Janet and Ludwig met once more right after the trial ended to negotiate visitation rights.
“I can’t send Lowell all the way to Hammond. It’s not a distance that can be traveled over the weekend.”
“Don’t worry. I plan to stay in the Empire for the time being.”
“Please write a statement agreeing that you won’t exercise visitation rights while you’re in the Kingdom of Hamond.”
“Do you distrust me that much?”
Instead of answering, Jeanette glared at him.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll write it up. It’s perfect timing since the lawyer is here too.”
With Natasha, who was standing next to Janet, as a witness, the agreement was quickly drawn up.
“Let’s even get it notarized.”
“…”
“You don’t trust me, do you? I’m trying to earn your trust, but you’re glaring too much.”
“…Fine. Let’s notarize it.”
Not wanting to back down, Jeanette also urged Natasha.
“Natasha, you can be the witness, right? Right now!”
Caught between two hostile parents, Natasha simply smirked at the situation.
***
Thud!
With Natasha’s stamp as the witness, the perfect agreement was completed. Since it was also notarized by the lawyer, it was a contract no one could nullify.
Ludwig, who had followed them all the way to Natasha’s office, claiming he needed a personal copy, was offered a cup of coffee by Ivan.
“…Quite the warm welcome.”
“I didn’t make it.”
Natasha, fearing any misunderstandings, pointed to Ivan as she replied. Ivan just looked unfazed, as if asking, “What did I do?”
Scribble.
As she handed over another copy across the table, Ludwig smiled in satisfaction.
The cold, arrogant atmosphere melted away.
Unable to hold back anymore, Natasha finally blurted out.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“From the beginning, your target wasn’t Lowell, it was Jeanette, right?”
Ludwig’s smile faded as he leaned back in his chair. His arrogant demeanor was so pronounced it reminded Natasha of Claude Richard.
“You’re sharp.”
“Let’s just say you’re predictable, Duke.”
“It’s strange, isn’t it? The Empire, even if not as strict as the Kingdom, is still a society bound by class. Could there be a law I don’t know about?”
Natasha’s comment was insolent enough to warrant a charge of noble defamation.
He wasn’t a noble familiar with Natasha like Petrov. There was no way he’d stay quiet after a commoner insulted him like that.
“I’m just a commoner.”
“What gives you the nerve to be so bold?”
“I trust the law.”
Natasha’s confidence stemmed from her belief that, whatever she did within the law, she could handle the consequences.
“Do you have a recording device? Or another witness to testify on your behalf?”
Ludwig’s gaze shifted to Ivan standing behind them. Aside from Ludwig and Natasha, Ivan was the only other person in the office.
“Haha.”
Ivan’s silent chuckle seemed to answer Ludwig’s question, prompting him to look away.
“Indeed, no evidence?”
If Ludwig were to charge Natasha with noble defamation, it would be a tough battle. No witnesses, no evidence. The burden of proof would fall on the accuser.
“It’s both the strength and weakness of a law-based country. If there’s no evidence, in court, it’s as if nothing happened.”
Ludwig seemed to understand, nodding in agreement. Then, his hand casually moved to the hilt of the sword at his waist.
“That means, if I did something to you here, no one would know.”
“You’re saying you’d kill me and get rid of the witness too?”
“If necessary.”
“You don’t seem like the kind of person who lives just for today.”
Of course, Natasha wasn’t eager to die either, but at least she didn’t have a weakness for Ludwig to exploit.
“Jeanette. You crossed borders and endured all this humiliation because you want Jeanette.”
“…I hate sharp-witted people.”
Even as he spoke, Ludwig casually released his grip on the sword hilt.
“I heard it was a one-night mistake. But for a mistake, you’re quite persistent.”
“Did Jeanette say it was a one-night mistake?”
Natasha nodded in affirmation.
“…At least for me, it wasn’t a mistake.”
“What?”
Doesn’t that make him even more of a scumbag? He’s engaged to Jeanette’s sister, and it wasn’t even a mistake that he slept with Jeanette?
Of course, even if it had been a mistake, cheating wouldn’t be forgivable, but this was worse.
Ludwig, indifferent to Natasha’s shocked expression, frowned as if recalling something unpleasant.
“I’ve finally found her. I can’t let her go again.”
“Jeanette was never yours to begin with…”
“Are you going to keep talking back?”
“No, of course not. The nobility sure is liberal these days.”
I felt it during the Lydia case as well—kids these days are incredibly sharp!
Just as Natasha briefly felt the generational gap in the way society was moving, Ludwig continued speaking.
“It was a switch from the very beginning.”
“?”
“Charlotte Verven and Jeanette Verven were swapped.”
“What do you mean…?”
Seeing Natasha’s confusion, Ludwig maintained silence for a moment before abruptly standing up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m done here. The contract’s notarized, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
“No, you can’t just leave without finishing what you were saying. There are two things Imperial citizens hate the most: one is stopping mid-conversation, and the second is—”
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind him.
