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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Doana, No One Trusts You
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Before the pale-faced butler, Doana knelt pitifully, tears streaming down her face.
“It’s so shameful… I didn’t want to tell anyone, but I can’t let this go.”
With her face streaked with tears, Doana hugged herself tightly. Her hands trembled, and she looked at the butler with a terrified expression. The butler, seeing Doana suddenly attacking him, was speechless. His gaze fell upon the murmuring household employees. They looked from him to Doana, their expressions utterly shocked, and began to whisper.
‘…Surely, they wouldn’t all believe this, would they?’
Cold sweat beaded on the butler’s back. He could confidently say that in his sixty years of life, he had never done anything shameful. Born as the Baron’s second son, he had followed an elite path and entered the Count’s manor at a younger age than his peers. The title of ‘Butler’ initially weighed heavily on his shoulders, but now he was so skilled that it was joked the estate might not function without him. Moreover, his gentle demeanor towards the employees earned him everyone’s loyalty. Yet, the butler wasn't confident they would blindly believe him. He knew better than anyone that when it came to rumors, ‘truth’ was not what mattered. Gwen’s mother, the Baroness, had ultimately taken her own life due to malicious instigation. He was only two years old then, too young to fully experience his mother’s love.
‘…She was subjected to all sorts of insults due to absurd rumors about carrying another man’s child, and ultimately, she took her own life out of shame, they said.’
Despite the baseless rumors, the Baroness knelt and pleaded for them to believe her, but Gwen’s father, the Baron, closed his ears and refused to trust her words, not even bothering to verify the truth. When it became known that even her husband was disdaining her, people universally branded her an immoral woman. Having grown up in a conservative household, she couldn't endure the invisible barrage of stones thrown at her and ultimately made an extreme choice. Gwen’s father only conducted a DNA test after the Baroness had died. The Baron, who hadn't believed her even before receiving the results, only regretted it after confirming that the butler was indeed his biological son. People have little interest in whether circulating rumors are true or not. They merely need something stimulating to spice up their monotonous daily lives, something to gossip about. The accusations and insults continued relentlessly, regardless of her pleas for them to stop. Only after seeing the deceased victim did they flip their attitudes like turning a hand.
‘Oh, how tragic.’
‘I believed from the start that the Baroness wouldn’t do such a thing.’
‘Exactly.’
‘How pitiful.’
When her innocence was revealed, those who had been at the forefront of insulting the Baroness universally mourned her, claiming they had never once doubted her. The Baroness was murdered. Killing someone with a knife isn't the only form of murder. She was brutally slain by the three-inch tongues of dozens, no, hundreds of people. It was not suicide, but homicide. In front of the rigidly frozen butler, Doana shrieked wildly.
“I begged you… I begged you to forgive me! You… you disgraced me against my will! You insulted me, saying what more could I do with a ruined face!”
Only Doana’s sobbing echoed through the corridor. The butler looked at Doana, who was lying and mocking him in front of everyone, and thought it was all over.
“Why are you lying like this? I swear to God, I didn’t do anything.”
Hearing the tremor in the butler’s voice, Doana smirked inwardly.
‘Why? Because you messed with the wrong person.’
Even as she lay sprawled, Doana glanced around, observing reactions. Everyone was whispering, not stepping forward. To anyone observing, the winner of this game was clearly Doana herself. Just then, a shadow fell over Doana’s head as she looked at the floor. The people of the Count’s manor had gathered between the butler and Doana. Doana subtly raised her eyes and looked at their legs. Their feet were pointed towards Doana. Seeing that the people were facing her, not the butler, Doana inwardly cheered.
‘Yes, now they’ll embrace me, sobbing as I am.’
And they would hurl harsh words at that decrepit old man. Doana believed they would trust her words without question. Breaking the long silence, someone spoke.
“Seriously… I never thought he’d be like this, it’s too much.”
It was the Head Maid. She had said exactly what Doana wanted to hear. Doana smirked, pleased that the situation was unfolding as she’d imagined. But Doana’s smile didn’t last long.
“Doana, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
The Head Maid’s sharp voice was directed not at the butler, but at Doana.
‘…What?’
Doana’s eyes, intoxicated by victory, wavered. Only then did she lift her head to look at the people standing before her.
Everyone in the manor glared at her with expressions of utter disgust.
“The butler? He’s not the type to do such a thing!”
“We all saw you getting scolded by the butler last night. Are you really slandering him like this over something so trivial?”
“I never thought you were like this, but you’re truly wicked, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about? I always knew she was like this.”
Doana was flustered. She had thought they would believe her.
‘…What, what? Why don’t they believe me?’
The butler was equally flustered.
“Butler, you must be very surprised, aren’t you?”
“Look at the beads of sweat on your forehead. Here, wipe your sweat with this.”
The employees spoke to the butler with worried expressions. They not only comforted him with warm words but also offered him a clean handkerchief for his sweat-soaked brow.
“…You all believe me?”
The butler wore a bewildered expression, as if he couldn’t believe it. The employees looked at him with eyes full of trust.
“Of course. The butler is not someone who would ever do such a thing.”
“Exactly. Ask anyone in this manor, and no one would disbelieve the butler.”
