MLIIWTFL Chapter 179

“And what do you mean by that?”

“If this concert succeeds, Lady Eskis stands to gain a lot, while Lady Sharon gains very little. The same applies to the losses if it fails.”

“So you’re saying she’d ruin the concert? On purpose? For what reason?”

The bearded knight lowered his voice slightly, gazing at Letticia with a subtle glint in his eye.

“Normally, the second-in-command feels jealousy or inferiority toward the top. But when the top feels their position is threatened by the second, it’s a whole different story. That anxiety and unease, the fear of being pushed aside, can eat away at a person. And sometimes, they resort to undermining the other party themselves.”

Letticia let out a small scoff. Even the trashy romance novels she occasionally read for fun were more entertaining than this.

“Then tell me—how exactly is Lady Eskis supposed to beat me and become number one?”

“There aren’t fixed rankings in high society through tests or anything. But if the general perception among people is that Lady Eskis is superior to Lady Sharon, that’s enough.”

“You’re making it sound far too simple. If you think about it, even an audience presentation is just as hard as a civil servant exam.”

Once you pass the first document screening, the second round is a combination of interviews and practical tests—requiring a flawless performance before the Empress and a sea of nobles all watching with sharp eyes, eager to find fault.

And Letticia had been the top scorer in that brutal exam.

“I started out as the top since the Diamond Selection, and my position hasn’t wavered in the final tally of the visiting season either. Did you research how many of the 27 visitors I received are considered the most promising grooms in high society?”

“…Even so, I still think that if this concert had gone well, Lady Eskis might’ve had a chance at overturning things.”

“Ha! You really don’t know how high society works.”

Letticia deliberately let out an even louder laugh.

“Even if Lady Eskis earned a favorable image from this concert, it’s far too late to change the rankings. The visiting season is already over—what is she going to use to prove she’s better now?”

Debutantes must compete to showcase superiority only up until the visiting season.

After that, the focus shifts to choosing a suitor among the men who visited them and developing that relationship to receive a proposal.

So even if Seraphina now gains an image as a ‘kind and benevolent woman,’ it won’t yield any tangible benefits until the next season.

“And in high society, what matters most is marriage. Whether someone gains the image of a kind young lady or is considered the most promising bride, the ultimate goal is a successful marriage. No matter how much someone is called number one—if she can’t get married, she’s a loser. On the other hand, even if you’re called number two, if you marry well, you’re practically the winner.”

“……”

“And in that area, I don’t think I’m falling behind Lady Eskis at all.”

While Letticia smiled lightly, the bearded knight’s expression hardened.

He seemed to realize that attacking Letticia with this line of reasoning was getting nowhere.

“…Then let’s move on to the next question. I’ve heard there were many conflicts during the concert preparations due to disagreements between Lady Sharon and others. Is that true?”

“It’s true that I had differing opinions with Lady Wallace, Lady Norton, and Lady Mortimer. Especially Lady Norton—since she once hosted a ball on the same day as my family, she tended to pick fights with me frequently.”

“So you didn’t have good feelings toward those three ladies?”

Letticia didn’t even find it worth frowning at. The bait was so obvious it was almost laughable.

“First, you ask if I was trying to sabotage Lady Eskis, and now you ask if I disliked the three old noble ladies. Are these the kinds of questions you’re supposed to ask a witness?”

“Just answer the question. Did you have ill feelings toward them or not?”

“Well, if I said I disliked them, you’d just use that against me, wouldn’t you? So I’m too worried to answer.”

As Letticia turned her head, as if brushing off the question, the bearded knight suddenly raised his voice in a more intimidating tone.

“Lady Sharon, this is not a ballroom where everyone fawns over your every word with praise. We are knights empowered by His Majesty to investigate nobles and act under the command of His Highness the Crown Prince. Do you not understand what that means?”

“Then is it also His Highness the Crown Prince’s wish to treat me like a criminal?”

Letticia turned her gaze back to him, eyes now sharp.

