Was he offering to mediate things with House Evant if necessary?
Rodi flatly refused.
“No.”
Faint confusion clouded Likens’s eyes at the unexpected answer.
“You have no desire to return as a ducal lady?”
“None at all.”
“Why?”
‘Well, it must be hard for him to understand from a common-sense standpoint.’
To give up the life of a wealthy noble in a class-based society and choose the life of a commoner instead.
Rodi gave a languid reply.
“Being an illegitimate child, I was treated horribly by the family. Even if I regained my noble status, I’d inevitably be sold off into an arranged marriage at best.”
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
“…I heard that Lady Nila Evant cherished you deeply.”
Rodi nearly snorted right in front of Likens, forgetting herself.
‘Just how good an act have you been putting on, Nila Evant?’
“I’m not entirely sure what Nila’s reputation is like in high society… but when I was eight years old, she pushed me into a pond and laughed with utter delight as I flailed about.”
“…”
Likens looked somewhat stunned.
To the public, Nila Evant was the very picture of a noble, pitiful ducal daughter.
Naturally, discovering her insidious true nature came as a shock.
Rodi added in a comforting tone.
“Well… you must have thought well of Nila. But people are rarely the same inside and out. Not everyone can be as noble as you, my lord.”
“I never held any particular interest in Lady Nila Evant… but learning she committed such a cruel act against her younger sister is shocking.”
Rodi did not offer any further reply.
There was no need to mention how, whenever Nila was bored, she would shove rotten food down her throat or drag her down the corridors by her hair.
‘On top of that, everyone in Duke Evant’s household turned a blind eye to all of it.’
Returning to such a household on her own two feet was dreadful even to imagine.
‘I just want to become a wealthy landowner and live comfortably.’
…She was thoroughly sick of being bound or oppressed by anything.
Likens, meanwhile, looked entirely at a loss for words.
Did he think he had poked at a painful wound for no reason?
Rodi shrugged casually, as if it were nothing.
“It’s all in the past, so you need not dwell on it.”
Besides, this was strictly what the ‘real Rodi’ had endured. Sympathy was meaningless.
‘Though I still plan to take my revenge once I get the chance.’
“…”
A subtle silence settled over the parlor for a moment.
Glancing toward the clock, Rodi spoke up.
“…Quite a bit of time has passed. You should probably be on your way.”
Likens nodded stiffly, like a malfunctioning automaton.
“Right. I shall visit again in the near future.”
✦ ✦ ✦
A high platform was erected in the capital square.
Journalists from various newspaper houses and curious onlookers waited for a single man, their expressions a mix of anxiety and eager curiosity.
Before long, the man appeared.
“Lord Likens Magzeta!”
The moment an expressionless Likens stepped onto the platform, the reporters surged forward with fervor, practically shoving one another in the process.
“…”
With a single glance, Likens silenced the clamoring reporters.
The journalists kept their mouths shut, scrutinizing every nuance of his expression.
This serial murder case was an utter sensation.
Not only had the culprit turned out to be Count Heiser, a man renowned for his gentle nature, but it was also intertwined with the truth behind the long-talked-about suicides of Young Duke Joen Magzeta and his wife.
The reporters wanted Likens, famous for never showing emotion, to offer a dramatic reaction to his parents’ deaths. The more sensational the story, the better the papers sold.
Naturally, Likens knew the habits of these journalists all too well.
Masking his feelings with practiced ease, he quietly gave a briefing on the case.
“…And thus, the trial of Count Heiser Gor is scheduled to take place in three days.”
Likens looked out impassively at the reporters.
“Are there any questions?”
Hands shot up in fierce competition.
Likens pointed to one of them.
“How are you feeling right now?”
“I will not be taking personal questions.”
At the detached answer, the reporter’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Regardless, Likens called on another journalist.
“What kind of sentence do you anticipate for Count Heiser Gor?”
“The verdict is outside the jurisdiction of the Imperial Knights.”
