Chapter 6

# 6

|

"Oh, how...!"

At the mention of embezzlement, Filipa flinched slightly.

The allowance allocated for Nabiya's upbringing was not generous, but it certainly wasn't so meager that the food would be this absurdly bad.

'The food expenses shouldn't amount to much.'

How much must she have embezzled for the meals to end up like this?

Filipa bit her lip anxiously.

'How did they find out? There's no way that child could have figured it out on her own!'

Did she overhear someone talking somewhere?

Filipa composed her expression and lifted her chin haughtily.

'Right. The opponent is just a child.'

In such moments, she needed to act more confidently.

"Ha! You are trying to persecute me, who has been loyal to Agnes all my life, by spouting such nonsense!"

She emphasized her long-standing loyalty to Agnes to pressure Nabiya.

Moreover, she added the usual threats she often used on Nabiya.

"I don't know where you heard such things, but if you speak recklessly, your tongue will be cut out!"

With this, Nabiya would surely be frightened and become docile.

However, to Nabiya, all of Filipa's words sounded like nothing but sophistry and forced reasoning.

Even a child's tantrum would be more convincing.

'The governess has always been like this.'

They say a fox borrows the tiger's power to act arrogantly.

Filipa saw the duke's authority as her own.

Nabiya, undaunted by the absurd threats, tilted her head and spoke naturally.

"But the duke will soon notice something is wrong, won't he? I mean, why didn't the governess take action when she knew there was a hole in the door?"

"T-t-that, that is...!"

Nikan would naturally think, 'If that hole hadn't been there...'

And then, 'Why didn't Filipa take action when she knew there was a problem with the door?'

But Filipa had an excuse for being negligent.

'...Hmph! I have to take care of three children, and even the terminally ill Vivian.'

At that moment, Nabiya curled her lips and said with a penetrating gaze.

"Of course, the governess can excuse herself by saying she was too busy taking care of three children, including the sick Vivian."

Filipa flinched.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Filipa was extremely shocked.

Could Nabiya be a mind-reading magician?

Otherwise, how could she recite her thoughts so accurately!

'Strange. Something is strange...'

It seemed something was going wrong.

The more she spoke, the more she found herself cornered, not Nabiya.

A cold threat that couldn't be dismissed as a child's nonsense was tightening around her neck.

"Just like... "

She even had the terrifying illusion that an evil spirit was possessing the child, trying to devour her.

"If you keep slandering me, it won't be good for the young lady!"

Nabiya burst into laughter.

"Ahaha! Slandering? What an amusing thing to say, governess."

"How dare you, how dare you...!"

Filipa was so enraged that she could hardly breathe.

But hearing Nabiya's chattering was honestly frightening.

'So, I need to shut that mouth first!'

"If I have to, I'll have to use the cane to make you stop!"

A child who doesn't listen must be disciplined with a beating.

How could a scrawny child like her stand up to a grown adult trained in hard labor?

At that moment, Nabiya said with a cold, serious expression.

"I know how loyal the governess is to the duke."

More accurately, she saw herself as Agnes herself.

"But, you see, this isn't the kind of loyalty my father thinks of, is it, governess?"

At the mention of Nikan, Filipa's hands trembled like aspen leaves.

Reading her fear, Nabiya intensified her pressure.

"Isn't it curious how my father will react when he sees my meals?"

"Stop it, young lady! If you keep this up, you'll get twenty, no, thirty lashes with the cane...!"

Filipa's threat was cut off.

"Father hates losing face. How disappointed will he be if he finds out he was betrayed by a trusted vassal?"

Filipa, who had been by his side for life, also knew well how ruthless Nikan could be.

Filipa's face turned pale, and she involuntarily took a step back.

Even so, she couldn't turn her gaze away from Nabiya.

She wanted to avoid the terrifyingly calm red eyes but was too afraid to look away.

What is this girl looking at?

Filipa felt that Nabiya's gaze was not on her but on something far away.

For example, her own decapitated body after being caught embezzling.

"What are you doing to me!"

Filipa shouted like a scream.

"Who told you to do this? Who told you to slander a loyal vassal of Agnes without any evidence?"

"Evidence?"

Filipa had been caught embezzling and beheaded by Nikan multiple times.

She was not meticulous, so the evidence of her embezzlement was quickly exposed.

Nabiya smiled like a child who had just received a new toy.

"Then let's go to Father right now. As the governess said, I'll kneel before the duke and tell the truth."

Nabiya got off the bed and walked confidently towards the door.

"No!"

Filipa desperately grabbed Nabiya's arm and pushed her back.

Click.

At that moment, Hans entered.

Hans was startled.

"What are you doing?"

Charlotte, who had been quietly observing the situation, rushed to Nabiya with a shocked expression.

"Young lady! Are you okay?"

Filipa's face turned even paler when she realized Charlotte was still there.

'Why is Charlotte still here?'

Charlotte probably thought Nabiya was just being territorial towards a fake noble.

But now, she might suspect Filipa of embezzlement, as Nabiya had exposed.

No, she would definitely suspect her.

'Charlotte usually flatters me...'

Filipa looked at Charlotte, who was supporting Nabiya, with a confused gaze.

Meanwhile, Nabiya, curled up like a kitten, looked at Filipa with tears in her eyes.

"Sniff... It's too much, governess. Even if you don't like me being on the third floor, how could you do this to me...?"

Filipa felt like she was about to faint.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

"I know I shouldn't be on the third floor. But I couldn't disobey what Father said..."

Hans's wrinkled face turned cold.

He understood why Filipa had been violent towards Nabiya.

"Are you daring to privately disobey the head of the household, Filipa?"

"Sir, it's nonsense! It's a lie!"

"Then what did I just see? Why did you push the young lady?"

Filipa fell silent.

She couldn't say that she had stopped Nabiya from reporting her embezzlement to Nikan.

Seeing her silence, Hans shouted.

"You have nothing else to say, do you!"

"T-that's...!"

"Do you not know that harming a noble is a serious crime?"

A commoner who harmed a noble would be whipped to death or branded as a slave.

Even as a fake noble, Nabiya was still a noble, so this would be very disadvantageous for Filipa if it became known.

Filipa, with a desperate look, grabbed Hans.

"It was just an accident!"

"Enough, get out of here!"

Filipa looked helplessly between the senator and Nabiya.

If the duke heard that she had pushed Nabiya, the whole process would be revealed.

If her embezzlement was exposed, she would surely face execution!

'That can't happen!'

What to do? What to do? What to do...!

"Governess."

At that moment, a calm voice that didn't fit the situation was heard.