Chapter 4.30

The audience was far more shocked than when Gerald had appeared.  

Some even stood up in their seats.  

It was only natural.  

Since ‘that incident,’ the Dowager Duchess had never made a public appearance.

“She’s been bedridden for over 20 years!”  

“My goodness. She’s really alive…”  

“I thought they claimed she was alive just to maintain Winchester’s prestige…”

The astonished murmurs of the crowd continued.  

However, the Dowager Duchess remained silent, as if she couldn’t hear them.  

Her attire was neat, her posture upright, and the necklace she always wore was absent.

“Mother?”

The most shocked person was Valentine Winchester.  

He murmured in a trembling voice.

“Why… How, why…”

But the Dowager Duchess didn’t even glance at Valentine.  

Her icy gaze was fixed straight ahead.  

No, not straight ahead. Her eyes were locked on Archibald Winchester.

“…Lillian.”

Archibald murmured with a pale face.  

The Dowager Duchess’s piercing stare seemed to bore through him.  

The judge struck the gavel to restore order to the chaotic courtroom.

“Order, order!”

The gavel rang out sharply, silencing the room.  

The judge solemnly asked.

“Lillian Winchester. Did you attend this trial of your own will?”

The Dowager Duchess nodded. The judge tilted his head, his expression skeptical.

“However, you have been confined to a hospital for over 20 years. It seems unlikely that you have any knowledge of this case. What testimony do you intend to provide?”

The Dowager Duchess silently turned her gaze toward Liz.  

For some reason, the moment Liz met her eyes, she felt reassured.  

It was as if everything would be all right.  

It felt as though the Dowager Duchess was whispering to her, “It’s okay.”

Liz nodded slightly.  

The Dowager Duchess, too, seemed to have noticed Liz’s mood. A faint smile, almost imperceptible, appeared on her cold face.  

The Dowager Duchess opened her mouth.

“Yes. I know nothing about this incident.”

The Dowager Duchess’s voice was slow. However, it was so firm that it was hard to believe she had ever suffered from mental illness.

“I am here to accuse Archibald Winchester of another crime.”  

“Another crime, you say…?”

The judge pushed up his monocle.  

The Dowager Duchess took a deep breath and exhaled. She gripped the blanket covering her knees tightly and spoke.

“The murder of my husband, the Duke of Winchester.”

At those words, the courtroom fell eerily silent. Even the murmurs subsided.  

In the dead silence, where even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard, the Dowager Duchess spoke slowly.

“My husband, the Duke of Winchester, discovered that Archibald had been embezzling large sums of cash from the timber business. Both to the investors and to Winchester, it was a critically dangerous situation.”

The Dowager Duchess let out a long sigh.

“My husband had a gentle disposition and did not wish for discord with his brother. Therefore, he subtly advised Archibald to close the business. But Archibald, harboring resentment…”

The Dowager Duchess looked directly at Archibald and said,

“Shot my husband that night.”

The gaze of the spectators turned to Archibald.  

Archibald’s face, which had turned pale and then white, already gave the answer.  

However, the judge calmly asked,

“Do you have evidence?”

The Dowager Duchess slowly opened her hand.  

In her palm was a locket necklace she had worn every day.  

She had gripped it so tightly that the imprint of the necklace was left on her palm.

“I survived by hiding under the bed at that time. He didn’t know I was there, nor that I had a child.”

The Dowager Duchess, with trembling hands, opened the locket.  

Inside were two bullets.

“I heard their entire conversation and struggle. These bullets pierced through the bed and lodged beside my ear.”

The prosecutor, who had been standing in shock, quickly regained his composure and approached the witness stand.  

He carefully picked up the blood-stained bullets with gloved hands and handed them to the judge.  

The judge examined the bullets thoroughly before setting them down.  

Then, with a solemn gaze, he looked at Archibald.  

Archibald was muttering like a madman.

“She… was there. You were there…”

Archibald shook his head and collapsed to the floor.  

The judge, as if there was nothing more to see, turned his head back to the Dowager Duchess.

“One last question. Why are you only now accusing him of something that happened 20 years ago? If you had spoken up then, it could have been resolved sooner.”

The Dowager Duchess remained silent. After a long pause, tears streamed down her cheeks.  

It was a sight so agonizing that it resembled a crack forming in an old sculpture.

“I was afraid.”

The Dowager Duchess spoke as if spitting out the words.

“After that, I couldn’t even lie on my own bed. I could only fall asleep by crawling under it. But when I did sleep, I dreamt of bullets passing by my ear. Sometimes, the bullet would pierce my forehead, and other times, my heart. That fear kept me silent for a long time. But…”

The Dowager Duchess looked at Liz and Valentine as she continued.

“Now that Valentine has become someone who can protect others, and because I also want to protect that happiness… I found the courage. That is all.”

The shocking testimony left the courtroom as quiet as a receding tide.  

