ITIF Chapter 67

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Naturally, the judges’ conversation ceased.

Soon after, Marquis Howard walked into the conference room. Following him, several of the Empire’s most prominent nobles entered the conference room.

Marquis Howard approached the circular table where the judges were seated and spoke.

“The recess seems to be dragging on, so I had no choice but to attend the meeting to quickly assess the situation.”

As the judges were looking at the nobles who had suddenly barged into the conference room—

Duke Cardia entered last.

“There must be no corruption in such an important matter.”

A heavy bass tone descended. From Duke Cardia, who they faced up close, emanated a unique aura that one dared not approach.

“…….”

The judges exchanged glances with each other and gulped.

****

The trial resumed.

Giselle Grante could sense that the judges’ atmosphere was quite different from before the recess.

And she was soon able to confirm that her intuition was correct.

“As important new information requiring verification through further investigation has come in……”

The judge explained the reason for the recess and announced the end of the day’s trial.

Though jeers and criticism poured from the spectators, the judges calmly left the courtroom.

A faint smile appeared on Giselle Grante’s face.

“What happened?”

Rising from her seat, Lady Howard expressed her curiosity.

“Who knows.”

Giselle Grante also rose from her seat with a composed face, as if she knew nothing of the circumstances.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“You know something, don’t you?”

Lady Howard pressed her in a small voice.

“Me?”

Giselle Grante tilted her head with an innocent expression.

“Don’t be like that, just be honest with me.”

“I was with you the entire trial, what would I know?”

As Giselle Grante shrugged and walked away, Lady Howard followed closely behind and urged her on.

“I saw you keep glancing at the entrance earlier.”

Her voice was lowered even more so that only Giselle Grante could hear, given the many watching eyes around them.

‘She’s quick-witted.’

Giselle Grante decided she would need to be even more careful with her actions in front of Lady Howard going forward, and strode away.

Until Giselle Grante exited the courtroom and arrived at her carriage, Lady Howard continued to follow her.

Her piercing glare was quite fierce.

“That’s too much. I thought we were close friends…….”

Realizing that persuasion wouldn’t work on Giselle Grante, Lady Howard now began appealing to her emotions.

“…….”

It was when Giselle Grante, exhaling a low sigh, turned around to face Lady Howard.

Before she knew it, Kavelaseth had approached near Lady Howard. As their eyes met, Kavelaseth asked.

“I’d like to have a word. Can you spare some time?”

Only then noticing that Kavelaseth was behind her, Lady Howard turned around hastily with startled rabbit eyes.

After quickly greeting Duke Cardia, Lady Howard winked at Giselle Grante.

Then she walked toward the Howard family’s carriage visible in the distance. Watching this, Kavelaseth soon turned his head toward Giselle Grante.

****

Giselle Grante and Kavelaseth walked along the promenade near the courtroom, continuing their conversation.

“You seemed quite close with Lady Howard?”

“It just turned out that way……. More importantly, you said you had something to tell me?”

Kavelaseth nodded lightly and said.

“First, I must thank you. Thanks to you, my lady, I gained some small pleasure.”

“……If you gained some small pleasure thanks to me, that’s good, but what pleasure did I give you today, Your Grace?”

To her question, Kavelaseth answered without missing a beat.

“To the esteemed presiding judge, for the purpose of public interest, I have decided to convey the facts I know…….”

The letter content that followed was something she knew well. After all, it was a letter she herself had written. Though of course she’d had it transcribed to avoid leaving her handwriting.

‘To think he’d already noticed.’

Giselle Grante, turning her head slightly away from Kavelaseth, bit her lip.

“It appears the source of the information was Lady Zimmer.”

A faint crack appeared in Giselle Grante’s brow. But not stopping there, Kavelaseth spoke.

“Olla, was it? The name of the maid you placed by Lady Zimmer’s side.”

When Kavelaseth even mentioned Olla, Lindsey’s younger sister, Giselle Grante realized she could no longer hide it.

“It seems you’ve been monitoring me.”

As if he had no intention of hiding it, Kavelaseth nodded right away.

‘Just how much does he know?’

As she was thinking this, Kavelaseth added.

“You must be curious how much I know.”

His smirking expression couldn’t have been more infuriating.

“If there’s something you want from me, please tell me.”

At her bold words, Kavelaseth’s eyes widened slightly.

“……?”

But soon he chuckled and added.

“Do you even know what I want?”

She couldn’t immediately answer that question. Kavelaseth’s goal was the imperial throne.

It was also something that Giselle Grante at this point in time could never have known, were it not for the special item called the diary that recorded the future.

Giselle Grante picked up her pace a bit and changed the subject.

“Then let me ask you one thing too.”

“By all means.”

Recalling that when the recess was announced and the judges left the courtroom, Kavelaseth had also left his seat, Giselle Grante spoke.

“Was it you, Your Grace, who persuaded the judges?”

“Then that would mean I cooperated with your work, my lady.”

Kavelaseth’s eyes narrowed and soon curved in an arc.

After staring blankly for a moment at the smile on his face, Giselle Grante quickly spoke.

“May I now hear what you wanted to tell me?”

“I’ve shown off, so that’s the end of my business.”

Giselle Grante’s lips parted slightly.

‘Really, that’s all you wanted?’

Though she thought this for a moment, she decided this was better. It would be more troublesome if he asked why she was digging so deeply into this matter.

As Giselle Grante was about to return to her carriage, she recalled what Mikhail had told her some time ago.

“Happy birthday in advance.”

At her sudden words, Kavelaseth’s brow narrowed slightly.

“…….”

His expression, as if he’d been ambushed, was quite a sight to see.

“The Founding Day isn’t here yet, but I don’t think I’ll be able to see you again before then.”

****

It was a few days before the trial.

Olla, who had gone out to the commercial district to buy groceries and was returning to the villa, spotted her true master, Lady Amaterasu, and realized the trial was imminent.

As expected, after Lady Amaterasu, who had visited the Zimmer estate’s villa, left, Lady Zimmer grumbled with a gloomy face.

Thinking this was the moment, Olla offered Lady Zimmer some sweet liquor. She said that once the tipsy feeling came, even a depressed mood would completely vanish.

Fortunately, Lady Zimmer didn’t refuse Olla’s suggestion.

And only after emptying a barrel of liquor that was by no means small did she begin to spill out the things she had kept pressed down in her heart.

Though her pronunciation wasn’t entirely clear due to intoxication, Olla could hear everything.

That day, Lady Zimmer herself had mixed the sleeping pills she’d received from the Empress’s confidant into the tea that Princess Trinity would drink. But she hadn’t known that Princess Trinity would die so futilely.

It was the moment when the truth serum she’d received from Lady Amaterasu took effect.

Having endured all of Lady Zimmer’s tantrums and foul temper for this moment, Olla was delighted and visited the Radcliffe Trading Company as soon as the sun rose.

And she delivered the product order list as written on the code sheet.

Thinking that she could finally escape this tiresome villa and return to the Amaterasu ducal residence where her sister Lindsey was, Olla hummed a tune as she walked toward the villa where Lady Zimmer was sleeping.