MPBAGS Chapter 104

"Lady Rohanson..."

Mrs. Totten called out to me with a choked voice. I feel like crying too, Mrs. Totten.

Villainess characters always have endings waiting for them where they go to prison and then get executed. That's why I worked so hard to avoid the execution ending, even going so far as to lead Gabriel on with false hopes.

I was incredibly good to the female lead Kanna too, practically giving her my heart and soul. Since Gabriel was completely smitten with me, I felt secure and my vision narrowed, causing me to let my guard down.

Right, villainesses don't just go to prison for tormenting the female lead. They get arrested for treason all the time too...

But getting suddenly framed and arrested on debutante day is just too much... All my past efforts of running around trying to avoid the execution ending felt utterly meaningless.

What good does it do to stay in Gabriel's good graces when they frame me during his absence? By the way, it seems Gabriel's birth secret hasn't been revealed yet, but if they say he killed his own brother, won't Gabriel turn against me too?

"Sir Muzeta, this is testimony that the weapon used to stab His Royal Highness the Crown Prince matches the dagger that Lady Rohanson brought in. The young princes also witnessed it right beside them."

Sir Muzeta, who claimed to be the Crown Prince's guard knight, glared at me with bloodshot eyes as if he wanted to kill me. It's not the same sword! The sword I brought in has no blade...!

But since the Crown Prince wouldn't draw the sword, there was no way to prove it. The only ones who could testify that it had no blade were Gabriel, the knights who had inspected my belongings before entering the banquet hall, or Mrs. Totten. But Gabriel showed no signs of returning, probably still in the middle of treatment.

"Lady Rohanson, is what he says true?"

"It's true that I brought a sword. But the dagger I presented to His Highness was a decorative one without a blade, so it must be a different sword that just looks similar on the outside."

"So you're saying someone prepared an identical sword just to frame Lady Rohanson? Why don't you just say that what's on those clothes isn't blood but wine?"

Yes, that's actually true... Even I would find it hard to believe. If it's a frame-up, it means the culprit anticipated what I would give as a gift and prepared two identical swords.

But I didn't even prepare it myself. The dagger was something the Count brought, saying it would be perfect as a gift for the Crown Prince. Since he said it was a sword the Count had obtained, I didn't harbor much suspicion, but now that it's come to this, its origin seems suspicious. Didn't the culprit prepare two swords, then slyly pass one to the Count to make him an accomplice?

After putting me in such a predicament, the Count has been pretending ignorance throughout. I didn't expect anything from him anyway. Didn't I say the Count seemed like the type who would abandon his daughter and flee alone if something happened? Those words were exactly right.

"Well, the knight who inspected my belongings before entry will testify."

"A knight? Just asking, but that knight wouldn't happen to be from the Pharalos Knight Order, would they? I'm concerned they might give false testimony to protect the lady that their superior, Sir Gabriel, is infatuated with."

What to do about this? Since they called Gabriel the commander, they must be from the Pharalos Knight Order.

"How truly coincidental. Why is it that all the people who could testify happen to be those related to the lady?"

I could feel Sir Muzeta's already heated eyes rolling. At this rate, he might even implicate Gabriel.

Mrs. Totten seemed about to defend me, so I gestured with my eyes to stop her. When he's being so strict and sharp even toward Gabriel, who has outstanding credibility, it seemed like if Mrs. Totten, my chaperone, opened her mouth, she'd be branded as an accomplice.

"Sir Muzeta, the important thing is that regardless of whether there's a blade or not, I already presented the sword to His Highness as a gift. Since it already left my hands, how could I possibly stab His Highness?"

So I pointed out that the premise was fundamentally flawed from the start. Even if the murder weapon really was the sword I brought, that couldn't be evidence that I was the culprit.

"Even so, instead of apologizing for daring to bring in what became a murder weapon, you're being so brazen...!"

"Sir Muzeta would do well to calm his excitement."

As Sir Muzeta was angrily berating me, someone coolly interjected, pouring cold water on the situation.

"Bishop Marik... Didn't you return?"

What? Who? Bishop Marik? Don't tell me it's the exorcist bishop I've heard so much about?

But Gabriel definitely said Bishop Marik had returned to the temple, so why is she back again!

"I felt an ominous energy and hurried back. Though I never dreamed such a horrific scene would be waiting."

A kind voice lamented and prayed. She wore neatly arranged priestly robes with a white veil draped over them, so her face wasn't visible. How did she sense the ominous energy! At this rate, I might not only be branded as the Crown Prince's assassin but also as an evil spirit, facing both execution and torture at once.

"It's very unfortunate to meet under these circumstances. I am Marik, a servant of God."

"I'm Evangeline Rohanson."

