Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 147

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

To be honest, I’d been wanting to see him this whole time, so my heart started racing the moment our eyes met.
He bowed respectfully to the Emperor, the Princess, and the Prince, then walked slowly over and sat beside me. Beneath the table, our hands intertwined discreetly.
‘Good grief… even in such a critical situation, does he really have to express his affection secretly like this the moment we meet? Honestly…’
He truly was a wonderful husband.
“Business? What business are you referring to?”
Duke Orlando asked with a sneer.
“There were also famous rumors that you don’t share a room with the Duchess. Could it be that you and Duke Icard were never of one mind from the beginning? Did you perhaps come here to destroy evidence?”
“Well then.”
Only then did Father, who had been maintaining silence until now, finally speak.
“It seems Duke Orlando has said all he wishes to say. Let us proceed to the next step promptly.”
“Let us do so.”
The Emperor also furrowed his brow and spoke slowly.
“Bring the witnesses from the witness chamber.”
At the Emperor’s command, an attendant immediately rose and left the conference room. He soon returned, bringing the witnesses from the adjacent room.
“Hm?”
Duke Orlando’s brow furrowed as he watched the witnesses file in one after another.
Evan spoke at his leisure.
“Ah, these are the witnesses I brought. Truth be told, since everyone has gathered, I also have matters I wished to bring to light in this forum.”
I watched my carefully orchestrated plan unfold flawlessly and felt a surge of triumph within. Evan had indeed executed everything I instructed him to do perfectly.
The witnesses the attendant brought were Paul, a servant from the Viscount’s Manor; a mage with rainbow-colored hair who had researched truth serums at the Magic Tower; and Marcel.
Since Evan was still keeping Simor confined within the Count’s Manor, Marcel had managed to avoid extortion. He had been peacefully residing at the Temple when summoned here. And since the high nobility of this place had never encountered the Viscount of Labonis who had appeared at the Labonis Manor, Marcel’s face was entirely unfamiliar to them all.
“M-Marcel? What on earth are you doing here…?”
Even the High Priest seemed startled, apparently not expecting him to appear, and muttered in surprise.
“So which one of you is Laria’s personal physician? You said you had medical records.”
When Princess Elani asked, Duke Orlando hastily stood up and approached an attendant.
“Wait, wasn’t there a red-haired woman in the witness chamber? Did she perhaps go to the restroom?”
“N-no, there wasn’t one.”
Of course not. Serena had surely fled the moment Duke Orlando entered the conference room.
The Imperial Palace was meticulous about managing those entering, but paid little attention to those leaving. There were quite a few commoners coming and going for various reasons, after all. Even if questioned upon departure, one could simply pose as a nobleman’s errand runner.
Watching Duke Orlando’s flustered expression, I finally dropped my pitiful facade and opened my mouth.
“Perhaps…?”
Duke Orlando’s wavering eyes turned toward me.
I blinked and spoke.
“…Did Serena perhaps demand money from you?”
“Money?”
“Yes… You see, we were victims as well. Until I sprained my ankle, I had no idea Serena was a fraud.”
Another kind of silence settled over the conference room.
“Since she couldn’t heal my ankle at all, I had no choice but to remain confined after the banquet. That’s when we discovered she was a fraud and immediately drove her out… but it seems she went there one last time to make a big score.”
“No, why are you only saying this now…!”
Duke Orlando shouted as if he would devour me, so I quickly added more.
“I was trying to continue speaking, but you kept interrupting me….”
I blinked innocently and sighed quietly, muttering under my breath.
“…I apologize.”
Elani was the one who immediately interjected at those words.
“No, what are you apologizing for?”
She glared at me and crossed her arms.
“Didn’t everyone here see how the Icard Nobleman kept trying to interrupt, yet Duke Orlando ignored her and continued speaking?”
Of course, no one had missed it.
“Well, according to Duke Orlando’s claims, the Nobleman should be quite ill right now… We could simply summon the Imperial physician later and have her examined according to his assertions.”
“Yes, I seem to be in good health.”
I answered immediately to Elani’s following words.
“Still, I’ll have myself examined right away. Podilindo actually went on the anniversary of my mother’s passing, but you spoke of it as if it were my own anniversary, which was quite distressing.”
At my words, the Emperor cleared his throat and ventilated the atmosphere for the moment.
“Well, let’s think about that later….”
