ALL NOVEL chapter 38
38 – The Cake is a Lie
After the banquet with Your Majesty, the princes, and the princess, three people who had promised to gather information on Gordmilla contacted me during the evening of that day.
Satrica and Nirsara summarized the information on parchment and sent it to me. Interestingly, they had written the same question on each parchment, changing only the tone of the writing.
Considering how we had cried and laughed together like a group with a collective hysteria in the banquet hall, people outside would probably wonder what had happened. But it was already late, and I would eventually find out what the contents were, so I decided not to reply separately.
The problem was Lina. In the middle of the night, I heard a familiar voice knocking on my door, and when I opened it, Lina had come to my room to personally tell me the information she had gathered.
It was my mistake to momentarily forget that Lina was a natural-born commoner, unlike Satrica. Lina, with her eyes, which couldn’t read nor write, couldn’t send me information through writing like Satrica and Nirsara.
“Sniff, it was so difficult, Lord Viscount…”
“Why is it so difficult to just ask people?”
“Well, Lord Viscount doesn’t understand people’s hearts… Approaching someone who is a stranger without any sense of intimacy and suddenly asking about Gordmilla Madam would make them suspicious. If you suddenly ask about the weather or what kind of food is served in the palace, how intense their work is, or if their superiors don’t torment them and treat them well, I see how difficult it is to have a conversation, paving the way whenever you meet someone.”
“Um, ah, yes. You went through a lot.”
“So, please let me have that…”
When I followed Lina’s gaze, I saw the sugar-coated bread I had brought from the banquet hall. You’re addicted to sugar, aren’t you?
Still, listening to Lina, I felt like she had gone through some hardship, so I decided to give it to her.
“hehehe, it’s delicious.”
Watching Lina eat the sugar-coated bread with a delightfully happy expression, I absentmindedly messed up her hair while patting it.
Swoosh, swoosh.
“Is it really that delicious?”
“It’s heavenly.”
“Sigh, if you keep liking things like that, you’ll gain weight in the future.”
“Ohoho, don’t worry. I have so much work to do that I won’t have time to gain weight!”
“Um…”
The working environment of the Middle Ages is cold.
“So, let me know the information you’ve got quickly.”
“* Glug * Yes. According to what I heard from the palace maids, Lady Godmilla said…”
Rina finished swallowing her bread and spoke after finishing.
“It was like it after all…”
“* Gulp gulp * What?”
“No, eat the rest.”
Until now, they had suspected slightly, but after gathering the information brought by Satricia, Nirsela, and Rina, they were now sure.
‘Godmila wasn’t crazy from the beginning.’
In fact, I had some sense. Except for the princes, princesses, and those with direct relationships within the palace, they did not see anyone who had such a negative view of Godmilla within the palace.
Even when someone sighed or grimaced at Godmilla, it wasn’t so much hatred toward Godmilla, but rather a feeling like “Oh, how did he end up like that?”
Moreover, according to the information they gathered, Godmilla was treated like a hero by everyone in the palace except for Christopher and Prince William.
Thinking hard, it’s not so strange to be treated like a hero when he killed the insane people who were killing the palace teachers and terrorizing the maids and servants.
What’s even more surprising is that among those who thought of Godmilla as a hero, Princess Selenor was also there.
At that time, Princess Selenor seemed to hate her two older brothers because of the various wicked deeds committed by them. According to the information Nirsela provided, there was a teacher who she was fond of among the palace teachers whom her brothers had killed.
It seems that the princess treated Godmilla extremely well for stopping her two brothers from hurting that teacher. Even Godmilla did not whip a single child, unlike now where he would pick up a sword at any time. She seemed to cherish the princess a lot. Thereafter, she followed Godmilla more than her own mother.
‘But suddenly, their relationship turned sour. What led to it?
Since some point, besides Christopher and William, Godmilla, who didn’t use violence much, began to violently beat up Princess Selenor. Due to the variation in the testimony of the victims, such as the maids, servants, and knights, there was a bit of difference in the specific details, but from one day, there was something significant that happened to Godmilla, which led to her change.
‘Why? How was that related to Godmilla physically beating up the princes and princess? What is the connection?’
