”

“It seems like it’s no longer me who should be stepping aside. Mother. No, Rose Veronica.”

“What did you just say?”

Rose glared at Kristin, her gaze so cold that it seemed to chill the air around her.

Elena, standing beside Rose, could barely contain her anger as she watched Kristin, the servants, and the butler.

“Why did you send that cake to my mother?”

Kristin asked, and Rose responded nonchalantly, her tone defiant.

“Because I was grateful to Viscountess Elesia. I sent the cake simply as a gesture of thanks to you and your mother. You should have had some too.”

Kristin could discern the hidden meaning behind Rose’s words.

Sending the poisoned cake was a trap intended to kill both Viscountess Elesia and her young daughter, Kristin.

At the time the cake arrived, Kristin was at the academy dormitory and therefore didn’t have the chance to eat it.

The academy for noble young ladies would often send students on trips to a sister academy in a country closest to the Union Empire.

Elesia had thought it would be a valuable experience for young Kristin to visit another country’s academy, so she sent her there.

Thus, Kristin was able to avoid the poisoned cake.

Since cakes are difficult to preserve, they couldn’t be kept for more than two days, so Elesia ate only one slice before ordering the servants to throw the rest away.

However, she had no idea that just one slice would lead to her falling so ill.

She had simply seen it as an expression of gratitude, and because she had loved the common people more than anyone else, she hadn’t suspected anything.

“Was your intention to kill me along with my mother?”

Kristin asked, her voice filled with tears, and Rose crossed her arms and replied nonchalantly.

“Perhaps? It seems you’ve gone a bit too far, Kristin.”

At that moment, Raphael, who could no longer bear the conversation, was about to order his aide when Vernon kneeled before Kristin and began to speak hurriedly.

“My daughter, I’m so sorry. I’ll apologize on behalf of your stepmother, so please, just this once, forgive her. You’ve been doing everything you can for the family, and we can’t let it fall apart like this. Oh, right! We can ask Lady Selena Scarlet for help.”

“W-what did you say?”

Vernon clung desperately to Kristin’s legs, having seemingly abandoned all sense of dignity, begging his daughter to save him.

He was confused by everything that had happened, but he knew that if he didn’t act, he would surely end up in prison, so he was doing everything he could to survive.

“Please, don’t send me to prison. Kristin, I’ve regretted everything since Elesia passed away. I never should have let a woman like her—no, a creature worse than a worm—into my mansion.”

“What did you just say?”

Rose asked, turning to Vernon, who shouted at her in response.

“It’s because of you that this has happened! You sent the poisoned cake to ruin our family, didn’t you? In a way, everything went wrong after I met you, so if you want to live, you should beg Kristin for forgiveness.”

Vernon’s words made no sense anymore.

He was begging Kristin for forgiveness, but his heart wasn’t sincere; he was simply trying to escape the consequences of his actions, knowing that he would otherwise face a life as a prisoner.

Kristin understood her father’s intentions, but she could no longer tolerate his shameless behavior. She shook off his hands and spoke firmly.

“Enough.”

“Kristin—”

“Please stop. How far are you willing to go to humiliate yourself?”

“Y—yes, you’re right. It’s disgraceful to see a nobleman lying flat like this. You’re right, Kristin.”

As Vernon stood up and smiled at Kristin, Rose watched them both with a look of utter disbelief. Vernon, however, now seemed repulsed by Rose’s gaze, avoiding eye contact with her.

“Father.”

Elena called out to Vernon, but he no longer paid any attention to the mother and daughter. Disappointed by his response, Elena clenched her fists and walked back into the mansion.

Rose called out to her repeatedly, but Elena didn’t look back.

“To think I would be the father of such a filthy commoner’s child. My precious Kristin is the only daughter I have.”

Kristin no longer wanted to listen to her father’s words.

She couldn’t bear to acknowledge a father who was so deeply entangled in her mother’s death, so she turned away from him. At that moment, Elena emerged from the mansion, lugging a large suitcase behind her.

“E-Elena?”

“I’ve hated living in this mansion for a long time.”

Elena stood still with her suitcase, then glanced at her father and mother, who were now bound in ropes under Raphael’s orders, before turning back to Kristin.

“Sister, you must be so pleased. Now you’ve even gone so far as to turn in your parents.”

“What?”

