episode_0018

In response to Eiria’s summons, the chefs of Blackwood Manor stepped forward.

Upon seeing them, I instinctively sensed trouble brewing in my mind.

Eiria’s confident summoning of the chefs as witnesses to this disciplinary committee.

And the reason why those chefs readily complied with the witness summons without any suspicion.

My mind was quick to grasp all of this at once.

“Are all five chefs from the manor willing to testify as witnesses for Lady Eiria?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“As it might take too long to hear from all five, could one of you summarize your testimony on behalf of the group?”

Upon hearing the head maid’s words, the chefs began discussing among themselves.

Among them, the youngest-looking chef presumed to be the spokesperson started the testimony on behalf of all the chefs.

“I will testify on behalf of my senior colleagues.”

“Understood. Could you please state your name and how long you have worked here?”

“My name is Paul Remson, and I have been working at Blackwood Manor for five years now.”

“….”

Among the five chefs, the youngest chef had been there for five years.

It was a moment where I, who had only brought in a first-year junior maid as a witness, felt utterly insignificant.

In a modern society where the law is applied equally, perhaps the status and power of the individuals involved wouldn’t matter. However, in this medieval fantasy world, such details as one’s position and authority undoubtedly influenced the outcome when dealing with trivial matters.

The same applied to the status of a person appearing as a witness in such circumstances.

The weight of testimony from a first-year junior maid versus five exclusive chefs with at least five years of experience was on entirely different levels.

“Please proceed, Mr. Paul Remson.”

“I will testify to the fact that Lady Eiria and Lady Alicia diligently carried out their kitchen duties, while Miss Lillis over there displayed some negligence in her work.”

“Could you elaborate on the specifics of your testimony?”

“All of us chefs start work at 7 a.m. to prepare breakfast at 9 a.m. The menu varies, but most dishes require prepped vegetables or fruits. During busy times, we can’t handle all the prep work alone, so we rely on the maids for assistance.”

“I see.”

“And every morning at 7 a.m., the maids who handed us the prepped ingredients were Lady Eiria and Lady Alicia.”

Damn it.

Of course, it had to be that way.

While I took a break after peeling hundreds of garlic cloves for two hours straight, who else would have handed over the prepped ingredients to the chefs?

No matter how tired and weary I was, I should have stayed put and not left my post.

It was the moment I fell helplessly into a self-created vulnerability.

“Was it only Eiria and Alicia? Have you never seen other maids do it?”

“The maid with pink hair over there, I’m not sure if I’ve seen her or not… It’s a bit unclear, but… I have never once seen Miss Lillis during the morning handover.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Lillis’s appearance was quite renowned among our chefs for her beauty. If we had seen her during the morning shift, we wouldn’t have forgotten.

As Chef Paul spoke, the other chefs nodded in agreement, realizing how her conspicuously striking appearance had ironically become a disadvantage.

If only I had a plain appearance like Katarina, with no presence, it could have made it confusing whether I was remembered or not.

At this moment, her unremarkable appearance and petite stature were enviable beyond belief.

“Ah, excluding the preparation time for dawn ingredients, Lilyss has diligently participated in work since after breakfast. She never missed tasks like cleaning up the kitchenware or doing the dishes.”

“You mean you only skipped the ingredient preparation before breakfast?”

“Yes.”

While I managed to confirm my attendance in post-breakfast shifts, it was now a meaningless testimony.

The reason for the disciplinary action against me and Aeria wasn’t simply about participating diligently in ingredient preparation tasks.

It was about determining who initiated the conflict among the lower maids, who led the fights, and who confused disciplinary actions with lies.

Since those chefs were unaware, they could easily testify lightly without knowing the gravity of the situation.

They probably couldn’t imagine receiving severe punishment just for missing ingredient preparations for a few days.

“Lilyss Rosewood.”

“…Yes.”

“Is Chef Paul Raimson’s testimony true? That you didn’t face the chefs during the handover of processed ingredients.”