Watching his retreating figure in frustration, Ivan burst out laughing.
“Oh, my stomach! I never thought I’d see the day Natasha gets stonewalled!”
Ivan laughed so hard that Natasha stomped on his foot as she walked past him.
“Ouch!”
“Pack your things.”
“Why? Where are you rushing off to? You have work tomorrow.”
“I have somewhere to be.”
“Where are you planning to go this time…?”
Despite Ivan’s worried look, Natasha’s resolve was firm.
“I need to find out what happened at Verben.”
She had a bad feeling—a very annoying yet accurate premonition that this trial was just the beginning of something bigger.
***
Draped in a black robe, Natasha moved swiftly and confidently. Ivan, following behind, blocked her path.
“You’re going to Vasily again?”
“He’s the expert in things like this.”
“Are you ignoring the fact that Vasily’s condition has been getting worse lately? He’s still holding on to his sanity, but if something goes wrong…”
Without even pretending to listen, Natasha walked past Ivan. In the end, he grabbed her wrist tightly.
“Let go.”
“I can’t.”
“Oh? You’re daring to defy me now?”
“You still think you’re my older sister?”
Ivan, now much taller than Natasha, stepped closer, towering over her. But Natasha looked up at him with calm, clear eyes, completely unthreatened.
“What does it matter what happened at Verben? The trial is over.”
“Didn’t you hear? Charlotte Verben and Jeanette Verben were swapped.”
“What difference does that make?”
Natasha continued in a condescending tone.
“People aren’t objects. How could they have been ‘swapped’ unless they looked exactly the same?”
“…Twins?”
“Exactly. They could be twins.”
“But twins…”
Ivan, his expression growing serious, covered his mouth. In a country where the Varda religion was the state religion, there was a long-standing stigma attached to twins.
“They’re considered ‘impure’ by scripture. While twins have started being tolerated in the Illyhad Empire, other countries still don’t accept them.”
“…”
“And there’s only one way to cleanse the impurity of twins.”
Natasha whispered softly.
“One of them has to die.”
Why did Jeanette Verben have to flee all the way here from the Kingdom of Hammond?
—Then something happened at the Verben Marquess’s house… and I had to run away.
—But I have no intention of going back to the Kingdom of Hamond.
What forced her to abandon her comfortable position as a noble lady and escape?
“…And if Charlotte Verben is still alive, and this information reaches their ears…”
“They might still be targeting Jeanette,” Ivan said, to which Natasha nodded.
“Only Vasily would know something like this. I need to confirm it, and if my suspicions are right, we might need to warn Jeanette to escape quickly.”
Did Ludwig know all of this when he filed the lawsuit? Did he know she was in danger?
It was hard to tell. Perhaps he had no idea what had happened at Verben.
“Why didn’t they kill one of them when they were young?”
“They must have had a reason. If they were planning to kill, they would have done it as soon as they were born.”
Even in the Empire, infanticide was common until the 540s of the Imperial calendar. It wasn’t until infanticide was banned by law that society’s attitude toward twins began to soften.
“Now that you know, stay quiet and follow me.”
“…Alright. You could’ve just explained it earlier.”
Ivan grumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed for putting on a show and blocking Natasha.
“And so what if Vasily goes berserk?”
Natasha turned back to him with a sly smile.
“You’ll protect me, won’t you?”
Clap, clap, clap!
Suddenly, applause echoed from the alley above them. Both Natasha and Ivan snapped their heads up.
Whoever had been hiding had done so flawlessly, to the point that even they hadn’t noticed.
“Wow, what a touching display of friendship. Truly~.”
A figure gracefully jumped down from the wall, landing silently before them despite being a grown man.
Under the moonlight, the man, wearing a plague doctor’s mask, gave off an ominous aura.
The black, bird-like beak mask made of leather seemed to devour the man’s face.
“Vasily.”
Natasha called his name.
“What’s with that annoying mask? Weren’t you wearing a clown mask last time? Did you change it?”
“Don’t you think this one’s cooler?”
“Did a dark dragon awaken in your right hand too?”
Despite Natasha’s sarcastic remark, Vasily tilted his head, unfazed.
“Where did you come from this time? We’re pretty far from your hideout.”
“Well, it’s because you keep saying my name so freely. I kept getting reports, so how could I not know?”
Flap!
A crow perched on a nearby tree swooped down and landed on Vasily’s arm.
Caw! Caw!
“Aww, so cute!”
Despite the eerie cries, Vasily treated the bird like an adorable pet.
“My little sweethearts are everywhere and nowhere at the same time.”
“Ah, I see.”
With nothing more to say to the crow enthusiast, Natasha quickly agreed.
“So, what’s the reason you came to find me?”
“I need information, Vasily.”
“That’s my specialty.”
Vasily chuckled behind his mask.
He was the leader of the underground organization “Delete,” which dealt in information across the entire continent.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
