Thump thump thump—
"Young Master Robert, the Marquis is calling for you."
When Volth knocked on my door, it inevitably reminded me of Lucius's ninth birthday.
My pounding heart told me that something big was about to happen in this family.
Just like that day, upon entering his father's room, he saw both the same faces and different faces. Anyone could sense that a "storm" was about to break at the Anglus family's house tonight.
Aisha, Lucius, and I stood on the least conspicuous side as witnesses, while the other three ladies, excluding Lilica, stood on the other side. Marquis Bahod remained seated in his reserved position, observing the entire scene. This time, the ladies did not stand behind Marquis Bahod; instead, two strong, armored soldiers stood guard on either side, seemingly ready to be deployed at any moment.
In the very center of the room, a young maid was kneeling on the ground, trembling, just like that day, a scene of "judging a sinner".
Lia was absent again this time.
"Lilica was poisoned to death." Marquis Bahod didn't waste any words; his first sentence went straight to the point.
Upon hearing this, those present were either shocked or remained calm, as if they had already heard the news. Through Marquis Bahod's words, the fact of Lia's mother, Lady Lilica's, death was confirmed, and the last glimmer of hope I held was shattered.
"As you can see, the prisoner is kneeling before me; she was originally Lilica's maid."
It makes sense; if one wanted to poison the Marquis's wife, her closest servants would be the easiest targets.
"How could such a thing happen! This is insane!"
For the other three ladies, this matter couldn't be said to be entirely unrelated to them, as evidenced by their livid faces. It is imperative to serve as a warning to prevent such incidents from happening again.
"Then what are we waiting for? Quickly execute her!"
Since it was a feudal aristocracy, it was natural that they could use vigilante justice, and the soldiers on both sides of the Marquis Bahod's side were probably there for this purpose. But since they had called us children here, it couldn't just be to let us witness the cruelty of vigilante justice, could it? This matter was certainly not that simple.
"Don't rush, Berolika. Of course I know that it is an unforgivable crime for a servant to dare to lay a hand on his master. But things are not that simple."
"...What's the meaning?"
"Use your brain and think about it carefully. If your master dies, you will undoubtedly be the first suspect. If you were doing it with a 'scorched earth' mentality, that would be one thing, but look at this young maid, she's trembling so pitifully. If it were me, I would choose to run away after killing Lilica. If I couldn't escape, I would commit suicide, because even if I survived, I would be destined for a fate worse than death."
Marquis Bahod approached the maid and gently patted her on the shoulder.
The maid's body trembled violently.
As if facing the judgment of a demon, her petite figure looked utterly helpless.
"Isn't it simply a fear of suicide? I've heard of people who wanted to commit suicide but backed down at the last step, which is normal."
"Lucia, you've completely missed the point. Why would anyone kill their master for no reason? I've heard they haven't suffered any mistreatment. Lilica, while not exceptionally kind to the servants, hasn't treated them badly either. Why would someone with such a life of luxury do something so reckless?"
"That's just on the surface. Perhaps Mrs. Lilica is a very vicious woman in secret, so it's not surprising that she's hated by her servants."
"Oh, so vicious behind the scenes. You three should be even more careful..."
As if he knew all about the three ladies' usual behavior, the Marquis Bahod made a witty and intriguing remark.
Even after someone dies, they still get labeled as "vicious"? That's just how my mother was in this world.
"Oh, and I also need to be careful myself."
No one but the Marquis Bahod was laughing.
At this point, I've pretty much figured things out. The maid wasn't the real culprit in Lilica's murder, or rather, someone else was behind it, instructing her to do it. That makes all of this clear.
"What's your name? Tell everyone."
"The little one's name is Florence."
"Florence, let me be blunt. Did someone instruct you to do this?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly, and everyone held their breath, waiting for Florence to speak.
She was biting her lip, clearly nervous. She seemed to want to say something, but swallowed it back several times.
"It's alright, I assure you, as long as you reveal who's behind you, I promise to spare your life. Although there will still be a small punishment, I can guarantee that you will leave the Anglus family with all your limbs intact and unharmed. I swear on the honor of the head of the Anglus family."
The Marquis Bahod actually swore an oath in the name of his own lord; those who know him can easily understand the weight of that statement.
"So just tell the truth."
"..."