“What will become of the House of Gor’s title and assets?”
“That, too, can only be answered once the trial concludes.”
Right then, a young journalist threw his hand high into the air.
“We heard there was a formidable collaborator in this case!”
Pausing at those words, Likens answered readily in a somewhat softened tone.
“That is correct.”
“Could you tell us more about this collaborator?”
“First, let it be known that prior consent was obtained regarding the disclosure of the collaborator’s identity.”
Realizing there was finally something juicy to seize upon, the journalists’ eyes shone with anticipation.
“What on earth is the name of this formidable collaborator?!”
“In what specific ways did they assist the investigation?”
Looking down at the reporters, Likens rolled the words over in his mouth before speaking slowly.
“To begin with, the collaborator… is a woman named ‘Rodi.’”
A murmur rippled through the press.
“Rodi?”
“There’s no family name. A commoner?”
“Wait, that sounds familiar from somewhere….”
Just then, someone asked in a stunned voice.
“C-Could that woman named ‘Rodi’ happen to be the second daughter recently exiled from Duke Evant’s family?!”
Likens glanced at the reporter who had asked. Seeing a familiar face, he recalled the man wrote primarily for a paper covering high society gossip.
“That is correct.”
The reporters and onlookers stared wide-eyed.
Rodi Evant.
She was famous in the capital.
A villainess who threw wicked tantrums in high society and constantly tormented Lady Simone Gretia, who was ever so sweet and gentle toward commoners.
When she had been cast out of her family, the headline on the front page of the newspapers read:
‘High Society’s Villainess, Exiled!’
The triumph of good over evil was always a crowd favorite.
Back then, papers had sold like hotcakes, and imperial citizens went wild over the story.
Sensing another massive scoop, the reporters’ eyes and pens flew into a frenzy.
“C-Could you give us more details?!”
“Is it true she aided in capturing the culprit rather than obstructing the investigation?”
“Yes. Miss Rodi provided active assistance throughout the investigation, and thanks to her, Lady Violet, who had been abducted, was rescued safely.”
Everyone hung on Likens’s words.
“She even volunteered to serve as bait to apprehend the culprit, enduring injuries in the process to protect the hostage.”
At those words, an onlooker bundled in a hooded robe flinched.
It was none other than Rodi, who had come out to watch.
Ducking her head low at Likens’s claims, she shifted her eyes nervously.
‘I… never got hurt, though?’
At most, her wrists had been slightly chafed by the thick rope.
Self-consciously, she stole a glance up at Likens.
He continued speaking in an utterly impassive tone.
“Her heroic deeds will be formally commended and rewarded by the knights, and….”
Rodi bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.
‘Is he lying right now for my sake?’
‘The’ Likens, of all people?
“Pfft….”
She clamped down on her lips as tightly as possible to swallow her chuckles and avoid drawing attention.
He reeled off the lies with such nonchalance that at a casual glance, even she might have been fooled into believing she had carried out some grand, heroic feat.
‘Likens, you’re surprisingly good at lying.’
Given his fastidious, uncompromising nature, she had assumed he would never tell a lie.
‘Could it be… to rebuild my reputation?’
She had noticed he had grown comparatively gentle with her, but she never imagined he would go this far.
Whether she laughed in the crowd or not, the journalists furiously scribbled his words into their notepads, their eyes glittering.
‘This is an exclusive!’
As much as people loved seeing evil punished, a villain turning over a new leaf made for just as splendid a tale.
Dozens of journalists gathered in the square were already picturing the front-page headlines in their minds.
…And the following day, newsboys shouted through the streets.
“Extra, extra! Read all about it or regret it for the rest of your life!”
A woman shrouded in a hooded robe held out a coin and spoke.
“One, please.”
“Yes, thank you very much!”
Leaving behind the cheerful voice, Rodi read the very front page of the paper.
Printed across the top in massive letters was the headline:
—The Villainess Returns as a Hero?!