Unless Godmilla was possessed by spirits, she wouldn’t have beaten her who followed her around much. Despite the fact that this world is called a ‘miracle’ because magic exists because I’ve never even heard of magic that manipulates the mind in 15 years, it means that it is related to the princess making Godmilla hurt.
*Pfya!*
‘…!’
Suddenly, some thought flashed like lightning in my mind.
‘Did the princess have anything to do with Godmilla’s sudden severe pain?’
How did the two princes, Christopher and William, kill the palace teachers up there?
There were many physical ways, such as shaking something up there, untying livestock and letting them die, or shooting teachers “accidentally” at the hunting ground, but…
‘The poison..!’
Yes. The two princes have made numerous attempts at assassination, which could be considered very traditional and deeply rooted methods.
According to the information, it was said that Godeumila was not ill due to physical trauma but because of an illness. Perhaps she had consumed some poisonous food given by the princess, enough to cause a moderate level of poisoning without killing her.
So, was the princess caught trying to assassinate Godeumila, just like her brothers?
But why?
‘Why would the princess attempt to poison Godeumila, whom she treated so kindly?’
Nothing made sense. From the motive behind the princess wanting to poison Godeumila, to whether she actually intended to carry out the assassination, or perhaps it was all just a delusion and Godeumila had been genuinely sick for no apparent reason – such thoughts crossed my mind.
And why is she still behaving as if she hasn’t been defeated and died, but rather possessed by a vengeful ghost? Wait, now that I think about it, am I the soul who has crossed over from that other world, in other words, a ghost? Ahhh!
‘Enough with the jokes.’
Actually, upon further contemplation, some pieces started coming together.
But it’s still too early to make hasty judgments.
In order to obtain solid information, the next day I met Doris, Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Celenor.
**
“Doris. Is there something you’re hiding from me?”
“…What?”
Clearly taken aback by my sudden question, Doris seemed quite startled. It was evident from her usually icy and emotionless face, aside from when talking about Princess Celenor, that there was a shift in her expression.
“I found out that you’ve been keeping something hidden from me about the princess.”
“W-What are you talking about, Viscount?”
“Doris.”
Leaning closer to Doris, pretending not to suspect anything, I continued.
“Why didn’t you tell me that the princess attempted to poison Lady Godeumila?”
“..!”
Surprised by my words, Doris vehemently denied it.
“How can you say something so absurd?! The princess wouldn’t even think of poisoning Lady Godeumila! That’s unthinkable! Your statement just now is an act of treason…!”
Thump!
“What?!”
I placed the report written by Niresera and Satriasha on the table.
“According to the testimonies written here, Lady Godeumila held a great affection for the princess. She never lifted a finger against her, unlike the present situation. Even the slightest harm was unheard of. The princess also adored Godeumila greatly.”
“…”
“But one day, their relationship deteriorated. The princess began brutally assaulting Godeumila. Upon investigating further, it was found that Lady Godeumila suddenly fell severely ill. Why would that be?”
“… Doris Yang did not respond to my words and continued to maintain silence. But then, in the same voice as when she asked me to remove Godmilla before, she began to plead with me.
“My lord, there are things in this world that you shouldn’t know. Hasn’t everything been resolved for the better thanks to you? Your worries about the princes have disappeared, and now you can simply let Godmilla leave the palace without needing to kill her. Must you pry into this story?”
“Yes, I absolutely need that information. Don’t worry. The reason I want to know this information is not for my personal gain or anyone else’s, but for the peace and well-being of the royal family. It will never harm the princess.”
After much contemplation, Doris Yang sighed deeply and opened her mouth.
“…I understand. If you insist on talking to that extent… But please remember one thing. As I mentioned earlier, the princess never intended to poison Godmilla.”
Ultimately, due to my firm persuasion, Doris Yang reluctantly began telling the story as if she had no other choice.
“…That’s what happened. Now, deliver this to the teacher, right?”
“Yes, Selennor. Can you do it for us?”
“Uh, yeah. But if I do this, my brothers must keep their promise with me!”
“hahahaha, of course.”
Selennor left for the room where the teacher was, carrying the ‘gift’ handed to her by her brothers.