The Emperor was clearly sympathetic to Duke Orlando in his heart.
However, it seemed he was already reconsidering cutting ties after learning that the witness Duke Orlando had ambitiously prepared was a fraud.
“Then why did you bring those witnesses, Duke Icard?”
“Ah, I had been conducting some personal investigations as well, and I thought it would be good to discuss them all together since everyone was gathered.”
Duke Orlando glanced nervously at the rainbow-haired mage. What he was thinking was obvious. Since no one knew Medor’s true identity, he was trying to cover his tracks.
“I think it would be best if my wife explained this matter.”
Evan naturally yielded the floor to me, and I carefully began speaking after receiving the Emperor’s permission.
It was better not to mention directly that Father had been affected by this drug. It would be the same as reminding everyone of the “brat” comment once more. So even if it was more complicated, I had to take a roundabout approach.
“My husband and I went to the Magic Tower to develop photographs, and out of curiosity, we observed the truth serum. We witnessed someone purchasing this drug.”
“Purchasing?”
Elani furrowed her brow and spoke.
“Since it affects people, it’s obvious that dark magic would be involved. You’re saying it leaked outside the Magic Tower?”
“Yes…. It felt too unsettling to simply overlook. And when I say who it was—in Abonitar, we once encountered a future where the Princess and I crossed paths with… no, an assassin with severed ankles.”
“What?”
“So I asked Evan to investigate whether such a purchase was actually possible, and the result was….”
As I trailed off and looked at Evan, he spoke calmly.
“It was possible to purchase for a large sum, and I tested it on my subordinate Paul, and the effects were quite good.”
True to his nature as a member of the Dark Information Guild, Paul quickly adapted to the situation and was already nodding frantically at Evan like he would at his master.
When Evan gave him a signal, he immediately spoke respectfully.
“It was my first experience with something like that. My head became foggy, and words flowed out against my will.”
Indeed, mixing a little falsehood with much truth made it almost entirely believable. It was true that Paul had consumed the truth serum because of Evan. So his performance was remarkably natural.
Everyone in the room swallowed hard. When it came to dark magic that directly affected people, the principle was that it must be strictly controlled by the Imperial administration.
The rainbow-haired mage mumbled hesitantly.
“Um… that’s… actually random. It’s not really such an effective drug…. This really isn’t something worthy of such attention….”
“Even if it’s random, it still has some efficacy, doesn’t it?”
Elani cut off the mage’s words with a serious expression. I drove the wedge into the suddenly frozen atmosphere.
“If dark magic were truly involved, it would be far too serious a matter… So I asked the priest who has regularly blessed me to come take a look. It just so happened that it was time for his regular visit to the Count’s Manor….”
“I see.”
The High Priest interjected with a grave expression.
“So that’s why Marcel came. However, Duchess, we may study dark magic as it appears in theological texts, but we cannot make judgments about it.”
Evan answered calmly to that.
“That’s what he said. Still, I brought him along just in case.”
Then Father spoke slowly.
“That works out well. On the way back, Evan can stop by the Temple with me. That should also settle the controversy surrounding Evan’s baptism.”
Duke Orlando struck the table as if exasperated.
“Wait, does that make sense? A baptism can be performed by any priest, so it could have been done by that Marcel fellow! Didn’t you say this priest has been leaving the Temple quite frequently because of the Duchess?”
In truth, that was correct.
When I summoned Marcel by letter, I had already instructed Evan to perform the baptism on him. Of course, I also provided a check along with the instructions.
Then Marcel opened his mouth quietly.
“No, that’s not it.”
His delicate face bore a serene smile.
“I have not, during all this time, performed a baptism on the young Duke.”
“Why does the priest speak in such a manner….”
“I studied abroad, for a long time, in Carobantes.”
The High Priest nodded at Marcel’s words.
“He is a remarkable talent at the Temple. His holy power is extraordinary. Please understand that his Imperial speech is still quite poor.”
“I did not perform it, in any case.”
Marcel, with his beautiful face framed by silver hair, slowly shook his head and repeated himself once more. Then he brought his hands together reverently and assumed a posture of prayer.
“I speak only truth, in the name of God.”
Everyone gazed blankly at that sacred and beautiful figure.
“I did not, I stake my innate holy power upon it.”
A priest who swore by God’s name and his own innate holy power could not be questioned further. Of course, Marcel possessed no innate holy power.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————