The Villainess turns the Hourglass
chapter-188

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

Mielle’s eyes began to shake like a sailing boat that met a typhoon, with a very simple finish, dismissive of herself as if she were not there.

‘He said he’d forgive me if I’m honest with him, but why is this conclusion that I’ve taken the hallucinogen? The Crown Prince clearly described it as if he knew it, agreeing with me and calling it out magic!’

When something was going wrong, Mielle stammered and asked Asher, “You said you’d forgive me if I am honest with you… I told you the truth, but what are you talking about…?”

Asher answered, shedding a cold glance at her. “I said I’d forgive you, but I didn’t say I’d take legal action. Besides, we can’t make sure your words are true, can’t we?”

“Yes, sir. What’s certain now is that Lady Mielle has taken the hallucinogen.”

Then Mielle, who realized that what Asher had said was a trap, lost her speech and fell to the floor in a panic.

“That’s enough for today. As you saw it earlier, I have an important business to attend to.”

“Oh, come to think of it, it isn’t the moment to waste your time in this useless work. I understand.”

After all, he got up from his seat, dismissing this important task, which would completely change the lives of countless people. The nobleman who came with him also put in his arms a document fully written something, saying, “The investigation was done smoothly,” and Mielle, who was also held up by the knights, was forced to rise. It was a short investigation that only fit in according to a predetermined result.

“No, wait a minute! Please! Really not!”

No one heard such a cry from Mielle. After a short interrogation, Aria came up to Asher with a very surprised look as they went out of the lounge.

Her appearance was almost unchanged compared to when she had said she was getting ready to go out. She seemed to have been curious about the result. Perhaps she had been curious about Mielle’s face, not the result, but the tears that she would have dropped.

“Are you done with it?”

“Yes, it was so obvious that she had taken a hallucinogen that we didn’t have to do a long interrogation.”

The servants and maids were also around. When he called out the hallucinogens she had not taken, they could not hide their astonished faces. As he saw them, they seemed eager to talk about this amazing news.

What an interesting story to hear was that she had tried to kill her father and even tried hallucinogenic drugs. Each of them might want to put together a fragmented puzzle and discuss how horrible things Mielle had done.

The unwritten rule that what happened in the mansion should not be taken out of their mouth was not related to this incident, because there were the Crown Prince and Aria to forgive them.

“I see… I hoped a little bit it’s not…” Aria’s gaze at Mielle, who was holding her arms, was colored with regret.

To console her, Asher suggested the change of surroundings.

Until just now, he had a cold look that seemed to be annoying, but it was gone now, and he faced Aria as if she was very cute, like another person.

“Why don’t we go for a walk now as the investigation and the preparation are done? It would be nice to drink tea.”

“But… I’m worried about Mielle… how can I be the only one to enjoy such luxury…”

“Don’t worry. She’s not going to be punished for anything she didn’t. I’m worried you will fall.”

Aria, who glanced at Mielle and hesitated, but nodded her head again, was truly detestable. ‘Who drove me into this mud? Who really needs to be comforted is me, but why are those who don’t pay any price to change their moods?’

Moreover, Cain, who was the only one who would help, only occasionally glared at Asher. ‘Where did his pledge go when he said he would be acting as the head of the county family and lock up Aria?’

He seemed to be too busy every day just doing what the Count had to do, let alone Aria. So Aria was so friendly with the Crown Prince but he couldn’t say anything.

Everything was pathetic. Everyone was foolish. The wicked woman who was really to be punished was laughing with happiness. She was so dark about herself that she must get the light. With such a sense of deprivation and injustice, there was no other way to resolve it, and she could see someone entering the mansion.

“…!”

He was a very familiar figure. He was the butler of the Duke family who she had been waiting for. He held a letter in his hand. Besides, he didn’t order a servant to take, and the butler brought the letter himself. It was clear that the letter contained important contents of…

When the butler saw Mielle, who was caught by the knights, he was briefly embarrassed, and immediately handed over the letter to Cain, saying, “I have a letter to her.

“What letter?”

As everyone was present there, he asked Cain about the contents of the letter. Then Mielle was nervous and swallowing her saliva, and Cain, with a determined face, shook his head and answered, “It’s a personal business. You don’t have to know.”

Cain’s response to the question of whether it was unfair that he had never stood up to Asher until now had a thorn in it. At most, it was the story of the letter, but Cain’s excessive reaction made him laugh again.

“… Oh, I see. It was a letter from the Duke family, so I thought its destination was not you, but Lady Mielle, and I must have misunderstood.”

He called his remarks a misunderstanding, but his expression was with suspicion. It was a face that suspected that the real destination of the letter was Mielle.

It was the same with Aria. The eyes of Aria were fixed on the letter, who had just blushed so far, saying she was worried about Mielle.

In the end, Mielle, anxious that the letter that would save her would fall into the hands of the demons, opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

“This, this is the end of the investigation…? I want to go back to my room…”

The combination of psychological pressure and desire to live looked very sad and pathetic. They could think of her as if she were a saint.

“She looks really bad. We’d better get her some rest.”

For poor Mielle, the kind-hearted Aria said so, and the ungrateful permission of Asher fell so that Mielle could soon return to her room and restore stability.

Then, after a while, Cain, who asked for a visit, appeared with the letter. He looked very serious as if he had read the contents beforehand.

“Are you really going to accept this?”

“… Is there another way to do it? If there’s rebellion, I’ll be cleared of my sin, so there’s no other way.”

Cain bit his lips at Mielle’s reply and was overcome with anxiety.

“It would be better if you just wait like this and then try another trial again after the rebellion…”

“No, I can’t go on like this until then. You can help me run away well. Besides… I have something to say to Isis.”

She could be sure by the interrogation of Asher. It had to be told; what she had seen on that day without really taking the hallucinogen. So Mielle’s expression was as serious as ever.

———————————

19. An irreversible choice

[I’ll send a maid, so you can sneak out. We’ll leave straight for Croa, so there’s only one chance.]

By the time she was ready to read and memorize the contents of the letter, a maid came in with a meal.

Her face was full of freckles, so it was hard to recognize her features, but she was a maid with blonde hair and green eyes. Mielle jumped out of her seat, welcoming the maid whom she had never seen before.

“Please have dinner.”

“… Yeah.”

As the maid said, Mielle started eating. If she didn’t make any sound, they would be suspicious of her from the outside, and she crashed the dishes to make a sound. In the meantime, the woman on the opposite side took out the make-up tools from her arms and drew the freckles on Mielle’s face. She took off her clothes and exchanged them with Mielle.

The features themselves were too different to be perfect, but the maid’s face was full of freckles and similar in height and shape, so it was hard to notice if they didn’t look at her closely.

[Get out of here straight. A carriage is waiting at the entrance to the mansion.]