She shouldn’t have drawn the sword. Seraphie regretted it as she rubbed her still-numb arm. All she had done was draw the sword and stab it into the ground, yet the pain and numbness were much worse than she expected.
“Milady, please take care of your body.”
If there was any consolation, it was that the doctor’s nagging, who had come even in the middle of the night, helped her forget the pain to some extent.
“I’m always surprised whenever I come here, but tonight, I really thought someone had died.”
“But no one did.”
“You almost died several times.”
“But I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“Did you hurt your head…?” the doctor muttered to himself, wondering why Seraphie had become so cheeky in the short time he hadn’t seen her.
A cotton ball soaked in cool antiseptic wiped Seraphie’s fair, slender leg. She flinched slightly at the stinging pain and pulled her leg back a bit.
“At least the glass didn’t get embedded in your skin,” the doctor said. “There are only a few scratches. If you apply the ointment regularly, there won’t even be any scars.”
When Seraphie had pretended to be hit by Count Vallidus and fallen to the floor, she had scraped her leg on the broken glass shards the count had shattered. Fortunately, the wounds were minor, so the doctor’s treatment was over quickly.
Only after confirming that her leg was thoroughly bandaged did Seraphie lower her skirt. “Do you have any ointment for bruises?”
“What happened to the one I gave you before?”
“Of course, I used it all up.”
In truth, she hadn’t used it much.
“I hope this will be the last time I have to give you this,” the doctor said as he took a small jar from his medical bag.
“This will be the last,” Seraphie said confidently as she took the jar.
“…You’ve changed a lot,” the doctor remarked as he packed up his things.
“If I don’t change, I’ll die,” Seraphie replied with a bitter smile. “Do you dislike the change?”
“Of course not,” the doctor said seriously. “I pray every night that you win your trial, Milady.”
The doctor had just learned from Seraphie that she was pursuing a forced succession trial. He sincerely hoped she would win.
“You have no idea how grateful I am that you paid all the overdue medical bills.”
“I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
Seraphie had thought no one had helped her, but in fact, there was someone very close by who had been helping all along: the doctor. He had always come to the county, even though it didn’t bring him much money.
“…You will win, Milady,” the doctor said confidently.
The first thing Seraphie had done with the money she earned from the lottery and horse racing was to pay off all the overdue medical bills. The doctor had been worried about how she managed to get such a large sum of money, but after seeing her today, he felt reassured.
“Rest well, Milady.”
After the doctor left, Orkis entered the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Seraphie was quietly relieved by his consideration.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Thanks to you,” Seraphie replied, showing Orkis her hands to prove she was unharmed. Aside from the numbness in her arm, the bleeding leg, and the bruises all over her body, she was fine.
…But not really. It was a bit sad that this kind of pain had become the norm. But as she had told the doctor, everything would end today.
“Thank you so much for coming,” Seraphie sincerely thanked Orkis.
“Give your thanks to Carl, not me.”
“Of course, I’m grateful to Sir Iris as well.”
“I just followed along.”
“But it’s also true that you helped me.”
At Seraphie’s point out, Orkis couldn’t say anything. He seemed uncomfortable making eye contact, avoiding her gaze.
Seraphie thought it was understandable. As a knight, his conscience must be pricking him. Seeing the grim reality of the Vallidus household with his own eyes must have shocked him.
By the way, as Felicia… Seraphie stole glances at Orkis. He really is handsome.
She had recognized Carl by the family crest on his sword, but Orkis was unmistakable from the moment she saw him. There was a reason his appearance had been praised so highly in the original story.
Seraphie realized how unique black hair could be. She had seen black hair countless times in her previous life to the point of exhaustion, but Orkis made her realize that not all black hair was the same. His hair was like the dark night sky, ready to swallow everything. It felt as if touching it would stain her hand with the same darkness.
Moreover, his purple eyes exuded a mysterious and decadent beauty. His features were perfectly proportioned as if his face was in a prime location for success.
His jawline might be sharper than a sword blade. She thought idly, imagining how it could peel an apple.
“Count Vallidus,” Orkis’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and Seraphie’s expression turned somber.
“Ah, what about Father?” she asked in a frightened voice, which Orkis found curious.
This time, Seraphie avoided his gaze. Even though there was no guilt, she felt guilty for no reason.
“…Sir Iris is watching over him downstairs. The imperial knights will arrive soon to arrest him as a criminal caught in the act. They will also have some questions for you, Lady.”
“The Imperial Knights?” Startled, Seraphie quickly looked up. Her widened eyes were filled with questions. “Why?”
“Because he was caught in the act.”
Two knights had witnessed the violence, and the perpetrator was a titled noble. Now, Count Vallidus would be taken away by the imperial knights and imprisoned.
