No More Regrets, Just K*ll Me

 

“And then.”

Yermondi felt heat rising to her head. She saw Ariadeline’s hands, now stained red.

Everything had gone awry. Yermondi suppressed her anger and shouted.

“Seize that maid! Immediately!”

“Yes!”

The maids swiftly grabbed the arm of the maid who had brought the tea. The maid, pale as a ghost, fell to her knees on the floor.

“Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I, I…”

The maid was bewildered. According to the plan, the princess was supposed to drink the poison and collapse.

“Ariadeline, pull yourself together!”

The one bleeding now was Ariadeline, the sinner.

The maid was unable to find the words, trembling in silence. Yermondi glared at her fiercely.

It didn’t matter how things had come to this. If the maid claimed that Ariadeline had orchestrated this, the incident would end as her own scheme.

“I, I’ll treat her!”

Dorothea embraced Ariadeline and began to sing.

Hearing the screams and the song, the palace attendants started gathering in front of Princess Yermondi’s room.

“What on earth!”

“What’s happening?”

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

But soon, they discovered Ariadeline spitting blood. The poisoning of Ariadeline sparked alarm among the palace staff.

Dorothea raised her voice even higher to treat her.

Ariadeline began to slowly stabilize with Dorothea’s increasingly prolonged singing.

“The bleeding has stopped.”

Soon, the blood flowing from Ariadeline’s lips ceased, and her ragged breath began to regulate. Her breathing became more even.

Dorothea stopped singing and looked at Ariadeline’s condition.

“F-Fortunately, it seems like she’s been fully treated!”

Carlothian urgently leaned Ariadeline against himself and turned to glare at the kneeling maid.

“What on earth is going on?”

His voice was filled with anger, cutting through the air like a sharp knife.

“Who ordered this?”

At Yermondi’s voice, the maid looked up at her. Yermondi looked down at the maid with a cold expression, forcing her to speak.

Finally, the maid buried her head into the floor and replied.

“I-I was ordered by Miss Ariadeline!”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Carlothian let out a hollow laugh, and Dorothea’s eyes widen in shock.

A gasp arose among the attendants gathered outside the room.

“Could it be that this was all a scheme?”

“If that wicked woman is involved, it’s entirely possible.”

Enough. That’s enough. Yermondi clenched her fists but shouted as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You mean to say she ordered poison to be put in her own cup? Do you think that makes any sense?”

“Th-That…”

The maid stammered, like an actor unable to deliver her lines.

“S-she seemed concerned about the rumors between Her Highness and the Duke of Denaves. She was planning to frame her highness as someone who poisoned her…”

“That’s impossible. Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, it’s true. If I didn’t follow her orders, she threatened to curse my family with black magic…”

The maid, with her head still pressed to the floor, cried out.

“Please, have mercy! I only did as I was told!”

Dorothea and Carlothian glared at the maid with wide eyes.

At that moment, Ariadeline, who was in Carlothian’s arms, slowly opened her eyes.

So, what will you do? You have no way out.

“Is this really true, Ariadeline?”

Dorothea, gazing at the now-conscious Ariadeline, asked in a trembling voice, Carlothian remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Instead of answering Dorothea, Ariadeline posed a question of her own.

“If that’s true, what will happen to the maid?”

“…Since she dared to frame a member of the royal family, she will lose her life.”

As Carlothian responded, Ariadeline wobbled and stood up. She then sat down beside the maid as if collapsing.

Wrapping her arms around the kneeling maid, she continued speaking.

“Yes, I was the one who gave the orders.”

Yermondi paused for a moment, holding her breath.

“…What did you say?”

She asked back in a stiff voice, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

“I was the one who gave the orders. I commanded it. The maid has done nothing wrong.”

Everyone was left speechless. But Ariadeline continued to speak, as if determined to protect the maid, holding her tightly. Her chin was stained with still-fresh blood.

“Simply poisoning a sinner doesn’t make one guilty. I was the one who attempted to frame the princess. The maid is not at fault.”

The maid looked at Ariadeline with wide eyes, surprised.

“Then punish me. This child is innocent.”

Ariadeline soon bowed her head before the princess.

“It’s all my doing. So please, spare the maid. Your Highness, please show mercy.”

The maid was left speechless, watching Ariadeline kneeling and pleading for her.

