ITMWG 116

Chapter 116…

Your incompetence will kill you.

Melissa was mocking Nadia while trying to look calm. However, she did not look so dignified, as Nadia could see she was trembling while speaking.

In fact, I don’t think she ever had such a thing as dignity to begin with.

It wasn’t that surprising.

“I shall enlighten you.”

Melissa stomped forward, looking like she was going to run outside.

“What are you going to say when you get outside?!”

Marie pretended to be flustered and tried to grab Melissa, but she roughly swung her arms and pushed Marie away.

“Ah!”

As Marie fell to the floor, Melissa left the room assertively.

Having spent most of her time in captivity, she seemed to be very excited at the thought of escaping, as her steps seemed very light.

How unfortunate for her that she doesn’t see it was a step toward a trap.

As Nadia shook her head while watching Melissa’s back getting smaller, Marie, who had been putting on an act, got up from her seat and approached her with a proud face.

“I even fell on the floor, so she would never think that we provoked her on purpose.”

“That may be true, but you didn’t have to come forward like that, Marie. Are you hurt?”

Since Melissa was swinging her arms so fiercely, she was worried that Marie might be hurt.

However, Marie shook her head, reassuring her not to worry, and then flexed her arms as if to show off her strength.

“What are you talking about? Don’t worry, your maid won’t get hurt just by rolling around on the floor.”

“Marie…I think you’re becoming more and more like Anna…”

Nadia never thought she’d see this from Marie, who was a model of a good maid.

At her remark, Marie’s face turned slightly red.

“Anna is so cheerful…I think I got carried away without realising it. I’ll hold myself back.”

“Oh, no!”

She waved her hand frantically as Marie offered an unexpected apology.

“I’m not saying I don’t like it, it’s actually nice to see! Marie is always so serious. I’d be happy to see you relax like this sometimes. Though, of course, it would be difficult if you are always like Anna…”

Nadia couldn’t help but laugh as she thought about Marie acting like Anna.

It really doesn’t suit her.

Marie made a sour face as if she knew exactly what Nadia was imagining, even though she hadn’t said it out loud.

“Madame…”

“Okay. I won’t think about it anymore.”

Instead, she imagined something else.

She thought of where Melissa might be headed right now.

My uncle is already in complete ruin, so Melissa also lost many allies.

She heard that not only her close friends but also the gentlemen who had endlessly courted her had turned their backs on Melissa, and she had become isolated in social circles.

She can no longer use her connections among the nobles…

She would have no choice but to start spreading the news on the streets.

Were she to walk into a store, look at expensive items, and ask the clerk, ‘Have you heard of it?’, rumours would spread in a few days.

They say there was a medical certificate left in the Marquis’ house. The disgraced Marquis tried to protect his niece until the end, but the truth was revealed when he went to prison. Wasn’t it ridiculous for someone who was not qualified to become a Machioness?

The rumour that spread through the downtown area would quickly reach the nobles, and those who wanted to confirm the truth of the rumour would cautiously approach Melissa.

At that time, Melissa could shed tears and tell everyone about Nadia’s flaws.

Of course, that would only work if the rumour were true.

The story that Melissa firmly believed to be true has long since become a lie.

So do as you please, Melissa.

After staring in the direction where she had disappeared for a long time, Nadia felt a presence at the window.

“Madame!”

She hadn’t even turned her head yet, but when she heard Cain’s proud voice, she knew the result.

It seemed like he had caught the opponent after a long chase.

Who was the one who had used such a terrible poison in accordance with her uncle’s will?

She could have just let the danger pass, but she almost miscarried the baby.

She turned around with a fierce look and checked the identity of the person Cain had caught.

And immediately, her mouth fell wide in shock at the unexpected appearance of the opponent.

“…A kid?”

It was definitely a kid. He seemed to be a teenager who hadn’t yet become an adult.

She hadn’t noticed it when they were chasing each other, but looking at him up close, he was smaller than an adult.

“This kid is really nimble.”

Cain groaned as if he had had a hard time and threw the kid to the ground.

The captured one, who was tied up tightly with rope, was completely subdued and was just gritting his teeth.

When the boy glared at Nadia with hostile eyes, Cain sighed and pressed down on his upper body with his foot.

“Ugh!”

“I’ve subdued him properly, so you can ask him whatever you want, madame.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Cain.”

When she said this with a smile, Cain pressed down on the boy’s chest even more aggressively.

Thanks to that, the boy just grimaced and struggled helplessly.

Nadia crouched down and narrowed the distance between them.

Not expecting that she would suddenly get closer, not only the boy but Cain was also surprised and raised his voice.

“Madame! I subdued him, but you shouldn’t have gotten too close…”

“It’s the kid who brought me candy every day.”

“…Huh?”

Cain blinked in surprise.

“You know him?”

“I continued to take medicine while I was staying at the duke’s residence, but since I couldn’t take the medicine alone, Marie asked the duke’s maid for candy. This boy always brought me candy.”

“Uh… Then about that candy….”

She nodded.

“Come to think of it, it’s only natural. If they wanted to make sure I was poisoned every time I took medicine, it would have been easiest to use something I ate with the medicine. Candy. It was literally sweet poison.”