“I heard you plan to apply for a forced succession trial, Lady.”
“Yes, I’m planning to apply for the trial soon, but…”
“Have you prepared the documents?”
Instead of answering, Seraphie glanced at her desk drawer. Orkis naturally followed her gaze.
“When the imperial knights arrive, hand the documents to them. It will be processed quickly.”
The plan was unfolding more smoothly than she had anticipated. I’m glad I called Carl.
A forced succession trail was not usually an easy process. In the book Seraphie had read, there were only a few recorded cases in history where such a trial had been held, and most of them had not even been approved. The few precedents were mostly bleak, with the plaintiff winning only once.
That’s why Seraphie had intended to use Carl. As the heir to the Marquis Iris family, the most influential family in the empire, Carl’s testimony would give her a decent chance of winning the trial.
But now, there’s this man too.
Orkis was an unexpected bonus. The heir to a ducal family, second only to the imperial family, had not only witnessed the incident but was also helping her.
Luck is a skill too.
Her strategy to involve high-ranking nobles seemed to have been the right move. Seraphie decided to embrace her good fortune.
I might actually win this. She began to feel confident about winning the trial.
I was planning to use Marquis Iris, but with this, it might be better to go with Felicia…
Seraphie was in the middle of mentally revising and adjusting her plans when Orkis’s sudden words caught her off guard.
“It would be wise to be careful.”
A sudden remark reached Seraphie’s ears, strangely making her feel unsettling. Unable to hide her uneasy feeling, she looked up to see Orkis with a displeased expression, arms crossed. She narrowed her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“If you want to win the trial.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seraphie’s irritation grew, and she snapped at him. But she quickly understood what Orkis was warning her about.
Damn…! Seraphie clenched her teeth.
Orkis had followed her gaze to the desk and noticed the lottery tickets and horse betting slips. He mistakenly thought she was addicted to gambling, just like Count Vallidus.
“It’s not what it looks like,” Seraphie hurriedly denied. But Orkis didn’t even pretend to believe her.
“Most people say that.”
“It’s true! It was just purely—”
“Hide them before the Imperial Knights arrive.”
“Wow, seriously!” Frustrated, Seraphie brushed her fallen hair back and let out a short breath. “Sir Knight.”
She forced a smile as she tried to explain the situation to the person who had helped her. “As you know, I have no money right now. I can’t even afford to pay my servants’ overdue wages, let alone tomorrow’s meals.”
Seraphie earnestly explained. “A month ago, I had a good dream, so I bought them on a whim.”
“And what about the horse betting slips?”
What Orkis couldn’t understand the most was the horse betting slips. He could understand the lottery tickets—some knights bought them for fun—but betting on horse races was undeniably gambling. It was only natural to be suspicious.
“In the dream, a green horse came in first. So I bought it.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
“I’m regretting saying it now, so please, just be quiet…”
Seraphie squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t exactly say this was the world of a novel, so she had to make up an excuse about a dream. But as soon as she said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded.
“…In any case.” Seraphie desperately wanted to end this foolish conversation. “I appreciate your concern, and I’ll take it to heart.”
Let’s end this conversation here. She said this with sincere hope, and fortunately, Orkis seemed to understand.
“Be careful,” Orkis said, his final words sounding more like a warning. It was as if he were pitying her for being foolish enough to gamble in her current situation.
This meddlesome b*stard. Seraphie gritted her teeth. I’ll deal with you later.
Seraphie clenched her fist, vowing to repay Orkis and see his arrogant face contort in shame and embarrassment.
* * *
The story of Count Vallidus and his daughter quickly spread throughout the capital. A count who tried to assault his daughter in the middle of the night, and the two knights who happened to witness it. The count’s daughter filed a forced succession trial to strip her father of his title, with the two knights who were present as her witnesses.
The public was in an uproar, especially the nobles, who found it an entertaining topic and were abuzz with gossip. Some criticized the count’s foolishness, while others sympathized with the poor countess and her daughter. But there were also rumors that the daughter was no better than her father.
“I heard she buys a lottery ticket every day.”
“Someone saw her at the racetrack.”
“They say she bought a lot of worthless land…”
But ultimately, their discussions were just for amusement.
“Do you think the trial will even happen?”
“It’s unlikely.”
“The emperor is a busy person.”
Most of the nobility agreed that the emperor wouldn’t bother with the domestic affairs of a mere count. However, the emperor approved the forced succession trial requested by Lady Seraphie of the Vallidus family.
The nobles were shocked. But the person at the center of it all was not.
“…”
Seraphie smiled crookedly as she looked at the notice listing the trial dates.
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