Chap 4

No matter how uprightly she acted, the person who was first doubted was always determined.

The endless suspicion taught her sadness before anger.

The maids knelt and bowed their heads so deeply that they nearly touched the floor in response to Ermedillin's question.

"We had to sell the remaining jewels for urgent money some time ago. We just kept what was left. We never touched Your Majesty's jewelry box. Please spare our lives."

The maids suddenly burst into tears without even being accused, making the situation quite awkward.

'Ah, how bad must this woman's personality have been?'

Ermedillin sighed softly and went and sat in front of the kneeling maids.

"EEK!!!"

She had only laid her hand on her shoulder to soothe her, but a choking sound was heard.

"Uhhehhehheh!! Sa, save me!! I really didn't touch anything!!"

The maid, rubbing her hands even as she fell backward, was now in her late teens.

The other two maids also appeared to be of similar age.

'The curse was her specialty in the novel. Especially the curse of decay, which rots the area of contact.'

Ermedillin, who had figured out the situation, withdrew her hand and returned to her seat.

"I don't suspect you. I just thought there would be more left... I just wanted to check."

With one hand on her forehead, Ermedillin spoke in a lamenting tone, and the maids began to sob.

They all anticipated the Empress's temper or a curse to vent her anger, but the response was so different that the tension was released all at once.

'What to do with this? Ermedillin's maids changed frequently. Either they died or ran away.'

It seemed unlikely that the maids would be of assistance, judging by the situation.

Even if they had worked for a long time, it was impossible to blatantly ask about her true identity.

The novel was described entirely from the perspective of the protagonist, Velia, so there was no way to know the empress's financial situation.

'But why did they leave these jewels behind after selling everything else? Is there a special reason?'

Ermedillin elegantly spread a necklace on her finger, where a large dark blue sapphire pendant was attached to elegant black pearls.

The pearls fell, making a pleasant rustling sound.

'Hmm. A sapphire of this size seems like it would fetch a good sum of money. Should I sell this?'

At that moment, while looking at the necklace with a desolate face, a small loop on the back of the pendant was visible.

'Can this be opened?'

She grabbed the loop and exerted force, but the pendant did not open.

The slightly convex structure suggested that something was inside, for sure.

'Let's leave it for now.'

After searching the bedroom for something that might be a clue, a thick diary emerged from the depths of a drawer.

'Huh? Could it be this?'

The diary that had tripped Ermedillin in the novel.

Since it described all the evil deeds Ermedillin had committed, it was one of the pieces of evidence that led to her execution.

'Wait. How did I open this?'

Unlike Velia, who was portrayed relatively delicately, Ermedillin was described in detail only when performing evil acts.

After wracking her brain and piecing together the scant information, it came to her.

'Blood! She always used her own blood to seal it, didn't she? Then later, she used a newborn baby's blood for a powerful curse, which led to her getting caught.'

She recalled reading an explanation that a wizard's lineage was essential when using magic.

Ermedillin was a witch who made the most of her lineage in that respect.

Whether it was her blood or someone else's, she used it lavishly for her curses.

Looking around the desk, a pointed fountain pen caught her eye.

'Eek.'

Drawing blood with a pen was not easy, even if it was pointed.

As she pricked her flesh as if cutting it, blood barely appeared on her fingertip.

She quickly smeared the bloodstained finger on the diary, and finally, the thick cover opened.

'Phew, thankfully, only a tiny amount is needed.'

Looking at the diary, it became clear why Ermedillin, the empress, was in this financial state.

Most of the money she earned went entirely to her parental home, the Ducal House of François.

'No, why to the house? According to the setting, it was richer than the royal family, wasn't it?'

Whatever the reason, the diary, or rather the ledger, recorded in detail the dates and amounts she had lent to her father.

'But this is evidence? This is just a financial ledger? I don't see any particular usage.'

Hoping for some other content, she rummaged through the diary for a while, but nothing stood out.

Only that the amount she had lent to her family was staggering.

'A diary with information about debts wouldn't have been evidence. There must be another diary with critical content somewhere....'

After pondering for a while, she even began to think that the Duke of François, who perhaps did not want to repay the money, might have contributed to his daughter's downfall.

"Whatever the truth, I need money right away. It's better to think that there's no such thing as a family that borrowed money and remained silent when the daughter was sentenced to death."

Escaping poverty is the priority for now.

Is kindness not something to use when you have money?

"Can you send a message home? Ask for a visit to the palace."

Ermedillin decided to get back at least some of the borrowed money for now.

"Home?… Could it be?"

"Of course, the Duke of François."

"Rright now?"

They had only asked to send a message to her father for a visit, but the maids started trembling again.

"Yes. Now. Why, can't I?"

She thought there might be a specific reason and was about to ask, but even Ermedillin's trivial questions seemed threatening to the maids.

"No! I will contact him right away."

If she remembers correctly, the Duke's residence and the palace had private magic circles installed.

Without any trouble, he would visit within one or two hours.

As she sat still, looking around the unfamiliar quarters of the Empress, Ermedillin suddenly recalled the pendant she had seen earlier.

'Ah, do I need my blood to open the pendant too?'

It hurts from the inside to poke the wound again, but it can't be helped.

Fortunately, blood quickly welled on the stillunhealed fingertip.

With a click.

As expected, the pendant opened to reveal a small picture inside.

The face of a very small baby.

It was too young to determine the baby's gender, but it had shiny black hair and purple eyes.

It looked like a miniature version of Ermedillin.

'What's this? A picture of her when she was young? Why keep it sealed like this?'

While guessing who the baby inside the pendant was, a maid announced the Duke's visit.

"The Duke has arrived."

The arrogant entrance, with chin raised high and leaning back, was not the appearance of someone visiting the Empress.

The maids bent their backs ninety degrees and trembled, looking at the floor as the Duke of François appeared.

Ermedillin observed the Duke and the maids' attitudes closely.

"Have you arrived?"

No matter if it was the money she lent first, what she's about to do now is to collect the money.

'Heh heh. I've been pressed for debt, but this is the first time doing it.'

For now, she decided to greet the man who had become her father with a kind smile.

"Father. Have you arrived?"

But the Duke did not seem pleased with his daughter's greeting at all.

"Laughing? Is this a time for laughter?"