I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 102

Chapter 102

“I almost died even before the hunting competition. I was attacked by assailants. Fortunately, I was with Lord Winkaiser at the time, so my life was saved.”

As I spoke, my hand instinctively moved to my abdomen, as if trying to protect it even now.

“I have brought the person who tried to harm me here today.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ricardo had already turned his head toward the entrance and signaled with a glance.

It wasn’t just the Viscount of Wensbury waiting at the entrance.

The servant, following Ricardo’s signal, opened the door and brought in a man who had been waiting outside.

The man was so gaunt and frail that it was hard to believe he had once been a member of the Sprendo Knights.

Even after I made him an offer that day in the basement with Paulo, he hadn’t made up his mind easily.

Only when Ricardo informed him that the Viscount of Wensbury had already been put on trial, and that there would be no more chances after it concluded, did Paulo finally decide to testify.

“What is your name and occupation?”

“I… I am Paulo, of the Sprendo Second Knights.”

For the first time, the Viscount of Wensbury showed a look of dismay as he finally recognized Paulo, who had changed so much he was almost unrecognizable.

“On the day I was attacked, was it you and your group who ambushed my carriage?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I was told that to become a true member of the knights, I had to. They said the knights were a group bound by blood and loyalty, and I had to prove my trustworthiness to become a real member.”

“And who told you that?”

“…”

Paulo hesitated in that crucial moment, reluctant to name names in front of the Viscount.

“Paulo, you claim you did this to become a knight, but in truth, your actions only disgraced the name of knighthood. Attacking an innocent woman—no true knight would do such a thing.”

Paulo’s face twisted with guilt.

He hadn’t spoken under endless interrogation in the basement of Winkaiser’s estate, nor had hunger or torture broken him. But my words struck a chord.

He hadn’t wanted to be a mercenary for money, but a knight with pride. And now he realized that what he had done was the most dishonorable thing possible.

“Tell me, Paulo. Who ordered you to do such a thing?”

“It was… It was the Viscount of Wensbury, standing right there.”

The fallen knight spoke the name of the man who had caused his downfall.

The man he had thought of as a shining beacon of nobility, the man he had sought to follow into that light, was actually a figure cloaked in greed and darkness.

“…”

I said no more. Turning my gaze from Paulo, I looked directly at the Viscount of Wensbury.

Others, too, shifted their attention toward him as my eyes settled on him.

“That’s a lie.”

Under the weight of so many eyes, the Marquis quickly denied it.

“I’ve never seen that man before. I’ve lived my entire life as a knight and been called a paragon of Sprendo’s honor. Would someone like me ever commit such a disgraceful act?”

Meeting the eyes of every onlooker, one by one, the Viscount made his case, defending himself.

“You scoundrel! Who paid you off to tell such lies? Speak now!”

He roared at Paulo as if he might draw a sword and strike him down right then and there.

But this was not his estate, and there were too many witnesses. Moreover, all weapons had been confiscated from him upon entering the room, for this was, after all, a formal trial, and he stood accused.

“This is all a setup! Someone has laid a trap for me!” the Viscount protested, as if genuinely wronged.

“You mean to say you don’t believe Paulo’s testimony?”

“It’s a bald-faced lie! Where’s the proof? Is there a document, anything? Surely you don’t expect me to be condemned based on nothing but his word?”

“There’s no document,” I said.

“Then get this liar out of here immediately! Clearly, he’s been bribed to accuse me falsely. No, no—better yet, take him to the Wensbury basement and find out who paid him off!” 

He gestured at me as he said “someone,” implying that I was the one behind it.

“How about we hear from one more person?” I suggested.

With a light gesture, the servant opened the door again, and a frightened woman entered the room.

“Your name and occupation?”

As she approached the table, I asked her the same question I had asked Paulo.

“I am Marianne, and I work at the Imperial Palace.”

Unlike Paulo, who had been kept in the Winsaizer basement until today, Marianne had been living in the palace, pretending to serve the Viscount in order to deceive him. She appeared just as she always had.

The Viscount instantly recognized her and glared.

“Why were you brought here?”

