‘Surely, that mustache guy isn’t in cahoots with her?’

Oh, that was right.

This time, the victim of the mustache guy’s scheme wasn’t Duke Tricia but herself. The new maid, the one planted by the mustache guy, must have heard from the other maids about her unusual behavior and reported it to him. He must have thought it was suspicious and hatched a plan.

‘So, the news about Marie’s parents getting hurt was also…’

It was highly likely that the mustache guy had orchestrated it.

In the Duchy’s mansion, Carinne lived practically alone, so it was rare to hire a new maid. In order to plant an inside agent, they would have had to get rid of one of the maids, and it just had to be Marie. There were other ways to harm Marie directly… but they must have been afraid that would arouse suspicion, right?

As expected of that meticulous b*stard.

“It seems you’re racking your brain, but it’s no use.”

As much as she hated it, that guy was right.

This situation was certainly disadvantageous to her. All the maids in the mansion except Marie were hostile towards Carinne. To put it bluntly, whether she was a witch or not wouldn’t matter to the maids. If they could just see her getting punished, they would gladly testify that she was a witch regardless of whether she was one or not.

Clank!

At that moment, her wrists were suddenly bound with manacles.

It was Marta.

Carinne exclaimed in surprise.

“You said you were waiting for the procedure!”

“It just ended.”

…That was the procedure? They just asked a few questions and threw her in jail with manacles on. Just what kind of justice system did this country even have? They were locking her up and shackling her without any proper evidence.

Then, an idea suddenly came to her. Carinne lowered her voice so that only Marta could hear.

“I’ll use the favor right now. That thing.”

Marta owed her a favor. With the power of the Commander of the Knights, who had the King’s trust and the people’s support, clearing her name shouldn’t be too difficult.

However, Marta dashed her hopes in an instant.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her cold response made her feel like all the blood was draining from her body. There wasn’t a single person in this world she could trust.

As she sank into despair and realized that she was all alone in this world, Marta spoke.

“If you prove that you are the real princess at the trial, you will be acquitted.”

It was a formal statement, but it was clear that she was saying it for her sake. Even that was something. Carinne desperately clung to the lifeline that had been thrown at her.

“What will the trial be based on? Surely, they’re not going to throw me in water to see if I float or not, right?”

Marta pretended not to hear Carinne’s second question.

“It will be based on the testimonies of those around you.”

The mention of the testimonies of those around her seemed to offer a glimmer of hope. Unlike the maids, Iris and Archen would give testimonies in her favor. Duke Lucas also seemed to have taken a liking to her, so she didn’t have to worry about his testimony, aside from the incident earlier.

However, Marta wasn’t finished speaking.

“We will also ask you a few questions to confirm that you are not a witch.”

Her heart sank at those words.

Just like when she was asked about Duchess Tricia’s name earlier, what if they asked her something she didn’t know? She still knew less about the original Carinne than what she didn’t know.

“What if I can’t answer even one question?”

Fearing that Marta would suspect her, she quickly added.

“Just hypothetically.”

Marta responded curtly as if wondering why she was even asking such a thing.

“All those who have been found to be witches so far have been burned at the stake.”

The darkness that had briefly lifted returned, and her vision went dark again. Whoever said that possessing someone was a walk in the park?

The life of a possessed person was far from easy.

Carinne stared blankly into space like a madman.

Soon, she was escorted to the underground prison by the knights. She waited for a while, just in case, but Duke Patricia never showed up.

‘When he was locked up, I would visit him all the time!’

When Duke Tricia, who owed ten billion gold from gambling to the mustache guy, was imprisoned, Carinne visited him every day. It wasn’t because she liked Duke Tricia but because it was the right thing to do according to the Eastern Country’s etiquette, her original country.

However, Duke Tricia, let alone acting humanely, didn’t even show up, even though his daughter was in such a dire situation. He was probably drunk and passed out in a bar somewhere. Or maybe he was gambling on a trip to the countryside. Or maybe the mustache guy had a hand in this in advance.

If Duke Tricia had sided with his daughter, he would have been seen as an obstacle and blocked in advance. Since she couldn’t get help from Duke Tricia, it was entirely up to her to clear her name.

‘Wait. What kind of questions will they ask me at the trial?’

In court, they would ask more detailed questions than her mother’s name or the type of tea her mother drank.

She knew very little about Carinne.

The information about Carinne that came out in the novel was that she was the Princess of the Second Duchy who was in unrequited love with Duke Lucas, that she had a wicked personality, and that she had a certain hair and eye color.

Useless information like that wouldn’t be enough to prove that she was the real Carinne. If she asked any noble from Esmeril, they would be able to answer that much.

‘Should I just pretend to have amnesia right now?’

It was almost the only thing she could do in this situation. However, if they asked why she hadn’t said so earlier, she would have no answer.

Also, judging from the mustache guy’s words that someone who was accused of being a witch a hundred years ago was executed after saying the same thing, it was dangerous because it could backfire.

She wished she had pretended to have amnesia as soon as she possessed the body and spread the rumor around the neighborhood. She felt incredibly reckless for thinking she could act like Carinne with the superficial knowledge she had gained from books.

