84. The Jester

The maid was a commoner, unable to provide further testimony with her tongue cut out. And even Isella, whom Ajanti thought was on his side, had thrown her support behind Deon.

It was Deon’s complete victory, but something felt off.

So it was true—I wasn’t needed.

He overcame all obstacles without me.

As these thoughts passed through my mind, one of the nobles standing in front spoke up.

“What’s going on? Wasn’t the Snowa family supposed to have severed ties with the prince?”

This remark opened the floodgates, and other nobles began to add their voices.

“Judging by the current situation, it doesn’t seem that way. It looks like they were already in cahoots…”

“Did you know about this, Count?”

“No, this is all news to me. I only just learned about the fake mistress.”

I felt a wave of fatigue. Who was protecting whom?

I remembered the first time I made a deal with Deon.

When I first met him and asked for an agreement, I decided to be his jester. I vowed to only ask for what was necessary and to cut off my emotions like a blade.

I had broken that vow.

I, a mere jester. I was supposed to stay by his side, providing amusement, and be discarded when no longer needed. What was I thinking?

I was the most useless card in his deck.

It was laughable. Here I was, thinking I could save the future emperor with nothing but my tools for jesting.

Even without the makeup, a jester remains a jester. No matter how much affection I received, my lowly status would not disappear.

The idea of coming into the prison in this ridiculous garb to save him was utterly absurd. I couldn’t imagine how much he must have laughed at my appearance.

‘It’s true, I wasn’t needed. I was only in the way.’

I looked down at my hands. My palms were blackened. My dress was dirty from rolling on the ground, my nails were darkened, and my hair was tangled. Today, more than ever, I felt pitiful.

I hadn’t realized that a single word from her would be more powerful than anything I could do.

I stared at them blankly. They stood in front of the courtroom, victors, with a slightly relieved expression on their faces.

Luckily, no one had noticed me.

I tried to cover my straggling hair but then stopped, realizing it was futile. No one knew I had come into this courtroom anyway.

As the trial continued, it was clear that Deon had won. The accusations against him were falling apart, and Ajanti’s position grew weaker with each passing moment. Isella’s testimony had been a decisive blow. Deon’s composure and the respect he commanded were apparent to all, further solidifying his standing.

I watched the proceedings with mixed emotions. Relief that Deon was safe, but also a deep sense of my own insignificance. I had been prepared to risk everything for him, but in the end, my actions had been unnecessary.

I slipped out of the courtroom quietly, blending into the shadows. The future emperor didn’t need a jester anymore, and it was time for me to accept my role as a disposable card.

* * *

I staggered out of the courtroom, barely keeping my legs from collapsing.

I grabbed hold of a tree standing along the path to the tower. Thorns pierced my palm, causing blood to ooze out, but I felt no pain.

As I walked past the tower, I heard a brief cheer from behind me. The cheer echoed from inside the courtroom. It must have meant that the matter was resolved peacefully.

Before I knew it, dawn had broken. The surroundings were bright, but a thick fog made it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

I wished I couldn’t see anything at all. When I closed and opened my eyes, I saw the mercenary band waiting in the distance.

The mercenaries were so large that even standing behind trees, their bodies weren’t hidden. They had diligently followed the order to wait. The cart modified to carry someone and the blankets covering it were still there.

But now, there was no one left to hide in that large cart.

“What happened inside?” he asked, glancing over my shoulder.

The red curtain was being replaced. They knew as well. They had messed up.

It seemed they had waited a long time, as ashes from a cigar were scattered on the ground.

“No, I’m sorry. Everything went well. You can return now.”

“What? No…”

The veins on his arm bulged as if he was ready to draw his sword. I shook my head.

If I stood here any longer, I would run into Daon, who had just finished the trial. I was worried he would realize I had done something foolish. I had to send them away.

“I will pay you as agreed. Don’t worry. I won’t cut a single penny. I’ll pay the full amount as promised by the merchant guild.”

I mumbled the rest in a trembling voice.

“So… please, just go back.”

I didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore.

