***

While Shailyn stayed in Sharofe County, Celsior gradually drove Diart into a trap.

At first, it was an accident.

At an event where the magic tower announced new magical tools and magic potions, an accident occurred where one magical tool exploded.

Due to that incident, Johanna suffered serious injuries, and the Celsior ducal family formally protested to the magic tower.

It seemed like someone deliberately targeted the lady and caused it on purpose.

Indeed, the magical tool that caused the explosion was found to have traces of deliberate damage upon investigation.

The problem was that Deborah had made that magical tool.

“Why would I try to harm Lady Celsior? I never did such a thing!”

Naturally, Deborah completely denied the suspicion. However, a fellow mage who worked with her gave unfavorable testimony.

“Actually, she had been speaking badly about Lady Celsior from before. During the queen selection too…… It felt like she hated the lady a bit? And the night before the event, Deborah suddenly said there were points to fix in the magical tool and volunteered to work overtime alone.”

She was going crazy with injustice. She had really discovered something strange, and not wanting to trouble her colleagues, she worked alone and left at dawn.

She never dreamed that her consideration for others would come back as a boomerang like this.

The Diart ducal family stepped forward to protect Deborah. If things went wrong, she could be arrested for attempted murder.

“There’s no objective evidence that Deborah damaged the magical tool. Also, although she wasn’t on intimate terms with Lady Celsior usually, there’s also no motive for her to harbor enough resentment to cause an explosion terror.”

“Then are you saying my daughter’s injury was simply a coincidence? There’s been much talk recently about conflicts between Diart’s side and our Johanna, so how can you be so shameless?”

“We didn’t skip the investigation either. We looked into everything, but there’s no proof that Deborah did it—”

“Ah, enough! I can’t trust investigations conducted by Diart!”

Howard Celsior almost threw a tantrum, covering both ears and retorting.

Duke Benjamin of Diart, immediately grasping what he wanted, hesitated for a moment. He worried about what would happen if he rashly handed over the initiative and it became disadvantageous for Deborah.

However, when the Celsior side shook the family with all their might, he eventually had to step back.

“If you’re that suspicious, then Celsior can investigate directly. We’ll also cooperate obediently.”

This was possible because of the strong belief that Deborah would never do such a thing.

Howard, seizing the opportunity, invaded even the ducal residence under the pretext of investigation.

And after thoroughly searching the mansion, instead of finding evidence that Deborah tried to kill Johanna……

“Heresy! The Diart ducal family joined hands with heretics and plotted treason!”

He found evidence of an entirely different rebellion.

For the Diart ducal family, closer to atheists than heretics, this was utterly absurd.

They had never harbored treasonous thoughts even once, yet the idea that they secretly prepared rebellion by joining hands with heretics was preposterous.

However, heretical objects came out from all over the Diart ducal family’s residence, and the heretics captured by Celsior all confessed in detail that they had been in communication with the Diart ducal family.

“This is ridiculous! Now I see that Celsior has completely decided to frame us! The lady’s injury must also be self-directed!”

“Please watch your words, Lord Diart.”

“How can we trust your investigation?!”

“Not only is this an investigation permitted by Duke Diart, but after evidence of treason emerged, His Majesty the emperor directly ordered me to thoroughly investigate the truth.”

This meant that everything Howard did was under the protection of imperial command, so the Diart ducal family had no choice.

In a situation where they were suspected of treason, refusing or confronting imperial orders would only deepen the suspicions further.

Around that time, they sent a letter to Shailyn telling her not to come to the capital and to stay in the county until things quieted down.

But it failed to reach her by a hair’s breadth.

The carriage carrying Shailyn was earnestly racing toward the Diart residence in the capital, knowing nothing.

This was because the investigation proceeded in utmost secrecy with no information leaked to the outside.

***

Finally, she returned to the capital. She opened the window after a long time and breathed in.

Hmm, is this the air of a big city?

She was excited about meeting the ducal family and the remaining male leads she hadn’t seen while in the county.

