Dog Fight (5)

“I saw Lilith working in the kitchen. Yesterday… and early this morning too.”

The disciplinary atmosphere that was about to determine the punishment severity for me and Katarina took an abrupt 180-degree turn due to Ethan’s unexpected testimony.

“…Young Master Ethan? What do you mean by that?”

“Isn’t Lilith being punished for not working in the early morning?”

“That is correct, but…”

“Lilith was in the kitchen early this morning. I saw her.”

“……”

…What’s this?

What’s his angle?

While the disciplinary committee’s atmosphere began shifting in an unexpected direction due to Ethan’s sudden testimony, an uneasy feeling grew stronger in my chest rather than relief.

Why would Ethan testify for me like this?

And the anxious thought that he might demand something from me in return for his testimony began to take root.

“Young Master Ethan, I apologize, but this disciplinary committee is to determine servant punishments. If you’re making false statements as a joke…”

“I’m not lying. I really saw her. I even talked with Lilith. And she gave me some food… though I wouldn’t call it cooking.”

“……”

As Ethan added details to his testimony, Head Maid Melissa’s eyes sharpened as she began listening intently.

It seemed Ethan’s testimony was being taken seriously, as Melissa turned her gaze toward me to begin cross-verifying his statements.

“Is what the Young Master just said true, Lilith Rosewood?”

“…Yes, it is.”

As soon as I answered, the etiquette training room buzzed with murmurs.

From what I could gather, the general atmosphere wasn’t bad, with mostly positive comments about me circulating.

Isabelle was glaring at me intensely from the crowd.

Meanwhile, Katarina beside me was practically clinging to me, leaning against my body.

…Amidst this, Eiria was the only one who couldn’t accept the situation, raising her voice in protest.

“Th-that’s a lie!”

“Pardon?”

“I-if Young Master Ethan really visited the kitchen in the early morning, then this bitch… I mean, Lilith would have called him as a witness from the start! Young Master Ethan is just lying out of pity, and Lilith is making up stories on the spot-“

Oh. That’s a terrible move.

Accusing Ethan of lying right now, in front of Harold?

While he’s watching with his eyes wide open?

“You there.”

“M-Master…?”

“Are you suggesting my son is a liar?”

“……”

What did I tell you?

The moment Harold’s icy voice and gaze landed on Eiria, she froze like ice, realizing her mistake.

There are two ways to anger the usually composed Harold: openly insulting Ethan in front of him,

…

…

…

and the other is insulting his late wife, Thanathia.

“N-no, Master… That’s not what I meant…”

Harold was a noble with a broad enough mind to let personal insults slide, but these two things were absolute taboos for him.

Even in the Lilith rivalry arc, fighting Harold head-on was dozens of times more intense than dealing with Ethan.

I have to admire her courage for insulting Ethan right in front of Harold.

Seeing this cunning woman fail at such basic social maneuvering shows how desperate she’s become.

“There’s no need for anger, Master.”

“…Head Maid.”

“This matter will be quickly resolved by cross-verifying Young Master Ethan and Lilith Rosewood’s statements. There’s no need for you to get worked up.”

Calming Harold down, Melissa looked between me and Ethan with confidence.

She then addressed both of us simultaneously.

“Young Master Ethan, and Lilith Rosewood.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Young Master Ethan, you mentioned that Lilith Rosewood cooked for you during your kitchen visits?”

“Not cooked! Just some food!”

“…That’s correct.”

“…Then, Young Master Ethan, whisper in my ear right now. Tell me what food Lilith Rosewood served you.”

“Well, you see…”

Ethan leaned in and began whispering into Melissa’s ear.

It seemed he was testifying about the meals I’d given him over the past two days for thorough cross-verification.

…To be honest, they were barely edible, but still.

After a lengthy whisper, Melissa straightened up and turned to me.

“Lilith Rosewood.”

“Yes.”

“Tell us here and now what two dishes you served Young Master Ethan.”

“One was a tomato and turnip salad dressed with honey, and the other was radish rolls-thinly sliced radish wrapped around turnip, onion, and carrot, served with olive oil.”

“…I see. Thank you.”

Melissa smiled faintly after hearing my answer.

She then immediately began recounting what Ethan had whispered to her.

“Young Master Ethan told me this:”

“……”

“He ate a dish with sweet-tasting tomatoes and turnips on a plate, and some weird food with thin radish wrapped around turnips and other vegetables.”

‘Weird food…’

“Given the description and ingredients, it perfectly matches what Lilith Rosewood described.”

I was a bit annoyed that he openly called the food I’d painstakingly prepared “weird,”

but at least he remembered it well enough to testify accurately, so I could breathe a sigh of relief in multiple ways.

Now it was fully proven that I had worked the early morning shifts, and soon it would be confirmed that the other junior maids hadn’t shown up.

I was almost about to be stuck with stable cleaning duty for at least a month,

but being saved by Ethan-someone I’d loathed in my past life-felt incredibly ironic.

“W-wait a minute…”

“Do you still have something to say, Eiria Lawrence?”

“Th-that’s… I mean…”

At this point, there was practically no way for her to overturn the disciplinary outcome.

To refute this testimony, she’d need a witness with far more authority than Ethan or irrefutable evidence that even he couldn’t dismiss.

If she had that, this wouldn’t have escalated to begin with.

But Eiria, refusing to give up, desperately searched for a way out,

until her gaze landed on Katarina, who was trembling beside me.

“K-Katarina is suspicious!”

“Eeek?!”

Katarina yelped in surprise and hid behind me the moment Eiria pointed at her.

Even I was curious what Eiria would say next, given how out-of-nowhere this accusation was.

Eiria, as if making a last-ditch effort, pointed at Katarina and continued her desperate argument.

“K-Katarina was the thief who stole Lady Thanathia’s necklace from Young Master Ethan’s room a year ago!”

“E-eeek?!”

“S-someone like Katarina siding with Lilith is suspicious! Lilith must have something to hide too!”

“N-no… I-I really didn’t steal Lady Thanathia’s necklace…”

“You did steal it, you bitch!”

“E-eeek…!”

“……”

If you can’t win against the message, attack the messenger, huh?

But Eiria, don’t you realize you just dug your own grave deeper?

Thanathia’s necklace?

Anyone who’s played 『Luminor Academy』 would know about that item. Mentioning it directly made me almost laugh out loud.

By bringing up that necklace, she was practically confessing to stealing it herself.

Seeing a perfect opportunity to finish her off, I raised my hand and interjected between Eiria and Katarina.

“…If I may ask something.”

“Huh?”

“What is it, Lilith Rosewood?”

“About Lady Thanathia’s necklace… Are you referring to a gold necklace with a blue gemstone…?”

“……”

“…How do you know about that…?”

Under Harold’s half-suspicious gaze, I continued acting as the innocent “Lilith Rosewood.”

This was a golden opportunity to clear Katarina’s false accusation while completely discrediting that annoying Eiria.

“I… think I’ve seen it before.”

“……”

“I think I once saw a fancy, expensive-looking necklace… in Senior Eiria’s room…”

The room fell silent after my statement.

All eyes turned to me, waiting to see where this would lead.

“Uh… uhh…?”

One thing’s for sure-Eiria, you’re done for now.