The Conclusion

Letitia Barrow: Side View

Today was the twenty-second day since I married into the Odrant family.

I was currently inside a food warehouse in the Odrant Territory. It was a very large warehouse, with wooden crates and barrels everywhere. The surroundings were dark and eerily quiet; there was no one else around.

…

I waited inside the warehouse for a man.

Then, “—Did I keep you waiting, Letitia?”

The man appeared.

“…Mauro Bertoli.”

“Say ‘my Lord.’ Still insolent as ever,” he sneered.

…My former fiancé, Mauro. He was five years older than me. Tall and slender. With a distinguished face and high nose, he had the look of a man women would naturally flock to.

He was accompanied by three guards and had a blonde woman clinging to his side. I had seen her face before, on the night of the ball.

“Ooh, Mauro-sama, it’s dusty here! It’ll ruin my skin, I don’t want to be in a place like this!” the woman whined.

“Don’t say that, Ninette. I’ll personally wash you when we get back.”

“Ooh-hoo, Mauro-sama, you’re so naughty♪”

…Hah. Is that the kind of conversation they have in public? As low-class and infuriating as ever.

“But I was surprised, you know? To think you’d send me a letter.”

Mauro pulled a sealed envelope from his inner pocket. It was the letter I had personally written and sent to him.

“Yes… I’ve reached my limit.” I took a step, closing the distance between us. “Baron Alban Odrant is the worst man, just as the rumors said. I can’t bear being the wife of a man like that anymore.”

“Oh, really…”

“You were a far better man than him. I apologize for everything… so please, save me from the Odrant house.”

“C… Cuckoo… HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!” Mauro burst out laughing. He looked like he couldn’t stop, he was so amused.

“I-Is that so? Alban was just as the rumors said, then. Hehehe.”

“…Yes.”

“—That’s what she says, Odrant Baron.”

“!”

A silhouette emerged from the shadows behind Mauro. A sword was gripped in his hand.

“…”

“Alban…!?”

The man who appeared was my current husband, Baron Alban Odrant. He walked silently, sword in hand, until he stood right next to Mauro.

“You didn’t know, did you, Letitia? That I was also in contact with the Odrant Baron.”

“What did you say…!?”

“In the first place, various rumors were flying around, weren’t they?” Mauro smirked.

“Yeah, yeah! Like ‘Letitia is plotting with the Odrant Baron to assassinate Mauro’ or ‘Letitia and the Odrant Baron are still estranged’—all sorts of things!” Ninette chimed in.

“Ninette is right. And when your letter arrived, I became certain and contacted him.”

Mauro paused, flashing a vulgar grin. “The result is… the Odrant Baron was happy to cooperate in disposing of you.”

“No…!”

“We made arrangements for the Bertoli family’s influence to cover up any scandal, just in case. The Odrant Baron has been on my side all along, you see.” Mauro pulled Ninette close, running his hand over her chest.

“Ahn♡”

“Anyway, I always hated you. You wouldn’t even let me touch you, and every time you opened your mouth, it was about the territory or the people… You were utterly annoying.” Mauro continued to grope Ninette.

Watching them was deeply offensive.

“But you’re the daughter of the Barrow Ducal family. Even if you committed misdeeds, I could only manage to break the engagement back then… but now it’s different.”

Alban pointed the tip of his sword at me, making no attempt to hide his immense killing intent. “Letitia Barrow will become a missing person as of today. The search will be called off quickly.”

“…So, you came here simply to watch my husband murder me.”

“Cuckoo, that’s right. There’s no show more entertaining than this.”

“…Mauro-sama, your command.” Alban sought direction from Mauro.

In response—

“…Kill Letitia Barrow,” Mauro ordered clearly.

In that instant,

“—That’s the phrase I was waiting for.”

Alban cut down the three guards who were protecting Mauro.

“—Huh?”

The guards collapsed, spattering blood. It happened in less than a blink.

“What is this? The Bertoli family’s guards aren’t much good, are they?” Alban pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood from his blade.

“It went well, Alban.”

“Yeah, your acting was great, too, Letitia. You could be a great actress.”

“Oh my, I’m honored by the compliment.” I replied with an air of composure, as if still acting.

But internally, I was far from calm.

—It went as planned. Everything up to this point was exactly as planned.

…Even knowing that mentally, his swordsmanship still utterly stunned me. I couldn’t see his blade work at all. Before I knew it, all three men had been cut down simultaneously.

—It was unnatural.

I had once witnessed the Kingdom Knights’ public exhibition matches. However, not a single one of those knights possessed a swordsmanship this transcendent. They likely couldn’t even compare.

I don’t know if this is the result of his effort or a feat only possible with his talent. But one thing is clear: his strength is bottomless.

“Wh-What is this? What does this mean?” Ninette screamed.

“Wh… What are you doing, Odrant Baron!? Have you lost your mind!?” Mauro yelled.

It must have been entirely unexpected. Mauro and Ninette were violently flustered, unable to comprehend the situation.

“I’m perfectly sane. I just never had any intention of killing Letitia.”