It was the moment the butler’s true worth, stemming from his consistently upright conduct, shone through. Everyone in the Count’s household trusted the butler. While his righteous behavior played a part, it was truly Doana’s malicious conduct that was more significant. She was already well-known as Eric’s mistress. In front of Eric, she feigned innocence and hid her true nature, but not in front of the employees. She ordered people around as if she were the Countess herself. And whenever she saw a pretty, young maid, she would slander them with absurd lies, then use Eric to have them dismissed. To the people, Doana was no different from the boy who cried wolf. Doana flinched under the people’s sharp gazes directed at her. Then she realized it. They wouldn’t believe anything she said. She regretted now having put on airs, thinking that all she needed was to look good to Eric. Doana was skilled at seducing men, but she wasn’t particularly intelligent. She had simply thought that she only needed to impress those above her. To her, the servants of this manor were nothing more than slaves to cater to her every whim. Doana’s eyes darted around frantically, contemplating how to smooth over this situation. Just then, Roje, unaware of the situation, emerged from her room, yawning.
She tilted her head, seeing Doana kneeling and the people confronting her.
“Why is everyone gathered like this?”
The atmosphere seemed unusual. Roje cautiously approached them.
“The atmosphere feels strange this morning, doesn’t it?”
“Madam!”
Jane called Roje’s name and approached her. She then told Roje everything that had happened so far. Roje, standing still and listening to the full account of the incident, couldn’t help but look at Doana with surprised eyes.
As soon as Doana’s eyes met Roje’s, she grabbed the hem of her skirt.
“Roje… you believe me, don’t you? We’re friends. You know I wouldn’t tell such a lie.”
She gazed at Roje, putting on the most pitiful expression she could manage. Transparent tears welled up in her large eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. At the word ‘friends,’ the servants’ expressions hardened. *Friends with whom, she dares ask?* Doana clung to the thread of hope, wishing Roje would believe her. But Roje had no intention of siding with her. *You conveniently blamed me yesterday, and now you want me to be on your side?*
‘Who does she think I am, a pushover?’
She might have been a pushover in her past life, but not anymore. The servants anxiously watched Roje. In their eyes, Roje was an oblivious and merely kind woman. Everyone held their breath, wondering if an unsuspecting Roje might actually side with Doana.
“Doana, why are you acting so childish? Surely, you’re not doing this because the butler scolded you yesterday, are you?”
The servants breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at Roje’s words. They exchanged glances, crinkled their noses, and even high-fived behind their backs, relishing the current situation.
“I apologize. I should have managed my subordinates better.”
Roje turned her back to Doana and offered an apology to the butler.
“No, Madam. Why would you apologize to me?”
The butler was startled by Roje’s apologetic demeanor towards him and waved both hands. Then, with a stern expression, he looked at Doana and spoke.
“The person who should be apologizing to me is right there, you see.”
As her eyes met the butler’s, Doana unconsciously clenched her fists. *Why… why doesn’t anyone believe me!* Doana fumed, not bothering to reflect on her own past conduct. And then,
“Ah… Aaargh!”
Suddenly, an immense pain shot through Doana’s lower abdomen. She clutched her stomach and began to scream.
“What’s wrong with her now?”
“Look at her pretending to be in pain because she’s losing.”
“She must be crazy. She’s certainly living up to her reputation.”
They clicked their tongues, not even thinking of helping Doana, who was clutching her stomach. But ironically, Doana wasn’t faking it.
“Ah… Aaargh! Someone… someone call a physician! My stomach… my stomach hurts so much!”
In an instant, Doana’s face turned deathly pale. Cold sweat soon beaded on her skin. Roje, seeing Doana looking as if she might collapse at any moment, instinctively knew this wasn’t an act.
“…Butler. Bring a physician.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems she’s not faking it after all.”
Roje said to the butler, her gaze fixed on Doana, who was writhing in pain. Though Doana was practically her enemy, someone she never wanted to face again, Roje’s nature made it difficult for her to ignore someone suffering in agony.
“Move Doana to her bedroom.”
The people looked quite reluctant to help her up, but since it was Roje’s command, they reluctantly took her by her arms. She was moved to her bedroom with their support.
***
The physician took Doana’s pulse with a grave expression.
“I… I’m not going to die, am I?”
She, who had seemed on the verge of death, had somewhat stabilized. Another incident had occurred before yesterday’s pain had even subsided. It was maddening. Her whole body trembled at the memory of the intense pain she had just experienced. It was a pain so severe that it wouldn’t have been strange to lose consciousness or even die. Unlike yesterday, when she had fumed and demanded her skin be fixed immediately, she now seemed to have tucked her tail between her legs. However, the physician’s attitude remained cold. He had no desire to be amiable towards Doana, who had previously treated him with disdain.
“It would be best for you to be careful not to get stressed from now on.”
The physician continued indifferently.
“Because you’re no longer alone.”
Doana, who had been listening intently to his words, tense like someone awaiting a death sentence, doubted her ears at the physician’s unexpected remark.
“…Am I pregnant?”
The physician nodded, not bothering to hide his discomfort. *To actually carry the Count’s bloodline…*
“Yes. You are still in the early stages of pregnancy, so you will need to take extra care.”
At the physician’s words, a smile bloomed on Doana’s face. The child she had longed for had arrived. The child who would make her the Countess. Doana, unaware of the fate that awaited her, happily stroked her belly.
