At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 29

The crime was clear, testimonies were abundant, and above all, there was even a Grand Duke among the witnesses. Naturally, execution was inevitable.

However, people always held diverse opinions, so as soon as the notice of the governess’s execution tomorrow was posted, crowds immediately began chattering loudly.

“How can they possibly execute her? Wasn’t she the one who raised His Highness since childhood?”

“Come to your senses. Didn’t you yourself say, ‘She shouldn’t have done that,’ when she showed such disrespect to His Highness? If they don’t execute her, both House Ostein and the Imperial Household will react immediately—what then?”

Several banquet attendees who fully understood the implications of the Grand Duchess being forced to consume poisoned food honestly testified about what they had witnessed. They also believed the Grand Duke’s judgment was correct.

“Honestly, I thought the governess must have been drunk. Even if she claimed to be a Baroness, the Windgood family was never that distinguished to begin with. If she acted like that here, how could she possibly treat Princess Ostein that way?”

That was precisely the problem. Before Caella’s death, refusing to eat the Pherenco laced with Tour Berry had merely seemed like the fussy behavior of a spoiled southern princess making herself obnoxious despite having nothing to her name. But now, under pressure to comply, causing the Grand Duchess to hover between life and death was an entirely different matter.

Ostein wouldn’t stay silent, and neither would the Imperial Household. With winter so long and harsh, Lusenford desperately needed Klein’s support and thus had to handle this matter decisively.

“Still, she wasn’t just some wet nurse—she practically raised the Grand Duke herself!”

“The governess, a wet nurse? She wasn’t even officially appointed by Her Imperial Majesty the Empress! She just arrogantly acted like a mother-in-law. She must have lost her mind.”

“Still, shouldn’t they show some leniency considering her past service? She probably didn’t realize how serious it would be.”

To the people of Lusenford, the governess might have “acted without knowing,” and above all, the Grand Duke’s own merits—built since his arrival in Lusenford—were rendered meaningless before Princess Ostein, a newcomer from outside.

For the people of Lusenford, who always fought, endured, and sacrificed yet never received recognition from Klein, this was deeply disheartening.

And Caella, the foreigner who had never been fully accepted here, understood this point all too well.

“The investigation is complete. We plan to execute her tomorrow morning.”

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