"What's wrong? Is there anything else you're worried about?"
"..."
Florence did not deny Marquis Bahod's speculation, which was tantamount to admitting that she did indeed have someone behind her. The only reason she was unwilling to speak of it was that the identity of that person frightened her into silence.
But... is there anyone in this family of higher status than the Marquis of Bahod?
"Is that so? Then I don't care if you're treated as a criminal. I'm sorry, but you're about to have a very unforgettable time, and so are your family..."
"It's Mrs. Berolika!!"
Everyone present heard it clearly.
Aisha turned her gaze to her mother with a look of horror.
"Wait...wait, what is she saying? Saying I'm a prisoner? No, no, no, no...this is ridiculous...are you kidding me?!"
"Mrs. Berolika, calm down!"
In a sudden fit of hysteria, Lady Berolika kicked Florence, as if she would immediately grab a sword and stab her to death if one were on the scene. Of course, the soldiers on both sides of the Marquis of Bahod would not allow such a thing.
"Oh...it's you."
"No, no, no, wait! You don't actually believe what this servant says, do you? That's so foolish!"
The word "panic" couldn't be more fitting to describe Mrs. Berolika's current state. It's no wonder; anyone would react the same way in such a situation.
"Berolika, calm down. I didn't say I completely believed her."
"Lord Bahod, you really do believe me, don't you? What a farce! This vermin is just trying to find someone to take her down with her when she's about to die! How could I let her have her way?! Lord Bahod, quickly sentence her, I'll do it myself!"
"Indeed, I won't convict someone based on just one servant's word, but it's a fact that she has someone behind her, and that person happens to be you. Anyway, let's hear what she has to say first, and then we can judge whether it's true or not."
"No, but..."
"Don't make me say it a second time."
"...yes."
Marquis Bahod forcefully silenced Lady Berolika with his authority.
Anyone with common sense would know that appearing overly flustered at this moment would make one seem guilty, and Mrs. Berolika clearly lost some of her rational judgment in her panic.
"Florence, tell me the details of the whole incident."
"Three days ago, Mrs. Berolika secretly approached me and asked me to poison Mrs. Lilica. Of course, I refused on the spot; doing such a thing would be tantamount to suicide. However, because my family lives in the area under Mrs. Berolika's jurisdiction, she threatened my family's safety, so... I finally couldn't refuse..."
Madam Berolika was able to marry into this family because she was a noblewoman, and it was reasonable for her to use her family's influence.
"Where did you get the poison?"
"It was also provided by Mrs. Berolika; I had no idea where I could get the poison myself."
"Stop talking nonsense! Lord Bahod, she's spouting utter lies! If I really threatened her, why didn't she report it to you from the beginning? Why did she wait until something happened to say it? She's clearly trying to frame me!"
"That's because... I'm just a servant. Even if I told others that Lady Berolika wanted to harm Lady Lilica, no one would believe me. There's really no other way... Now that things have come to this, whether they believe me or not... it doesn't matter anymore."
Because Florence knew how insignificant her words were, she had no choice but to give up.
Having unfortunately become a victim of the struggle between nobles, Florence must have nothing left in her heart but despair, a common sight in the Anglus household. Besides me, who else present would feel sympathy for her?
"Okay, I understand. It's great that you were honest; it's very helpful."
"Wait! Lord Bahod, you don't actually believe her nonsense, do you?"
The words of servants are far less credible than those of nobles; though illogical, this is common sense in this world. However, even if there were only a one percent chance that Marquis Bahod would believe a servant and convict Lady Berolika because of it, she absolutely could not accept it; she had to nip that one percent possibility in the bud.
However, no matter how Lady Berolika tried to explain, it was all in vain, because in the Marquis Bahod's mind, if the possibility of anyone present killing Lady Lilica at the beginning was 0, now the possibility that only Lady Berolika had killed Lady Berolika had increased by 1%.
The next step is very simple and straightforward, just like how the police in modern society investigate cases. Once they identify a suspect as potentially guilty, they will continue to dig deeper until they are identified as the real culprit or their suspicion is cleared.
"Go and fetch the servant who serves Berolika."
"Yes."
The soldiers obeyed the Marquis Bahod's orders and left the room. Even the slow-witted Madame Berolika had to realize that she had become the most suspected person in the house.
Her pale face said it all.