I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 73

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 73

‘What on earth is that?’
This question was the shared thought of most people present in the hall.
The Emperor voiced what everyone was wondering.
“What is that object, and why have you brought it forth now?”
Hillia answered with a gentle smile.
“It is evidence that will prove my innocence.”
“That crystal ornament?”
On the surface, it was nothing more than an ordinary crystal decoration with nothing particularly special about it.
Everyone doubted how such a thing could possibly serve as evidence.
And those doubts vanished the moment Hillia pressed the round brass component attached to the ornament.
Click.
With a soft sound, a strange light began to emanate from the ornament.
“What, what is this?”
“Is it a magical artifact?”
“Did she just activate an unidentified magical artifact before His Majesty the Emperor?”
This was something that should never be done carelessly.
The Knights rushed forward to shield the Emperor.
But it soon became clear that their defensive action was excessive.
The magical artifact showed no threatening response whatsoever.
Instead, something peculiar began to unfold.
From the crystal pillar-shaped magical artifact, not only light but also sound began to pour forth.

-…It’s all thanks to Madame Fileren introducing me to Kemel Atelier. I almost ended up wearing the Former Empress’s heirloom gown instead of getting fitted for the latest fashionable dress.
-Don’t mention it. It’s only natural to help a friend.

Soon, people began to realize what was happening.
“Wait, that’s the voice of Her Highness the Crown Princess, isn’t it?”
“I can hear Madame Fileren’s voice too. Is it a conversation between the two of them?”
“But they’re not talking right now—how is this possible…?”
Everyone sent questioning glances, but Hillia simply kept her lips sealed and smiled.
Meanwhile, the magical artifact continued to emit the recorded conversation.

“But, Madame Fileren. Must it be this exact design? This deep green doesn’t seem to suit me very well….”
“There’s hardly any time left before the banquet, so we can’t make changes anyway. And don’t you trust my eye? To me, this dress is perfect for Your Highness. The green suits you better than you’d think.”
“Hmm….”
“Come now, you don’t trust me? Your Highness’s only friend?”
“Madame Fileren….”
“If you keep acting like you don’t trust me, I’ll be hurt. I went out of my way to introduce you to the atelier, and I even supervised the dress fitting….”

The conversation was unmistakably clear.
It directly contradicted the testimony Madame Fileren had just given about Evangeline.
“Wait, by her account, Madame Fileren didn’t take the dress design from Evangeline Roux, the Viscountess, and give it to Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
“That’s right. It’s the opposite. Madame Fileren clearly introduced the atelier and recommended the design herself!”
“Good heavens, then her earlier testimony was an outright lie?”
“How shameless….”
“The two dresses do have the same design, that’s true. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t the order be reversed?”
“Exactly! She deliberately created a similar dress to match Evangeline Roux’s design and gave it to Her Highness the Crown Princess!”
Sharp gazes turned toward Evangeline and Madame Fileren from all directions.
“Why would she do such a thing…?”
“Why else? To insist on her story, just like now.”
“Right. To claim that Her Highness the Crown Princess copied Evangeline Roux’s dress.”
“She set a trap and tried to pin the blame on the wrong person instead?”
The evidence Evangeline had presented was essentially only Madame Fileren’s testimony.
But now a piece of evidence had emerged that anyone listening would interpret the same way.
Which version was more credible hardly needed to be said.
There was an additional effect as well.
“Moreover, Madame Fileren’s tone is rather…, isn’t it?”
“Yes. She’s far too disrespectful to Her Highness the Crown Princess. Acting as though she’s someone important.”
“As if she’s bestowing favors….”
“After behaving like that, she gave false testimony? Her audacity is astounding.”
By the time Hillia’s voice began emanating from the magical device, Madame Fileren’s face had already turned ashen.
She attempted a desperate defense.
“It’s, it’s fabricated! This is a magical device, isn’t it? The conversation must have been manipulated with magic!”
Evangeline, who had nearly lost her composure, quickly regained her senses.
“Y, you’re right. Your Majesty. We can’t simply believe this….”
At that moment, Hillia cut off Evangeline’s words.
“This is a state-of-the-art magical device I happened to acquire recently. It records people’s conversations and plays them back. It has no function to manipulate conversations.”
The Countess of Fileren cried out loudly.
“How are we supposed to believe that?!”
She was desperate.
It was already too late to turn back.
If she failed to land any blow against Hillia here, her ruin was inevitable.
The Countess of Fileren, Edith Filerne, who had been about to struggle, flinched as her gaze met Hillia’s violet eyes looking down at her with composure.
Her entire body felt as though it had frozen solid, a chill running through her.
It was merely a meeting of eyes.
Yet she felt the terror of a mouse standing before a predator.
It was an unbelievable transformation.
She seemed like an entirely different person.
‘This can’t be! How could that foolish, obedient woman become so utterly transformed…!’
It was impossible that she had actually changed as a person.
Then what if, from the very beginning, all of Hillia’s demeanor and manner of speech had been nothing but lies?
What if she had been acting to manipulate her?
‘If that’s truly the case, how thoroughly did she prepare? Since when has she known about me?’
Her spine tingled with such dread that it was nearly unbearable.

