Chapter 25

25

The main building of the Valentin mansion has two halls. The Averidge Hall is directly connected to the central entrance, and the Grand Hall can only be entered by passing through the Averidge Hall.

The Grand Hall is mainly used for grand banquets and balls, while the Averidge Hall serves a supporting role. Naturally, the Grand Hall is larger than the Averidge Hall. The Averidge Hall was also where Mrs. Seymour and the head housekeeper gathered the servants for training.

"Do you happen to know why Mrs. Seymour is interrogating Charlotte?"

"No... I only saw it from a distance just now, so I don't really know."

Jenna shook her head in response to my question. I briefly considered why Jenna was helping Charlotte and me. It seemed that Jenna, having observed Theodore's changed attitude, believed that my position in this mansion would change.

'She must have judged that providing me with information wouldn't get her in trouble with Mrs. Seymour.'

But she was wrong. Contrary to Jenna's expectations, there would be no improvement in my position here. No one knew how things would change once Theodore's memory returned.

It was foolish to only see the situation positively and harbor expectations. I would no longer expect anything. I would simply do what I could from my position.

"Speak the truth, Charlotte Brandon!"

"Yeah, you're the only one who entered the Knight Commander's room. If not you, who else could have stolen it?"

As we approached the Averidge Hall, the sharp voices of Mrs. Seymour and a maid could be heard. I stopped at the entrance to the hall and observed the situation for a moment.

"I didn't steal it. I'm just a maid who serves the lady; why would I covet the Knight Commander's gold ornament?"

It was Charlotte's voice, calm despite the injustice.

I stood behind a pillar and carefully observed the group surrounding Charlotte. There was Mrs. Seymour with a stern expression, two maids, and three maidservants. The Knight Commander, the victim of the theft, was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed that Charlotte had been involved in this incident while trying to run an errand for me. I didn't know the full details, but two things were certain.

First, Charlotte did not steal the gold ornament. That was obvious.

Second, among the five people other than Mrs. Seymour, two were capable of stealing the gold ornament.

I carefully observed the expressions of those two. One looked extremely anxious, while the other was expressionless. After examining them and other details, I turned to Jenna, about to give her an order.

"Go and—"

"Charlotte Brandon, you will only speak the truth after being whipped. Climb onto the chair and roll up your calves!"

'What?'

I heard something unbelievable and opened my eyes wide. They were going to whip her without any solid evidence? Were they in their right minds?

'Why are they going to such lengths?'

I asked myself, but it wasn't a question that required deep thought.

Charlotte was my personal maid, and we were close. If she were expelled from the mansion under false accusations, I would be completely isolated. Without any support, my ability to act would be severely limited.

And that was exactly what Mrs. Seymour wanted.

Over the past year and a half, she had subtly isolated and guarded against me while pretending to be proper. She had done so skillfully, ensuring that Theodore didn't notice.

Even if he had noticed, it wouldn't have made a difference... Regardless, this time, Mrs. Seymour had clearly planned it.

'She either thought she had a good opportunity, or she was behind this from the beginning.'

"Hurry up and get on the chair!"

Mrs. Seymour, holding a cane, shouted at the hesitant Charlotte. I quickly ordered Jenna.

"Go and bring the Knight Commander."

"He's—"

Jenna tried to say something, but I didn't have time to listen. She might not even follow my orders, given her current position between Mrs. Seymour and me. Without further delay, I entered the Averidge Hall.

"What are you doing? Mrs. Seymour."

My voice echoed through the commotion, and everyone in the hall paused and turned to look at me. A moment of silence followed. After a while, Mrs. Seymour answered my question.

"Lily, you came just in time. Your maid stole the Knight Commander's gold ornament. She has been denying it, so I've been interrogating her."

"I didn't steal it!"

Charlotte interrupted, shouting. Her eyes, filled with injustice, met mine. I nodded slightly at her, indicating that I knew she didn't do it.

"…!"

Charlotte's face showed a mix of emotions, and she bit her lip, clenching her hands. I slowly approached her, standing slightly in front of her as if to protect her, and asked Mrs. Seymour.

"What evidence do you have that Charlotte stole it?"

"We have a witness. Serena? Can you tell the lady what you saw?"

A maid named Serena hesitated before stepping forward. Her steps were awkward, even after just a few. She glanced at me, and when our eyes met, she was visibly startled and stammered.

This Serena was one of the two people I had observed earlier. She still looked extremely anxious. Under my intense gaze, Serena licked her lips and began to speak.

