Chapter 59

With that one phrase, “Are you alright?” the tension immediately evaporated. The single fact that he trusted me made me feel like all the hardship in the North had been worth it.

However, the others in the room stared strangely at Nine, who had asked if I was okay instead of criticizing me in this situation.

Gray, who had arrived with Nine, approached the young lady slumped on the floor, seemingly intending to take control of the situation.

I quickly spoke up.

“Just a moment.”

When I stepped forward, everyone’s attention turned to me. I saw **Helena’s** expression crack slightly on the sidelines. I gently patted Nine’s arm, which was watching me with a look of worry, and took a step forward.

Even if Gray was the host of the party, it would be dangerous to let him take the lead.

‘I can’t trust anyone here besides Nine.’

The Young Duke, who had invited us and separated Nine from me, was not someone I could feel safe with.

The young lady, whose cheek was red with the distinct mark of a slap, avoided my gaze with a nervous look. It almost looked as if she was avoiding me out of fear of an aggressor. Gray started to step forward again, seemingly to stop me.

But my words came first.

“Young Lady. You are currently claiming that I slapped your cheek, is that correct?”

“Y-Yes, yes…”

“But if I truly slapped you, shouldn’t the handprint on your cheek look slightly different?”

I raised my hand to demonstrate for clarity.

“The thumb print should be positioned higher, towards the nose.”

At my observation, the young lady frantically covered her cheek, concealing the mark. Her face flushed scarlet, and she stammered.

“H-How could you! Duchess, how can you hit me and then…”

Just as a struggle to confirm the handprint seemed likely, Vice-Captain Kroel of the Silver Wolf Knights—I hadn’t even noticed his arrival—knelt down beside the young lady.

“Excuse me, Young Lady, but I will just confirm this briefly.”

“What are you doing to the Young Lady right now!”

Gray suddenly flared up and stepped forward, but I saw Nine stop him.

Kroel slowly examined the young lady’s cheek.

“Oh, indeed, the mark is different from the one made when someone is struck with the palm.” Kroel smiled, his expression meaningful.

“The thumb is positioned lower, near the chin, as if she struck herself. How curious~!”

“Wh-What are you saying! Let go of me!”

The flustered young lady tried to shake off Kroel’s hand, but it was impossible to escape the knight captain’s grip. Although I could have proven it without his help, I silently conveyed my thanks for his assistance with a look and continued.

“I met this young lady by chance in the corridor. She asked me to escort her to the powder room because she felt unwell, and I simply accompanied her. That tea is the lukewarm camomile tea I prepared for her.”

“…”

“Of course, even without saying this, my innocence has already been proven.”

The person who personally verified the handprint was none other than the Vice-Captain of the Silver Wolf Knights. That fact, coupled with the distinct evidence of the handprint, quickly turned public opinion.

“I knew something seemed suspicious…”

“Why would the Duchess cause such a fuss for no reason?”

I calmly scanned the gathered people and then fixed my gaze on Helena and her followers. Frowning, they still seemed to want to claim there was a chance, so one of them asked me:

“W-Well, perhaps the Duchess ordered the Young Lady to hit herself?”

But inconsistent statements are bound to diminish credibility. I tilted my head, looked back at the young lady, and pointed out that part.

“Is that so?”

“Y-Yes! Sob.”

Whether she started acting again or was genuinely frightened, the young lady quickly answered through sobs.

I looked at her and said dryly,

“But you said I was the one who hit you earlier?”

“Th-That is…”

Seeing the young lady unable to answer properly, even the few nobles who still doubted me began to look at her suspiciously.

“Wait a minute!”

Then, one of the followers spoke up, as if to regain control of the narrative—conveniently, in a way that helped my next move.

“When we arrived, we saw the Duchess harassing the Young Lady!”

“Oh, really?”

When I asked so casually, the followers, who had been confidently cornering me, exchanged glances and hesitated.

“…Yes. That’s what happened.”

Finally, Helena answered with an expression of disgust.

With the Lady herself stepping in, the nobles who had sided with me fell silent, and stillness returned to the powder room. Everyone looked at me with uneasy eyes. Some seemed to wish for the situation to end, but for me, this was an opportunity. A chance to silence them permanently.