The judge solemnly spoke.

“Archibald Winchester is hereby convicted of leaking state secrets, arms smuggling, and additionally, the murder of the late Duke of Winchester. The court of Holt sentences Archibald Winchester to death.”

The solemn sound of the gavel echoed three times.  

The sheriff entered and dragged the collapsed Archibald away.  

In the heavy atmosphere that was too somber even for gossip, the spectators silently left.  

The courtroom was soon quiet.  

The Dowager Duchess closed her eyes with a relieved expression.  

Gerald and Liz, who were standing behind the Dowager Duchess, locked eyes.  

Liz stepped down from the witness stand and quietly looked at him. Gerald spoke.

“I didn’t inform you both because I was worried that Archibald might find out about the Dowager Duchess’s movements. My apologies.” 

Gerald lightly bowed his head to Liz and continued.

“But the Dowager Duchess was able to testify thanks entirely to your sincerity, Miss. No…”

Gerald let out a deep breath and spoke respectfully.

“Lady Winchester.”

The weight of his words was different from Valentine’s affection.  

When Valentine called Liz Winchester, it was a name that exuded warm companionship.  

Now, being called Winchester by Gerald, Liz felt trust, gratitude, and a deep sense of responsibility.  

Liz took a deep breath.  

From now on, many people would call her by the name Winchester.  

At times, it would bring joy, and at other times, fear.  

But with these people by her side, she felt that everything would be fine.

“Yes, Viscount Gerald.”

Liz smiled faintly and bowed.  

Gerald and Liz pushed the Dowager Duchess’s wheelchair toward the spectators’ gallery, where Valentine was seated.  

Valentine was still sitting there in a daze.

“…Valentine.”

He seemed unable to collect himself from the overwhelming shock.  

Liz sat beside him and placed her hands over his.

“Valentine. It’s all over now.”

He stared blankly down.  

Both his left hand and his not-yet-healed right hand were covered by Liz’s hands.  

Seeing this, light slowly returned to Valentine’s eyes. Liz shook her head with a small exclamation.

“No, that’s not right. Now… it’s truly the beginning, isn’t it?”

Liz smiled brightly.  

Valentine looked at Gerald, his mother, and finally at Liz.  

Only then did a faint smile appear on Valentine’s lips.  

All these people were, at last, the Winchester he had built.

***

After the long trial ended.  

Even the journalists stopped reporting on the shocking issue.  

However, Valentine knew well that this unbelievable calm before the storm wouldn’t last long.  

Soon, the reporters would swarm like bees. Even simple outings might become difficult.  

Thus, Valentine and Liz decided to leave the capital and stay at a villa for a while.  

They planned to return after having their child in a more peaceful place and when the attention on them had waned.  

The major luggage had already been sent to the villa, and the rest was being handled by Kate.  

Liz could pack lightly and comfortably.  

However, as she packed, Liz occasionally gazed out the window.  

She licked her lips as if in thought and let out short sighs.  

Then, there was a knock at the door.

“Valentine?”

Liz walked quickly to the door.  

Valentine opened it and entered.  

His arm was almost healed now. Only his unhealed palm was still wrapped in bandages.  

In his hand was a letter.

“Is… the packing going well?”

Valentine seemed to deliberately bring up another topic.  

But Liz’s eyes were fixed on the letter.

“Is it a reply?”

Valentine chuckled helplessly and nodded.

“Yes. Would you like to see it now?”

Valentine handed over the letter.  

Liz took it with trembling hands.  

The sender was Finley Garrett, Liz’s father.  

After taking a deep breath, Liz opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.  

Her tense expression gradually brightened.  

Valentine watched her with a gentle smile.  

Liz beamed and spoke to Valentine.

“He’s coming!”

Valentine gently patted Liz’s head.  

Liz, her face alight with excitement, continued.

“He said to invite him anytime, whether to the villa or the estate.”  

“Then, should we meet him before we leave?”

Valentine’s question prompted Liz to nod.

“Yes. I would like that, if possible.”  

“Very well. I will inform Mother to arrange a meal. Are you… alright with this?”

Valentine’s voice carried a note of concern.  

It was undoubtedly due to his worry about Liz’s mother.

“If you wish, I can stop it. You wouldn’t have to meet her again…”  

“No.”

Liz shook her head.  

In truth, there was no one in Holt now who could disregard Liz.  

However, her confidence did not stem from that.  

It was because of the kind blue eyes that looked at her, allowing her to love the reflection of herself within them.  

Liz could answer with certainty.

“I’m really alright now, Valentine.”

Seeing her expression, Valentine nodded as if reassured.

“Very well. Then shall we write the reply together?”  

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two sat across from each other at the desk, holding their pens in their left hands.  

When their eyes met, they smiled bashfully, like children sharing a secret.  

The letters they wrote with their left hands began to fill the stationery neatly.