“Because… because I… I put poison in Lady Bianca’s cookies.”

At that, Marianne broke down into sobs.

As if realizing only now the gravity of her actions, or perhaps because she was afraid of the punishment that awaited her, it was hard to tell.

But frankly, I didn’t care to know.

“Why?”

Regardless of whether she was crying or not, I asked the question I wanted to ask.

“Why did you poison the cookies meant for me?”

When Marianne couldn’t answer due to her sobbing, I asked again.

“Why did you do it?”

“T-The Viscount of Wensbury promised me… that if I did, he would promote my loved one. H-He said if I didn’t, he would expel him from the knights.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Marianne began sobbing once more.

It was all her own choice, something she had done herself, but I still couldn’t understand what she found so pitiful about it.

“And here is the very food that this lady-in-waiting poisoned, or rather, that the Viscount of Wensbury ordered her to poison in an attempt to kill me.”

Ricardo pulled a bag from his belongings, taking out an envelope and holding it up for everyone to see.

As he opened the envelope in front of the crowd, its contents—a poisoned cookie—were revealed, emitting a rotting stench as it appeared. It was soft and decayed from exposure to moisture, but it was undeniably compelling evidence.

And just as the foul smell was potent, so too was the power of this evidence.

“Not long ago, the Viscount of Wensbury mentioned suggesting to Megi that she take her own life. He also admitted that he personally procured the poison for her—‘Paladin,’ to be exact.”

I glanced slyly at the Viscount of Wensbury with a faint smile.

He likely thought he had neatly escaped any consequences from Megi’s death.

He must have thought he had gotten off scot-free with Megi’s death.

“And here is the analysis report on the contents of the cookie.”

I pulled out the document I had commissioned earlier from the stack of papers.

“Flour, cocoa powder, almonds, sugar… all common ingredients. But there’s one thing here that shouldn’t be in a normal cookie.”

I looked around at the audience, feigning a look of astonishment at the discovery.

Everyone’s attention was on me.

“Paladin.”

The mere mention of that three-syllable word held incredible power.

“It’s the same rare, precious, and difficult-to-obtain poison that the Viscount of Wensbury obtained to ‘help’ Megi.”

The hall erupted into murmurs.

“This is a conspiracy,” came the voice of one man who clearly couldn’t accept the reality.

“And what exactly is the conspiracy?” I asked.

“Someone is trying to frame me. This is absolutely absurd.”

The Viscount shook his head in disbelief, his gaze turning murderous as he glared at Paulo and Marianne.

“Who’s paying you? Who told you to drag me into this ridiculous scheme?”

“A conspiracy? So, you’re claiming that it wasn’t you who ordered Paulo and Marianne but rather that someone instructed them to falsely accuse you?” I asked.

“Of course!”

“And why would they do that? They would be putting their own lives at risk. On top of that, whoever is behind this would be committing a great crime by targeting the life of a noblewoman. Why would anyone confess to such a crime if they hadn’t committed it?”

“How am I supposed to know what they’re thinking? I don’t know them! I don’t know who they are!”

The Viscount raised his voice, his face contorted in fury as he hurled his denial at me.

The usual composed demeanor of the Viscount of Wensbury was nowhere to be found. His smug smile was long gone.

I could clearly see now that he was cornered.

Although I don’t know much about hunting, I imagined that a prey surrounded by hunters must look very much like this.

“Hmmm… so that’s what you believe.”

I pretended to give his words some weight.

“If that’s how you feel, then I suppose you would have no objections to hearing testimony from someone who couldn’t have been bribed.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I gave a bright smile while looking directly at the Viscount. His face twisted in response, clearly sensing something ominous.

“At this point, I think it would be good to hear from Lord Raintar Wensbury.”

“R-Raintar’s testimony?”

The Viscount repeated in disbelief.

But there was no need for me to answer his question—Raintar was already walking through the door.

“Raintar!”

The moment he saw his son, Viscount’s face froze in shock.

Raintar, however, did not turn to look at the man who had called his name.

The Viscount’s eyes trembled violently as he stared at his son, who wouldn’t meet his gaze.

Like a prey just moments before being hunted down.