I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 101

Chapter 101

It might seem obvious, but the trial of Viscount Wensbury was not like an ordinary trial.

He was the head of the prestigious Wensbury family, a Viscount, a highly respected knight in the Empire, and even a candidate for the position of the next Grand Marshal. 

There was no way that someone like the Viscount of Wensbury would be treated the same as an ordinary person.

The very fact that such a distinguished individual was brought to trial was, in itself, a remarkable event. Normally, a person of his standing would easily escape punishment for such charges.

“Now, we will begin the trial concerning the attempted murder of Bianca Croft and the assault of Ricardo Winkaiser.”

But the charges he faced were not ordinary crimes, and thus, it could not be overlooked.

The Viscount of Wensbury had been accused of attempting to murder the daughter of a noble family and of nearly killing the son of another aristocratic family. Even the great Viscount of Wensbury had no choice but to stand trial for such crimes.

“Do you have anything to say about these two charges?”

It was none other than the Duke of Winkaiser who posed the question to the Viscount of Wensbury in a dignified voice.

Though the Duke of Winkaiser seemed to be trying hard not to show personal bias, his voice still carried a chill toward the man who had nearly killed his son.

“Yes.”

The Viscount of Wensbury stood up, giving a short answer.

His demeanor was so composed that, rather than a criminal under suspicion, he resembled a knight preparing for a campaign.

“I am innocent.”

He spoke with confidence as he looked around the room, meeting each person’s gaze one by one. His sheer audacity made me tremble with anger.

There weren’t many people gathered here. This, too, was due to the unique status of the accused, the Viscount of Wensbury.

The discussion of the Viscount’s guilt and punishment was conducted by the high-ranking nobles of the capital, making the atmosphere feel more like a noble assembly than a trial.

When our eyes finally met, the Viscount of Wensbury even gave me a slight smile.

To the others, it probably appeared as a gentle expression, filled with regret over the situation and understanding of my supposed “misunderstanding.” But to me, it was a display of shameless arrogance.

I clenched my fists involuntarily at his brazen attitude.

“It’s alright. Everything will be fine.”

Ricardo, sitting next to me, quietly whispered in my ear.

Despite not having fully recovered from his injuries, he had insisted on being here to witness the Viscount of Wensbury’s trial.

“Yes.”

I nodded, hoping that Ricardo’s presence here would be meaningful.

“As you all know, that day was the Imperial Hunting Tournament. I was a participant. You may think I am too old for such events, but I still have enough strength to wield a sword and draw a bow. How could I have possibly tried to kill Miss Bianca or harmed Lord Winkaiser when I wasn’t even there?”

Wensbury refutes the charges with a casual tone.

It was as if this entire trial was nothing more than a friendly gathering, a joke to be made, something trivial.

“If I had two bodies, perhaps it would be possible. But as you can see, I have only one. And where that one body was, my servant here can fully testify.”

The Viscount raised his hand, pointing to his servant standing at the entrance.

The man, upon being indicated, bowed his head politely to the nobles watching him.

“Frankly speaking, just being summoned to this trial is damaging to my honor, so I am quite displeased. However, I look forward to proving my innocence here and being proudly invited to that beautiful couple’s wedding.”

The Viscount of Wensbury gestured toward Ricardo and me—the very people he had supposedly tried to kill.

“I trust you wise individuals will reveal my innocence.”

With a confident smile, the Viscount of Wensbury sat down.

Fine, enjoy your confidence while you can.

Soon, you won’t even be able to sit, but will be kneeling on the ground in defeat.

“Now, let’s hear from the one who formally accused the Viscount of Wensbury. Lady Bianca Croft?”

“Yes.”

When my name was called, I rose from my seat.

The Viscount had only brought his words to claim his innocence, but I hadn’t come here empty-handed.

I placed a bundle of documents from my lap and the bag that Ricardo had been carrying onto the table.

Seeing this, the Viscount of Wensbury furrowed his brow slightly, but only for a moment. He quickly let out a scoffing laugh, as if what I had brought was nothing more than meaningless clutter.

“First, here is the autopsy report of Megi Bellona.”

The first thing I pulled out was that very document.

“Let me begin by saying that this woman was the biological mother of Lady Maria, the illegitimate child and adopted daughter of Viscount Wensbury. She was also the woman who had been rumored to have been killed by me.”

