Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 7

Lianna sank deeply into the long couch, reminiscing about the past. But when her thoughts vaguely reached the part where she recalled, “Yes, Lord Ernst was stabbed,” she suddenly lifted her head in surprise.

Ernst had been stabbed.

He had made remarks that suggested he doubted Saint Lucilda.

And he had also said things that seemed to protect her.

Could it be—though it might just be arrogance on her part—that his stabbing had something to do with her or Lucilda?

As soon as she reached that thought, Lianna made up her mind to act on something that had been lingering in her mind.

Yes, she had been thinking about it since yesterday. To take another “night stroll.”

“Call Mesha for me.”

Lianna ordered one of the maids.

When Mesha was called, she looked extremely annoyed.

Mesha was an apprentice maid. Despite that, she was only doing the job because her mother had ordered her to, so she wasn’t serious about it. In the end, the only thing Mesha really did in the Gruber ducal estate was keep Lianna company.

And even that, she didn’t do seriously. She only stuck by Lianna because it let her slack off from other work, but she had not even the slightest intention of actively listening to Lianna’s stories.

Still, Lianna told Mesha about Ernst being stabbed and vented her frustrations.

“So, Mesha, what do you make of this? Ernst was stabbed. And on top of that, he’s hiding the details himself. It seems like he told Wallace and Bartlett, though.”

“Don’t care.”

As expected, Mesha didn’t listen.

“You’re as uninterested as ever.”

Lianna complained, but she was already used to it, so she didn’t get mad.

The reason Lianna kept Mesha by her side to vent was precisely because Mesha had no personal interest in her and gave extremely objective opinions. And she was surprisingly tight-lipped.

Lianna chuckled.

“I thought that if you heard someone was stabbed, even you might take an interest.”

“Shouldn’t you be telling the guards or something? Not my job.”

“But I’m thinking of getting involved.”

“Huh? No, stop. That sounds like more work for me, and I hate that.”

“Well, it will add a little to your workload. Because tonight, I’m going. So, keep watch, okay?”

Lianna casually mentioned her “night stroll.”

Mesha’s eyes widened in shock.

“Huh?! Tonight?! That’s way too sudden! I had plans to drink with my friends tonight!”

“I figured you’d say that, so I took care of it. I told your friends, ‘Sorry, Mesha can’t make it,’ and gave them a little extra for drinks. They took the money and said, ‘Got it!’”

Lianna stuck out her tongue slightly and made a small apologetic bow with her hand in front of her face.

“…Wait. Did I just get sold out for a handful of coins?”

Mesha scowled.

“But, Lady, you really shouldn’t do this. Didn’t Lord Bartlett and Lord Wallace tell you to stay out of it? And they must have said that knowing more about the situation than you do. You’ll just get in the way.”

“But with this power of mine, I feel like I can figure out more.”

“Then why not tell them about your power and work together? Wouldn’t that be a more effective way to use it?”

Mesha made a fair point.

“That’s…”

“You don’t want to? Well, yeah. You’ve always stubbornly hidden your power from your friends. Why is that?”

Mesha tilted her head as she asked.

Lianna looked down awkwardly, biting her lip.

“If abused, this ability could be used to peek into people’s private lives. If anyone knew I had it, no one would want to be around me anymore. Even those who trust that I wouldn’t do something like that… deep down, it would still bother them.”

“Yeah, I kinda get it. Someone like me, who has nothing to hide, wouldn’t care. But people with secrets? They’d definitely be wary.”

Mesha said bluntly.

“I understand that. And that scares me.”

“So that’s why you won’t tell Lord Wallace or Lord Bartlett and want to do this alone. But, Lord Ernst, right? Just a hunch, but I’d say this is definitely related to the Saint. And honestly, Lady, do you really have the right to interfere now? You’ve been ignoring the ‘Saint’ suspicion for the past two years since Saint Lucilda appeared.”

Mesha spoke critically.

The “Saint” suspicion referred to the doubts that some, including Ernst, had voiced directly to the crown prince—whether Lucilda was truly a saint.

Even knowing that, Lianna had chosen not to stir things up, following the “Saint Law.” She had avoided getting involved with Lucilda as much as possible.

Even though she had the ability of the “night stroll,” she had done nothing for two years.

So now, when Ernst had been stabbed, getting involved at this point made Lianna feel a little guilty.

“Th-that’s true. But… I never thought it would escalate to the point where Ernst would get stabbed. I was willing to accept my engagement being broken… I thought if I stepped aside, everything would resolve peacefully. I-I mean, I don’t even know if his stabbing was because of the ‘Saint’ issue. But still, I…”

Lianna fidgeted, unwilling to back down.

Mesha sighed.

“Do you love Ernst?”

“Ah… yeah. Probably. I can’t help but watch him.”

Lianna admitted honestly, blushing.

“But he has a fiancée, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah. Everyone always points that out. And every time, I say, ‘I know! I won’t do anything!’”

Lianna shrank apologetically.

“How pointless…”

“I know! But I can’t control my feelings! If I could, life would be so much easier! I’d cry with relief!”

Lianna shouted, and Mesha shrugged in exasperation.

“You’ve got it bad…”

“Yes! Then fine, I’ll confess! You know how there are social gatherings? The first thing I think is, ‘Will Ernst be there?’ But I can’t ask anyone, so I just worry about it alone. What I really feel is, ‘I hope he comes.’ And when I do go to the gathering? I immediately start looking around. Wondering if he’s there. I can’t help but scan every corner of the venue. And if I don’t see him inside, I make an excuse to step outside—maybe he’s in the garden.”

Lianna passionately explained, as if she had given up on hiding it.

“And when you find him? You stop yourself from talking to him, right?”

Mesha crossed her arms, looking down at her.

Lianna didn’t back down.

“Yes! I don’t talk to him. Just seeing him makes me happy! Just knowing he’s there makes me happy!”

Hearing that, Mesha raised her hands in surrender.

“Pointless… Wow, you’re really hopeless. Fine. No stopping you, then. Go. I’ll keep watch.”