#129. A True Northerner (2)
As the revelations continued, Duke Titova’s pale face turned red.
“You dare! How dare worthless people like you betray me!”
He shouted at the witnesses with bloodshot eyes.
He looked terrifying, but the witnesses stared back without fear.
“You used us as much as you wanted, then threw us away! Did you think we would stay loyal?”
“What’s the point of giving loyalty? The only thing you gave us in return was death! If I’m going to die anyway, I’ll at least die with honor!”
They had worked hard for Titova’s plans, but he discarded them miserably. Their hatred was deep.
Duke Titova looked around nervously. The crowd, which had been so easily swayed by agitators, quickly adapted to the new truth. Now their angry shouts turned toward him instead of Sasha.
‘No, this can’t be!’
He tried to flip the situation.
“They were bribed! Yes, that’s it! I, Duke Titova, am too threatening, so the Volkov family bribed them with money to lie about me!”
“Bribed?”
“Yes! It would be easy to bribe such poor people!”
Tsk tsk. Yelena clicked her tongue at him with pity.
“You are exactly as my lady predicted.”
With a look that said she expected this, Yelena shouted:
“Then let us bring another witness! Come up!”
This time, a middle-aged man in fine noble clothes stepped onto the stage. His outfit and jewelry clearly showed he was a noble.
He cleared his throat and stood where Yelena gave him space.
“I am Count Perelman. I was present when Duke Titova gathered rebels and plotted treason.”
He briefly introduced himself, then testified about Titova and his secret meetings.
“They met often, always busy trying to find a way to drag down Lady Volkov. Then one day, Duke Titova said this: Kartoff was her first great achievement — so we should ruin it.”
Count Perelman revealed the plans and actions Titova carried out.
The details were too precise to be fabricated, so his words were very convincing.
“And all the other schemes came from his head and were carried out by his hands!”
“You wretch!” Duke Titova struggled violently.
“You vile traitor!”
“You’re the traitor. How dare you try to harm House Volkov inside Volkov lands.”
Count Perelman glared coldly at him.
Duke Titova trembled with rage, but there was nothing he could do.
The witnesses, the testimonies, and surely even hard evidence — everything had been prepared.
He was completely trapped. It had gone wrong the moment Yelena, instead of leaving with Sasha, stayed behind to command the knights.
At first, the people were shocked, but now they were filled with anger.
“Could all this be true?”
“With this many witnesses, how could it be false? Unless they were all bribed like Titova claims.”
“That’s impossible! Think about it — who do we trust more? Duke Titova, who ignored us and only exploited us, or Lady Alexandra, who made our land prosper and always put us first?”
The answer was obvious.
“Of course, Lady Alexandra!”
“Then that means Duke Titova tricked us all along?”
Their anger boiled over. Some even acted out.
Thud! Thud!
They threw stones from the ground and rotten Kartoff from their homes at Duke Titova on stage.
Most missed, but one small stone struck his shoulder.
“Argh!”
It wasn’t large, but it was painful enough to bruise.
Worse than the pain was the humiliation — being struck and shamed by those lowly commoners who never dared look him in the eye before.
It was unbearable.
“You fools! Spineless fools!”
But his voice carried no strength anymore.
The tide had already turned. There was nothing he could do now.
Maybe if he escaped, he could plan again later!
He searched for a chance to flee, but the knights guarding him left no gap.
His shoulders slumped in despair.
At that moment—
“You’ve arrived.”
Yelena walked to the side of the stage and bowed deeply.
Alexandra Volkov.
The enemy who ruined Titova’s schemes now walked onto the stage, guided by Yelena’s command.
She climbed gracefully, and no one blocked her way. Everyone else only bowed to greet her.
Looking up at her from below, the people naturally felt the dignity of true power.
Compared to the trembling and bound Duke Titova, Sasha’s proud steps made her shine even more.
Reaching the center of the stage, Sasha glanced calmly over the plaza.
The noisy crowd had gone silent, focused only on her.
She then turned to Duke Titova.
“Duke Titova.”
Even though he kept his head down and didn’t answer, she spoke in a gentle voice.
