The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 65.2
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“Knight.”
Benjamin’s voice, cutting off the temple knight’s explanation, was gentle but piercingly cold.
“I didn’t ask you. I asked My Lady. Please do not interrupt in our conversation.”
“…”
“My Lady, can you tell me what happened?”
“…The gift that Duke Jarte gave to the Saintess was found in my quarters.”
“Could it be possible that it got mixed up while moving things?”
“No. Our belongings… since we decided to keep only a few items and use the rest as supplies, we had to check every single item individually.”
With immense effort, she mustered the strength to speak. As Grace forced out each word, she felt as if her breath was being choked off.
‘Will he believe me?’
Normally, the quarters would be brimming with knights guarding it, but not this time.
The sudden influx of supplies had left them short of hands to distribute them.
They had judged that there wouldn’t be any threats, and since Grace was primarily active outside, she had sent most of the dukedom’s knights where they were needed most, minimizing the guards at her quarters.
“Wasn’t there a girl who envied the Saintess and stole the jewelry the Saintess had received before?”
“Yes, not long ago…”
Whispers tormented Grace’s mind.
‘What… what should I do?’
Her will seemed to crumble and sag.
“My Lady.”
“…?”
“My Lady, may I hold your hand?”
Benjamin’s shadow loomed over Grace. His hand came into her line of sight.
Instead of answering, Grace extended her hand. Benjamin took it, bending slightly to meet her gaze.
“My Lady, please tell me. You didn’t do it, did you?”
“…No, I didn’t.”
‘It’s Warm.’
Seeing their clasped hands, her heart inexplicably swelled.
‘He believes me.’
But just because he believed her didn’t mean the problem was resolved. It merely gave her a slight resurgence of will to address the issue.
Grace slowly lifted her head, which had been lowered, to look at Benjamin, then turned to look at the hand of the knight holding the necklace box, and finally looked to where the relief supplies had been organized and stacked.
“…”
After surveying those gathered around, Grace hesitantly spoke up.
“I… I didn’t do it.”
“I believe you.”
“I can prove it!”
Strength surged into Grace’s grip.
“I can certainly prove I wasn’t the one!”
Her voice, just like the grip of her hand, became more resolute. Then Benjamin asked her,
“So, what should I do to help you?”
“…Can you trust me?”
In response to Grace’s question, Benjamin nodded.
“As always.”
Grace’s declaration caused a ripple of reaction among those around.
‘I don’t know the exact motive, but the culprit is from within.’
Someone, for some purpose, had hidden the necklace in Grace’s quarters.
‘For what reason?’
It was only this time that security at Grace’s quarters was lax. Normally, in accordance with her status, knights guarded it diligently.
‘If there was a lapse, it’s most likely during the shift change.’
Grace recalled providing snacks to the knights during a past shift change, so she was aware of the afternoon changeover time.
‘Given that the incident hasn’t been long ago, and even if the security was more lax than usual, there were still guards. The culprit couldn’t have completely erased any traces.’
In such situations, if one is absent from their post, they become an easy target for suspicion. Thus, the perpetrator is likely to be in the vicinity.
‘It’d be a headache if it was an outsider.’
Relying on this was a gamble based on a mere ‘what if’. Grace, suppressing her unease, asked the temple knight.
“Sir, can you tell me where you found the item?”
“It was here.”
The direction the temple knight pointed to wasn’t particularly surprising. It was where Grace’s belongings were stacked, a location easily spotted at first glance.
‘It’s most likely an insider’s work.’
For reasons unknown, it felt as though the item had been purposely placed for all to see. She might be getting paranoid, but it’s often said that trusting one’s gut feeling rarely leads to loss.
“…”
Grace quickly turned her head, scanning the crowd of onlookers.
‘So many have gathered.’
Grace discreetly signaled to Roselia. Catching Grace’s silent cue, Roselia moved closer to where the crowd was standing.
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