“Please stop the carriage for a moment.”

“Huh……?”

Carl, having carefully looked outside, suddenly opened the door and jumped out.

“Something urgent came up. Please go in first.”

“No, Carl—!”

You should give me my bag that’s on your shoulder before you go……

He had insisted on carrying it himself, so she had handed it over, but he forgot he was carrying it and took it with him.

Unable to catch him as he disappeared at high speed, she eventually departed again.

Her mother’s keepsake was in the bag, but if it was Carl, he wouldn’t lose it and would return safely with it, right?

The carriage crossing the square gradually approached the ducal residence. At some point, she noticed Paul staring intently in that direction and said.

“You went through a lot of trouble coming down to the county because of me, Paul.”

“Oh, no, Miss.”

“The ducal residence must be home for you, Paul. You must have missed it a lot?”

Paul smiled kindly and answered.

“Honestly, I did miss it. But now something feels a bit……”

“Why?”

“I’m a little worried. We haven’t been able to contact the ducal family well since last week. I’m needlessly anxious wondering if something happened.”

Hearing that, she also realized that at some point, she hadn’t received any letters from the ducal family either.

She had been so busy taking care of the territory and doing missions that she didn’t feel that emptiness, but now she became puzzled like Paul.

“That’s right, I wonder what happened……”

“We’ll arrive soon, so won’t you find out when we get there?”

“That’s true too. Let’s not worry too much in advance.”

She nodded at Mandy’s words and comforted Paul. Then Paul’s expression also softened considerably.

However, what greeted them upon arrival at the ducal residence wasn’t the ducal family.

“Everyone raise your hands above your heads and get out of the carriage. I repeat. Raise your hands above your heads and get out of the carriage!”

Knights wearing armor engraved with the imperial crest shouted coercively.

They exchanged bewildered looks with each other, then she took the lead and calmly got out of the carriage with her hands raised.

“What the hell is this about?”

“Are you Count Shailyn Sharofe?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She lifted her chin and widened her eyes. The man looked down at her and solemnly declared.

“I’m arresting you on charges of conspiring in treason.”

“……What?”

What kind of b*llshit is this?

“Wait a minute, I’ve never conspired in treason. Properly explain to me why you’re doing this to me.”

When she demanded strongly, the knight sighed and uttered shocking words.

“It was recently revealed that the Diart ducal family conspired with heretics to plot rebellion. There’s testimony that the count, who has been residing here for nearly half a year, also participated.”

“……”

It was such comprehensive b*llshit that she lost her words.

Regardless, the knights subdued and dragged away each of them one by one.

“Ah!”

A system window appeared before her eyes as she was roughly shoved into the carriage.

【※Mission Occurred※】

【※Mission Occurred※】

【※Mission Occurred※】

【Mission: Clear My Own False Accusations With My Own Hands

Ah, it’s here, it’s here!

The female lead’s ordeal section has arrived~!

You have been unjustly framed!

If you stay like this, not only you but the Diart ducal family will also be in danger, right?

Directly prove your innocence and clear the false accusations!

Time limit: 12 hours

Success condition: Reveal the fact that you were framed before the emperor

Penalty for failure: Death penalty+α】

Ah, what the hell. Are you kidding me.

I haven’t even properly grasped what happened yet, and you want me to appeal my innocence before the emperor within half a day!

And if I can’t do that, it’s death!

It was truly maddening and infuriating, but the world didn’t stop just because she was going mad and getting infuriated.

As she was mercilessly dragged to the underground dungeon of the imperial palace, she thought.

‘At least it’s fortunate that Carl isn’t in this situation……’

Otherwise, he would have been caught together.

And she reunited with the Diart ducal family in prison.

“Shailyn! Are you alright? I told you not to come to the capital, so why did you come?!”

Lord Diart, seeing her being pushed into the prison, approached with a shocked face and examined her body here and there.

She looked at their faces, all equally badly hurt, and choked up.

“Which bastard framed us?”