‘All the better, in fact.’

In response to Helena’s words, I slowly looked around the messy room and spoke.

“If that’s true, that’s strange.”

“…What is strange?”

Helena’s eyes, watching me, flickered slightly. The clever woman, even as she tried to corner me, must have guessed the outcome of this whole charade. Even if she didn’t know how I would resolve it, she knew enough from her time alongside me.

She knew, at least, that I don’t engage in losing battles.

“The powder room is quite a mess. With a commotion like this, shouldn’t other people have come to check earlier?”

“…”

“Yet, no one came until it reached this point. Literally no one.”

I deliberately used a bit of showmanship to capture the interest of the listeners. A slight curiosity began to twinkle in the eyes of those watching me.

“But how did the Lady and the young ladies manage to immediately burst through the door the moment the Young Lady screamed?”

“Because we were nearby. Is that even a question?”

The indignant follower answered instead of Helena, but that wasn’t a good answer at all.

“And you didn’t hear the commotion when the room was being trashed?”

“No. We were nearby when the scream was heard, but how would we know about the commotion that happened before that?”

“Is that so?”

I answered her indifferently and then turned to Gray. He was only watching nervously, unable to step forward under Nine’s sharp gaze.

“Young Duke, there are no Surveillance Artifacts in this powder room, correct?”

“No, since it’s a rest area for the young ladies.” Gray answered with a puzzled expression.

“But the corridor is a different matter, isn’t it?”

“Ah!”

Only then did the crowd gasp, realizing that a Surveillance Artifact must be installed in this corridor. They hadn’t immediately thought of it because only the Mabelin Ducal Family could afford to install expensive Surveillance Artifacts all over their mansion.

‘That footage will likely show it.’

It would show Helena and her followers waiting outside this powder room before rushing in. They certainly wouldn’t have had time to erase the footage, and even if Gray was in league with Helena, he would now have to side with me. Refusing to release the video would be tantamount to a confession of complicity.

‘And that would be a declaration of open hostility toward the Eclipse Ducal Family.’

My prediction was correct. I saw Gray’s eyes flicker slightly. However, he immediately composed his expression and stepped forward, actively defending me.

“Of course. If it is to prove the Duchess’s innocence, I must provide the artifact’s footage.”

Helena’s face went pale as she watched this unfold. The follower who had flared up at my question covered her mouth, her face drained of color.

I watched them silently, waiting.

After a moment, Helena bit her lip and hastily spoke to me.

“It seems we caused some confusion for the Duchess.”

“…”

“Now that it’s been revealed that this insolent young lady framed the Duchess, we must quickly apprehend her and find out who is behind her.”

Helena’s desperate voice gradually regained its composure, turning coldly on the young lady who was still trembling on the floor. It was a thinly veiled threat to take the blame alone if she wanted to live.

“I have never seen that young lady before today. She is a truly frightening person.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Of course, no one here genuinely believed Helena’s excuse. However, since no one wanted to antagonize the Oswald Ducal Family and there was no solid proof of Helena’s complicity, no one spoke up.

‘But by tomorrow, the rumors will spread like wildfire.’

That’s the nature of rumors passed from person to person.

With the situation seemingly resolved, Gray, eager to put an end to the matter, called the Mabelin Ducal Family’s knights and ordered the young lady to be handed over to the Imperial investigation authorities.

The young lady, still mumbling and trembling, simply lowered her head under Helena’s gaze and allowed herself to be led away.

I studied Helena’s face, which she was trying hard to keep impassive.

‘Why?’

I was a little puzzled.

Helena wasn’t a fool, even if her subordinates were incompetent and her standing and reputation in society had been slightly tarnished. The Helena I knew would have sent only her followers without getting directly involved, knowing the plan’s flaws.

However, as Gray began clearing the area to resume the ball, Helena and her followers had already departed, so I abandoned the thought.

‘First… I need to tell him I’m okay.’

Kroel, Norman, and Nine had gathered around me, watching me with worried expressions.

I walked toward them, pushing the momentary question about Helena far out of my mind.

I shouldn’t have done that.

Regretting not confronting Helena that day would come much later.