I’m Not A Saint Though?

chapter 22

“I’m involved in those crimes?”

Madam Magda was so dumbfounded she was speechless.  She swore she knew nothing about the accusations. When she first met Musikan Veloce, he was already the heir. What reason would she have to help him kill the true heir and take his place?

And the Duchess…

‘Well, I did tease her a bit.’

To be honest, driven by her insecurity as a mistress and jealousy of the wife, she had provoked the Duchess a few times. Sending a love letter meant for the Duke to his wife “by mistake,” or flaunting the clothes and jewelry he gave her.

But murder?  She’d never even considered it.

“Why in the world would he make such a ridiculous confession?” Magda muttered, confused.

Kiesa clicked her tongue and hinted, “I did hear the Duke might get a lighter sentence because of that confession…”

“What?”

“He was going to get the death penalty, but because he cooperated, they might reduce it to life imprisonment.”

“What… So he sold Melina and me out to save his own skin?”

“How would I know?  I’m just saying he benefited from the confession.  You draw your own conclusions.”

“Damn it!”

Staring blankly at Kiesa, who shrugged, Magda suddenly jumped up and ran off.

“H-Hey, where are you going?! Magda! You’re not even going to thank me for helping you?”

“Do you think I have time for that, you idiot?”

“You ungrateful wretch! Don’t ever come back here! You hear me?” Kiesa yelled indignantly.

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 the two-story house with a small garden was a relatively luxurious refuge.

She hurriedly unlocked the gate and rushed inside, finding Melina having tea in the garden.  “Are you insane?!  I told you to stay inside!  The walls are low, what if someone sees you?!”  She dragged Melina inside.

“I’m suffocating!  I’ve been cooped up for two days!  And who’s going to peek over the wall?  You’re being ridiculous!”

“Shut up! Just pack your things!”

“Pack?  Wait, are we going home?”

Melina’s eyes lit up.  She, too, was tired of being stuck in this small house.  When she was young, it had seemed so grand, but now it felt cramped and shabby.  Living in the Dukedom had spoiled her.

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

That girl who was only better than her by blood.  Because of her lies, their family was ruined.

‘Why did she come back alive instead of being lion chow!’

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

‘I knew it. That girl, a Saintess?  Preposterous.’

Melina scoffed.  But then,

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

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

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

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

“How would I know? Maybe to get a lighter sentence…”

“What are you talking about?! Explain!”

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

Magda yelled in frustration.  But Melina refused to budge until she got an explanation, staring stubbornly with her hands on her hips.

Finally, Magda had no choice but to tell her everything.

“F-Father confessed?”

“Yes, so pack your bags!”

Snapping, Magda grabbed a large travel bag and frantically stuffed it with jewels and clothes.

“Thank goodness I brought the jewels. I almost ended up penniless after 18 years as a mistress!”

She seemed to think they were lucky to have salvaged some wealth.  But Melina didn’t.

‘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.  Her father’s favor had given her a life comparable to a princess. Even though she was only half-noble, no one dared disrespect her because she was the Duke of Veloce’s daughter.  But now…

‘Shaen, I’ll kill her!  What did we do to deserve this?’

As Melina seethed, Magda yelled, “What are you doing! Pack your bags!  Do you want to rot in jail for something you didn’t do?!”

“Fine, fine! I’ll pack, just stop yelling!  My ears are ringing!”

Melina snapped and ran to her room, throwing anything valuable into two large bags.

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

‘I guess those days are over.’

The life of being served by maids, even if they were low-ranking nobles, of eating gourmet meals, of claiming the finest jewels and luxuries – the thought of losing it all brought tears to her eyes.

Shaking with sobs, Melina shook her head.

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

Yes, it would.  Justice always wins.

‘I just need to escape for now.’

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

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

“Huh? Where?”

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

As soon as they stepped outside, they drew attention.

“You’re right, those gaudy clothes, that vulgar swagger… She’s the mistress’s double.”

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

“Yeah, I think so.”

People whispered and pointed as they started to gather.

“Hey, you, hold it right there.”

“Wh-What is it?”

“We have some questions. Take off your hats.”

“…Why our hats?”

“Are you deaf?  I said we have questions.”

“So what are they?!”

Magda yelled, her voice trembling.  But her outburst only fueled their suspicion.

“We just want to see your faces, why are you so jumpy?  What are you hiding?”

“That’s right, suspicious.  And those huge bags.”

“Are you running away?”

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

The crowd’s gazes sharpened.

“Wh-What are you talking about?  We’re just traveling!”

“Yeah, we have urgent business in the countryside.  So move!”

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

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

Exasperated, someone snatched off their hats.

“…”

“…”

The street fell silent.

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

“Sorry about that.  Looks like 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, their escape attempt ended abruptly.