"I, I am a maid responsible for cleaning the Knight Commander's room. About 20 minutes ago, I went to clean the room and saw Maid Charlotte coming out. It seemed strange, so I didn't immediately enter the room but went to inform the Knight Commander. Just as I was about to, the Knight Commander arrived and started preparing to go out. The moment I entered the room to report about Maid Charlotte, the Knight Commander was very surprised and said the gold ornament was missing. It's a very precious item that he usually wears with his cloak..."

"..."

"I think Maid Charlotte stole the gold ornament. I saw her enter the Knight Commander's room before it went missing...! She has no close relationship with the Knight Commander and doesn't work in the knights' quarters, so it's really strange that she was in his room..."

Serena, speaking nervously, quickly averted her gaze when she met my eyes. It was clear to anyone that she was a poor liar. I asked her in a sharp tone.

"So, you're the only witness, and you didn't steal it? You could have made up this story to frame Charlotte. How can I believe you?"

"W, well, I—"

"Considering that Charlotte, a maid, earns more than you, a maidservant, who do you think would covet the Knight Commander's gold ornament? It's a simple question, isn't it?"

"No! I didn't steal it! I really didn't...!"

"If you really didn't steal it, would you mind if we search your room?"

"M, my room...?"

"Lily, that's enough. Serena—"

As I pressed Serena, Mrs. Seymour, as expected, intervened. I cut her off and asked.

"Mrs. Seymour, have you finished searching the servants? That should be the first priority, shouldn't it?"

Mrs. Seymour's face contorted, but she quickly composed herself and calmly replied.

"...There was no need to cause a commotion. We have a witness, after all."

"Perhaps the witness is the culprit. Let's search the people gathered here. They all work in the knights' quarters, except for Charlotte."

One maid and two maidservants nodded in agreement, looking bewildered. They had never seen me act this way before.

I glanced around. Serena, pale and trembling, and a maid who had been standing expressionless caught my attention.

The maid seemed calm at first, but upon closer inspection, she was picking at the skin around her fingernails, causing it to bleed. I approached her and asked abruptly.

"Why are you doing that to your hands?"

"…!"

The maid visibly flinched, clearly not expecting such a question. She looked at me with wide eyes, quickly hiding her hands and stammering.

"T, this is... a habit... I have..."

"Shouldn't you have corrected such a bad habit before becoming a maid?"

At that moment, Mrs. Seymour intervened again.

"Lily, isn't the maid's habit irrelevant right now?"

I nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Mrs. Seymour. Let's search these people quickly."

"Is it really necessary to search them? I'm more curious about why Charlotte Brandon entered the Knight Commander's room."

"Actually, it was on my orders, Mrs. Seymour."

I smiled, and Mrs. Seymour's eyebrows twitched. I continued, still smiling.

"Is it not strange that Charlotte, following my orders, would steal the Knight Commander's gold ornament? She went there on the orders of a duchess. Do you think I would order her to steal it? Or that she would suddenly covet it and put it in her pocket? She didn't enter the room secretly; I knew she was going there."

"..."

Anger filled Mrs. Seymour's eyes. I took the opportunity to address the three maidservants and two maids.

"Come forward one by one for the search. Or you can confess before the search and avoid punishment."

No one confessed. The search began. Charlotte conducted the search. Under Mrs. Seymour's furious gaze, Charlotte paused while removing Serena's sock.

"Um, this..."

Serena stood frozen, lifting her left foot. Her face was pale. The gold ornament was found inside her sock.

The awkward gait was due to the hidden ornament.

Serena collapsed to the floor, trembling. I had expected this, but she was indeed weak-willed. I asked, pretending to be surprised.

"Serena, did you steal it?"

"N, no..."

Tears welled up in Serena's eyes as she trembled and tried to speak. Just then, the maid with the bad habit stepped forward and shouted.

"You! You stole it and tried to frame someone else? You also stole the silver earrings Lucy lost last time, didn't you? Your siblings must be so proud of you living like this!"

It seemed she had lost her composure. A person who loses their composure is unaware of it.

The maid's hand was trembling as she pointed at Serena. I gently grabbed her hand. She flinched and looked at me.

"Stop it, Ayla. It's all in vain. Unfortunately, the money from selling the Knight Commander's gold ornament... no, no matter what you steal in the future, you won't be able to pay off your lover's debt."

"W, what...?"

The maid's name was Ayla. I knew not only Ayla's secrets but also those of all the servants in the mansion.