Chapter Index

    After escaping the sermon hell that lasted almost two hours in the maid training room,

    I somehow managed to grab my numb legs and stood up, walking out of the etiquette classroom with the other maids.

    Only one maid remained in the etiquette classroom to tidy up inside, while four other maids had already moved outside the classroom.

    As the door of the etiquette classroom was about to close, Aeria’s sharp voice pierced through the air.

    “Katarina.”

    “H-hiccup…!”

    Aeria shot a sharp gaze towards Katarina as soon as the maid supervisor’s eyes left us.

    She must be about to say something regarding how Katarina sided with me during the recent disciplinary action instead of supporting her.

    Aeria couldn’t just let Katarina’s actions slide from earlier.

    “What were you thinking? You tried to save me, only to side with that wench, Lillis?”

    “Uh….”

    “It’s been a year, and you still haven’t come to your senses. Are you still not beaten enough? Huh?”

    “H-hiccup…!”

    Aeria raised her palm threateningly towards Katarina, who trembled as if she might burst into tears at any moment, and I instinctively pushed my body between them, dividing the space.

    “Calm down, okay?”

    “…What?”

    “Why don’t you try raising a hand against Katarina again? This time, I’ll really discipline and maybe even kill you.”

    “Do you have the guts for that? Aren’t you just a lowly maid too? How will you handle the consequences of killing someone?”

    “I don’t know, damn it. But at least I can make sure you won’t need to worry about the consequences for the rest of your life.”

    Of course, actually killing her would turn the nightmare difficulty of the release play, which was already a nightmare, into an impossible story.

    Anyway, in this kind of fight, the one who hesitated lost. Since I had already been hit once before, I couldn’t imagine not being hit again.

    If there was no way out, at least properly retaliating was somehow a way to win in a fight based on momentum.

    “Let’s stop, Aeria.”

    “…”

    “There’s no point in messing with such a crazy woman. Just by looking at her eyes, she seems somewhat dangerous….”

    “Well, there’s no need to continue this brawl by swinging fists.”

    “After all, we have witnesses. We can just watch Lillis and Katarina receive their punishments later.”

    …What? Witnesses?

    There are witnesses to prove the diligent work of the women who haven’t worked properly even once in three days?

    I couldn’t hide my astonishment momentarily at Alicia’s unexpected statement.

    Seeing my reaction, Aeria smirked slightly and asked.

    “Judging by that reaction, it seems like you don’t have anyone to testify on your behalf, do you?”

    “…”

    “Yeah, you should have thought about who you were picking a fight with before you did. Just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t mean you can throw punches anytime.”

    “…You talk too much. Do you always show off like this?”

    “Whether it’s showing off or not, we’ll find out tonight. If Alixia and I work diligently, and if there’s a witness to testify that Lillis slacked off every day, we’ll see.”

    …Damn it.

    It seemed like there was a part of me that truly believed in that reaction.

    Well, since she has worked as a maid for over a year longer than me, she probably knows more people within the mansion than Lillis does.

    In contrast, Lillis may stand out in appearance, but in terms of actual connections, she would naturally fall behind compared to Aeria.

    The only people that came to mind immediately were Isabelle and Katarina.

    “I’m looking forward to seeing your expression tonight.”

    “…Damn.”

    “And Katarina, you’ll pay the price for daring to challenge me without fear.”

    “…”

    “Let’s go, Alicia.”

    “Yeah.”

    With a sinister expression, the two of them, after exchanging glances with Katarina once, headed up the stairs.

    Meanwhile, I stayed under the stairs with Katarina, contemplating how to avoid this situation.

    “Li, Lillis….”

    “……”

    “Is… there something…? Li, Lillis… Is there a witness we can bring…?”

    “Yes, well.”

    “Really…? Since Lillis is a noble lady… It’s fortunate….”

    Although I felt sorry for Katarina, who still thought of me as a noble lady, to be honest, there was nothing.

    There was no evidence to support my statement or any witnesses who could provide solid testimony.

    ***

    As time passed, after the evening meal.

    The etiquette classroom, now much noisier compared to the morning, had gathered quite a crowd.

    Not only the four lower maids and the head maid, but also various household staff had assembled to witness the disciplinary proceedings of the lower maids. Roughly estimating, there were about 50 people present.

    Surprisingly, even Harold and Ethan, the masters of the house, were in attendance. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that more than half of the Blackwood family members were part of this disciplinary committee.

    Since it was an internal family matter, it seemed that external guests did not attend.

    ‘Why are there so many spectators for the disciplinary proceedings of the lower maids…’

    I briefly wondered if deriving pleasure from watching others getting into trouble went beyond human nature, but unexpectedly, most of the gathered individuals seemed to have been personally invited by the head maid to witness the disciplinary committee session.

    “I initially intended to quietly conclude this disciplinary process under my authority, but considering the seriousness of the situation, I requested others to observe as well.”

    “……”

    “Given that the disciplinary process has already been initiated once and with so many witnesses present, there will be no further reversals in the outcome. Do all four of you understand?”

    “……Yes.”

    With no escape in sight, we quietly responded to the head maid’s words and soon the disciplinary committee to determine the severity of the four maids’ punishment began.

    “First, let’s explain to the observers the violent incident involving the lower maids that occurred around 6 a.m. today….”

    The head maid’s voice opened the disciplinary committee, recounting the morning’s events to the entire etiquette classroom.

    A brief overview of the altercation between me, Katarina, Aelia, and Alicia.

    The clash of opinions between me and Aelia during the altercation.

