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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Apology
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*No, not yet!*
I quickly erased the unfortunate future of being sent to a convent by Marchioness Lindsi from my mind.
They say you can survive even in a tiger's den if you just keep your wits about you.
So surely there had to be a way to avoid getting entangled with Grand Duke Hiklrid, who was approaching with an aura as fierce as a tiger's.
I had to act as if this were a complete coincidence. Well, it actually was a coincidence.
“Oh?”
My eyes widened as I opened my mouth.
“To think I’d see you here, Grand Duke Hiklrid. Good day. I have some business to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me.”
The plan was to emphasize the coincidence, say only what was necessary, and make a quick exit.
But Cedric stepped right in front of me as I tried to move past him.
“Good day? Are you messing with me?”
A crease formed between his perfect eyebrows.
“How did you know I was here? Did you have someone tailing me again?”
Aaaaargh. I felt like tearing my hair out.
*Right, that happened too…*
Charlotte, why did you do that? Now, anything I say will just sound like an excuse.
“My lady?”
Sir Kalikseu’s gaze, watching me from the side, turned cold.
“That time, Aila was…”
“I apologize!”
In my panic, I shouted before Cedric could say another word.
“Yes, for that incident, there are no words to excuse my actions. It was unequivocally my fault!”
I even bowed low as a sign of my contrition.
“In addition to that, I have committed countless other sins against you and your fiancée, the Young Lady Bynn! No amount of apology would be enough.”
“…What?”
Cedric’s face froze in bewilderment.
“Despite that, I feel a gratitude that words cannot express for the two of you, who forgave me with such angelic mercy.”
Cedric wasn’t the only one who was bewildered.
The customers in the shop, who had been watching us since the shouting started, began to murmur amongst themselves.
It was only natural. The meeting between Grand Duke Hiklrid and Charlotte Lindsi was a major event in itself, but for the notoriously arrogant Charlotte to admit her faults and beg for forgiveness was another thing entirely.
What’s more, my apology included Aila. The very same Aila she had been tormenting not long ago.
“Of course, given my past sins, it is only natural that you would be suspicious of me, Your Grace.”
To deliver an even greater shock, I even pretended to be on the verge of tears.
“But would you not believe me, Charlotte Lindsi, just this once? The countless letters of apology I sent to the grand ducal estate contained nothing but my sincere, honest feelings.”
Yeah, that’s a lie. The truth is, I only wrote them because Marchioness Lindsi forced me to, glaring at me the whole time.
How sincere could a letter of repentance be when it was for something I didn’t even do?
Still, my current performance had to look truly genuine.
That’s how much I didn’t want to go to a convent!
If I went, Raynerd might be troubled and pull some strings, but I didn’t even want to face the Marchioness’s scolding in the first place.
“And I also wish to beg your forgiveness for being unable to visit you and the Young Lady Bynn to apologize in person, as I was under confinement at home.”
My acting had reached its peak, so I took it a step further and knelt on the floor.
It’s always best to be thorough.
My motto is that it’s better not to do something at all than to do it half-heartedly.
“I am so sorry!”
I heard gasps from all around.
Kneeling was a deeply humiliating act for anyone, but especially for a noble.
Unless one’s family was on the brink of ruin and about to be thrown onto the streets, it was almost unheard of for someone to go as far as kneeling.
Therefore, the posture I had taken held enormous significance.
And coming from Charlotte, who was notoriously all pride and nothing else, the shock they felt must have been immense.
“Grand Duke Hiklrid! For the sin of forcing my one-sided love upon you and stalking you, for the sin of disrespecting the Young Lady Bynn out of jealousy, for the sin of spreading rumors about her, for the sin of bribing a servant to ruin her dress.”
Why were there so many? I carefully listed Charlotte’s sins one by one, trying not to bite my tongue.
“Above all, for the sin of only now repenting for such grave offenses! And so on, and so forth!”
I lowered my head and deepened my voice.
“I apologize for all of it. They are all my fault, without a single excuse.”
An uncharacteristic silence fell over the magic tool shop, which would normally be buzzing with the sounds of product descriptions and price haggling.
“…”
Cedric was so stunned he hadn’t been able to utter a word for a while now.
It was understandable. How many times had Charlotte been a thorn in his side?
For Charlotte, who had always been shamelessly defiant instead of repentant, to suddenly kneel and apologize was enough to make anyone swallow their words.
*I’ll kneel as much as you want!*
If it meant I wouldn’t have to deal with Cedric anymore, this was a small price to pay.
“…Your Grace, Your Grace.”
“Huh?”
Cedric finally snapped out of it when his subordinate called his name repeatedly.