“…Yes, it is true.”

“In that case, where were you and what were you doing during that time?”

“…I was exhausted from handling dawn ingredient processing alone, so I rested in my quarters until breakfast.”

As the disciplinary committee began to stir alongside my testimony, it was essentially an accusation of work negligence, which was expected.

However, in a situation with so many witnesses, blatantly lying was not an option.

Unfortunately, there was no credible witness to corroborate my claim of handling all ingredient processing alone from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.

“Lastly, Lilyss Rosewood.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you have any witnesses or evidence to prove that you worked alone in the kitchen from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.?”

“…”

For a moment, the face of a certain piglet flashed through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

I had never placed any expectations on that scoundrel to begin with.

It would have been better to give up from the start than to cling to false hope and end up disappointed.

“Handling that amount of vegetables alone for two hours is an unbelievable story, Maid Manager. Lilyss’s words are obviously lies…”

“Quiet down, Aeria Laurence. This is not the place to discuss possibilities and impossibilities.”

“…”

“We are here only to confirm whether you and Lilyss Rosewood worked during the specified hours.”

“I apologize.”

Though Aeria’s jubilant expression turned sullen, it was undoubtedly good news, yet it brought no relief to me at this moment.

If things continued like this, I would be unable to prove my innocence and would inevitably face severe punishment without recourse.

But stalling time wouldn’t offer any escape either.

In the end, I had to accept reality and quietly bow my head.

“No… sir…”

“…Is that so.”

“However, it is an undeniable fact that I diligently came out early every day and prepared ingredients alone for two hours. Even if I were to work alone in the kitchen starting tomorrow, it wouldn’t matter much…”

“That’s enough, Lillis Rosewood.”

“…”

In Melissa’s voice, which seemed to have already reached a conclusion in her mind, I quietly closed my mouth.

Quietly, I had no choice but to wait for her next words as her lips parted again.

“…With this, it seems like the level of discipline for all of you has been decided.”

Melissa, with her arms crossed between me and Aeria, looked around on both sides.

Although I could sense a peculiar look of sympathy in her eyes directed at me, it was just that.

It was obvious who between a junior maid who had only been here for a year and a mansion-employed cook with at least five years of service would have more credibility.

Moreover, unlike the testimony from the other side claiming to have directly witnessed Aeria in the kitchen, Isabelle’s testimony was merely about seeing me at the ‘time of arrival.’

In the end, even with the status of a witness and the completeness of the testimony, I was completely defeated.

“Damn it, that cunning Aeria.”

I had to persist without leaving any gaps no matter how exhausted I felt.

Even if I felt like I was going to die of exhaustion, I should have stayed in the kitchen until the end, facing the cooks.

If I had done that, I wouldn’t have collapsed so miserably in this disciplinary trial.

…Regretting now would be meaningless, though.

“Then, I will determine the level of discipline for Aeria, Alicia, Katarina, and Lillis.”

As my head began to feel numb, the voice of the head maid started to fade away.

For a month, cleaning the entire first-floor corridor and stables had made me feel utterly detached, but at least the level of discipline would have to increase from this.

As I thought about how Aeria, that girl, had effortlessly taken away the kitchen duties I had carried out exhaustively, all sorts of negative emotions began to well up deep within me…

“Aeria and Alicia, no discipline. Katarina, one month of cleaning the entire first-floor corridor due to perjury and violent behavior. And Lillis, for perjury, violent behavior, negligence in duty, and insubordination…”

“…But Lillis was working alone in the kitchen early in the morning; I saw her last time.”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

At someone’s voice that broke the solemn atmosphere, the attention of everyone momentarily focused on one person.

As soon as I confirmed the identity of that voice, I was engulfed in various indescribable emotions.

“…Edan Doyen?”

“I saw Lillis working in the kitchen. Yesterday and… even early this morning.”

It wasn’t condemnation… no, Edan Richard Blackwood was testifying for me.