“I’m furious right now, but I’m holding it in. You’ll never be happy, sister. I won’t let that happen.”

After saying this, Elena looked back at the mansion one last time before abruptly turning her head away.

Rose, seeing her only daughter walk away without even a glance back, finally lost the confident composure she had maintained.

“Now, we’ll take Viscount Vernon, Rose Veronica, and Finn Declan, who conspired in this crime, to the Imperial Prison for trial. Make sure to gather all the evidence.”

Raphael spoke to the knights and his aides, then turned to Kristin and said in a low voice,

“What happened with your father is a tragedy. But since you agree that he must pay for his crimes, I will handle this case.”

“Your Grace”

When Kristin looked at Raphael, Vernon, and Rose, they had already been bound with ropes by the knights and aides.

* * *

After everyone had left, Kristin couldn’t help but collapse to the ground, her legs giving out beneath her.

At that moment, her gaze landed on the portraits of herself and Baron Elijah.

Seeing the portrait of a bald, unattractive middle-aged man contrasted with her own, where she looked much younger, Kristin couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

Seeing Kristin fall to the ground, Lenci hurriedly came over to support her.

“Are you okay? What should we do, My Lady?”

After Lenci said this and looked around, the other servants began to rush over, each one grabbing Kristin’s arms and speaking in turn.

“Are you alright, Your Ladyship?”

“My Lady, let me help you too.”

“You’ve been through so much. We should have helped you sooner, but we were all so afraid of the Viscount and Lady Rose. We couldn’t even consider it.”

While the servants spoke, Kristin looked around for Cindy.

Cindy, who had been on Elena and Rose’s side.

Although Cindy had been friendly with the other servants, she had believed that securing Elena’s favor was the key to a better future, so she had sided with Rose and Elena.

Now that they were all gone, Cindy had nowhere to turn.

Kristin clearly remembered the way Cindy had looked at her and the malicious tasks she had carried out on Elena’s orders, but even so, she couldn’t bring herself to cast Cindy out.

Even if she did, Cindy would have nowhere to go.

With her father, stepmother, and Elena—those she harbored the most resentment against—now out of the mansion, Kristin felt there was no one left who needed to leave.

She didn’t want to hate anyone anymore.

Compared to the past, when she could do nothing, she had already accomplished quite a lot.

“Where’s Cindy?”

Kristin asked Lenci and the other servants as she looked around. The elderly butler cautiously replied.

“I’ve told Cindy to leave. We all know what she did in the past. It’s our fault for not stopping her sooner.”

The butler spoke as if gauging Kristin’s reaction, but Kristin had no intention of driving out the servants.

She needed them to keep the Edith estate running smoothly.

She spoke to the butler.

“I have no plans to drive Cindy out, so please bring her back. If she wishes to work elsewhere, I won’t stop her, but I want to take care of her.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

The butler looked at Kristin in surprise, but Kristin met his gaze and repeated herself.

“I’m saying there’s no one left in this mansion who needs to be cast out. I understand Cindy.”

“That girl eavesdropped on your conversations with the Viscount, conspired with Lady Elena to slander you, and spread rumors.”

“I’m already aware of all that, so there’s no need to remind me. In any case, please tell Cindy that she can continue working here. If she goes to another estate, she won’t be treated well.”

Kristin knew what kind of reception Cindy would face in the future.

Cindy had attended the debutante ball with Elena and had accompanied her to several other parties before that.

Elena’s reputation wasn’t good, and since Cindy had been her maid, rumors about her had already spread throughout the Empire.If Cindy were to move to another noble’s estate, her troubles would be obvious.

The truth about how her father and stepmother’s plot led to the death of the former Viscountess would inevitably spread across the Empire.

If Cindy were to move to another estate during such a time, people there would undoubtedly ask her many questions.

And Cindy was not the type to remain silent. She would likely embellish her stories, so Kristin felt more at ease keeping her close.

“Are you going to keep Cindy around?”

When the butler asked for confirmation one last time, Kristin nodded.

“Understood, My Lady. I’ll go speak to her.”

The butler hurried back into the mansion, and shortly afterward, Cindy came out, tears streaming down her face as she carried her suitcase. The butler spoke to her.

“The young lady has said you don’t need to leave, so get ready to continue serving Lady Kristin.”

Hearing this, Cindy repeatedly bowed to Kristin, who waved it off, indicating that it was fine.