A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 25.1
SPLASH―!
At the same time, several streams of water shot up from the floor.
The Duke had used his ability!
The swirling jets of water, sharpened to points like drills, surrounded me.
‘What the—! Why is he suddenly doing this…!’
I froze, unable to grasp what was happening.
The Duke glared at me, eyes sharp as blades.
“Is it a hallucination ability? Or a shapeshifting one? I’ve never heard of such an ability before.”
“W-What…!”
“Were you sent by Sephirot?”
At that moment—
CRASH—!
“D-Duke! W-What are you doing? No matter what, this is too much…!”
With a sharp, breaking sound, the aide who had gone to fetch tea came running in, flustered.
“Langdon! Good, you’re here. I’ll restrain this one, so summon Ethan and the knights at once! There’s an intruder wearing Edith’s shell!”
“Intruder…?”
At the Duke’s words, Langdon looked at me, eyes wide.
“I don’t sense any ability wavelength… On what basis, Duke?”
“That thing just said ‘I’m sorry’ to me!”
“What?!”
Langdon looked shocked.
“Are you sure? You didn’t mishear?”
“I heard it clearly with my own two ears!”
“I’ll summon the knights at once!”
He looked ready to bolt out the door.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Not understanding the conversation, I hurriedly spoke up.
“You’re doubting me just because I said ‘I’m sorry’?”
“Our lady has not, since the day she started talking, ever said anything remotely like that!”
Langdon explained calmly, but made it clear just how rotten Edith’s character was.
‘Well, I guess it’s understandable they’d be suspicious…’
I almost nodded unconsciously, but snapped out of it at the sound of the water drawing closer.
‘Understandable? What am I thinking?!’
Maybe it was because I’d been too polite at the start.
Lifting my chin, I deliberately picked out the kind of words Edith herself might say, with an arrogant attitude.
“I suppose I’ve never done anything wrong, then.”
“……!”
“If I have nothing to be sorry for, why would I ever say such a thing?”
Both men stiffened, as if doused with cold water.
“…The way you say it so shamelessly, you’ve analyzed my daughter quite well.”
The Duke, who had been eyeing me with a strange look, forced himself to speak casually.
But his eyes were already quivering, like aftershocks.
The murderous intent that had pricked my skin was also gone by now.
I let out a deep sigh at this absurd situation.
“Did you both forget that I lost my memory?”
“Th-that’s supposed to be a secret— How did you know…!”
“Exactly. How could I know that?”
Giving Langdon a self-mocking smile, I rattled off the events of yesterday and today.
“I know I was forbidden from going out, snuck out in a maid’s uniform through the back door, took the healer’s carriage all the way to Tollen, got caught, and am now here to be scolded. What now?”
No matter how good a spy, unless they’d been following me the whole time, no one could know such details about my trip to Tollen.
And I mimicked the expressions and tone of someone who genuinely found the situation ridiculous.
The Duke and his aide both knew it too.
“Edith…? Are you really Edith?”
“Well, since Count Frederick brought me back instead of killing me, I suppose I am still the daughter of this house.”
I replied indifferently, and Langdon nodded.
“Well, yes. If she really wasn’t Lady Edith, there’s no way the Count wouldn’t have noticed…”
Dylan had served me for a long time, so in some ways, he was the most reliable witness of all.
‘Should I be happy about this or not…?’
A brief, solemn silence fell.
I looked at the two, who were avoiding my eyes, with a cold expression and demanded of the Duke,
“If you’re done doubting me, would you please get rid of this? It’s a bit scary and uncomfortable.”
“……”
The Duke gave me a strange look, then waved his hand.
Splash― Splat!
The water jets, which had been fixed in place like spikes, instantly lost their shape and fell to the floor.
Perhaps he was being considerate, as not a single drop splashed on me, but the Duke’s office was now a flooded mess.
Breaking the silence, Langdon asked cautiously,
“S-So… you really lost your memory…? You weren’t lying?”
“Was I ever someone who lied habitually?”
“……”
Once again, there was no answer.
Even without knowing the past, it was obvious enough that Edith wasn’t the type to lie all the time.
She wasn’t that cunning, and as a noble lady spoiled by her grandmother, what reason would she have had to lie?
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