Since Bishop Marik introduced herself, I reciprocated. I had vaguely imagined an exorcist to be sharp and fierce, but whether it was because of the veil or not, the Bishop Marik I actually saw was like a nun. I could understand why Raphaela had introduced Bishop Marik to the believers as a merciful person. But she probably won't show me any mercy.

"This is the assassination attempt on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that occurred in the imperial palace. It's not something for Bishop Marik to interfere with, so please refrain from unnecessary meddling."

For some reason, Sir Muzeta showed considerable hostility toward Bishop Marik, as if they had some bad blood. Bishop Marik raised her finger to point at the sky. Her hand was full of scars, as if she had been burned.

"Not something to interfere with? Sir Muzeta, do you think human strength could hang His Highness from the ceiling?"

Her finger changed direction to point at the floor.

"This is..."

I had been so distracted by the corpse hanging from the ceiling that I hadn't noticed until now, but there was some kind of pattern drawn on the floor. When I stepped back to avoid the red traces, the pattern revealed its complete form.

"Since something wicked is involved, I may now intervene."

What was drawn on the floor was definitely a summoning circle. No, my summoning circle! Who copied it again!

"Isn't that right, my lady?"

Bishop Marik asked for my opinion as if seeking agreement.

Calling it wicked is a bit harsh, Bishop. The spirits who hear this will be hurt. But considering that spirits aren't well known in this world, I understood why supernatural phenomena would be treated as wicked.

The fact that my summoning circle was drawn here meant that spirits were involved in both the sudden extinguishing of lights and the Crown Prince's murder. No wonder they're calling it wicked. If you're going to use spirits like that, give them to me!

But didn't Gabriel say that since my spirit affinity is rock bottom, having me nearby would neutralize the summoning circle? Why did the summoning circle work this time? Could it be that my affinity is gradually developing? Can I summon spirits too? I got excited for a moment but immediately deflated. When I'm on the verge of losing my head, what good would developing spirit affinity do now!

"You'll certainly need help. So we at the temple will take custody of Lady Rohanson's person..."

"That's impossible. She's a suspect in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's assassination, and you dare ask us to hand over her custody to the temple? Even if she were a devil or demon, punishment will be decided by the imperial palace."

Sir Muzeta glared at Bishop Marik with bloodshot eyes. But I'm neither a devil nor a demon... I'm just a villainess trying to repent, you know? And I'm not even the culprit...

"You seem to be getting even sharper with me."

"Yes, you've observed correctly. Hasn't your temple considered His Highness a thorn in your side? You might even be raising toasts behind the scenes over His Highness's death, so how could we trust you?"

It seems there had been serious power struggles between the imperial palace and temple in the past.

This battle of wills is no joke. Don't fight over me... I didn't want to say this in such a situation. If anything, I hoped Sir Muzeta would win. Being tortured by an exorcist seems worse than dying quickly.

Perhaps my wish got through, as Bishop Marik backed down a step. Since the murdered person was the Crown Prince, Sir Muzeta's opinion seemed to carry more weight.

"Then escort Evangeline Rohanson to prison!"

"Yes!"

At Sir Muzeta's shout, the imperial palace knights surrounded me in perfect formation.

Ah... They were fighting over custody of me? Suddenly tears welled up in my eyes. Gabriel made such a dramatic entrance just a moment ago like something out of a drama, so why isn't he showing his face now? Isn't this a more urgent moment in terms of importance?

"Lady Rohanson!"

Instead of Gabriel, Mrs. Totten blocked my path as if trying to protect me. I glanced at Sir Muzeta and Bishop Marik, then grabbed her arm reassuringly and made a request.

"Mrs. Totten, please take care of my maid. I'll be fine, so please take Henna out pretending she's your maid."

Since I'm a noble and haven't been confirmed as the culprit, I probably won't face immediate execution. But Henna was different. They might take out their frustration on Henna for what they can't do to me. It was fortunate that she came in the same carriage as Mrs. Totten when we came to the palace. If Mrs. Totten says she's her maid, Henna should be able to return safely.

"Please don't think of defending me either, madam. Since you have Ryder, it would be best to protect yourself as much as possible."

There was a chance that if she got caught up with Bishop Marik, Melech might also be exorcised in a two-for-one deal.

"And you too."

Finally, my eyes met with the handsome blonde servant. When I told him to stay quiet as well, his angelic expression crumpled. My gaze lingered on the choker around his neck.

"Stay quiet until I call for you, Pudding."

I don't know why he's infiltrated as a palace servant, but the blonde pretty boy was definitely Pudding. He was boldly wearing the necklace I embroidered, so there was no way I couldn't recognize him.

"When will you call for me?"

Pudding retorted with a thoroughly sulky face. Well, when would be good...

"When I want to eat jelly?"