Her head hurt for a moment as she remembered chewing on the candy without even knowing it was poison.

“Why did you try to hurt me?”

She already knew she was instigated by her uncle. But if they willingly participated in killing someone, there had to be a reason.

If there was a really great reason, she wanted to hear it.

But the boy just laughed as if it was nonsense.

“What reason is there? I just did it because I got paid.”

“Money? That’s the reason? You hurt people just for that?”

“Just for that?? A wealthy noble like you wouldn’t understand.”

The boy scanned her clothes with a hostile gaze.

The boy, who noticed that she was dressed in more flashy clothes than usual, clicked his tongue as if he had expected that.

“If people don’t have money, they will starve to death, nor can they treat illnesses. They can only starve to death or die from illness. They need money to live like a human being, so how can it be ‘just that’?”

“Does that mean it’s fine for you to harm others to live?”

“That’s none of my business. You nobles don’t care whether lowly people like us die or not.”

“I see. So that’s what you think.”

As she lowered her eyes with complex thought, Marie approached her with a worried look.

“Madame, leave the decision to the knight. It’s a time when you have to be careful, so it’s best not to do anything dangerous.”

“No. I have to take care of my own business. I can’t just pass it on for my own convenience.”

Nadia only thought about finding out who had poisoned her, she had never imagined what would happen after that.

As Marie said, I don’t want to impose harsh punishment since I’m pregnant…

She couldn’t help but feel angry as a human being, seeing the boy who didn’t show even a bit of remorse.

She thought he’d at least apologise, saying that he had no choice because things were difficult, that he felt bad feeding her poison.

It’s unbelievable that he didn’t say that in this situation.

She could have pretended to be pitiful and asked for mercy, but the boy refused to give in with hostility remaining in his eyes.

Cain must have been surprised by that as well, as he let out a strange snort, finding it interesting.

“Madame.”

As Nadia hesitated, unable to make a decision, Cain opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

“As the maid said, your state is the priority right now, so it would be better to avoid punishing him harshly and building up karma. It’s just a superstition, but there’s no need to do something so ominous. Of course, if the lord were here, he would have cut off his head without delay…”

Cain’s cold gaze turned to the boy’s neck, but he was not afraid, and he was still glaring fiercely.

Cain’s eyes once again glinted with interest.

“I want to use this guy in the Knights of Aylesford. If I train him, the strange thoughts in his head will change a little.”

“Just kill me! I don’t need mercy…Ugh!”

Without saying anything, Cain lifted the boy, who was trying to rebel with one hand.

The boy struggled with both legs in the air. His face was red as if it would burst at any moment.

“Mercy. You think this is mercy? The knights of Aylesford hunt monsters. Those without the ability are torn to pieces by those creatures’ claws. You can die as you wish. Without dirtying anyone’s hands, your own incompetence will kill you.”

“Ugh!”

Seeing Cain, who was always so cheerful, speak coldly, felt strange, but that was how an Aylesford knight was.

Everyone must be this serious when it comes to their knightly duties. Altair must be the same.

She thought she could trust the knight’s choice.

Eventually, she chose to trust Cain.

“Then let’s leave this boy to Cain. If he ever gives you candy, you better be careful not to eat it.”

“Haha. I surely will be on guard.”

Cain laughed cheerfully and emptied the boy’s pockets.

It was then that all the colourful candies she always ate after taking medicine came out rolling around on the floor.

“Ah. Should I feed this candy to this guy? Isn’t it more helpful to the world if there are no descendants of his… Ah, does this only work on women? I should collect it and ask the doctor.”

As Nadia watched Cain, who had returned to his usual self and was being active, the situation no longer seemed serious.

Nadia got up from her seat and looked at the candies scattered on the floor, then carefully stepped on one.

At that, the candy crumbled limply, leaving only powder on the floor.

It finally felt like all her troubles were gone.

❈❈❈

“Oh, my lord! We’re in big trouble!”

Blan rushed inside with haste, but Altair responded nonchalantly.

“Why? Did he choose to kill himself instead of opening his mouth?”

Even though Altair had questioned him directly, the man who had been ordered to kill Leon’s parents did not open his mouth easily.

He knew that even if he told the truth, his life would be over, and even if he kept his mouth shut, he would meet the same ending, so he kept denying that it was not his doing.

He doesn’t need to confess since I already have the contract that he exchanged for money.

In addition, there was testimony that the man had been drunk and bragging to the villagers about ‘killing people before.’

People thought he was talking nonsense because he was drunk, but Leon, who knew the situation better than anyone else when his parents died, would know right away that this man was the culprit if he heard that story.

However, the words that came out of Blan’s mouth were unexpected.

“N-no. He confessed in the end when I presented him with evidence…”

“Then? Did the revision of the inheritance law fail?”

“That’s impossible. It was passed in the morning. The extra edition was even distributed in the downtown area.”

“Then what the hell are you making a fuss over?”

“Ah! That…!”

Blan, who had been trailing off for a moment, suddenly gathered his breath and shouted urgently.

“Rumours have spread throughout the capital! That Baroness Aylesford is infertile!”