MLIIWTFL Chapter 188

188

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“About 80% of the capital’s press outlets have published articles criticizing the knights’ current investigation. One of the daily newspapers speculates that Lady Wallace was given special treatment because she is the daughter of the Knight Commander—unlike Lady Sharon. Gossip tabloids are also bringing up past instances where Lady Wallace was overshadowed by Lady Eskis.”

As Ezkhiel delivered his report, Matthias picked up one of the newspapers spread across his desk. A chuckle escaped him—a mix of exasperation and admiration.

“Hah, I’ve long heard of the Sharon family’s skill at swaying public opinion, but it’s impressive to see it firsthand. No matter how much the knights claim they’re investigating fairly, now that they’ve even released photos like this, there’s nothing they can do.”

“All those knights will be officially removed from the investigation team. The knights who investigated Lady Wallace will also be replaced with others.”

Achilless, who came to report this, said. Since this meant the knights most influenced by the Commander would be removed, he felt relieved as well.

“Proceed with that. However, if you only use knights affiliated with your own faction, suspicions of a biased investigation will arise. Leave some of the Knight Commander’s faction in place.”

“Understood.”

After giving a few more detailed instructions, Matthias rested his chin on his hand and murmured thoughtfully,

“At this point, it seems the Sharon and Wallace families have crossed a point of no return. They effectively sacrificed Lady Wallace to the public in place of Lady Sharon.”*

“It was the Commander of the Knights who tried to cast suspicion on Lady Sharon first, treating her like a suspect rather than a witness without following proper procedures. Although Lady Sharon stood firm against the knights’ pressure and got through safely, an ordinary debutante might have fallen into their trap and been falsely accused.”

Ezkhiel, slightly choked up, fought to suppress his emotions as he defended her. Even now, the thought that Letticia had been treated like a criminal by the knights filled him with anger and frustration.

“If she had been falsely accused and indicted, she would have spent her life in prison for attempted murder against a fellow noble. Even if the Sharon family had intervened behind the scenes, she would have lost her current life. And even if her innocence were proven later, the life she lost could never be compensated. So, the Sharon family’s decision to launch a public relations campaign (fighting back in public opinion) as a counterattack against the Wallace family’s targeted investigation can hardly be considered excessive.”

At Ezkhiel’s words, Matthias looked at him with mild surprise.

“I expected you to say it was excessive... Surprising. Is it because your lover is involved?”

“Even if I’m just a minor noble, I’m still part of the aristocracy. I’m not naïve enough to believe that conflicts over honor between noble houses can ever be resolved peacefully.”

For the old noble family, the House of Wallace, honor is the highest value a noble can pursue—something worth staking one’s life on.

Meanwhile, for the House of Sharon, a jewelry merchant family where image marketing is vital, losing honor would deal a fatal blow to their business.

Though one fights for pride and the other for practicality, both families are equally compelled to risk everything.

“It seems Lady Sharon has had a good influence on you. I used to think you needed to be a bit more cold-headed.”*

“...I believe I was already cold-headed enough.”

Ezkhiel may not say it out loud, but he isn’t lenient with just anyone. Toward those he considers enemies, he’s quite firm. Yet apparently, from Matthias’s perspective, he still came across as too soft.

“Well, fine. More importantly—Deputy Commander—who are the current suspects? Does Lady Wallace remain among them?”

“No, she is no longer under suspicion. In fact, the primary suspect right now is Lady Mortimer.”

Both Matthias and Ezkhiel were surprised at the unexpected name.

“Do you mean Lady Giselle Mortimer? As far as I know, she belongs to the old noble faction and is on friendly terms with Lady Eskis.”

“All relationships and motives were excluded. The judgment was based purely on evidence and verified facts.”

Matthias flipped through the report Achilles had submitted. After two days of investigation, far more had come to light compared to the first day.

“Invidia was detected in the teacup the victim drank from. When we interrogated the maid responsible for the tea, she testified that Lady Sharon had bribed her on the day of the concert. But upon investigating the maid’s movements, her testimony didn’t match up with the facts.”

“That would make sense. During the time she went to fetch desserts from the shop, she was accompanied by servants from the Wallace estate. And at the Count’s residence, she was attending to Lady Sharon in the waiting room, so there was no opportunity for bribery.”

“Exactly. Moreover, when we investigated the guilds in the capital that handle Invidia, we found that among all persons of interest, only the Mortimer family had purchased tea leaves. This was their first time buying them, and they purchased only a tiny amount—but were willing to pay extra to obtain it.”

“Paying a premium just for a tiny amount?”

“Yes. It was barely a spoonful.”

That would strongly point to Giselle Mortimer as the most likely culprit.

However, if she was the one behind it, it raised another question—why had the knights aligned with the Commander tried to frame Letticia?