“Y-You… you schemed against me…!?” Mauro stammered.

“Schemed? You’re the one who conspired against her first.” Alban’s eyes and voice were filled with utter contempt. “You, I will not forgive. You’ll get to fully experience the despair Letitia felt.”

The look and tone were utterly cold, unimaginable from his usual self.

…He’s terrifying. He claims to be a Great Villain, but I never believed it. To me, Alban was a husband with a warm, kind heart.

But… this moment is different.

He is undeniably a ‘villain.’ A Great Evil that makes onlookers tremble and instills terror. Even I, his wife, felt fear.

“K… Kuku…!” Mauro forced a laugh, sweating profusely but trying to be brave. “To think you two would conspire together! But you are foolish!”

“Th-That’s right! Do you think a fallen Lady and a mere Baron can stand up to Mauro-sama and get away with it!?” Ninette shrieked.

“Ninette is right! This is outright treason and a capital offense!”

“You’re making too much noise. I know that already.”

“Then—!”

“…Then, all that is required is to legitimize Lord Alban’s actions, indeed.”

—With that statement, Sebas emerged from the shadows. And simultaneously, another figure stood behind him. An old gentleman with white hair and a beard, no less distinguished than Sebas. He wore an eye-patch over one eye and a mantle embroidered with a dragon crest.

Seeing his figure, Mauro’s face drained of all color.

“A… A… Your Excellency…!”

“Mind your tongue, Duke Mauro Bertoli. Do not claim ignorance of who I am.”

“Y-Your Excellency Hugue de Craon, Supreme Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Knights…!”

The person who appeared was His Excellency Craon, who held the highest rank in the Royal Knights, the title of Supreme Honorary Knight Commander. His authority was among the most powerful in the kingdom. Moreover, he possessed royal blood. His position was far superior to that of the Barrow or Bertoli families.

“H-H-How could Your Excellency be in a place like this…!?”

“Well, my old war friend, Sebas, invited me for ‘a little trip to the Odrant Territory,’ you see…” His Excellency Craon stroked his beard and strode toward Mauro. “By pure coincidence, I just overheard something utterly outrageous. I never expected to hear someone command, ‘Kill’ the Young Lady of the Barrow Ducal family…”

“Attempting to murder a person of a Ducal house is a capital crime, even for someone of the same rank,” Sebas smoothly added to His Excellency Craon’s statement.

…These two are incredible. They’re not even trying to hide their feigned ignorance.

“N-No, that’s not it! I was incited…! It’s all a scheme of Alban Odrant’s!”

“Oh?”

“Your Excellency Craon, here are the letters from Mauro-sama to Lord Alban.” Sebas took several envelopes from his pocket. Wasn’t that a little too well-prepared?

“Let’s see, now. Hmm, I have already found a phrase in Duke Bertoli’s letter saying, ‘I will lend a hand if you dispose of Letitia.’“

“This settles the matter, indeed,” Sebas declared.

“M-Mgh…!?”

This was all orchestrated by Alban. He hadn’t left a single piece of physical evidence of his own involvement, but he had cleverly extracted precise words and phrases from Mauro that served as evidence against him.

For the record, the letter Alban sent to Mauro contained absolutely no direct language suggesting murder. We had intentionally adjusted the wording to be roundabout as we reviewed it together. Even if the letter were seen, he would not be convicted. And making His Excellency Craon overhear Mauro’s direct order to ‘kill’ was also intentional. It was practically entrapment.

Truly, what a terrible person he is.

“Knights, you may come out now,” His Excellency Craon commanded.

Knight escorts who had been lurking in the shadows filed out. I was relieved that the choice of this warehouse to hide them hadn’t been discovered. Though, this was clearly not the number of people one would bring on a ‘trip.’

“O-Odrant Baron…! You planned all of this…!” Mauro cried.

“Now, what exactly are you referring to?” Alban played dumb.

“…Knights, arrest Duke Mauro Bertoli.”

The heavily armed knights surrounded Mauro, preparing to take him into custody.

—With this, everything is over. I thought.

But then, “A—A DUEL!” Mauro screamed.

“What…?”

“I, Duke Mauro Bertoli, hereby challenge Baron Alban Odrant to a Duel to reclaim my honor!!!”

—It was an unexpected declaration. He must have blurted it out in desperation. But it was a valid move. A duel was a challenge issued by someone whose honor had been besmirched, demanding restoration of that honor. In this situation, it was formally legitimate. If Alban refused, he would be branded a coward, but—

“…Aww, man. This is gonna be a pain in the ass.” Alban—smiled a truly villainous, wicked grin. “But I was waiting for you to say that. Now I can legitimately… beat the snot out of you.”

“—Then I, Hugue de Craon, shall witness the duel between the two parties.”

The duel between Mauro and me began, with His Excellency Craon in attendance. Mauro was given a sword, which he gripped with a furious expression.

“Alban Odrant…! I will definitely kill you here and now…!”

Even if Mauro was a debauched noble, he was still a noble. Judging by his stance, he had some basic knowledge of swordsmanship. Although… it was amateur-level at best.