Though it was already a widely known story in high society, it was necessary to start there.

I continued to explain the carriage marked with the Wensbury family crest that had arrived after I left, and how the poison was not in the cake but in the tea.

I also pointed out how the report that the Viscount had given to Maria deliberately omitted this information.

“You say I omitted something? I simply handed over the documents as they were given to me by the hospital director. If something was missing, it must have been the director’s mistake.”

“Then why did the same director give me the correct report?”

“How should I know what he was thinking?”

The Viscount of Wensbury shook his head, as if none of it concerned him at all.

“Then let me ask you one thing. On the day Megi died, did you not visit the hospital?”

“I did not.”

The Viscount lied without even blinking.

“Then who went to the hospital late that night using the Wensbury family carriage?”

“I wouldn’t know that. It’s been several months since then. Even though I am the head of the Wensbury family, how could I possibly know who used the carriage at every given moment?”

He shrugged dramatically, as if asking the others for their agreement.

“And what about the tea?”

“Tea? Now it’s tea instead of the carriage?” 

Some nobles chuckled at the Viscount’s poor attempt at a joke.

“Yes, the tea,” I reiterated, refusing to be swayed by their laughter.

“This is a customer list I obtained from an importer. It lists the names of those who purchased a rare and expensive tea, one that isn’t enjoyed by many, even in Sprendo.”

I displayed the document for everyone to see, though the small text likely made it hard for them to read. What mattered was the red line marking a specific name.

“Here, the name of the Viscount of Wensbury appears.”

I pointed to the red line with my finger.

“And very coincidentally, just before Megi died, a Wensbury family carriage was spotted at her place, poison was found in the tea she drank, and that tea happens to be the one the Viscount of Wensbury enjoys.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You’re saying it’s all just a coincidence?”

“No. I’m just saying what does the death of a commoner have to do with anything?”

“…”

“I did it to protect my daughter.”

“To protect Lady Maria?”

“Yes. The rumor that Maria was my illegitimate child was true, as Miss Bianca has already pointed out. Megi was indeed her biological mother. In other words, as long as Megi was alive, Maria would never be free of the stigma of being an illegitimate child.”

“So, you killed Maggie?”

“No.”

Although it seemed as though he had been about to confess, the Viscount quickly retracted his statement.

“All I did was offer a suggestion. I simply explained the duties and responsibilities of nobles to an oblivious Megi, and told her how Maria could live a brilliant life going forward.”

“The poison that killed Maggie was Palladine, a rare and expensive poison commonly used for assassinations due to its colorless and odorless nature. How could a commoner like Megi, who was hospitalized, have obtained such a poison?”

“That was my final gift to her. I wanted her last moments to be as peaceful as possible.”

“A gift? Are you saying you gave her poison as a ‘gift’ and asked her to die for Maria?”

“Megi made the choice herself. Maternal love is a powerful thing, after all.”

The Viscount of Wensbury placed his hand on his chest as if deeply moved by Megi’s sacrifice.

But I knew instantly that it was a blatant lie.

If Megi had willingly drunk the tea, she would have swallowed it all without spilling a drop.

There would have been no tea left on her hands or around her mouth, and no trace of the tea on the cake. She would have consumed it all.

The only way the tea could have ended up on the cake was if she had been forced to drink it, spit it out, or had unknowingly begun drinking it before being paralyzed and spilling it.

“I appreciate your interest in my family matters, but it would be best if we focused on what’s relevant to today’s case.”

“No, I mentioned Megi because her death is the key to this whole affair.”

The Viscount’s face twisted in annoyance at my words.

“It was after Megi’s death that the conspiracy against me began.”

“Conspiracy?”

“Yes. There were rumors that I was the one who killed Megi. I’m sure those of you present here have heard them as well.”

The nobles averted their eyes slightly, pretending not to have heard anything. It was common practice to ignore rumors involving the daughters of noble families. Yet, no one expressed surprise at the mention of the rumor—they had all already known.

“Outraged by the accusations, I set out to uncover the truth behind Megi’s death. I sought to expose the real murderer. But someone didn’t want that.”

From the start, I hadn’t expected him to confess so easily.

“And that person has been trying to kill me ever since.”

Now, the real trial was about to begin.