Episode 84

‘I was honestly skeptical…’

But Ismail truly did manipulate Marquis Barelotte.

At Diana’s booth, the Marquis himself took out 100 talents and handed them to the headmistress, completely unaware of his actions afterward. It was a truly incredible ability!

‘Now I understand how Ismail could rise to become the Pope… he had this hidden power all along.’

The realization struck me, followed quickly by a sense of indignation as I imagined him using that power to support Diana in my past life. Of course, even without his power, everyone believed Diana would become the Saintess…

‘But why didn’t Ismail’s power work on me?’

The question puzzled me, and I tilted my head slightly as I pondered it.

Meanwhile, the argument between Marquis Barelotte and the headmistress grew even more heated.

“How can such wicked women infest the temple like this? Do you think I donate every year for the likes of you?!”

“Ha! Are you possessed by the devil, Marquis?! Everyone, you saw it earlier, right? He came to our booth!”

“What? That… that filthy commoner dares to speak to me like this—!”

“What do you think you’re doing?! His Highness the Crown Prince is present!”

It was then that the Pope intervened, finally realizing that the brawl between the two would not end if left unchecked.

Both the headmistress and the Marquis fell silent, looking chastised by the Pope’s stern rebuke.

“…Priest Loren, I am deeply disappointed in you! How could such disgraceful behavior occur during an event held in honor of Saintess Arukkia?”

The Pope, exhausted from the ordeal, let out a deep sigh.

“The orphanage priests, including Priest Loren, will be dealt with according to the laws of the temple.”

“Y-Your Holiness! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for it to happen this way… Your Holiness!”

Ignoring the pleas, the Pope signaled to the Holy Knights, who began to drag away the headmistress and the priests.

“The Marquis will be handled by the Imperial Court.”

The Crown Prince, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

Marquis Barelotte, who had been relieved to see the headmistress taken away, snapped his head up at the Crown Prince’s words.

“Y-Your Highness! This is unjust! Why would I, of all people, embezzle talents from a child I’m supporting?!”

“The truth will be determined by the Imperial Investigation Bureau. In the meantime, you must bear responsibility for failing to uphold the standards expected of a noble. Does anyone here object to this?”

“…”

No one in the assembly dared to speak against the Crown Prince’s decision. After all, among the attendees were the Twelve Noble Families, including Kallios, who participated in the State Council.

With their silent approval, the investigation into Marquis Barelotte’s conduct was effectively settled.

“Grr…!”

Marquis Barelotte trembled with humiliation as he realized the gravity of his situation.

The Pope, with a cool expression, ordered the Holy Knights.

“Escort him respectfully to the Investigation Bureau.”

Though the Marquis wasn’t physically restrained like the headmistress, being exposed as a criminal in front of the entire nobility was already a tremendous blow to his honor.

“Your Holiness, please, just give me one more chance! I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!”

“Let me go! I’ll walk on my own!”

Only after the disgraced figures were led out of the hall did silence finally settle over the assembly.

In that calm, the Pope and the Crown Prince, who had been speaking quietly together, stepped forward side by side.

“As the Pope, I deeply reflect on today’s incident and offer my sincerest apologies. I assure you all that we will ensure such an incident never occurs again through stricter oversight.”

The Pope spoke with a weary expression.

“I am deeply sorry to all the distinguished guests who have graced us with their presence today. Unfortunately, I must take my leave due to my ill health. Please enjoy the rest of your time here, and return home safely.”

“I will take care of the rest of the proceedings,” the Crown Prince added.

The Crown Prince took over seamlessly from the Pope.

It seemed they had discussed passing on the responsibilities. After finishing his address, the Pope descended the platform without further delay.

“Following the Pope’s decision, all fines will be returned to their respective booths,” the Crown Prince declared, managing the situation with a poise that belied his young age.

The priests quickly distributed the fines back to their rightful owners according to the ledgers.

