After hearing about Alford’s fate, Britney sat huddled in a corner, repeating the same words.

Alford didn’t die, but it was obvious what awaited him in the future, having lost his tongue and limbs.

Britney seemed to be going mad, and Mary seemed like she might go mad because of Britney.

“Be quiet for a moment.”

Britney, who had her face buried in her knees, suddenly looked up.

“Princess!”

Britney crawled towards Mary.

“Princess, please, save me. The Green Countess won’t kill the princess, right? She’s just keeping me confined to instill fear, right? So please, save me.”

Even Mary, who had come to understand, couldn’t be sure.

Did K really confine me just to instill fear?

Due to the fear she felt for the first time in her life, her abdominal muscles twisted.

K came back to the underground prison four days later, in the late afternoon.

+++

Duke Groven Whittle learned about the incident involving Britney through the newspaper.
Mary, held hands with Alford and attempted to harm Iris, ended up in the underground prison of the Green Countess’s mansion, Britney Whittle.

Alford Huchis, who was simultaneously tried and executed shortly.

Upon reading the contents, the Whittle Duchess collapsed, revealing the whites of her eyes.

Globern felt as if he wanted to faint.

“Britney, Britney, Britney!”

If Britney were here, she would have slapped him across the face.

But Britney was his only daughter.

Seeing the punishment Alford received, Globern couldn’t think that Britney would be safe. K didn’t like the Whittle ducal family, and Lishi had nothing to say.

He had to somehow appease the feelings of K and Lishi and bring Britney back.

Hurriedly obtaining a horse, he rushed to the Green Countess’s mansion with the reporters.

Afraid that they might perceive it as a threat, Globern stopped the knights as soon as they arrived in Dakot City and went alone to the Green Countess’s mansion.

He expected to be met at the door, but fortunately, the door opened, and he could easily enter the reception room.

He couldn’t sit on the sofa and waited for about ten minutes, and then K came in.

Lishi was with him.

“Iris…”

Still, because he was her father, Globern called Lishi’s name with hope for sympathy.

Lishi’s lavender eyes remained coldly fixed on Globern.

Globern’s spine chilled.

He had lived in the same mansion as Lishi for nearly twenty years, but the Lishi in front of him looked like a completely different person.

He had thought about it before, but he couldn’t understand why Lishi had changed so much.

“Please sit, Your Grace.”

K pointed to the sofa.

“Countess Green. Our Britney…”

“Sit down and talk.”

K said again.

It was more of an order than a request, but Globern didn’t think to point that out and obediently sat on the sofa.

After K and Lishi also sat on the opposite sofa, Globern spoke again.

“Uh, where is our Britney? Is she unharmed?”

“She’s confined in the mansion prison. It seemed dangerous.”

“Dangerous… Our Britney is not that kind of person. There must have been a misunderstanding…”

Globern couldn’t finish his sentence.

For a moment, in K’s turquoise eyes, he saw a dark, large shadow rushing in, as if being strangled by a hallucination.

It was undoubtedly an illusion, but strangely, he couldn’t breathe as if his neck was really being grasped.

“Evidence and testimony came out in front of everyone, and even Virchen, the director of the Gabizar Empire’s investigative agency, admitted that the Yang family was involved in Whittle. If you need a witness who was present, we’ll call them.”

“W-who on earth is the witness?”

Asked with the desire to catch at least a straw. If they were just lower-ranking nobles or maids in this house, he could somehow cook up a story and change their testimony.
However, the names flowing from K’s mouth in the next moment constricted Globern’s breath.

“His Royal Highness, the Second Prince, La Cojen Oxbowciders. Duke Milansis Piamondo.”

“……!”

“Do you need more?”

Globern barely nodded.

“S-Surely… You wouldn’t be planning to impose the same punishment on our Britney as the Huchis Ducal Family?”

“Why wouldn’t you think so?”

“Our Britney is a lady of the Whittle Ducal Family. Even if it’s a world where the status of nobles is shaking, our Whittle Ducal Family has been a reputable ducal family for generations!”

“And I am the Guardian of the Relic, Cave Rant Green, Your Grace. I am the Green Countess who received protection directly from His Holiness the Pope during the wedding ceremony.”

He was speechless.

Globern knew that the Whittle Ducal Family was inferior to the Green Ducal Family. Even the emperor of the Gabizar Empire would discard the Whittle Ducal Family if he had to be hostile to one of the families.

Being in an antagonistic relationship with the Guardian of the Relic meant being hostile to the Holy Empire, and that meant turning away from the divine.

Moreover, if damage due to the relic occurred within the territory, the Green Family’s help would not be available.

Although relics were not easily found everywhere, there were times when a disaster sufficient to destroy a village occurred once every few years.

When the Guardian of the Relic did not destroy the relic at such times, its power spread more widely and eventually might destroy a city or even a country.

In fact, there was a country that had collapsed like that a long time ago.

“Iris. Britney is your sister. Even if we’ve severed ties, there’s still affection between us.”

Instead of the terrifying K, Globern decided to plead with Lishi.

Even if she looked at him with such a cold gaze now, if he appealed to her emotions, the kind-hearted Lishi might make the right choice.

“Countess Whittle. Surely you’re sincere about that, right?”

“Hmm?”

“You must know, Your Grace. What Britney did to me when I was in that mansion.”

“Th-that’s… Just… Yes, Britney was jealous of you. You’re so beautiful and graceful. In Britney’s young heart…”

“I almost died, Your Grace.”

Lishi lifted the end of her hair with her index finger.

“Britney set my hair on fire because she said my hair color hurt her eyes. The fire spread quickly, and if the steward passing by hadn’t rushed in and put it out, I would have suffered burns all over my body. Oh, and I almost died again. Around… thirty-two times? Want to hear each one?”

Globern’s face turned pale.
“Your Grace, not for a single moment has Britney been a sister to me. And, Your Grace, you and the Duchess have never been my parents. I was just a weed with the name Whittle in that mansion, treated worse than a pig. Are you seeking acknowledgment from someone like me? Sincerely?”

“I’m, I’m sorry, Iris. I truly am sorry. I didn’t know you were going through such hardship.”

Upon Globern’s words, Lishi almost screamed.

However, she clenched her skirt, tightly closed her eyes, and barely suppressed the anger that erupted.

She would have been better off not hearing such an apology.

You didn’t know it was hard? You were just jealous in your young heart?

I felt like I was burning in hell every day, how can it be nothing to you?

I wanted to die dozens of times a day, how can you just not know and pass it by?

Lishi slowly breathed, calming the boiling emotions and opened her eyes.

Globern still had a pleading look in his eyes.

In her heart, she wanted to tell him that she would impose the same punishment on Britney as on Alford. She wanted to see how Globern’s expression would change the moment she said that.

But Lishi didn’t do that.

The most painful thing is tasting hope and then writhing in distant despair.

It’s like thinking it’s sweet nectar but realizing it’s a bitter poison.

What Britney did to ‘Iris Whittle.’

The ‘Iris Whittle’ who wanted to be loved wagged her tail with expectations if Britney treated her a little better.

What was poured onto the dog that ran eagerly wagging its tail was nothing but painful beatings with a spiked club.

Now the Whittle Ducal Family had come to know that feeling.