“Go ahead and answer me. Was it also by royal command that you made the other carriages wait and insisted I ride in your order’s carriage instead of my own? That you tried to drag me off by force under the excuse of obstructing official duties? Wasn’t all that just to make me look like a suspect rather than a witness?”

“Watch your words, Lady.”

“That’s strange though, considering His Highness supposedly ordered this. Didn’t Sir Averil get angry and ask what the hell you were doing? Did he pretend to be upset for show? Or did you defy both His Highness and your superior to act on your own?”

“I’m the one asking questions here, not you.”

“And I’m a witness, not a suspect. If you’re confused about that, then I have no reason to keep answering.”

Letticia remained unafraid and remarkably composed. The bearded knight realized that his attempts to intimidate her were getting him nowhere.

‘This isn’t going to be easy. I underestimated her too much.’

When noble ladies who’ve only ever lived in sheltered worlds—within their families, academies, or the social elite—are thrown into situations like this, they usually react in one of two ways.

If they’re arrogant and spoiled by noble privilege, they explode in outrage at being treated like a suspect.

Those less capable would be paralyzed with fear at being suspected, desperate to escape the situation.

But Letticia was neither.

She grew angry at the unfair treatment, but never once said, ‘How dare you do this to me?’

When pressed, she didn’t flinch or reveal any openings—she responded with logic and facts.

When they tried to pressure her using the authority of ‘His Highness the Crown Prince,’ which usually worked like a charm on nobles, she even turned that back on them, asking if the Crown Prince had truly ordered such treatment.

If she were someone who could only plead that she’d never do such a thing, they might have coaxed something out of her.

But someone like this would never submit unless confronted with indisputable evidence.

And at this point, that was impossible.

“…Then let me change the question. I heard the duet with Lady Eskis was originally scheduled last. Why was it moved earlier?”

“It’s common to rearrange the order during planning. Everyone agreed that starting and ending with the ‘Diamond’ would be better—it’s like a literary device, a circular structure.”

“Then who prepared the tea in the waiting room?”

“Lady Mortimer probably chose the tea leaves, and the tea was brewed by a maid from the Wallace family.”

“But you’re known to have extensive knowledge about tea as well, Lady Sharon. Did you have no part in the preparation?”

Letticia’s expression shifted subtly—she seemed to have realized something, as if a lingering suspicion had just been confirmed.

“So it was in the tea after all.”

The knight silently cursed.

It would be a major problem if the method of the crime was exposed this early—Letticia had caught on too quickly.

“I was in charge of desserts. All the desserts at the concert were ordered from Faymont, and even if others wanted the same ones, they couldn’t secure the quantity I did.”

“Then who delivered the desserts?”

“Employees from the Wallace estate. My maid did go and check, though. But what’s the point of these questions? You said the poison was in the tea.”

“That’s none of your concern, Lady.”

He said that, but he was clearly flustered. Instead of cornering her, he had just opened a hole for her to slip through.

He needed to recover control of the conversation with the next question.

Just as he was thinking that, the door to the interrogation room opened—and in walked the one person he least wanted to see.

“How’s the questioning of Lady Sharon going?”

“Deputy Commander—”

Before the bearded knight could even greet him, Letticia spoke first.

“Thank you for earlier, Sir Averil. Because of you, I was able to ride in my own carriage.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing. It was our mistake that caused you unnecessary discomfort.”

Letticia shivered slightly at his unexpectedly normal and respectful tone—but didn’t show it, replying instead with a polite smile.

“Well, such things happen. But, just wondering—how long does questioning usually take? I feel like I’ve been here quite a while. Is it normal to keep a witness this long?”

“Once the questions are finished, you’ll be free to go. Sir Kurt, how far have we gotten?”

At that, the bearded knight hesitated. Rather than waiting for an answer, Achilles, the Deputy Commander, snatched the report from in front of him.

“…What is this? Where are all the questions I instructed you to ask? Why are you asking all this irrelevant nonsense?”