Chapter 25

Again, a minor character role with few appearances.

It's a bit short.

After receiving criticism,

I reviewed it myself and thought it wasn't good,

so I removed the last part,

and posted the revised and corrected version as the next chapter.

On the day I posted it, I was tired from various things in real life.

**Baroness Side: Third-Person Perspective**

In the study of the manor, while looking at the screen, the Baroness Griant raised her voice.

"Hey! What are those people doing?!"

"They are firing on our allied forces," replied a subordinate.

"What are they doing on their own?!"

This was because part of the allies had defected and were now fighting each other.

Seeing the war, which she had thought would be a sure victory, slowly and surely turning into a defeat, the Baroness Griant showed signs of anxiety and anger.

"Fine. Kill the families of the people we've taken hostage. Use the most cruel method that will make them scream the loudest."

The Baroness Griant, directing her anger at the hostages, issued an order to torment those who had disobeyed her.

"Understood. However..."

At that moment, a maid standing behind her, while obeying the Baroness's order, tried to give her opinion.

"What is it?!"

"If we lose this battle, won't your position be in danger anyway?"

"Indeed, that's true..."

Unusually, the Baroness listened to the maid's opinion and took out a general-purpose terminal from her desk.

"Then, if I blow them all up with this, we win, right?"

The moment the maid saw the general-purpose terminal, her expression froze.

"Are you really going to use that?"

"Of course! I'll activate the planet-destroying weapon 'Flare' that I had installed on the flagship, which can be triggered remotely, to eliminate both enemies and allies in the chaos. Mercenaries and private soldiers are expendable. Besides, it's perfect to get rid of Count Rosello as well. Come, my lady, watch the beautiful fireworks."

With a thin smile, the Baroness tapped the screen of the general-purpose terminal.

However, the explosion didn't happen immediately; it was set to detonate after about three minutes.

But even after five minutes, there was no explosion.

"What's going on?! Why isn't it exploding?!"

In her anger, the Baroness threw the terminal to the floor.

At that moment, the maid, who had been standing quietly, suddenly spoke.

"It's useless. It won't explode."

"What do you mean?"

The Baroness, showing her surprise and frustration, asked the maid.

The maid answered her question with extreme calm.

"Such a bomb never existed. What I showed you was just a decorative object that looked like it."

Hearing this, the Baroness, realizing the maid was her enemy, pressed the communication button and said,

"Come to my room. I'll have you turn that stupid woman who disobeyed me into the most miserable and worst form a woman can be."

She cut the communication and moved away from the maid.

Immediately, strong men in black suits stormed into the study.

"Here they are. Capture that woman."

Feeling relieved with the men's arrival, the Baroness was about to elegantly drink wine when she was suddenly restrained by the men.

The Baroness glared at them in disbelief.

"What are you doing?! It's not me, it's that maid!"

But the men did not release her.

"Do you think you can do this to me?! I have over a hundred of my personal guards here! You can't escape!"

The Baroness suggested that her personal guards would come to her aid at any moment, but the man replied,

"Of your so-called personal guards, one in ten were killed, and the rest fled. It's a natural choice. No one would risk their life to save someone like you!"

Hearing this shocking truth, the Baroness trembled and shouted,

"I am a noble! Many nobles are captivated by my beauty! I will eventually reign as empress! How dare you do this to me! You'll regret it!"

The maid approached the Baroness and said,

"What makes you an empress? You're just a senile old woman trying to look young."

She looked down at the Baroness with a look of disgust.

"Elisaria Griant. Or rather, Gina Karlstaff, who staged an accident to kill a man's wife, became his second wife, and then killed her husband and daughter to take all their assets. The incident happened 20 years ago. At that time, Gina Karlstaff was in her early 30s. Considering that, she must be over 50 now."

"I don't know any such woman!"

The Baroness, with a frightened expression, denied the maid's words.

But the maid continued.

"The ones killed were her husband, Zack Bordal, and wife, Serica Bordal. But their daughter, Linda Bordal, survived."

"Lies! I made sure to kill her back then..."

The Baroness, surprised, blurted out but quickly shut her mouth.

"Indeed, my father and I were pushed off a cliff by you. But my father used himself as a cushion to protect me from the impact of the water. That's why I survived."

"Lies! I saw the child's body back then!"

"It was just a coincidence that another child's body drifted there. That's why I'm here now. When I started working in this manor, I was afraid I would be found out, but I wasn't. It was just a trivial matter to you, wasn't it?"

After finishing her story, the maid grabbed the Baroness's hair and said with a full smile,

"Don't worry. I'll kill you in the most cruel way that will make you scream the loudest♪"

At that smile, Elisaria Griant, the Baroness, who was actually Gina Karlstaff, felt genuine terror.

**Baroness Side: End**

A beautiful smile can be terrifying in certain situations.

Thank you for your comments, feedback, and any typo reports.