MLHRGD 43

#43. Trial (1)

A shocking fact had been revealed.

The merchant who had tried to sell the forgery was connected to the Goriki family.

To be precise, not directly to Maria Goriki herself, but to the Goriki household.

“I-I was under the protection of the Goriki family!”

The merchant had been bribing the Goriki family to gain favor, and the Goriki family had readily accepted his bribes. In exchange, they covered his back.

That alone was outrageous, but it didn’t end there.

It turned out that all the merchants who had visited Belikordo Castle so far were under the Goriki family’s influence.

Because of this, even low-quality goods—items that would never have been presented to the House of Volkov under normal circumstances—had been sold at exorbitant prices.

“The Goriki family is a noble marquisate with deep roots and loyal vassals to His Grace the Grand Duke! There’s no way they could commit such treachery!”

One of the Grand Duke’s aides, who had always been on friendly terms with the Marquis of Goriki, immediately protested in fear.

If the Goriki family had indeed committed the crimes the merchant confessed to, the aide too would not escape unscathed.

He knew what had happened to his colleagues who were dragged off in chains during the Count Tula incident, and now, his neck veins bulged as he pressured the merchant.

“B-But….”

The merchant hesitated and continued.

“From what I heard…”

The Goriki family believed they would claim the vacant seat left by Count Tula.

But instead of them—the long-standing loyal vassals from a prestigious marquisate—the position had suddenly been handed to the “Little Madam” who had appeared out of nowhere.

Yet they had not despaired or given up.

“They said they could drive the Little Madam out whenever they wished!”

The merchant rambled on.

The Goriki family believed that Sasha, a bride who had essentially been purchased, could easily be discarded whenever it suited them.

Before, Pavel’s health, conduct, and reputation were all so poor that they couldn’t find a bride for him in the north, so they had paid money to secure a bride.

But now things were different.

It was time to get rid of the unworthy “Little Madam” who did not befit the dignity of the Grand Duke’s family.

They were certain that Sasha, who surely lacked education, would repeatedly make mistakes and fail to perform her duties as the lady of the house.

So they planned to wait quietly and then expose to the world just how unfit she was to be the Grand Duchess, thereby forcing her out.

And that position would go to their daughter, Raisa Goriki.

“…They said that once the two houses were bound together by marriage, the bond would be solid, so I should just obey the Goriki family without worry.”

The merchant finished speaking, trembling.

The hall was silent.

Those who had come to watch a dramatic spectacle were now listening to something far more serious. They all pressed their lips together and watched the Grand Duke’s expression.

Meanwhile, Sasha, having heard the entire truth, let out a bitter laugh.

They never truly thought of me as the lady of this house.

She was merely a temporary Grand Duchess, someone to be thrown out the moment things stabilized, easily replaced.

The Goriki family and the merchants had seen her only that way.

So that’s why they’ve been so blatantly disrespectful to me.

Now Sasha understood everything.

No matter how young or of poor birth she was, Maria Goriki’s attitude had far exceeded what was acceptable.

And now it was clear that Maria Goriki’s insolence had come from the belief that Sasha would soon be expelled.

Sasha had always wondered where that audacity had come from—now she knew.

As she quietly organized her thoughts, the Grand Duke—who had been the silent center of the storm—finally spoke.

“…You dared to try and drive out my daughter-in-law?”

The Grand Duke’s icy voice made the merchant flinch.

It seemed the words the merchant had heard—claims that even the Grand Duke disapproved of Sasha—had all been lies.

The Grand Duke’s piercing gaze was terrifying.

Damn it! I only went along with this because the Goriki family was so confident!

The merchant’s eyes darted around, searching desperately for an escape route, and landed on Sasha, who stood with her usual composed posture.

In that moment, a sharp instinct struck him.

It was his instincts and quick wits that had turned a small village general store into one of the duchy’s leading trade houses.

The merchant immediately followed his instinct.

“Little Madam! I have committed an unforgivable sin. I was a fool, ignorant and stupid enough to be deceived. Please, have mercy!”

Sasha frowned at the merchant groveling before her.

“This is not something to beg me for. Wait for His Grace’s judgment.”

It wasn’t that she was trying to push the troublesome decision onto the Grand Duke.

This had happened in the Grand Duchy and was, in a way, House Volkov’s business.

Whether to quietly let the matter go or to punish everyone involved as he had done with Count Tula’s case—

That decision belonged to the Grand Duke.

But—

“No. You should be begging her.”

“……?”

Puzzled gazes turned to the Grand Duke. He spoke casually, as if it were nothing.

“Alexandra will be the one to handle this matter.”

“What?”

Sasha was so startled that she asked again.

The Grand Duke smiled faintly at her wide eyes.