‘Amnesia is a no-go. Then, what else is there…?’

As she took a deep breath and tried to calm her mind, several ideas came to mind.

Should she write a story about losing all her memories after being cursed by someone? Or should she act like a wicked, unfilial daughter and ask why she had to remember her mother’s name? Or should she cry and beg for sympathy, saying that this was all the mustache guy’s scheme and that she was just a poor victim?

Or else…

Carinne grabbed her hair and collapsed.

Even she knew that they were all ridiculous ideas. It would be difficult to find someone who would believe her, a witch, and with the mustache guy’s wicked personality, he wouldn’t leave any loopholes for her to escape.

Didn’t he just block the amnesia loophole like it was nothing?

When she realized that there was no way out, her vision went dark.

‘I even gave up on my dream of dating Archen…’

To think that she would be in danger of being executed as a witch.

Even if she was unlucky, it couldn’t be this bad. Other people possessing bodies lived happily ever after, falling in love with handsome men and living well. Why was life so difficult for her after the possession, both before and after?

* * *

“Did you hear me?!”

“….”

“What are we going to do now? Judging from how confident Viscount Frank is, it’s clear that the higher-ups have reached an agreement.”

“….”

“They didn’t even allow the use of confession drugs. If that’s not trying to rig the trial, then what is?”

“….”

“Say something if you have a mouth!”

Archenas felt very agitated. He made statements that were no different from treason in a heated tone.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Come to think of it, the only time he acted differently than usual was when it came to matters related to the Princess. He was like that when he was worried about the Princess at the party, when he avoided her questions after the festival, and now, well, as you could see.

“If it’s the Duke’s will to stay silent, I will step forward alone. Don’t blame me if I have to tarnish the name of the First Duchy in the process.”

“The trial was tomorrow, wasn’t it?”

Duke Lucas belatedly opened his lips. He already had a well-organized plan in his head on how to clear the Princess’s name.

The man before him seemed completely unaware of that.

“I’ll personally attend the trial. You’re to sneak out the list of questions the judges will be asking and deliver it to the Princess before the trial.”

“Is that all?”

Archenas couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.

“As you know, the last witch trial was a hundred years ago. There’s very little information available. There’s no other way but to win the trial. Unless a divine revelation comes down from the temple.”

“What about bribing the priests?”

A humorless laugh escaped his lips.

In the past, he would never have said something like that. Usually, he would have scolded the person who suggested it, saying it was ridiculous.

“The chances are high that they’re in cahoots with someone else. We could easily end up being used against her.”

The Duke leaned back against the chair and continued languidly.

“The nobles will be in charge of the trial, but they can’t ignore public opinion. Commoners will also participate in the trial, so if the Princess answers the questions well, she won’t be branded a witch. I’ll speak to His Majesty about it in advance.”

“Then, all I can do is deliver the list of questions to her.”

“Yes. That’s all.”

“Though surely there must be a more certain way.”

Even though he had been given a solution, Archenas couldn’t shake off his anxiety. He couldn’t sit still and kept pacing back and forth like a man at his wit’s end.

“I’ll look for other options, so just give me some time.”

“Do what I told you to do first.”

The Duke cut him off.

It was an order.

Archenas realized that and bit his lip before hanging his head.

“Understood.”

“By the way, the day of the festival. Was there really nothing out of the ordinary with her?”

The Duke called out to him as he was about to leave the office.

“I’m just curious.”

“As I’ve already told you, there was nothing. I only escorted her home because she said she had something to do.”

Even though his voice was dry and emotionless, his blue eyes flickered with uncertainty. The Duke noticed it right away.

“I see. You may go.”

He was hiding something from him.

Something must have happened between him and the Princess on the day of the festival. He didn’t know what it was, but the fact that he didn’t want to talk about it…

So, that was it.

The Duke vividly remembered him cupping the Princess’s cheek two days ago, his face flushed as he couldn’t bring himself to look at her properly.

“…He’s setting his sights on an unattainable woman.”

He had to fall for the Princess, of all people. Not some humble commoner’s illegitimate child, not some noble’s bastard, but the Princess of Second Duchy, no less.

Since Duke Tricia had no other children, the Princess would be in charge of the Second Duchy in time. It was impossible for a princess like that to be interested in a lowly aide from a commoner family. He didn’t have money or status, and which noble lady would want to trifle with a man with nothing?

It would be a different story if she were a bored noblewoman looking for some excitement, but the Princess wasn’t even married yet, and a woman’s reputation before marriage determined the rest of her life.

Even the kind of partner she would meet would depend on her reputation.

The Princess was smart, so she couldn’t be unaware of that.

She might be acting friendly with him now and calling him a close friend, but it was probably just a temporary amusement. Thinking back to what the Princess had said before, she might even be enjoying this situation.

Did Archenas not realize that? Did he think that the Princess was genuinely interested in him? While it was none of his business, he did feel a little sorry for him because he knew that his wish would never come true. He had brought this upon himself, so he had to deal with the consequences.

The Duke shook off his thoughts and opened a file. He didn’t have time to leisurely discuss someone else’s love life.

The witch trial was tomorrow.

—