Matthias seemed to arrive at the same troubling thought. His face darkened slightly as he closed the report.

“Looking at the evidence, that does seem to be the case... But attacking Lady Sharon just to protect the daughter of a mere Viscount Mortimer? Were the Mortimers really that close to the Wallaces?”

“Not particularly. The Mortimer family isn’t especially powerful, and their daughter was just one of Lady Wallace’s many acquaintances back at the academy. Even then, more like a servant than a true friend.”

It’s almost unheard of for a Count’s daughter to become genuine equals with the daughter of a Viscount, especially among old noble families. That’s why the moment Matthias heard the word “friend,” he scoffed.

“Well, I suppose if you have a maid to dirty her hands for you, you don’t need to get them dirty yourself.”

“But there’s no solid proof. Bribery could be exposed by interrogating the maid, but friendly conversations between girls can’t serve as evidence of instigation. So for now, the idea that Lady Wallace ordered it remains speculative.”

“That’s true. Sir Bright, I trust you wouldn’t—but still, I must stress this: do not share this information with anyone. Not your family, not your lover, not even your friends.”

“…I understand.”

Ezkhiel nodded slightly, taking a deep breath. The outline of his lover’s enemy was becoming clearer, but he couldn’t say anything about it. As long as there was no conclusive proof, revealing it to anyone was out of the question.

Still, even now that the suspect had been identified, one question remained.

‘What exactly was their plan after framing Letty as the culprit? How were they planning to deal with the consequences?’

Count Sharon’s family wasn’t just some average new noble house. Like the Eskis family, they were linked by marriage to the powerful Marquess of Wade, one of the great lords—and Letticia herself was the niece of that Marquess.

The Empress, too, would be outraged if she learned Letticia had been falsely accused. Not to mention, Deputy Commander Achilles belonged to the Duke of Averil’s family, currently maintains friendly relations with the Sharon family.

Even just considering the background forces, that’s already significant. But if it turns into a battle of public opinion, there’s Camilla—who has held her position as queen of high society for over twenty years—and Sharon Jewelry’s advertising power.

No matter how he thought about it, the power balance between the Wallace Count family and the Mortimer Viscount family didn’t make sense. Considering how many old noble families were close with Camilla, it was even more baffling.

‘Unless… framing Letty wasn’t the real goal? Could it have been a distraction?’

What if attacking Letticia—someone with high public visibility—was just a smokescreen? A ploy to draw attention and stir gossip, while something else was being set in motion in the background?

Suspicion began to take root, but Ezkhiel said nothing aloud. He had no solid basis for this theory yet.

When reporting to Matthias, it always had to be either confirmed facts or assumptions very close to certainty.

Still, once tangled in thoughts like these, it took time to untangle them again.

***

Somehow, the day finally came to an end. Ezkhiel exited the Crown Prince’s palace to head toward his carriage.

He had plans to meet with his brother David at home to discuss matters related to the succession ceremony after work today.

As he made his way to the carriage, he happened to run into Ariette, who greeted him warmly.

“Sir Bright, heading home now?”

“Yes. And you as well, Lady Averil?”

Ezkhiel returned her greeting while glancing at the clock tower visible behind her. At this hour, by civil servant standards, it was exactly on-time for clock-out.

‘Whether the rest of the Ministry of Culture staff are still working or not... there's no point in asking.’

Even if others hadn't left yet, he couldn't very well tell Ariette to go back and work. Rumor had it her ducal family always sent someone to pick her up around this time, anyway. Pressuring her would only create awkwardness.

Whether she sensed Ezkhiel's thoughts or not, Ariette asked with a slightly worried look.

“How is Lady Sharon doing? It seemed like she went through something really difficult…”

“Thankfully, she doesn’t seem too shaken. She’s a very strong person.”

“That’s really a relief. I actually sent her a letter of concern, but her reply only said she was okay…”

Hearing Ariette echo the same worry he himself had once felt, Ezkhiel gave a wry smile.

“If she says she’s fine, I’d believe her—she’s never been one to suffer in silence for someone else’s comfort.”

“Y-you think so? I was a little worried I might’ve made it worse by writing to her at all...”

“I had the same thought at first, but she scolded me for worrying about something unnecessary.”

The image of his lover’s pouty expression popped into Ezkhiel’s mind, making him smile naturally.

Ariette, seeing his smile, smiled back as well.

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🍓; *In short, it means the families are now irreconcilably at odds, and one family’s daughter was used as a scapegoat to protect the other’s.

*Ezkhiel has changed or improved in some way—possibly becoming more composed, rational, or mature—and he credits Letticia for that. He previously believed Ezkhiel was too emotional or impulsive and needed to be more detached or logical.