Chapter 14

Suddenly feeling a chill, I forced my heavy eyelids open. Before me was the luxurious canopy of my bed.

Between the curtains, I could see the window where the sky had turned completely dark. The window was slightly ajar, which must have been where the wind was blowing in from.

Recalling what had happened, I sluggishly pushed myself up.

“Ow… my head hurts. Must be from hitting the wall.”

When I touched it, I found a bump on the back of my head.

It seemed I had lost consciousness in the hallway and someone had carried me up to my second-floor room.

As I climbed out of bed, Kelly—looking uncharacteristically flustered—came flying toward me.

“Lady Agnes! Are you alright to be standing?!”

“I’m fine for now.”

…I really made her worry.

She’s usually expressionless, but Kelly is truly kind.

“Lord Nazelbert was extremely worried. Even after carrying you here, he was unusually frantic.”

“Eh, really? Oh no, I’ve been such a burden!”

Thinking I had to apologize, I hurried down to the first floor. There, sitting in the dining room rather than the guest room, were Nazelbert and an unfamiliar red-haired boy.

I hadn’t been able to see his face because I’d passed out, but I assumed he was Lord Julian.

Noticing me, Nazelbert stood up abruptly and rushed over.

“Lady Agnes, are you feeling alright? Please, don’t push yourself.”

“Lord Nazelbert, I’m so sorry for the scene I caused. And thank you for carrying me. I’m perfectly fine now.”

“Wait, there is no need for you to apologize. The one at fault is Julian for charging out of the room without looking ahead.”

Under Nazelbert’s glare, Lord Julian looked at me tentatively.

“Um, I’m sorry… I mean, this is a scam, right? Are you really the Potato Lady?”

In response to Lord Julian’s question, Nazelbert wordlessly hurled a thick booklet that had been lying on the table. The booklet made a direct hit on Lord Julian’s face, and he tumbled off his chair.

“Lady Agnes, please forgive my worthless younger brother. I’ll make sure to re-educate him properly.”

“Um, please don’t mind me.”

Nazelbert just threw a book, didn’t he? The mild-mannered Nazelbert…

As I stood there bewildered, Lord Julian scrambled back up and walked toward me. He was surprisingly sturdy.

“Nice to meet you. I am Julian, the third son of the House of Florescrus.”

“I am Agnes Eventail. Lord Nazelbert has been incredibly kind to me.”

“I heard the circumstances from my brother. I’m sorry for dragging you into our family’s mess.”

“No. I’m the one who should be sorry. The House of Florescrus must be troubled by the order for Lord Nazelbert to marry me as a punishment.”

“Th-That’s…”

Lord Julian looked flustered, but I had already heard his true feelings before I blacked out.

I felt the same way. However…

“I don’t find it to be a nuisance at all,” Lord Nazelbert said from beside me, flatly contradicting my words.

“H-Huh?”

“Lady Agnes, let’s have you sit down for now. We can’t keep a lady who was just bedridden standing indefinitely. Besides, a messenger came from the Royal Palace while you were asleep, and I’d like to discuss that with you.”

“I understand.”

A messenger from the Royal Palace already? That was surprisingly fast.

As urged, I took a seat. Lord Julian placed the documents he had retrieved from the floor in front of me.

“This is what the Royal messenger brought.”

“…It’s quite thick, isn’t it?”

“It details the Princess’s conduct, the false charges against my brother, Robin’s actions, and so on. It seems they did their own investigation. It also contains the fabricated story that will be made public, as well as the treatment of my brother and yourself…”

“So, His Majesty has passed his judgment.”

Lord Julian gave a silent nod, his expression clouding over. Oh dear, I had a very bad feeling about this.

Seeing my confusion, Lord Nazelbert spoke up this time.

“Lady Agnes, those documents are far too dense, so I’ll summarize the contents for you.”

“Thank you. Please do.”

With that, he began to speak while flipping through the pages of the booklet.

“First, His Majesty has acknowledged my innocence. Apparently, there were multiple witnesses to Princess Mia’s poor behavior and the fact that Lord Robin had seduced her on numerous occasions. Those who testified that I attacked Robin had been paid off by him and the Princess to put on an act.”

“Then, it’s been decided that you are innocent, Lord Nazelbert!”

And yet, despite that, Lord Nazelbert didn’t look happy at all.

“However… the Princess is already pregnant with Lord Robin’s child. And many nobles have already heard the news. At this point, it’s a fact that can no longer be hidden.”

True, there was nothing to be done about the child. It would be difficult for Lord Nazelbert to return to being the Princess’s partner now.

“The information to be released to the public will likely be that the Princess has decided to bear the child of Lord Robin—a ‘special individual’ who possesses holy power for the sake of the country. They’re going to frame it as the Royal Family’s intentional decision.”

“Why?!”

Hiring people to give false testimony is a crime.

It was absurd that Lord Robin and the Princess would be allowed to get away with such a thing.