“You can step down now as well. You’ve worked hard,” High Priest Magnus said, offering me my 50 talents with an apologetic expression.

‘Finally, I got back my 50 talents!’

I quickly added the amount back into my talent pouch, feeling triumphant as I hopped down from the platform. I could have burst into a dance from sheer joy.

But I held back, remembering that the event wasn’t over yet.

I glanced over at Grandpa Gordon, and he, too, was grinning from ear to ear.

“Your Highness, what should we do about these 100 talents?” Magnus asked once the fines had been returned.

“Well, that’s…”

The Crown Prince looked conflicted.

Though the Marquis had taken Diana’s earnings and used them as he pleased, bribing people with talents was a serious violation. And in this case, there was a clear victim.

While the Crown Prince and the priests deliberated over how to handle the situation, an unexpected voice rang out.

“I-I really didn’t know!”

A girl suddenly jumped out from the tent where the children were gathered.

“I didn’t know the Marquis did that! I-I was so busy with my healing duties that I had no idea! Sob!”

Diana’s face was streaked with tears.

‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’

Her reaction this time was quite different from the incident with the pecan pie, and I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

Her face twisted in despair, her violet eyes brimming with sorrow. Her slender shoulders shook with sobs, and she looked utterly pitiful.

“Sniff, sob… It was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”

Tears fell from her eyes like heavy raindrops, and sympathy from the surrounding nobles began to pour in.

“Tsk, poor thing. It’s unfortunate she ended up with the wrong sponsor…”

“Indeed, the child can hardly be blamed for this.”

“Why don’t we just return the talents to their original owner?”

Realistically, the chance that a child as young as five would be involved in a scheme like this was low.

And even without that reasoning, Diana genuinely looked aggrieved.

I, more than anyone, could tell the difference between her genuine and false grievances.

‘Well, I don’t mind if they give it back to her.’

I had recovered my 50 talents, and since I had orchestrated the scheme using the Marquis to misappropriate the 100 talents, I felt it was only fair.

“I object.”

A familiar voice cut through the air, stopping me in my tracks.

Startled, I turned quickly in the direction of the voice.

“If ignorance is a valid excuse, then who will compensate Belze for being robbed of 50 talents and falsely accused of theft?”

The person who raised this objection was none other than…

‘E-Edwin…?!’

“Are you going to compensate her?”

“N-No, Young Duke.”

The noble who had suggested returning the talents to Diana flinched and fell silent under his sharp gaze.

“From the beginning, Marquis Barelotte engaged in aggressive solicitation, held overly familiar conversations with the headmistress, and even interfered with other booths. He clearly overstepped boundaries.”

“…”

“All of this was a violation of the rules, and if he had been stopped earlier, perhaps none of this would have happened,” he concluded, his gaze fixed directly on Diana.

“You’re always so astute, Young Duke,” the Duke added, his expression icy as he supported Edwin’s argument.

“I couldn’t have said it better.”

‘The Duke… Edwin…’

They weren’t just protecting me—they were also acknowledging the injustice I had suffered, something I had given up on expecting long ago. My heart swelled with emotion at their support.

With the Kallios family openly defending me, the nobles who had shown sympathy toward Diana now fell silent.

Diana, seeing this, stifled a sob with a fearful expression.

“I-I really didn’t know…! I was so busy with my healing that I had no idea what the Marquis was doing! I wasn’t the one who did anything… sob!”

Her face, drenched in tears, looked utterly pitiable.

‘So this is what you look like when you’re truly desperate.’

It felt strange to see this genuine expression of distress on her face, so different from the manipulative act during the pecan pie incident.

Her violet eyes filled with sorrow, her slender shoulders trembling, she seemed the picture of misery.

“Sob, it was so hard… so hard to earn those talents…”

The sight of her shedding large, pitiful tears prompted a renewed wave of sympathy from some of the nobles.