A gust of wind blew, lifting my robe. My red hair floated in the air for a moment before settling down.

My hair, untouched by Surren’s hands, was tangled and blew around in clumps. I didn’t bother fixing it and bowed my head deeply.

Perhaps it was my miserable appearance, as if I had just been dumped, that made the threatening mercenary lower his hand. His fingers, which had been on the hilt of his sword, relaxed. The rough demeanor slowly softened.

He, who had been looking down at me, put his sword back into his belt.

“Well then… we have nothing to lose.”

He said this while looking at me intently.

“Are you sure everything was resolved well? It feels… unsettling.”

I nodded once. He looked at me with a reluctant expression before signaling to the others.

“Let’s go.”

He scratched his head and gave the order to retreat.

Soon, the cart rattled away. They didn’t even try to erase the wheel tracks this time.

I blankly stared at their retreating figures and wiped the dirt from my face. The smell of raw, untamed soil filled my nose. It felt like I had touched manure left by the horse when I fell in the bushes earlier. The stench of decay wafted from between my fingers.

* * *

I trudged towards the carriage depot.

Located in the heart of the capital, the depot was perfect for commoners without their own carriages. It was early in the morning, so the depot wasn’t as crowded as usual. The coachmen were perched on the fence, chatting away.

I opened my purse.

Five credits. That was all the money I had.

With the revelation of the false government and the public announcement that Isela and I were not estranged, I couldn’t return to the palace. Staying in the capital was also not an option. I had to return to the manor.

However, the amount I had was ridiculously insufficient to hire a carriage back to the manor where I was staying. After counting the few coins, I slumped my shoulders.

As I hesitated to hire a carriage, one of the coachmen glanced my way. He was just putting away the water bucket he had used to quench the horse’s thirst.

“Where are you headed?” he asked.

“…to Gelkern,” I replied, barely recalling the name of the region where the estate was located. I had seen the signpost while riding up to the capital.

I was glad I had observed the surroundings during the ride. Back then, I had come with nothing but excitement.

The morning air was cold. His breath formed puffs of steam between his thick beard. He grabbed the reins of the waiting carriage.

I took out the money from my purse. I even checked the other pockets just in case, but all I found were a few silver coins.

I had spent money to prepare a cart for Daon and to buy him a new identity. The identity of a young commoner man was more expensive than others.

There were three walls and checkpoints at every gate on the way to the border. I had even bribed someone to secretly help him escape. After disposing of the jewels I had, I still incurred debt, so there was no way I had any money left.

I emptied all my pockets of silver coins. When I offered the last of my money to the coachman, he shook his head.

“This money won’t get you that far. It’s too far away. And with it being morning and an incident happening at the palace, many people will be flocking to the capital. I can’t afford to waste a day’s work.”

“Then please take me as far as this money can go. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

He stared at me for a while before replying.

“Walk that distance? It’ll be difficult, especially for someone like you. You might collapse halfway.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“But I won’t be,” he said, uninterested in arguing further. He seemed indifferent, as if it didn’t matter whether he took on another passenger.

When I continued to plead with my eyes, he sighed softly.

“Farrington. That’s as far as I can take you.”

It was just over halfway. I had seen the signpost from Gelkern after traveling for a long time by carriage. Even by carriage, I had only spotted that signpost just before sunset. The thought was overwhelming.

Seeing my hesitation, he added, “As I said, even without you, there are plenty of passengers. You need to consider the distance. Moreover, if the horse gets tired, we’ll need to stop at another station to feed it. I’d have to pay for the feed.”

He waved his hands dismissively, tying the reins back to the post.

I was hopeless at bargaining. Desperate, I clung to him.

“Then just take me that far. I’ll figure out the rest.”

In the end, I handed over all my remaining silver coins to him.

He took the silver and pocketed it, then looked me up and down before speaking.

“Since your situation is pitiful, I’ll take you a little further. But if I go too deep into the countryside, it’ll be hard for me to get back.”

He unlocked the carriage door himself. The lock clicked open, and the door swung open with a creak.