I’m Not A Saint Though?

chapter 19

“I was involved in those crimes?”

Madam Magda was so dumbfounded she couldn’t speak.

She swore she knew nothing about the charges against her.

When she first met Musikan Veloce, he was already the heir to the Dukedom.  What reason would she have to help him kill the true heir and impersonate him?

And the Duchess…

‘Well, I did tease her a bit.’

Honestly, consumed by her inferiority complex as a mistress and jealousy of the legal wife, she had provoked her a few times.  Like “accidentally” sending a love letter meant for the Duke to his wife, or flaunting the clothes and jewelry the Duke had given her around the Duchess.

But murder? She had never even considered such a thing.

“Why on earth would that man make such a ridiculous confession?”  Magda muttered, bewildered.

Kiesa clicked her tongue and hinted,  “I did hear that the Duke might get a reduced sentence thanks to that confession…”

“What?”

“He was definitely going to get the death penalty, but considering his cooperation with the investigation, it might be reduced to life imprisonment.”

“What… So you’re saying my Master sold Melina and me out to lessen his own sentence?”

“How would I know? I’m just pointing out that the Duke benefited from that confession. It’s up to you to decide.”

“Damn it!”

Staring blankly at Kiesa, who shrugged, Madam Magda suddenly jumped to her feet.

And then she ran off somewhere in a hurry.

“Hey, where are you going?  Magda!  You’re leaving without even a thank you after I helped you?”

“Do you think this is the time for thank yous, you idiot?”

“You ungrateful wretch! Don’t ever come looking for me again. You hear me?”  Kiesa yelled, looking as if she wanted to strangle Magda.

Ignoring her, Magda ran without stopping and arrived at the house where she and Melina were staying.

It wasn’t comparable to the Dukedom, but this two-story house with a small garden was a rather luxurious hideout for them.

Hurriedly unlocking the gate and rushing in, Madam Magda saw Melina having tea in the garden and yelled in a panic, “Are you crazy?! I told you to stay inside! The walls are low, what if someone sees you?!”

She quickly dragged Melina inside.

“I’m suffocating!  I’ve been cooped up in here for two days!  And who’s going to peek over the wall? Why are you so paranoid?”

“Ah, shut up! Just pack your bags!”

“Pack all of a sudden… Wait, are we going back home?”

Melina’s eyes lit up.  She had been feeling quite stifled, being confined in this tiny house.

When she was young, this house had seemed so grand and luxurious, something to brag about, but now it felt small and shabby.  Living in the Dukedom had clearly raised her standards.

‘Why should I be hiding here when I have that wonderful house! It’s all Shaen’s fault, that bitch!’

That girl who was only better than her by blood.  Because of her ridiculous accusations, their family had been ruined.

‘Why did she come back alive when she should have been lion food!’

But since Magda was telling her to pack, it seemed that everything had worked out.

‘I knew it.  How could that girl be a Saintess?  Absurd.’

Melina scoffed.  But then,

“Home? What home? We have to get out of the capital, now!”

“Get out of the capital?  Are we… running away?  Why?”

“Why do you think? Because your father reported us!”

“What? What are you talking about? Why would Father report us? What did we do?”

“How would I know? I don’t know if he really sold us out to reduce his own sentence…”

“What are you talking about?! Explain it clearly!”

“You!  I’m running out of time, and you’re grilling me with questions?”

Frustrated, Madam Magda snapped.  But Melina seemed determined not to budge until she got an explanation, stubbornly staring at her with her hands on her hips.

Finally, Magda had no choice but to spill everything she knew.

“F-Father confessed?”

“Yes, so pack your bags!”

Snapping, Madam Magda grabbed a large travel bag and started frantically stuffing it with jewels and clothes.

“It’s a good thing I brought the jewels.  I almost got kicked out penniless after 18 years as a mistress!”

She seemed to consider herself lucky to have salvaged some of her wealth.  But Melina didn’t.

‘What?  What about me?’

Confession or not, her father was no longer the Duke.  Which meant she was no longer the Duke’s daughter.

‘This is absurd…’

Although illegitimate, Melina had lived with the pride of her noble blood. Thanks to her father’s doting, she had lived a life no less privileged than a true Lady.  Even though she was only half-noble, no one dared to disrespect her because she was the Duke of Veloce’s daughter.  But now…

‘Shaen, that damn bitch! What did we do to deserve these false accusations?’

As Melina gritted her teeth, Magda yelled again, “What are you doing?! Pack your bags! Do you want to rot in jail for a crime you didn’t commit?!”

“Alright, alright!  I’ll pack, so stop yelling! You’ll burst my eardrums!”

Retorting irritably, Melina rushed to her room and started shoving anything valuable into two large bags.

‘I should have brought everything!’  She deeply regretted leaving behind the mountain of jewels in her room at the Dukedom.

‘I guess those days are over.’

A life of being served by maids, even if they were low-ranking nobles, of eating meals prepared by renowned chefs, of being the first to claim the finest jewels and luxuries entering the capital – the thought of losing everything she had taken for granted brought tears to her eyes.

Shaking with sobs, Melina shook her head.

‘No, the truth will come out someday.  I’ll be back.’

Yes, it definitely would.  Justice always prevailed.

‘I just need to escape for now.’

She could only clear her name if she was alive.  Melina steeled her resolve and continued packing. But then…

“Wait, aren’t those people the Duke of Veloce’s mistress and bastard?”

“Huh?  Where?”

“Those women with the big hats.  Don’t they look familiar?”

As soon as Magda and Melina stepped out the gate, they caught people’s attention.

“You’re right, the gaudy clothes, that vulgar sway in her hips. She’s a carbon copy of the mistress.”

“Hey, look at the necklace that girl’s wearing.  Isn’t that the blue diamond necklace the Duke won at the VIP auction for his bastard?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

The people, whispering and glancing at the two hurrying women, started to gather.

“Hey, you, stop right there.”

“Wh-What is it?”

“We need to ask you something, so take off your hats.”

“…Why our hats?”

“Are you deaf? I said we need to ask you something.”

“So what do you want to ask?!”

Magda yelled, her voice trembling.  But her frantic reaction only confirmed their suspicions.

“We just want to see your faces, why are you so jumpy? Is there a reason you’re hiding them?”

“That’s right, suspicious. And they’re carrying these huge bags.”

“Are you trying to run?”

“You’re the Duke of Veloce’s mistress, aren’t you?”

People’s gazes sharpened.

“Wh-What are you talking about?  We’re just going on a trip!”

“Yes, we have urgent business in the countryside. So stop bothering us and get out of the way!”

Melina joined in, trying to push past them, but it was no use.

“Just show us your faces, and we’ll let you go!”

Exasperated, someone snatched their hats off.

“…”

“…”

The noisy street suddenly fell silent.

As the two women stood there dumbfounded, the man who had snatched their hats grinned.

“Sorry about that.  It seems you really were in a hurry.”

He put their hats back on and put his arms around their shoulders.

“Now, it’s dangerous for ladies to travel alone, so we’ll escort you.”

“Yes, yes. To your husband and father.”

Thus, the two women’s escape attempt ended abruptly.