Chapter 29

* * *

Except for the small commotion at the podium, the consecration ceremony ended successfully.

After the evening banquet, I stayed overnight in the guest chamber the archbishop personally prepared.

It was nowhere near the comfort of the Lombard estate’s inner chambers, but compared to the cramped, shabby place I lived in the past, it felt almost heavenly.

They said it was the finest guest room in the Lombard Archdiocese.

Even so, Lady Olden openly complained, asking if there was no better room available, which left everyone around her uncomfortable.

“Duchess, may I have a moment of your time.”

I was getting ready for bed with the help of my maids when a gentle voice came from outside.

When I granted permission, Sister Godelina entered.

“The archbishop wished very much to personally express his gratitude, but it is late and he thought it proper to send me, a woman of the cloth, in his stead.”

“Is that not quite late for a greeting.”

Lady Olden paused her tidy hands and smiled gracefully.

She was not wrong.

For such a donation, courtesy dictated that someone of the archbishop’s rank deliver thanks in person.

But Godelina looked uneasy under Lady Olden’s poised smile. Sensing that, I opened my mouth to send Lady Olden away.

“Sister Godelina, would you hear my confession.”

“Of course, Duchess. Speak freely. God is always waiting to receive your confession.”

“You may all leave for now.”

“Understood.”

Even Lady Olden could not object to the pretext of confession.

Once the maids left and we were alone, the sister’s expression grew heavy. She looked as though she carried burdensome news.

I prepared tea for her with my own hands so she could collect her thoughts.

“Thank you.”

“It may not suit your taste.”

“You brewed it yourself, Duchess. How could it not.”

Steam drifted from her cup until it softened. Even then Godelina struggled to open her mouth. She seemed to find me more intimidating than she had expected.

So I spoke first.

“We both know the confession is only a pretense. The archbishop would never send someone at this hour for no reason. So I am curious what brings you here tonight.”

“First, please understand that I say this not to harm you, Duchess.”

“I know.”

“From the moment you arrived in Lombard, you showed great devotion, inspecting the sacred temple before anything else. Everyone within the temple knows the malicious rumors about you are untrue.”

She laid her groundwork with care, cushioning her words thickly. Enough that she could fall from the city wall and not get a scratch.

After putting more emphasis on my faith and sincerity for good measure, she finally reached the point.

“Do not trust Lady Olden too much.”

“…What brings that up so suddenly.”

Instead of answering, Godelina produced an envelope from her robes and presented it carefully.

“Before I explain, I believe it is best that you see it yourself.”

It was the envelope used for today’s offering.

The wax seal had already been broken, so I withdrew the check and looked at the amount.

As expected.

“The amount is different.”

What I had originally written was five hundred gold coins.

Even compared to the gifts from other high nobles, that was a considerable sum. In worldly value, it was enough to buy a small territory or an entire castle.

Yet the amount on the check was fifty gold coins.

Still not small, but miserably inadequate for a duchess’s offering.

Especially on a day when I received applause from everyone thanks to the archbishop’s special courtesy.

Once revealed, the rumors and insults would be endless.

Godelina pointed this out next.

“Do you recall the small incident when you stepped onto the podium today.”

“The tassel from the podium cloth caught on my dress decoration.”

“I serve both as the archbishop’s aide and as the ceremonial priest in charge of major events. When preparing a new podium cloth after the service, I discovered scratches made by a pen nib.”

She explained that she had learned the offering amount because of those scratches.

The archbishop had told her the amount afterward, which confirmed her suspicion.

It was impossible to mistake them for someone else’s pen marks since the podium was always kept covered.

“I considered overlooking it, but it was not the amount itself that concerned me. I feared someone might misinterpret the duchess’s intentions.”

“I had no idea…”

I murmured as if I were truly unaware.

But in truth, everything had gone exactly as planned.

As someone from the bureaucracy, I was familiar with accounts. I had already noticed that the amounts recorded and the actual sums spent did not match.

Only two people had authority over that money. Myself, the duchess, and Lady Olden.

Meaning she had been stealing my precious companion gold coins.

‘If only she had not touched my adorable gold coins, I would have let most things slide. The poison was a bit much though.’

Judging by the duke’s attitude, I doubted I would ever conceive anyway. We still had not had the wedding night.

Looking back, Elicia’s husband never had before either, so perhaps he had some functional shortcomings.

‘Ahem.’

Feeling awkward, I quickly refocused.

Lady Olden’s embezzlement skill was painfully amateurish.

She merely increased or decreased numbers in existing expense categories. A basic beginner’s trick.

So I predicted she would repeat the same tactic this time. That was why I deliberately pulled down the podium cloth and pressed my writing hard with a sharpened pen tip.

I made sure no one could possibly miss it when they replaced the cloth.

I did not expect her to boldly erase an entire zero though.

“…Thank you. If not for your care, I might have become a laughingstock.”

At my words, the tension drained from Godelina’s face.

Despite acting as gentle and angelic as possible all day, it seemed my old reputation still lingered deeply.

“You are nothing like the rumors, Duchess,” she whispered before continuing.

“How would you like to handle this matter.”

“Lady Olden stole what belonged to God. She should be judged by the law.”

“The archbishop said he will respect your wishes above all.”

“I appreciate his kindness, but my answer remains the same.”

“Are you certain you are all right with this.”

At her question, I pretended to struggle and turned my head away.

When she hesitated, I dabbed the corner of my eye.

“Lady Olden was like a foster mother to me. She cared for me since I was left alone after the accident.”

“Yes. I have heard as much.”

“Blinded by the affection of the past, I did not notice she wished to harm me. I did not know at all.”

I let my hand tremble as if trying to endure the pain of betrayal.

After all, I would continue living in Lombard.

If Lady Olden was punished, I could not escape blame as her master. All the more reason to draw a clear line between us now.

I dabbed my bone dry eyes with great effort.

“No mere priest can fully understand God’s will, but perhaps this trial was arranged to make you stronger,” Godelina said, rising from her seat and clasping my hands.

I avoided her gaze and nodded.

I could not let her notice how dry my eyes were.

Perhaps out of sympathy, she patted my hands gently yet firmly.

“Then allow me to ask one last thing. At dawn, the diocesan auditor will begin an official investigation. The evidence is clear so Lady Olden’s embezzlement will be revealed within a day or two. Are you truly, absolutely certain.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, I raised my head with resolve and called for someone.

The attendants who came with the sister bowed their heads.

“Summon the soldiers. Place Lady Olden under confinement in her room.”

“What. Why so suddenly. Why would you arrest her.”

One of my maids, who must have overheard, burst into the room in shock. She too was from the Capital.

I cut her off before she could protest further.

“You will know the reason in a few days. Do not exhaust me. Leave.”

“But Madam.”

I turned away coldly. Godelina and the priests left to confine Lady Olden.

But by the time the soldiers arrived, Lady Olden had already escaped.

As if she had never existed in this world, leaving not a single trace behind.