Allice’s POV
“I didn’t speak out because I didn’t have any solid evidence, Viego.”
“There must have been some reason for your suspicion.” Viego calmly countered. “Huan Rolland was a talent directly involved in the moonlight flower business by you, the deputy head. And now he’s being accused of causing the crash of the moonlight flowers.”
“It’s not certain. It’s just what I thought.”
“Why have you kept silent about this thought until now?”
What should I do?!
Outside the door, I, unable to bear it, turned away. I didn’t want to hear Dad being cornered any longer.
I ran into the garden, sobbing. “What should I do… what should I do…”
Dad was in trouble. This wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to punish the wrongdoer, that’s all. My intentions were truly pure!
In distress, I prayed. Oh God, why are you testing me like this?
Please, just listen to my plea once.
Huan Rolland. Take him…
Call him to your side.
Turn him into your angel so he never wakes up.
So that no one knows I brought him into the mansion.
Please. Please. Please!
Unfortunately, God did not heed Allice’s prayers. The next morning at dawn, Huan Rolland defiantly opened his eyes.
* * *
Huan’s POV
“What?”
Amidst the searing pain in my arm, I grimaced.
What did I just hear?
“What did you say, Your Grace?”
“There’s a report that you’re the mastermind behind the moonlight flower crash,” Viego said, looking dispassionately down at me, who was restrained in bed. “Is that true?”
I was stunned.
As if things weren’t bad enough!
Who’s framing me!
I coughed and yelled. “No! I didn’t do anything like that!”
“But you tried to feed Danae Windsor a love potion.”
I flinched. How did he know?
“And even tried to kill her.”
“I-I didn’t try to kill her. I just…”
“Ya even proposed an elope.”
“…”
Informal? Did he just talk informally right now? No, he’s just asking, right?
Sweating, I forced a smile. I needed to impress the man holding my life in his hands right now.
“It’s true I loved Danae. But, Your Grace, am I the only man like that? There are many who suffer in silence behind the crown prince, aren’t there?”
“So ya threatened her with a gun?”
“…”
He’s talking informally.
There was no doubt about it now. I realized Viego wouldn’t show me any mercy.
“Ah, come on, I didn’t mean it!”
Then why bother being servile any longer? Especially when this guy had shot two bullets into my arm in the same spot!
“I may not know about other things, but I didn’t cause the moonlight flower crash! Where did you hear such nonsense!”
“Allice said so.”
“…”
Why is he speaking formally now? I was confused by the duke’s unpredictable manner. But more importantly.
“Allice, that girl said that?”
“Yes.”
“Ha!”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, finding it absurd.
“Ahahaha!”
That girl is trying to pin the blame on me! Now that I’ve fallen into this state, she’s trying to saddle me with all the blame!
You think I’ll let you get away with that, Allice!
“Don’t believe that girl. Allice, she’s more cunning than you think.”
I saw the duke was listening to him. Staring straight at him, I shouted. “She’s the one who sneaked me into the house!”
My sound echoed through the room.
“And that’s not all. She even secretly sold moonlight flowers to her close friends!”
It’s echoing beyond the room, through the corridors, out into the garden.
“What is that if not black-market trading!” My outcry reverberated through the Windsor mansion.
* * *
Dana’s POV
“If that’s true, we can’t just let it go.”
In the vassal meeting held that day, the vassals were shocked.
“How can someone in charge of the business engage in black-market trading?”
“Moonlight flowers should only be traded through the official Windsor trading post. How could you do this!”
Then Eric, the practical manager of the moonlight flower business, spoke up. “It’s true. Lady Allice once asked me if she could sell them personally to her friends.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. I clearly told her it was not allowed, but… it seems she sold them privately.”
His testimony caused an uproar among the vassals.
“Where is Lady Allice?”
“Why isn’t she attending this meeting?”
The blame was poured on her father, Carl Windsor, the deputy head. It was inevitable. Carl coughed twice and cautiously replied.
“Allice couldn’t attend because of a severe headache.”
Carl felt embarrassed as he spoke. Who would believe that? It was obvious she was avoiding responsibility.
Deep down, Carl was disappointed in his daughter. No matter how scared she is of criticism, how could she completely skip the meeting?
“And I asked Allice… she said she didn’t do such a thing.”
But she was his daughter after all. Carl wanted to cover up for Allice, whether it was true or not.
“Allice did not sell moonlight flowers personally to her friends.” He spoke more firmly than ever. “You believe Huan Rolland, that man? He’s just attacking me maliciously because he bears a grudge against me.”
“But!”
“Allice didn’t do it. Don’t say such things without evidence.” Carl gently tapped the desk with his palm. “You all must take responsibility for the words you utter.”
The meeting room fell silent. The vassals, who were pouring out their grievances, shut their mouths. They all knew. Carl Windsor’s hand, now so neatly placed, and its history. They had witnessed his military days. So Carl’s words carried authority, no matter how absurd.
It was then.
“May I speak?”
A sweet voice came from the corner of the table. Everyone turned toward the sound.
I raised my hand cautiously. “I’ve attended this meeting as a direct family member today. If you allow me, I’d like to share my opinion.”
Viego nodded slightly, giving me permission to speak.
“Everyone, what’s important now is the crash of the moonlight flowers.” I stood and began my speech. “If this continues, Windsor’s credibility will fall irretrievably.”
As if regretting it, I sighed lightly. “There are various reasons behind the moonlight flowers fetching such high prices, but trust in the Windsor family underpins it.”
“It doesn’t mean Windsor should take responsibility for the buyer’s choice.”
Agreeing with one of the vassal’s remarks, I continued. “Of course. You’re right.”
But right now, that was also a useless point for me.
“We should compensate those who bought in the last month when prices skyrocketed.”
At my suggestion, Eric asked. “What form of compensation do you mean?”
“Monetary, of course.”
Immediate intense reactions followed.
“That would result in huge losses for Windsor.”
“Not one or two, but many bought at the auction. How can we compensate all?”
“Lady, you may not understand, but the world isn’t so easy!”
Of course, I somewhat agreed with them.
“But a monetary loss is better than losing credibility.”
What I needed right now was this dialogue.
“It takes a long time to build credibility, but losing it only takes a moment. Especially rebuilding once broken takes enormous time and effort.”
I looked at Viego. “This incident will go down in history.”
Indeed, it would. This was the world’s first bubble burst, a prime example of market collapse for future economics students. Windsor would be mentioned every time.
Viego could easily foresee that. The question is, would he just let it happen?
“Depending on how we handle this, Windsor’s reputation will change. Think of the distant future, not just the immediate loss.”
“It sounds good, but we need to be realistic.” Eric subtly objected. “It’s easy for Lady Danae to say since it’s not your money. The compensation amount will be astronomical.”
That’s what I was waiting for.
I spread my hands and then smiled. “Then let me bear the cost.”
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“Then let me bear the cost. ”
Yooo, mommy?