Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 41

“Is the body in the same position as at the time of death?”

“Yes, it is.”

The Captain of the Guard knelt beside the body and began his investigation, checking the dried blood foam at the mouth and noting the odor. The Duke of Salachez quietly observed from the background without intervening.

“It seems she died instantly. The hands were bound, and the jaw is slightly swollen.”

“We bound her for the young madam safety, unsure of what she might do. The jaw injury occurred while trying to make her ingest something suspicious.”

Eirik quickly decided that telling the truth was more advantageous than a lie that could be easily discovered. Unexpectedly, Tilberg nodded understandingly.

“That’s perfectly reasonable. Now, Mrs. Dialle, could you explain the circumstances?”

Although she was a witness and not bound, Mrs. Dialle sat in a chair and began speaking, sounding aggrieved, “Mrs. Maleca committed such a dreadful act. Whether it was because of her husband’s influence—”

Dialle’s testimony began with her suspicion that Mrs. Maleca would eventually cause trouble.

“Do you remember? She even stole the princess’s jewelry and a silver cup from Celia Palace.”

“I’ve heard of Mrs. Maleca’s thieving habits.”

“Yes, yes. She nearly got expelled for that. And then, here, she began communicating with the the Crispins.”

Once she started talking about the Crispin, the details flowed smoothly.

“Last time, when the Marchioness claimed she lost her handkerchief, her maids came and secretly met with Mrs. Maleca. They planned that they had to act before the young lady of their house turned eighteen.”

“I see,” Tilberg replied, taking in the information.

“Apparently, she managed to get her hands on something truly dreadful. I had no idea,” Mrs. Dialle continued.

“Suddenly applying makeup to the princess, no, the young madam,” Captain Tilberg muttered to himself.

Mrs. Dialle glanced at Eirik, then explained hesitantly, “Well, you see, the young madam and the young master seem very close.”

“……?”

Eirik glanced at Tilberg’s profile, which appeared quite serious.

“They’re always so attentive to each other, always spending time together…”

Dialle, perhaps thinking she was in the same boat as Eirik, continued her very favorable narrative.

“In the mornings, the bedroom is always a mess, and the princess’s body… well, it’s enough to make us blush. I think you get the idea.”

“……”

Captain Tilberg, Eirik, and Duke Salachez, who was caught in the middle of this intimate conversation, all remained silent, but Mrs. Dialle, knowing the importance of her words, kept talking.

“Maleca said it was a good excuse, that she can’t afford to lose her husband’s attention. That’s why it happened.”

“I understand.”

Captain Tilberg seemed to have no more questions for Mrs. Dialle and turned to Gella.

“Let’s hear from this maid now.”

Following Eirik’s instructions, Gella recounted exactly what she had witnessed.

“Well, what I saw was a bit different.”

Gella described how she had seen Mrs. Dialle restraining the young madam from behind in the bathroom.

As Gella spoke, Mrs. Dialle’s face grew increasingly hostile. She shot a look of betrayal at Eirik, but his calm expression offered no comfort.

Mrs. Dialle finally stood up from her chair, trembling.

“I was just following Mrs. Maleca’s orders. How could I—”

But Gella quickly interrupted, waving her hand dismissively.

“That’s strange because when the young master broke down the door, Mrs. Dialle’s face looked terrifying. The young madam was resisting with all her strength, and everything on the sink was knocked over. Sir Vallek, would you demonstrate?”

Vallek knelt down, and Gella twisted his arms behind his back, pinning him down firmly. The two of them quickly assumed the position.

“The young madam was sitting like this, as if she were a condemned prisoner.”

Tilberg’s face twitched at Gella’s final words. Standing up, he declared there was no need to hear more.

“Arrest her.” Tilberg gestured to his men waiting outside.

Mrs. Dialle jumped up, screaming. “No, Captain Tilberg! I’m innocent! No, no!”

Guards entered the room and led Mrs. Dialle away.

“Young master, young master!”

Dialle realized too late that Eirik had never explicitly promised her safety.

When the guards had moved Maleca’s body and things were somewhat tidied up, Captain Tilberg turned to Gella and said, “Gella, I believe? I have a few more questions for you.”

Gella, expecting the captain to leave, responded curtly, “Yes, go ahead.”

