Chapter 47 – Part 1

The proceedings of a trial wherein the accused was a noble was much more complicated had it been a commoner instead.

It usually took a week or a month to prepare for it because a lot of bureaucracy went into the process.

Therefore, it was very unusual for this trial to be held only two days after the incident.

It was only natural that this would attract a lot of people’s attention. Both nobles and commoners alike talked about the incident with rapture.

“House Chester’s Young Lord was originally notorious for being a scoundrel anyway.”

“I heard that House Valentino’s Madam almost got robbed by him!”

“I heard that Young Lord Chester had been pursuing her for a long time…”

No matter how humiliating it was to my reputation, people started whispering in speculation about what kind of relationship I might have with Lennon.

They were shallow gossipers. Had they not been citizens of Veronis, the territory that Theodore cherished, they might have already been punished severely by now.

Still, not everyone was pleased to hear the false rumors going around about me and Lennon.

“You people! What nonsense are you talking about so early in the morning! Did you forget who the Madam is? She is our Lord’s wife!”

A woman, who looked to be in her thirties, popped out of nowhere and shouted at the rumormongers, brandishing a broom at them.

“And it was the man who tried to blackmail the Madam, so why in the world are you all making a racket about how she reacted normally, huh! Have you all been hit with an axe in the head before?!”

That’s definitely one of the reactions that had been going around, too. But really, the way I reacted was not at all normal, so it’s not like those men completely had it all twisted up…

“If you don’t want to be dragged in front of Milord to confess everything, just shut ‘yer traps and go home! You all are so shameful!”

Those who gathered to share gossip soon scattered, rolling their eyes as they muttered, ‘There goes that crazy woman again.’

Nonetheless, the woman threw a middle finger at those people, spat out a few more colorful curse words, then promptly turned around.

“……”

Watching from afar, I adjusted my cloak and followed her.

Not long after, the woman arrived at a solidly built two-story house.

When the woman opened the front gate, the house’s main door opened wide as well, and a child rushed out.

With open arms, the child shouted.

“Mommy!”

Waddling as he ran, the child went straight into the woman’s arms.

The woman laughed so tenderly, to the extent that you wouldn’t believe she made such a serious expression earlier.

“My son, have you been good?”

“Yeah! Did you buy bread?”

“Yes I did. C’mon, let’s go inside and eat.”

“Okay!”

I stood still, watching the mother and son go home while holding hands.

Soon, the main door of their house closed, and the two disappeared from view.

“……”

I glanced at the doorplate on the house’s outer stone wall. Given that only the woman’s name was written there, it seemed like she was raising her child alone and without a husband.

It would be a lie to say that I’m not curious about the story behind this, but not to the point that I’d dig up the woman’s background.

I took a few large gold coins from my pocket, then put them all in an envelope. At the back, I wrote my name—Lily Valentino—and put the envelope into the woman’s mailbox.

Typically, she might check her mail after breakfast, so she’d find it right away.

And there was a simple reason behind why I wrote my name.

This was just me guessing, but the woman didn’t seem to be the type of person who’d use up money if she didn’t know where it came from, especially when it seemed to have been put deliberately in her mailbox.

The envelope now bore my signature as well as my seal, so she wouldn’t doubt that I was the one who gave her the gold coins.

This was just… my token of appreciation. I also wrote the words ‘thank you’ on the envelope.

It was not an act of pity towards a woman who was raising a child on her own. I truly felt grateful towards her.

‘…It’s time to go back then.’

Although I had disguised myself as a maid, I pulled down the hood of my cloak lower and hurried away just in case.

The outcome of the trial would soon be known.

Theodore had attended the trial in my stead. As my legal guardian, he had the right to attend on my behalf.

It’s not that I couldn’t attend the trial because I was uncomfortable with facing Lennon and Florentine again.

Rather, I felt quite a bit regrettable. I would have enjoyed watching the very moment that those two would officially be regarded as criminals.

I just couldn’t attend because…

“Ack! T-That startled me! Madam, why is the elemental acting like this…?!”

It was because of Theodore’s elemental spirit, Seraphim.

Ever since Theodore had enveloped me in his embrace as he lashed out in fury against Lennon, Seraphim started popping out and sticking to my side. Seraphim kept doing this even though its contractor had not summoned it.

Even now, it left Theodore’s side and just stayed with me.

It’s legally not allowed to carry weapons into the courtroom, so contractors were prohibited from summoning their elementals.

However, since this elemental over here kept wandering around me without listening to its contractor, it’s only natural that I was barred entry to the courtroom.

——