“Um, people are staring…”
Cedric’s man seemed bothered by the curious gazes fixed on us.
Only then did I notice Cedric’s relatively simple, hooded attire.
*Was he out and about in disguise?*
Just then, Cedric muttered.
“I don’t believe you.”
He looked down at me, still kneeling, with a cold expression.
“You’re suddenly repentant for everything? What scheme are you hiding this time?”
It seemed his distrust of me ran deep.
Well, I couldn’t blame him. People don’t change easily.
If this was a problem that could be solved peacefully with such a hasty apology, Charlotte wouldn't have been kicked out of her family in the future.
“Yes, I know. I know these are not sins that can be easily forgiven.”
I meekly accepted his anger.
“If Your Grace permits, I will continue to visit you and the Young Lady Bynn to beg for forgiveness…”
“Cut it out.”
Perhaps because I mentioned Aila, Cedric’s reaction grew even sharper.
“I’m sure I made myself clear last time. Don’t ever bother us again.”
“I have taken it to heart.”
“Someone who’s taken it to heart is tailing me again?”
“Your Grace! That is truly a misunderstanding!”
“And your proof that it’s a misunderstanding?”
“You can ask the staff at . I made an appointment to visit here today.”
Cedric turned his head to look at the person he had been speaking with before I entered.
“Is that true?”
The woman, who appeared to be a clerk at , answered in a fluster.
“Well, I wouldn’t know. The manager said he had urgent business and stepped out just a moment ago.”
“Wh-what did you say?!”
Where on earth had the person who was supposed to prove my innocence gone?
“When will he be back?”
“I’m not sure. He did mention this morning that a guest would be arriving, but he didn’t say who it was.”
The clerk glanced at me, then peeked at Cedric.
“Actually, I thought you were the guest the manager was talking about, Grand Duke Hiklrid. He stressed that it was someone very important.”
…Somehow, that sounded like she was saying there was no way I could be the ‘important’ guest.
Well, if you asked a hundred people who was more important between a Grand Duke and a mere marquis’s daughter, all hundred would choose the Grand Duke, but that still stings a bit.
Cedric gave a small nod.
“Just as she said. The guest the manager mentioned must have been me.”
“Did you have an appointment as well, Your Grace?”
He turned his gaze to me at my question.
“No, but I sent a letter at dawn to inform him of my visit. So the important guest must naturally be me.”
“I’m telling you, I made an appointment yesterday. So it’s me.”
“Really?”
“Pardon?”
Cedric’s eyes were filled with suspicion.
“I asked if you really made an appointment.”
“Are you suggesting I’m lying right now?”
“It wouldn’t be the first or second time you’ve lied to get out of a situation.”
Damn it… Technically, that wasn’t me, but I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.
*What do I do?*
Unfortunately, I didn't have the letter I exchanged with Kirie yesterday.
Even if I did, since the signature at the end of the letter was Kirie's, not the shop owner's, it wasn't something I could show here.
“It’s strange from the start. The owner of this is a rather secretive fellow. He doesn’t easily make appointments with just any customer.”
“Just any…”
Having read the novel, I knew.
Cedric wasn't deliberately choosing words to hurt my feelings. He had no intention of publicly humiliating me.
*This is just how low Charlotte’s standing is.*
And the onlookers proved that this wasn't just Cedric's opinion.
“Indeed, they say you have to make an appointment with the owner here days in advance just to get a chance to see him, even for a person of considerable power.”
“I’m a regular here myself, but I’ve never had a private meeting with him.”
“Well, there are more than a few people who covet the rare magic tools sold only at .”
I could hear the murmurs of the men standing closest to us.
They glanced at me and lowered their voices. Among the unintelligible whispers, I could faintly make out words like commoner and villainess.
They were no doubt saying that the high-and-mighty owner would never make an appointment with someone like me, a commoner by birth with nothing but a bad reputation.
“Besides, you said it yourself just now.”
Cedric pressed on, as if to drive the final nail in the coffin of my credibility.
“That you made the appointment with the owner yesterday.”
“And?”
“You made an appointment just yesterday with someone who’s difficult to see even with days of notice? If you’re going to lie, I suggest you make it a little more believable.”
“We’ll see if it’s a lie when the manager gets… Ah.”
I had to stop mid-sentence. Cedric had grabbed my wrist and was pulling me.
“Wait outside. After I’m finished with my business, I’ll find out just how you managed to track my movements.”
I was about to shake off Cedric’s hand, but it soon became unnecessary.
Someone who had appeared behind Cedric grabbed his arm.
“I’d recommend you let go of her.”
The man said in a gentle voice.