She had framed her. Whatever the reason, she had been trapped.

But—

“Please don’t take the maid’s life. Please, please…”

‘Is she really the villainess?’

The villainess she knew wasn’t like this. She was a wicked and cunning individual, tormenting the crown princess and employing black magic—a cruel figure deserving of death.

‘What am I doing right now?’

Tears pooled from the maid’s eyes and soon poured down.

How could someone like this, someone who had never met her before, be bowing her head to save her?

‘Ariadeline…!’

Yermondi internally chewed on her name. She looked like a saint willingly sacrificing herself to save the maid.

As she pleaded for the maid’s life with her head bowed, confusion spread among the courtiers gathered at the door.

“…Is it really true that she ordered this?”

“Is she saying that to save the maid?”

“That villainess?”

“There’s no way she would easily admit to her own scheme.”

Ariadeline lifted her head. And once again, she spoke.

“Please punish me, Your Highness. I will gladly accept whatever it may be.”

The maid bit her lip tightly at Ariadeline’s voice, saying she would accept any punishment. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she opened her mouth.

“I—”

At the maid’s shout, Yermondi glared at her. But the maid did not stop.

“I acted on my own!”

“What?”

“I lied to save myself!”

Yermondi felt her fists trembling with rage.

“I hated that someone who had become a mere sinner was walking around with her head held high! I hated her, Your Highness! So this is my sin!”

“What did you just say?”

The princess pressed the maid to correct her statement, but the maid, tears streaming down her face, firmly shut her mouth.

At that moment, Dorothea intervened.

“Ariadeline, please don’t lie.”

Her face was contorted with sadness.

“Don’t hurt yourself with lies like that. Please.”

Dorothea stepped closer to Ariadeline, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She looked up at the princess and spoke.

“Your Highness, we cannot afford to overlook this matter. Please, give us a moment.”

“……”

Yermondi silently observed the three of them before finally speaking.

“……Very well.”

With Dorothea and Carlothian, who were not on her side, and the many courtiers who were not yet under her control, Yermondi made a decision.

“Move Ariadeline to the guest room so she can rest. And as for the maid…” 

Yermondi said, almost biting her words.

“Interrogate her and find out the true reason.”

“Yes!”

The maids responded. But in the meantime, Ariadeline spoke up once more.

“Your Highness! Even if I was poisoned, she has no guilt!”

“No guilt?”

“I am just a sinner. A sinner who deserves to die! Therefore, she has no guilt!”

“Why do your words keep changing? At first, you said it was a scheme you devised, and now you’re saying she tried to kill you.”

Dorothea, observing Yermondi’s stern expression, whispered in Ariadeline’s ear.

“…Ariadeline, you want to save the maid, don’t you?”

Ariadeline looked at Dorothea. Dorothea took a deep breath, then stood up and addressed Yermondi.

“Your Highness, I have a request.”

“…What is it?”

“Please hand the maid’s fate over to me.”

Yermondi’s mouth twisted.

“Why should I do that? Regardless of the truth, she is the one who tried to frame me and harm my guest. I have no reason to hand the maid over to the Crown Princess.”

“I understand. But Your Highness, weren’t you close with Ariadeline?”

“…”

“Please consider her feelings just this once. I will uncover the truth no matter what it takes.”

Yermondi realized that the situation was turning against her. If she said no here, no one would point fingers at her.

However, it was clear that Ariadeline, who willingly sacrificed herself to save the maid, would contrast sharply with her own image. Moreover, if the maid were to die during the interrogation, there would surely be gossip.

Since Ariadeline had sided with the maid, even if it concluded that Ariadeline had staged the whole thing, people would still question it.

Who would openly admit to having staged a scheme? Especially right after the incident occurred.

“…Understood. I trust you will resolve it properly.”

Noticing Yermondi’s discomfort, a maid shouted toward the courtiers gathered outside.

“What are you doing crowding here? Return to your places immediately!”

Yermondi’s cold, hardened face showed no signs of softening.

TL/N:

Hi, everyone. My usual update days are Tuesday and Thursday, but I can’t always stick to the schedule, especially when unexpected things happen—like the typhoon that flooded my city yesterday. It’s not that I forgot to unlock or post a new chapter, but I’ve just had a lot on my plate lately. Thank you for understanding!!!