Unfazed by her tone, Tilberg continued with his questions. “How is the young madam doing?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Gella glanced at Eirik for guidance before answering reluctantly, “She is usually quite gentle… um, is it disrespectful to say such things?”

“It’s alright,” Tilberg reassured her.

“She sleeps a lot. She falls asleep when I brush her hair, and also when I read to her.”

“And her meals?”

“She has a light breakfast since she wakes up late. The young master himself takes care of her lunch and dinner… I’m not sure what else to say. Should I mention her favorite foods?”

“That’s enough,” Tilberg replied, seeming satisfied. Then, he added, perhaps noticing the attentiveness of Eirik and the Duke of Salachez, “I didn’t see the young madam myself when she visited the palace, but I heard her complexion has improved significantly. I’m glad to hear she’s well taken care of at the Cladnier estate.”

He shrugged and added, “We will confirm the evidence that the Marchioness of Crispin obtained the poison.”

Once everyone had left, Eirik headed to the living room where Miesa was lying on the sofa.

“She must have been very frightened. She’s been sleeping a lot,” said his mother, gently stroking Miesa’s hair. Leaving a word of thanks to his mother, Eirik lifted Miesa into his arms.

“Is everything settled?” his mother asked.

“Tilberg behaved sensibly, though in a way that was somewhat unusual,” Eirik replied, summarizing the situation briefly.

His mother raised an eyebrow, “That is odd. I will look into it further. Edil, didn’t you say the second son of the Izellia family is a member of the guard?”

“Yes, but he’s not on good terms with his family. It might be better to contact the Conaird family. I’ll find an excuse to reach out,” Edil responded.

With that, the matter was largely settled. Eirik made his farewells and turned to leave, but his mother stopped him.

“The room on the third floor seems too small for the two of you.”

“It’s fine,” Eirik replied.

“Really… are you sure you don’t need separate rooms?”

“What?” Eirik turned to look at his mother, noticing her strange expression. Edil’s gaze also seemed peculiar.

Come to think of it, Eirik realized he had overlooked something. He glanced down at Miesa in his arms. She was wearing a dress that left her shoulders exposed, and the red marks on her pale skin were still visible.

“I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need,” he said, trying to sound convincing.

Eirik’s earlobes burned with embarrassment, but he continued speaking naturally, “It’s fine. We can share the room.”

“…Alright. Let me know if it gets uncomfortable.”

Leaving his reluctant mother behind, he hurried to the new bedroom

“It is a bit smaller than our previous room,” Eirik commented as he placed Miesa on the sofa. “Are you alright?”

Miesa simply nodded, her face blank. Perhaps she was finally relaxing.

“Dear?” he asked, sitting across from her, lowering his head to meet her gaze.

“…I’m sorry. What were you saying? Oh, that this room is a bit smaller,” Miesa repeated his words mechanically, answering weakly.

“The small room is fine. Actually, it’s not that small,” she added.

“Are you feeling unwell? You don’t look good,” Eirik said, concerned.

“I don’t know.”

Eirik gently pressed his forehead against hers. She seemed to have a slight fever. “Shall I have dinner brought up? Can you eat?”

“Yes,” Miesa answered briefly and stared vacantly into space again. She seemed unstable.

“What about Big?” she asked.

“Mrs. Dialle has also been taken away.”

“Will she be executed?”

“Probably. That’s likely.”

“It’s strange. Really strange,” Miesa kept repeating those words before falling asleep again, curling up and clutching his sleeve tightly.

Eirik watched her sleeping form for a while when there was a knock at the door.

This long day wasn’t over yet. Sighing, Eirik gently freed his sleeve from Miesa’s grasp and went to open the door. “What is it?” he asked.

The butler stood there with a troubled expression. “A servant from the Crispin is here. He wishes to see you.”

“At this hour?” Eirik questioned.

“They asked to meet quietly. However…” The butler lowered his voice, “There are two of them, and they seem suspicious. One speaks roughly for a servant, and the other is wearing a robe that hides their face.”

“What about their physiques?”

“The rough-speaking one is large, and the one in the robe is small.”

It’s obvious whom Crispin would send for negotiations.

“What if the smaller one is a woman?”

“A woman… Ah, now that you mention it, the smaller one didn’t speak. If it’s a woman, she’s quite tall,” the butler considered.