“Tsk, tsk, what a pity. All because she had the wrong patron…”

“Indeed, how could the child be at fault here?”

“Why don’t we just return the talents to their rightful owner?”

It was true that a five-year-old’s involvement in a manipulation scheme seemed unlikely, even to the skeptical nobles.

But I, who had witnessed Diana’s false displays before, knew better than anyone that this time, her distress was genuine.

‘It doesn’t matter if they give it back to her.’

I had already retrieved my 50 talents. Besides, since I had been the one to manipulate the Marquis into misappropriating the 100 talents, I wasn’t overly concerned.

“I disagree.”

A familiar voice pierced the air, and I turned in surprise.

“If we’re just going to let ignorance slide, then who will compensate Belze for being accused and mistreated?” It was Edwin, his expression unwavering.

“Are you volunteering for that role?”

“N-No, Young Duke,” stammered the noble who had suggested the return, his voice trailing off under Edwin’s piercing gaze.

“Marquis Barelotte not only crossed the line with his aggressive promotion but also had close dealings with the headmistress. He even interfered with the operations of other booths, knowing full well it was against the rules,” Edwin continued, his gaze turning toward Diana. “If he had been stopped sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

“Your reasoning is sound, Young Duke,” the Duke interjected, supporting Edwin’s statement with an equally cold demeanor. “The same goes for me.”

With the Kallios family openly taking my side, the nobles who had previously sided with Diana fell silent, their expressions uncertain.

Seeing this, Diana’s face twisted with fear as she stammered.

“I-I didn’t know… I really didn’t know what the Marquis was doing! I was just focusing on healing… sob!”

The Crown Prince, after a moment of contemplation, finally offered a compromise.

“As the Young Duke pointed out, Diana is partially responsible for failing to manage her booth properly, but there is also a need to compensate the victim,” he said, glancing in my direction.

“So we’ll return half of the 100 talents.”

“That’s an excellent idea!”

The high priests nodded in agreement, and most of the nobles seemed to approve as well.

“What do you think?”

The Crown Prince turned to me and Diana, waiting for our responses.

“I’m fine with it!” I replied quickly.

‘If they want to pay me back with 50 talents, that works perfectly for me.’

“Hmph…”

In contrast, Diana hesitated, unable to respond immediately. Despite her tearful and pitiful expression, her neck flushed red with anger—a telltale sign I recognized all too well.

In my past life, whenever things didn’t go her way, especially because of me, Diana’s neck would flush with frustration, though her face remained composed enough that most people didn’t notice.

“What about you, Diana?” the Crown Prince pressed when she remained silent.

Diana trembled, but still couldn’t bring herself to answer. Yet the longer she hesitated, the more the situation turned against her.

“If the Marquis’s estate has enough funds to dress up a commoner child like that, they aren’t truly struggling, are they?”

“Honestly, isn’t she being a bit greedy, considering she’s already earned over 800 talents?”

With the Marquis no longer present to advocate for her, Diana found herself alone, facing the disdainful stares of the nobles who were never fond of commoners challenging their status.

Her extravagant dress, which might have been meant to emphasize her nobility, now only served to make her seem out of place and unsympathetic.

“She seems like quite the extravagant child.”

“Come to think of it, she’s the only one wearing such a fancy dress.”

“We even dressed our children modestly for the orphanage event. How… inappropriate.”

As whispers and critical glances continued to grow, Diana’s violet eyes filled with panic, reflecting the harsh reality of the nobles’ coldness.

‘You probably thought everyone would take your side, didn’t you, Diana?’

The world had always been kind to the heroine, after all.

But even a protagonist’s luck has its limits.

When the fundamental story shifts too much, there are bound to be consequences.

Like how she tried to bring down the Duke’s house and eliminate a strong candidate for the male lead, eventually becoming a rogue element in the narrative.

Diana bit her lip so hard it drew blood before finally responding, her voice weak and resigned.

“…Yes. I understand.”