The Truth of the Misdeeds

“Lord Alban, I have investigated everything that happened to Young Lady Letitia-sama.”

—Ten days after Letitia’s arrival. Sebas, who had been dispatched for intelligence gathering, was back.

“As expected, you work fast, Sebas.”

“I am honored to receive your praise, my Lord.”

Sebas had strong connections with the Royal Knights, the Merchant Guilds, and the Adventurers’ Guild, making investigations into the secretive affairs of nobles simple for him. He was terrifying to have as an enemy, but an incredibly reliable ally.

…Seriously, why is a man like that working as a butler here? Good job, my deceased parents.

“So, what did you find out in the end?”

“Yes, to conclude first: …Young Lady Letitia-sama was indeed framed.”

I knew it. That much I had guessed. The problem was—

“…Who conspired against her?”

“Duke Mauro Bertoli. Young Lady Letitia-sama’s former fiancé.”

“Her former fiancé…?”

That was a bit of a surprise. Well, he was a suspect I had considered, but I thought the possibility was remote. After all, the Bertoli Ducal family was lower in standing than the Barrow Ducal family. Since marrying Letitia would raise their prestige, there was no benefit in exiling her.

“It seems Duke Mauro exposed Young Lady Letitia’s (fake)misdeeds at a ball and broke off the engagement then and there.”

“…Continue.”

“Furthermore, there was another woman clinging to Duke Mauro’s arm. It is said Duke Mauro declared he would marry her instead.”

“That’s enough. Let’s kill Mauro.”

Yep, that’s the type. The kind of noble who thinks he’s the greatest and that the world will bend to his will. The previous Alban Odrant was like that, too. That’s why I couldn’t stand it even more.

Most likely, Mauro was seduced by some easy woman. Fools always prefer a tart to a woman of integrity like Letitia.

—Now, how should I kill him?

A Baron killing a Duke is strictly forbidden, but assassination is a daily occurrence in the political world. There are countless ways to do it. I’ll start by hiring bandits to kidnap him, torture him thoroughly, and then sink him in a lake. Should I hire a professional torturer, too? No, I think I’ll do it myself. I’ll make him regret making Letitia sad until the moment he dies.

“The conversation is not over yet, Lord Alban.”

“What is it? The story is that Mauro is an unfaithful beast who framed and dumped Letitia, end of story, right?”

“No, the situation is not that simple, in fact.”

Sebas lowered his eyes and spoke, sounding hesitant to continue. “…It appears that Young Lady Letitia-sama’s embezzlement of taxes and use of the Bertoli family’s assets were, in fact, true.”

“—What did you say!?” I questioned my own ears.

“That’s impossible! She wouldn’t do that!”

“Please calm yourself. While it is true, there is a reason for it.”

“A reason…?”

“Yes. Are you aware that a few years ago, many people in the Bertoli territory suffered from poverty due to Duke Mauro’s blunders?”

“Ah… I’ve heard something about it.” Wasn’t it something about increasing taxes too much, which led to mass starvation and a refugee crisis? And a problem with abandoned children?

“‘Embezzled the territory’s taxes, brought young men into the mansion with that money, and indulged in scandalous activities’—That rumor is half true and half false.”

“Meaning?”

“The truth is… ‘Embezzled the territory’s taxes to shelter and support the children who were left destitute in the mansion.’“

“! So, Letitia did that for the abandoned children of the Bertoli territory…!”

“She must have been prepared for the condemnation, I believe.”

Come to think of it, Letitia said she liked children. Judging from the story, she must have been unable to support the children with just her own pocket money. So she resorted to embezzlement… To go that far…!

“And the description of her as a ‘spendthrift who dipped into the Bertoli family’s assets’ is also a distortion of the truth.”

“…What’s the reality?”

“She used the assets for ‘investment to improve the territory’s standard of living and alleviate the poverty in the Bertoli territory.’“

“…My God…!”

“Duke Mauro apparently had no interest in his own people. She must have felt compelled to act.”

Are you kidding me…? Letitia didn’t do anything wrong at all. If anything, she worked herself to the bone cleaning up after that idiot Mauro. Sure, embezzling taxes and using the assets without permission wasn’t good. But if she hadn’t, the damage to the Bertoli territory would have only increased. And after that would have come—a commoners’ revolt. The ruin of the Bertoli family. Letitia knew that.

What an incredibly capable wife. Even for her fiancé’s territory, no ordinary person would go that far for someone else’s land, would they!? She was beyond merely competent!

“The astonishing thing is that Young Lady Letitia-sama managed to do this for several years without Duke Mauro noticing. That requires exceptional skill.”

“But… she was finally exposed.”

“Yes. Although, for Duke Mauro, it was likely just a pretext to break the engagement. Their relationship was apparently completely cold.”

…This is the worst. When was the last time my stomach churned with such rage?

Letitia was practically a martyr. She did her best to prevent her fiancé’s territory from collapsing and was betrayed by that same fiancé.

But she didn’t make excuses. Because she had committed the misdeeds.

Mauro’s rash action brought the situation to light, and the Barrow family could no longer protect her.

But she wasn’t complaining. Because she had been prepared for everything.

Her persistent attempts to distance herself from me must have been out of concern for my safety. If a rumor spread that “Letitia is seducing Alban and planning revenge on Mauro,” Mauro would send assassins. Or he might outright murder me. A Duke framing a Baron is easier than cracking an egg, after all. She was trying to prevent that.

She must have been so stubborn about not telling me the truth because she knew the risk of me getting killed would be higher if I knew.

“…Sebas.”

“Yes, Lord Alban.”

“When you learned the truth, what did you think?”

“May I speak my mind frankly?”

“You have my permission.”

“In a word—‘Don’t screw with me.’“

“I feel exactly the same way right now.”

I am Alban Odrant. Alban Odrant is a villain. Arrogant, insolent, lazy… a villain noble who is the condensation of all trash elements. But I can say this much: Duke Mauro Bertoli is a far bigger piece of trash than I ever was.

“Lord Alban, if there is anything this Sebas can do, please command me.”

“Will you join me in my villainy?”

“Of course, my Lord. I am your butler, after all.”

“Very well…. Let’s teach that piece of trash who framed Letitia what true villainy looks like.”

Preparation for the Misdeed