“You always said I could never truly care for the North because I came from the South. You said that if a true Northerner like you ruled, the people would prefer it.”
Since Dmitri’s funeral, when she had served as acting head, Titova had kept throwing those words at her.
They didn’t wound her deeply, but they were unpleasant.
Yet she had never been swayed by them.
“Look around you now.”
She had confidence.
“What did you ever do for this land and its people? Instead of helping, didn’t you harm and try to destroy them?”
Unlike those who had nothing but the luck of birth—
Ever since deciding to be part of Pavel’s family, ever since Dmitri entrusted her with the family seal—
Sasha had worked only for the North and its people.
“No matter how much you rejected me, no matter how often you cursed me as an outsider who would never belong—”
Even if not everyone understood yet, it didn’t matter.
“I am already one of this land’s people.”
The crowd roared in agreement.
“Hurrah!”
“Our Lady! Our Grand Duchess!”
Hearing the cheers, Duke Titova gnashed his teeth.
‘The heavens have abandoned me.’
His twisted face showed despair.
‘They chose her over me… is this the end?’
The heavens had chosen Sasha, not him.
Feeling the end, he raised his head to glare at her.
Sasha’s calm voice was matched by her steady expression.
That only stoked the black fire in his chest.
‘So what if the heavens didn’t choose me?’
Waiting for fate to hand him success would never work.
‘I’ll take it myself.’
His eyes flashed, and he suddenly fell flat on the ground.
“Forgive me! I was foolish. Please, give me one more chance!”
The knights holding him flinched in surprise at his sudden act.
“Damn!”
They tightened their grip.
“Stay still!”
Titova looked up at them with tears.
“Let me go for a moment. I just want to apologize to my lady.”
The knight looked at Sasha, asking silently what to do.
She narrowed her eyes at Titova.
‘I see.’
She already guessed his intention.
Sighing inwardly, she nodded.
The knight released him and stepped back.
“I truly committed a grave crime! But I never meant to plot rebellion. My foolish words and deeds were misunderstood. Please, for the sake of my ancestors who served the North, grant me mercy.”
On his knees, Titova crawled toward Sasha, bowing repeatedly.
To onlookers, he seemed like a man who had thrown away pride to beg for his life.
The guards let down their guard.
Titova felt the loosened air and moved instantly.
Of course, he had kept a hidden weapon for himself.
He jumped up, swung it, and charged at Sasha.
“Die, you witch!”
Swoosh!
The blade cut through the air with a sharp sound.
“Aaagh!”
Blood flew, and a scream rang out.
But the voice was a man’s.
It was Duke Titova screaming.
Sasha had dodged lightly, grabbed his arm, and twisted it until it broke.
She hadn’t even needed spirit power. Her trained body and skill were enough.
‘Maybe I can’t fight monsters anymore, but taking down one man is nothing.’
She had once been the greatest swordmaster and knight commander in her past life.
With that, Titova’s last attempt ended pathetically.
“Ughhh…”
Sasha looked coldly at him, writhing under her foot.
“How can someone never change? Always the same.”
She muttered with boredom.
“Is ‘witch’ the only insult men can think of for a woman with even a little fame or ability?”
Her calm voice made Titova’s face twist more.
If he was doomed anyway, he at least wanted to hurt her feelings.
But nothing he said or did touched her.
Being ignored completely filled him with despair.
“M-My lady!”
“I’m fine. But watch him carefully. Who knows what tricks he’ll try again.”
She handed Titova back to the knight.
This time, completely broken in spirit, he didn’t resist.
He was dragged to Bellicordo Castle and thrown into the dungeon quietly.
Meanwhile, under Sasha’s command, every supporter of Titova’s faction was arrested.
Some escaped, but soldiers caught them quickly, as if they already knew where they would run.
“They really came this way!”
“My lady was right again!”
The captured rebels realized everything had been in Sasha’s hands all along.
“It feels like being bewitched by a demon.”
When Sasha heard this remark later through the spirits, her brow furrowed slightly.
‘So predictable.’
But whether they called her demon or witch, Sasha didn’t care.
What mattered was simple: Sasha had won.