“Let me ask you one thing first.”

“Huh!?”

“Do you intend to apologize to Letitia? If you apologize sincerely, I might go a little easier on you.”

“Go to hell! Die!” Mauro roared, taking my words as a provocation and wildly charging at me.

“I see. Then I won’t hold back.”

I easily dodged his strike and slammed a punch straight into Mauro’s face with my sword-free left hand.

A dull crunch echoed. I must have broken his nose with that one hit.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Y-You…! C-Curse you!” Mauro swung his sword recklessly, blood streaming from his nose. His sword work was a mess. How did a guy like this even think of challenging someone to a duel?

“Too slow.”

“Gyah…!”

I avoided his blade and punched his face again, then followed up with a kick to the gut. Punch, kick, punch, punch— Again and again and again. His strikes couldn’t even graze me. In stark contrast, Mauro was rapidly turning into a comical, bloodied mess.

“Wh-Whyyyyy!? W-Why can’t I hit youuuu!?”

“Because I trained hard for half a year. Don’t compare me to you, you lazy slob who only played around while letting his people starve.”

“L-Lies! It’s a lie…! Alban Odrant, that lazy piece of trash Baron…!”

“Mauro-sama, what are you doing!? Just kill that guy already!” Ninette jeered cruelly at the clearly losing Mauro.

This woman is a piece of trash, too. They deserve to go to hell together.

“Guh… You bastard!”

“Still too slow.” I dodged his next cut and kicked the side of his head.

“Blegah!” Mauro flew backward pitifully.

But—I wasn’t done with him yet.

“…Listen up. Letitia, she worked so hard, all so you wouldn’t be ruined, you know that?”

“Wh-What are you talbing about…?”

“While you were busy womanizing and letting your people suffer, she was trying to save as many people as possible.”

“P-People… they grow back no matter how many die…!”

“Shut up.”

I stabbed my sword straight into Mauro’s left hand. His palm was pinned to the ground, gushing blood.

“GYYYY—GYAAAAAAAHHHH!” he shrieked.

“Nobles, no matter how high we climb, are just parasites on the common folk. We can’t live without our host. That’s what we are.” I twisted the blade, widening the wound. Does it hurt? Yeah, it hurts. But Letitia’s heart hurt far, far more than this.

“Letitia knew that. That’s why she tried to save the people, rescue the children, and risk everything to rebuild the Bertoli territory… and what did you do to her—!” I ripped the sword out and kicked him under the chin. I probably shattered his jawbone.

“You trampled her—trampled all over her feelings!”

“Guh, gugigi…!”

Mauro had no strength left to fight properly. But I had no intention of holding back.

“…You’re going to experience the despair she felt. Are you ready?”

“Y-You, you bast—!” Mauro leaned on his sword, staggering back to his feet. And then—

“DIE, YOU BASTARD!” he screamed, swinging his sword for a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

Seeing that, I gripped my sword with both hands for the first time. I gauged the distance, and the moment he entered my attack range—I swung my blade.

—Thud.

Mauro’s sword and his arm fell to the ground. I had severed his right arm, still clutching the sword hilt, mid-forearm.

“UUUU—GGYYYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Mauro screamed, his face contorted in agony.

I raised my sword above the man’s head. To finish him off.

“This is the end.”

By the rules, a duel continues until one side says, “I yield.” Conversely, if no one yields, it’s perfectly acceptable for one side to die. It would simply be recorded as a legitimate death by duel. That’s why… this guy had to die here.

“Die.” I began to swing my sword down mercilessly.

But—

“—No, stop.”

Someone gently held my body. It was Letitia. She hugged me from behind, halting my movement.

“…That’s enough. Any further, and you’ll stain your own soul.”

“Letitia… I—”

“Thank you. But it’s fine.” She pressed her cheek against my back, speaking in a quiet voice. “Your Excellency Craon, please declare the duel over.”

“…Hmm. I declare Alban Odrant Baron the winner of this duel.”

Following the declaration, Mauro and Ninette were led away by the knights. With the truth of the broken engagement and the events of this duel brought to light, the downfall of the Bertoli Ducal family was inevitable. It was safe to say Letitia’s injustice had been avenged, in a way, but—

“…Are you sure about this, Letitia?”

“Yes, it’s enough just to repay the insult. I never wanted a murder to take place.”

“I wanted to kill him, though.”

“Oh? Are you suggesting I should become a murderer’s wife?” she teased.

“No, I didn’t mean it that way…”

“A joke, it’s a joke.” Letitia chuckled softly. “But… I was happy. That you got truly angry for my sake.”

She gave me a bright, angelic smile. It was the first genuine, heartfelt smile she had ever shown me.

“…You’re welcome.”

“Our acting was in perfect sync just now, too. I think we’re going to make a great couple.”

“I agree. We’ll be the best couple.”

“Ohoho, I suppose we’ll be the villainous couple: the ‘Villainess Lady’ and the ‘Great Villain,’ then.”

“That sounds great. From today, we’re the most heinous couple of all, evil against evil.”