I Didn’t Ask For Villain’s Obsession! Chapter 34

Chapter 34. Perhaps It Wasn’t Your Doing

“Did you hear about it?”

“You mean Her Highness the Imperial Consort? Of course, I did. Who in the Imperial Palace hasn’t?”

“Then you must have heard this too. The High Priest is coming to the Imperial Palace at His Majesty’s request.”

“The High Priest? Could it be… Is there really going to be a trial?”

In a secluded corner of the labyrinthine Imperial Palace,

whispers of the servants leaked out.

“Is Her Highness’ condition that critical?”

“Fortunately, the poisoning symptoms don’t seem too severe. She remains unconscious for most of the day, but because she was found early, her life isn’t in danger.”

“That’s a relief. But if His Majesty is summoning the High Priest, it must mean he’s truly furious.”

“Well, of course. It’s Her Highness we’re talking about. Everyone knows how much His Majesty cherishes her.”

“But…”

The whispers grew even quieter.

“To be honest, I can kind of understand Her Majesty the Empress’ feelings.”

“What?”

“I mean, think about it from Her Majesty’s perspective. When someone is being blatantly favored like that, wouldn’t even a saint get jealous?”

“Hey, no matter what, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. This time, she went too far. Even if she was jealous, how could she use such a drug?”

“That’s true, but… How do they even know that Her Majesty the Empress is the culprit?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Who else but Her Majesty would do such a thing?”

“Well, in the end, how could we possibly understand the minds of those in power? There must be complicated circumstances.”

“There’s no way a trial is really going to happen, right? Things have been quiet for a while, and now… Sigh, what a mess.”

Indeed, what a mess.

Hiding in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation, I nodded.

I wanted to know as well.

What was really going on.

‘Just as Countess Chloe said, most of the people in the Imperial Palace believe I did it.’

Objectively speaking, I was the most suspicious person.

‘Sitting quietly and waiting won’t clear my name, so I have no choice but to act.’

I resumed my steps.

‘I need to meet Jerome.’

I had to explain myself.

Of course, he wouldn’t believe me.

But at the very least, I could hear the details of the incident.

‘And I need to tell him about Duke Hastings von Schwaben.’

Originally, I had planned to meet him during a calmer time to discuss this matter properly.

But if I missed this chance, I might never get another.

Moving like a stray cat, I crept through the Imperial Palace.

Fortunately, dark clouds had gathered, covering the bright moon.

Krrrrooom!

A distant clap of thunder rumbled.

‘It’s going to pour soon.’

Taking advantage of the darkness, I arrived near the Imperial Consort’s Palace.

Yes. To meet Jerome, I had to enter the Imperial Consort’s Palace.

The poisoned Imperial Consort.

Given how much Jerome loved her, he was bound to stay by her side all night.

So, this was my only option.

‘It should be around here somewhere.’

I scanned the garden near the Imperial Consort’s Palace.

According to the novel’s description, there was a secret passage here that no one knew about.

Fay, who had learned about it from Jerome, used this passage whenever trouble arose.

Until the end of the novel, only Jerome and Fay knew about it.

Sorry, protagonists, but I’m going to borrow it too.

I have an urgent situation. Please understand.

‘Found it!’

A secluded corner of the garden.

Just as described in the original novel, there was an old well.

It was ancient and dried up, no longer in use.

But this well held a secret that no one knew.

Carefully, I climbed inside.

‘Somewhere around here…’

I groped around the dark, damp bottom of the well.

When I pressed a certain spot, a section sank inward with a click.

Krrrrooom!

A small side door opened—just big enough for someone to crawl through.

“Oh, it worked!”

I almost cheered but quickly clapped my hands over my mouth.

Surely, no one heard that, right?

I peeked outside the well.

Luckily, there was no sign of anyone.

Relieved, I exhaled a breath and slipped inside the secret passage.

The passage within the well was incredibly narrow.

Crawling through it was absolute misery.

Ugh, when will this tunnel end?

My arms and legs had long since gone numb, and now even my back and neck ached.

How did Fay even use this? Is her body made of jelly or something?

Ridiculous thoughts filled my mind.

Still, I envied the fact that she could move freely in and out of the Imperial Consort’s Palace.

It would be great if the Empress’ Palace had a secret passage like this too.

That way, I could slip in and out whenever necessary.

Then Countess Chloe wouldn’t have had to put on such a dramatic performance today.

Is there really no hidden passage in the Empress’ Palace…?

As I pondered, I finally reached the end of the tunnel.

Pushing open the door, I emerged into a small chamber.

It was a hidden room connected to the back of the Imperial Consort’s bedchamber.

A small desk was piled high with books.

A half-melted candle cast a dim glow throughout the room.

Everything was exactly as described in the novel.

I listened closely to the sounds from the bedchamber.

Now, I just had to wait here for Jerome to arrive.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long.

From the door leading to the bedchamber, his voice rang out.