* * *

While Madame Fileren remained frozen in place.
Hillia immediately refuted the claim that “the magical device’s voice recording had been manipulated.”
She adjusted the magical device this way and that, then spoke to the Emperor.
“Please say anything you’d like. Father?”
She made sure to speak the word “Father” with deliberate warmth and tenderness.
It was necessary to make her relationship with the Emperor appear stronger than it actually was.
Though Hillia appeared perfectly at ease, she was nonetheless tense in her own way.
‘I must see this through flawlessly to truly conclude the banquet perfectly.’
She could not afford to let her guard down for even a moment.
All attention was concentrated on the Emperor, the magical device, Evangeline, and Madame Fileren.
As a result, she failed to notice that one man, naturally pushed to the periphery of her attention, wore a displeased expression.
Of course, no one present at this moment noticed it either.
Everyone’s interest was fixed on the proof Hillia was presenting.
It was only natural, given how captivating the spectacle was.
“I’ve never seen a magical device like this before. If it can store sound, then could one store songs and listen to them later?”
“Right now, it’s more important that Her Highness the Crown Princess demonstrate the device’s capabilities. Please be quiet.”
“That’s right. Once it’s proven that sound can be stored, the situation is essentially resolved.”
Whispers echoed from all directions.
The Emperor examined the magical device with curiosity before speaking.
“Can this really store human conversation? How fascinating. What do you think, Durin?”
The Court Mage had approached the Emperor’s side.
He had only one eye, and the jeweled prosthetic he wore in place of his lost eye gave him a most distinctive appearance.
The jeweled prosthetic began to gleam and shine brightly.
“How intriguing. This method of activating magical circuits is truly a novel concept….”
The Court Mage, who had been analyzing the unfamiliar magical artifact for some time, turned to Hillia with gleaming eyes.
“Your Highness, however did you come to possess such a thing?”
“I happened to become a patron to a remarkably creative and talented magical engineer.”
“Extraordinary! I could never have imagined such an approach. To think such talent stands at Your Highness’s side… yes, yes, and this aspect here….”
Without being asked, he lavished praise upon Hillia, then posed this question:
“Would it be possible for you to introduce me to this talent? They appear to be a true genius, and I should very much like to speak with them directly.”
This only added to the surrounding admiration.
After all, it meant Hillia had discovered a talent capable of inventing a magical artifact that even the Court Mage himself found remarkable.
The sight of the Court Mage earnestly beseeching Hillia to introduce this talent was quite symbolic.
“If we were to meet in person and discuss this, we might achieve truly extraordinary results! So please….”
“One moment. Let us finish this matter first.”
Fearing the conversation would never end, Hillia operated the recording magical artifact.
She stopped the recording and immediately began playback.
A conversation between the Emperor and the Court Mage began to flow forth.

-Is it truly possible to store human conversation with this? How fascinating. What do you make of it, Durin?
-How intriguing. This method of activating magical circuits is truly a novel concept….

The conversation that all those present had just heard moments before repeated itself identically.
Though there was a slight difference in sound quality, it was clear enough that one could recognize whose voice it was.
The magical artifact faithfully reproduced every sound that occurred in its vicinity.

-…this portion here has rather sloppy finishing work. The Kenal school, perhaps? The magical energy storage, on the other hand, is quite competent….

The Court Mage’s analysis—which no one cared about or remembered—continued on.
Hillia stopped the artifact once she felt sufficient proof had been established.
Then, turning around with a smile, she addressed the audience:
“Now you have all confirmed it, have you not? Unlike the claims of Evangeline Roux, the Viscountess, I have neither stolen nor copied any dress designs.”
It was a smile of absolute confidence—a victory that could not be denied.

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