    Katarina and Alicia siding with me and Aelia respectively, and the purpose of this disciplinary committee being to assess the credibility of these claims.

    After the tidy summary by the head maid, my name was promptly called out.

    “Lilith Rosewood.”

    “Yes.”

    “I instructed you earlier to bring any witnesses or evidence related to this incident, correct?”

    “…That’s correct.”

    “Do you have any? Any witnesses or evidence that can attest to your diligent work?”

    “…Yes.”

    …I didn’t want to resort to this method if possible.

    But I had to grasp at straws to survive, so I suppressed my feelings of guilt and called upon a witness who could testify to my diligent work.

    “I will summon Isabel Grace, a fellow maid who shares my bedroom, as a witness.”

    “Isabel Grace, are you present?”

    “Yes, Head Maid.”

    Upon hearing her name, Isabel moved forward without hesitation.

    Just as I, a mere first-year maid, felt a certain dignity in her confident demeanor.

    “Rilis Rosewood has summoned you as a witness, will you testify?”

    “Yes, Head Maid.”

    “Please speak.”

    “I testify that Rilis Rosewood, my colleague who started working in the kitchen at Blackwood Manor at the same time as me and shares the same bedroom, diligently worked every day without fail from the day she began kitchen duty.”

    “Do you have any further evidence to support this testimony?”

    “Rilis Rosewood and I share the same bedroom and use a two-story bed to efficiently utilize the limited space. As you may know, Head Maid, the second-floor bed is quite noisy and shakes considerably when someone in another compartment moves.”

    “Continue.”

    “I have been awakened by the movement of the bed from Rilis Rosewood’s side since three days before she started kitchen duty until today, and I have witnessed her leaving for work at 4 a.m.”

    “Is that all for your testimony, Isabel Grace?”

    “Yes, Head Maid.”

    Isabel’s manner of speaking fluently while delivering her message clearly.

    For some reason, her trustworthy side made my heart swell with emotion.

    It’s not for nothing that Isabel is called ‘Clever Isabel’ in the game.

    Although she was a character without combat abilities and unfortunately not a playable character in the game, Isabel still held a significant role in the Rilis episode.

    Being given a title like that also meant that the character was created with care by the developers.

    While playing the Rilis route, I often found myself thinking how great it would be if I could conquer Isabel instead.

    Although the character’s significance in the game doesn’t reflect their competence, Isabel had left a very positive impression within the Luminor Academy.

    I felt considerable gratitude towards her for stepping up to save me in a crisis.

    …It was just this morning that I had decided not to cause trouble for Isabel, little did I know that I would end up indebted to her in less than a day.

    “Isabel Grace, I have one more question.”

    “Yes, Head Maid.”

    “Have you seen Rilis Rosewood heading to the kitchen on the first floor after leaving the bedroom at 4 a.m.?”

    “No….”

    “So, you don’t know where Rilis Rosewood went after leaving the bedroom.”

    I had anticipated such questions to come up.

    Given that this is a disciplinary committee aiming to ascertain the truth, it’s natural for them to focus on precise information.

    I thought Isabel would reluctantly acknowledge that part, but surprisingly, she continued to assert my innocence until the end.

    “Rilis is not the type to neglect her duties and wander off! She always tried to take on difficult tasks while working with me, even shortly after collapsing due to illness, she recovered quickly and got back to work right away…”

    “I’m not claiming that Rilis Rosewood neglected to show up for work or engaged in negligent behavior. I simply acknowledged the possibility.”

    “I apologize, Head Maid.”

    “Nevertheless, Isabel Grace, your trust in Rilis Rosewood has been well noted. This testimony will be considered in the disciplinary process. You may go in.”

    “Understood, Head Maid.”

    Isabel raised her head and returned to her original position after finishing her statement.

    Before entering, I met her eyes once, and I also winked at her.

    If it weren’t for the real her, how much more dreadful would my situation as a Release be?

    Thanks to Isabel’s fervent testimony, suspicions about my negligent work were somewhat dispelled.

    It would seem quite strange in many ways for a lower maid coming out of the bedroom at 4 a.m. to wander somewhere in the mansion instead of going to work.

    Although Isabel couldn’t testify all the way to when I entered the kitchen, this level of testimony was still helpful to me.

    Since both Aria and I only presented arguments favorable to ourselves to the head maid, even a slight bit of testimony would likely sway the judgment.

    Unless clear evidence emerges that I completely forgot about kitchen duty, the head maid wouldn’t be able to discipline me even if Aria brings any witness.

    “After hearing Isabel Grace’s testimony, it seems credible that Release Rosewood arrived for work in the early hours.”

    “Yes.”

    “Aria Lawrence.”

    “Yes.”

    “Do you have any witnesses or evidence to prove Release Rosewood’s negligence or to refute Isabel Grace’s testimony?”

    Please let there be none. Please let the lies I told in the morning hold up.

    However, contrary to my desperate hope, Aria also had a look of belief, so there was a glimmer of doubt in her expression.

    With a confident expression, she responded to the head maid.

    “Yes, Head Maid.”

    “Summon them.”

    “I will summon the chefs responsible for the Blackwood Family’s breakfast to testify.”

    As her words ended, the chefs of Blackwood Manor stepped forward one by one.

    Not just one or two, but a total of five chefs revealed themselves to testify for Aria.

    As the room buzzed with the appearance of the five witnesses, Aria subtly turned her gaze towards me, giving me a sly smile.

    And as I read that look in her eyes, I could sense with my whole body that something was amiss.

    …I felt like I might finally understand why that damn woman had been so arrogantly confident all along.

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