Episode 63. D-day 60(3)

“Don’t you know it’s the person who calls someone else a fool who is the real fool?”

Julius tried to answer as usual, but his voice was trembling terribly.

“What childish talk. That’s why you’re the fool.”

I nudged Julius’s side with my elbow and continued,

“So, tell me. What happened?”

“…”

Julius stood still for a moment, as if his words had failed him. Then, slowly, he began to speak.

“Sienna, I’m sorry for everything.”

The apology coming from his mouth was meant for Sienna Liata, not me.

“I misunderstood you because I only listened to Mother. She always said that you must be eliminated from this palace. But in reality, you were just a young girl.”

Just a young girl.

That statement made it even clearer that the person who should be hearing this apology was Sienna, not me. Feeling awkward and frustrated, I put my hands on my hips and responded,

“Hey, I’m not ten years old. I’m twenty.”

“But you’re still much younger than me. And you didn’t even have Mother.”

“People say that when you finally mature, it’s a sign you’re about to die.”

So stop it now.

That was what I meant, but unexpectedly, Julius nodded with a dark expression.

“That’s true.”

“Julius?”

I was shocked as I faced him. Tears suddenly started streaming down his brown eyes.

“Sienna, I’m having a hard time.”

“W-What?!”

I had never seen such a large man cry like a child before. Startled by the numerous eyes watching us, I grabbed Julius by the wrist.

“Hold on, come with me.”

I was worried that Julius might resist and start crying loudly, but fortunately, he followed me without complaint. I led him to a secluded spot and wiped his tears with my hands.

“Oh dear, how can you cry in front of so many people, you fool.”

Even as he cried his eyes out, Julius managed to retort,

“Because you keep calling me a fool.”

“If you’re really crying because of that, then you’re a hopeless fool. Understand?”

“I’d rather be a hopeless fool.”

Why was my brother acting like this all of a sudden?

‘He must be really struggling.’

I didn’t know what had happened in the palace, but it must have been tough. With an emperor as crazy as that, even if things seemed quiet, they wouldn’t be peaceful.

‘Fine, cry all you want. It’s because you trust me that you’re able to cry.’

It felt a bit good, almost like we were becoming a real family. While I comforted him like an older sister, Julius’s tears began to subside, and he sniffled.

“People must think I’m pathetic. They’ll tell Mother.”

“They’ll think I made you cry, so don’t worry. Let them talk.”

“That’s embarrassing too…”

“Hey!”

This was annoying even when I was trying to help. I crossed my arms and glared at Julius. He laughed, his nose turning red.

“What have I done to someone as kind as you?”

I was about to tell him that laughing after crying meant you’d grow hair on your butt, but I was afraid he’d start crying again if I said it. I sighed through my nose.

“Is this starting again? If you’re crying because you feel guilty, just stop it.”

“That’s not it.”

Julius pressed his eyes with his sleeves and sniffled. Then, he slowly began to speak.

Ironically, the topic he brought up was what Percy and I had discussed that morning.

“Sienna, have you heard about the dragon heart passed down in the imperial family?”

“Oh, the one that supposedly makes Percy unable to move?”

“So the duke told you about it too.”

Hearing that I knew about it made Julius’s mood plummet.

‘I thought it was just a founding myth. Was it wrong to speak about it carelessly?’

Percy, you idiot! If it was confidential, you should have told me!

It seemed like I was getting into trouble today because of Percy’s casual attitude. While I was silently cursing Percy, Julius whispered in a low voice.

“The truth is…”

The truth about what?

I was extremely curious about what he was about to say, but at that moment, I covered Julius’s mouth with my palm.

“Shh.”

I sensed someone approaching us.

I peeked through the bushes, wondering who was coming towards us. It was a beautiful woman with golden hair.

‘Beth?’

It was Beth, the female protagonist of [Victorian Love].

‘I was curious about what happened to Beth, and now she’s coming towards me?’

This was an opportunity. I watched Beth intently with sparkling eyes. It seemed she wasn’t alone; another person was following her. It was a maid from Count Bohan’s household. She looked so plain that if not for her white apron, I wouldn’t have known she was a maid.

Beth asked in a slightly cold voice,

“What is it? I need to stay by Count Bohan’s side.”

Was she talking about the deceased count or Daniel?

‘Is it just my twisted mind, or does she not seem kind at all?’

Even though the angelic protagonist wouldn’t speak so harshly, her words grated on my ears. As I shook my head to clear my prejudice, the maid replied,

“I saw everything.”

“Saw what?”

“I saw everything, you pushing the count down the stairs.”

‘What?’

My eyes widened in shock. Julius, whose mouth was still covered by my hand, also looked stunned, his brown eyes larger than usual.

‘Pushed him? So Beth killed Count Bohan?’

What on earth was going on? Is this how Count Bohan’s route ends in [Victorian Love]? Normally, the bad ending would involve the female protagonist’s death, not her becoming a murderer.

Beth blinked innocently and asked,

“Pushed him? That’s a frightening accusation.”

“You were pretending to be hurt on the stairs and then took the chance to push him when he came to help you! Don’t pretend you don’t know!”

“I’m not pretending. I’m just surprised by such a baseless accusation.”

“Baseless accusation? I saw it with my own eyes.”

As Beth answered nonchalantly, the maid’s face turned red like a volcano. She shouted at Beth,

“There were rumors that you were going to become the Count’s second wife, but now you’re clinging to Daniel. You killed the Count to get closer to him, didn’t you?!”

‘Are they really in a good relationship?’

If that was true, it made sense for the maid to be this angry. Anyone with a sense of justice would confront her like this.

‘But Beth is the protagonist. She didn’t show any signs of turning dark in the 15 minutes I played the game.’

It was clear this wasn’t following the usual route of a typical otome game.

While I listened intently to their conversation, a pitiful sob broke out.

No way.

“This is so unfair.”

Is she really crying?

‘Why are you crying now? If you’re innocent, you should be defending yourself.’

A beautiful woman crying like an angel naturally makes the accuser look like the villain. Beth didn’t hesitate to go further.

“I understand you’re upset because your employer suddenly changed. But it’s wrong to take it out on me.”

“Taking it out on you…”

“Of course, you might be suspicious. I was the first to find the Count’s body. But it’s too much to accuse me like this.”

As she continued, my arm began to tremble with a mix of disgust and shock at the collapse of the protagonist’s character.

‘She’s appealing to emotions from the start.’

Beth’s performance was so convincing that I was confused. After all, lies weren’t exclusive to Beth; the maid could be lying too.

‘It might really be a misunderstanding. Maybe the maid is trying to frame Beth.’

But if that were the case, calling her out here privately didn’t make sense. If she intended to frame Beth, she would need a public accusation.

‘Something is definitely fishy.’

Just then, the maid, who had been fuming, staggered slightly and started to speak in a strange, broken manner.

“I… I must have been mistaken. I’m sorry, Miss Beth.”

“It’s okay. It could happen to anyone.”

‘Is that really working?’

Beth’s continuous emotional appeals seemed to have convinced the maid. I blinked in disbelief.

‘Did she drug her or something? How can someone’s words change so suddenly and dramatically?’

The two not only reconciled but Beth even hugged the crying maid, comforting her. Watching this bizarre scene, I bit my lip hard.

‘Is this the protagonist’s buff? Now that I think about it, people always accepted whatever she said.’

But isn’t that an unfair narrative? If it’s really the protagonist’s buff, it means she can get away with anything, no matter how bad.

While I was pondering, Beth and the maid left the garden. I removed my hand from Julius’s mouth and asked him,

“It seems like there’s something suspicious about Count Bohan’s death. Don’t you think?”