“I wish to be alone with the Imperial Consort for a moment.”

Jerome’s solemn voice.

Just hearing it made my heart pound.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Along with a cautious reply, the sound of the door closing echoed.

I pricked my ears and focused on the voices coming from the bedchamber.

But I couldn’t hear any conversation.

Step. Step.

Footsteps. They seemed to belong to Jerome.

Creak.

The sound of a chair being pulled out came from a distance.

I thought he might have sat down to have a conversation with the Imperial Consort…

But it was strangely quiet.

All I could hear was the faint rustling of pages turning.

Ah! That’s right, the Imperial Consort was still unconscious.

So, he was likely in the adjoining chamber, reviewing documents.

That worked out well for me.

Carefully, I pushed open the small door and stepped out.

The bright light pierced my eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment before slowly opening them again.

Before me, I saw a grand, ornate bed, and on it lay a breathtakingly beautiful woman, as still as death.

It was Fay.

Her complexion was terribly pale.

Just then—

“Empress.”

A cold voice rang out.

I froze in place and slowly turned my head, like a broken doll.

It was Jerome.

He must have sensed my presence and came from the adjacent room.

His expression was icy as he looked at me, frowning.

“A maid’s uniform? Are you planning to disguise yourself and harm the Imperial Consort now?”

I sighed inwardly.

Another ridiculous misunderstanding.

“I know. There are many reasons to doubt me. But I want you to believe me—I didn’t do it.”

“What are you referring to? Sneaking into the Imperial Consort’s Palace? Or the poisoning?”

The sarcasm vanished from his face, leaving only a blank expression.

“Impressive. The knights are guarding the palace so tightly, yet you slipped past them as if it were nothing.”

“I just went through a little trouble because I wanted to see you.”

“…You wanted to see me?”

He raised an eyebrow.

I nodded.

I had something to tell you. But you kept avoiding me.

“There’s something I need to say. First of all, once again, I swear I had nothing to do with the Imperial Consort’s poisoning. I will prove my innocence soon.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

“Roisen.”

I met his gaze firmly.

“If we find Roisen, the maid, we can prove my innocence.”

I was about to ask him to give me some time.

But—

“Do you think… that will really happen?”

Jerome’s eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion.

***

At that very moment.

Deep within the forest.

In a place known to be too dangerous for people due to the presence of large beasts—

“Master. We found the maid.”

Leonard had finally located the missing maid.

The once-clear sky was now pouring heavy rain.

Unfazed by the downpour, Leonard walked forward.

“She’s here.”

When he arrived at the scene,

Leonard lowered his gaze.

A freckled girl with long hair braided down to her waist lay motionless.

It was Roisen, the maid from the Empress’ Palace.

“This is…”

Leonard murmured as he took in the sight.

“We’re too late.”

Roisen.

She was no longer breathing, her lifeless body sprawled on the ground.

Under the relentless rain, she grew colder and colder.

As if she had been discarded.

Left all alone in a miserable death.

Leonard pressed his lips together tightly.

“They made it look like she was mauled by wild animals.”

A man spoke in a displeased tone.

It was the man with an eyepatch.

“If the locals had found her, they would’ve buried her somewhere dry without a word. Then again, not many people even come to this place.”

The area was truly deserted.

Tsk, tsk.

The former drunkard beside him clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“Ugh, did she owe someone money? What a terrible way to go.”

The others all murmured in pity.

But Leonard simply stared down at the maid with a blank expression.

The eyepatched man turned to Leonard.

“This wasn’t the work of an amateur. Who would do something this cruel?”

At that sharp question, Leonard remained silent.

After a moment, he finally spoke in a flat tone.

“…I have a suspect in mind.”

A certain person in the Imperial Palace came to mind.

Leonard’s gaze darkened.

“I need to return immediately.”

***

“What do you mean by that?”

Did he just say, Do you really think that will happen?

“No matter what you’re planning, it’s meaningless. Stop wasting your efforts.”

Jerome’s voice was chilling.

“I truly didn’t do it. And all the incidents I’ve been blamed for—none of them were my doing.”

I told him everything about Duke Hastings von Schwaben.

Who he really was.

What he had forced Helena to do.

I laid it all out in detail.

“Maybe this incident is his doing, too. It may sound strange, but… my father doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

Jerome listened with an indifferent expression.

Even after hearing about Duke Hastings von Schwaben, he wasn’t particularly surprised.

As if he had already expected something like this.

Then, at last, he slowly spoke.

“Is that all you had to say?”

“…?”

“You came all the way here just to tell me that?”

“What? No, did you even listen to me? My father—”

“I already knew.”

Jerome cut me off before I could finish.

“Yes, perhaps this wasn’t your doing. But does it really matter?”

He curved his lips into a cold smirk.

As if mocking me.

That smile was chillingly terrifying.

“No matter how I think about it, the only one who could have orchestrated this… is still you.”

—

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