But the rare smile vanished quickly, and in a stern voice, he issued his command again.

“Since you uncovered this, you will take responsibility and see it through to the end.”

“Me…?”

Sasha asked in disbelief, and the Grand Duke gave a firm answer.

“Yes. You will reveal the crimes of all involved and administer punishment accordingly.”

This bold decision—entrusting Sasha with the judgment of everyone involved—sent murmurs through the crowd.

But the Grand Duke did not retract his words.

Sasha didn’t know it, but this was a test. His final test.

The Grand Duke rested his chin on his hand and quietly observed Sasha, who had quickly regained her composure after her initial shock.

He was curious.

What would his extraordinary daughter-in-law accomplish this time?

Suddenly burdened with such a weighty responsibility, Sasha pondered.

What should I do?

Lost in thought, she walked silently down the corridor.

“-It’s not the Little Madam’s fault!”

Hearing a familiar word just around the corner, Sasha stopped in her tracks.

Are they talking about me?

She listened more closely and confirmed it.

“But the Little Madam is responsible, too. If she hadn’t seemed so easy to trample over, would they have dared to do something so insolent?”

“……!”

“People stretch their legs where they see a place to lie down. Because she hasn’t been acknowledged as the true lady of the house, they dared to plot to take over the Volkov family!”

The assertive voice silenced the maid who had been defending Sasha.

Then the one blaming Sasha scoffed.

“You agree, don’t you? That’s why you’re staying so quiet.”

“…No! The Little Madam is kind and considerate. It’s those who abused her goodwill who are in the wrong!”

“Being taken advantage of is the problem! Kind? Considerate? Whatever her personality is, it’s wrong to appear weak and let subordinates climb over her!”

“…Are you finished talking?”

“Not yet.”

The mocking voice continued.

“If the Little Madam keeps being so timid and soft, it’ll harm the family. What if House Volkov is looked down on because of her?”

“Looked down on? That’s too much!”

“It’s true. Haven’t you heard what the others are saying? Complaining that the family’s dignity has fallen because of the Little Madam? You’re the only one who doesn’t think so.”

“Do you think that way, too?”

“I told you, everyone but you thinks so.”

“…You!”

The maids’ argument, which had been escalating, now seemed to have turned physical. Sasha, standing a little further away, could hear the sound of scuffling.

“Let go!”

“You let go first!”

If she left them, things would get worse.

Sasha, who had been quietly listening until now, finally stepped forward.

Tap-

The sound of footsteps startled the maids, who whipped their heads around.

“L-Little Madam!”

“……!”

The very person they had just been talking about had appeared.

Had she heard them? She must have, right?

The maids avoided Sasha’s gaze, trembling.

The taller maid looked as though she was facing death itself, her lips trembling.

The shorter maid also seemed flustered, but at least looked calmer than the taller one.

The tall maid hesitated for a moment before suddenly dropping to her knees and bowing deeply.

“Please forgive me!”

From her voice, Sasha could tell it was the maid who had been criticizing her the most.

“……”

Sasha silently stared down at the maid.

“Please forgive me, Little Madam!”

The tall maid begged again, her voice shrinking with fear.

There are so many people begging me for forgiveness today, Sasha mused inwardly as she looked down at the tall maid, her expression complicated.

“I’m sorry….”

When Sasha turned her gaze to the shorter maid, she flinched and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry, my lady. We were thoughtless and spoke carelessly behind your back.”

She wasn’t at fault. Sasha had clearly heard that she had been defending her during the argument.

“……”

Sasha fell silent, deep in thought.

The longer the silence stretched, the more the maids’ faces paled, unable to even breathe properly.

“…I see.”

Finally, Sasha broke the silence.

“At least you understand that you acted recklessly. That’s a relief.”

Her calm but pointed words brought tears to the shorter maid’s eyes.

On the other hand, the taller maid almost smiled, feeling the cold floor through her forehead.

As expected, she’s as soft-hearted as I heard.

Their argument had been about the Little Madam’s temperament after all.

They say she doesn’t get truly angry even when her subordinates act rudely.

She had heard that even when the Marchioness Goriki had blatantly defied her, Sasha had said nothing.

So she was sure that if she acted pitiful enough, she would be forgiven this time, too.

If it had been any other noble, I’d be in big trouble. But luckily…

The taller maid let out a sigh of relief.

But—

“That doesn’t mean I can forgive you.”

Sasha’s firm words shattered her pink-colored delusions.

“If I just let this go, everything I heard will become the truth. That I’m weak, that House Volkov can be treated lightly… That’s something I cannot allow.”

The more Sasha spoke, the redder the taller maid’s face became.

Because every word pointed back to what she herself had said.

She had brought this entirely upon herself.