Kneel Before The Villain

“Are you doubting my eyes?”

Elvin raised his lips coldly. When his eyes met hers, Claire took a step back with a frightened look on her face. People around looked at her with sympathy. Elvin had nothing to do with this. All he did was testify of what he had seen. But at first glance, it seemed that the strong Elvin was tormenting the fragile Claire. It was never in a good shape to look at. Because of that, the eyes of people looking at Elvin became strange.

“It’s already dark outside, so maybe the Young Master saw it wrong. There is no special evidence… … ”

The young man who was standing next to Claire took a lot of courage and spoke. However, upon receiving Elvin’s cold gaze, he immediately shut his mouth and hid behind the people. It looked really pathetic. But it wasn’t wrong. I’m grateful that Elvin came forward, but in fact, he didn’t have any evidence either. Maybe it was because Elvin’s reputation wasn’t very good, so people didn’t believe him at once.

“If you’re that innocent, shouldn’t you be investigated and proven?”

Elvin took something out of his pocket and held it out to the guards with a nonchalant look on his face. The guard accepted the item that Elvin was giving him, and made a puzzled face. He politely looked at the object in the palm of his hand.

“If you don’t believe what I say, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check it out yourself.”

People’s eyes turned to the object placed on the guard’s palm. It was a button. A plain button with a rough and monotonous shape.

“I just picked up something that had fallen in the garden, but I might as well check who it belongs to. Don’t you think so?”

At Elvin’s words, people’s eyes turned to the nanny and Claire’s maid.

The nanny had a puzzled face, but the maid’s face was pale. She unconsciously tried to hide her arm from view.

“I didn’t know things would work out this easily.”

I spoke coldly to the guards standing there with stupid faces.

“What are you doing without catching and checking?”

“Ah…… Yes!”

The guard, who came to his senses late, went up to the maid and knelt her down on the floor. Then the maid’s body was searched. The button was just like the ones on the maid’s clothes. And they could find a mark where a button had fallen off the end of the sleeve. It was evidence to support Elvin’s words.

Needless to say, it was far more reliable than the testimony of a liar.

“I thought it looked suspicious, but I never expected to witness such an interesting sight.”

Elvin scoffed.

The murmur among the people grew louder and louder. They weren’t stupid either, so they seemed to have guessed roughly how things were going.

“If the maid was never absent, does that mean that Lady Dana was also with her?”

“After Lady Dana entered the banquet hall, she stayed with us the whole time.”

A Young Lady, with a round and cute impression, opened her mouth.

Her gaze at Alvin gleamed with fondness. As his gaze turned to her, she blushed. She seemed shy, but she continued.

“But I don’t really remember if the maid was with her the whole time. I don’t think I saw her for a while in the middle… “

“Young Master Croix stayed in the banquet hall briefly at the beginning of the banquet, and after that he stayed elsewhere.”

The young man added to the young lady’s words.

People’s eyes turned to Claire and her maid.

I looked towards the nanny.

She had her head bowed, so I couldn’t see her expression. However, there was a lot of strength in her hands that grabbed the skirt of the dress.

“Now I know for sure who is right.”

The young man intervened, looking at Elvin’s eyes.

In a banquet hall full of people, it was difficult to find people who care about an ordinary maid.

So, no one could refute Claire’s words earlier. Now things seem to have sorted out.

I looked to the Young Lady, who had the courage to help resolve the situation.

Her gaze still didn’t seem to fall from Elvin.

I glanced at Elvin.

He still had no expression on his face, but when our eyes met, he flinched for a moment.

I passed him and stood in front of the nanny.

She looked up at me with a complicated face.

“I didn’t know anyone else, but I didn’t know that the nanny would do this to me. I don’t think I need to look after the nanny any more.”

I said with sincere regret.

“Lady, that’s…”

A belated regret spread in the nanny’s eyes. She reached out to grab my sleeve, but as I backed away, the nanny’s hand only stirred the air.

“Lady… I didn’t mean to do that on purpose. I’m just envious of what the young lady does for a mere maid, and I get angry…….”

The nanny’s eyes looking at me became anxious.

Her face, stained with belated regret and fear, looked very old.

She looked very pitiful enough to feel sympathy.

I lowered my body a bit, so that I and the nanny were at eye level.

“Nanny.”

A glimmer of hope spread across the nanny’s face when I called. But I had no intention of living up to her expectations.

“Have a good time in jail. Who knows? If you confess to the truth, your sentence might be reduced a little.”

Nanny’s eyes widened. It was as if she didn’t expect these words to come out of my mouth.

I didn’t care and continued.

“You’re not directly involved in this. That’s my last mercy for a nanny.”

After I finished speaking, I turned around. Suddenly, I felt a gaze, and when I looked to the side, there was Elvin. He was looking at me with an unknown expression. There seemed to be a hint of praise in his gaze. Elvin didn’t look away even though our eyes met.

Feeling uncomfortable, I turned my head first. Looking at Claire, she was also talking to the maid in question.

“Why did you do that? Have I ever treated you badly?”

In Claire’s hand, there was a bracelet that had melted in the fire and distorted. She didn’t mind getting her hands and dress dirty with ashes. She had a very upset face as she held the bracelet as if it were very precious.

“If you have any complaints with me, you can just say it. Why are you doing this behind my back?”

Claire asked the maid with a tearful face.

A trembling voice on a face full of betrayal.

She looked very pathetic, as if she had been hurt by the betrayal of the maid. The maid, who heard Claire’s words, did not say anything and bowed her head.

“Lady Dana, I have to escort the criminal, can you please step aside?”

The guard asked in a stern voice.

Claire said with a resigned face as if there was nothing she could do.

“Take her.”

It was a typical tail cut.

Although it is an obvious masterpiece, Claire’s outstanding acting skills were always admirable.

How people would react to this was unknown.

Claire dropped the tears she had been holding back. Then those around her comforted her.

But not everyone was stupid.

“Lady Dana, didn’t you say you were always with the maid?”

Joan asked in a sharp voice. Her voice was neither too loud nor too low. However, it was enough to catch people’s attention and revive the extinguishing fire. People’s eyes turned to Claire.

“I really thought so. Earlier, when there were a lot of people, I was distracted, but I think that was probably what happened then.”

“No matter how irresponsible a person may be, is this something that can be overlooked if you say you did not know? Because of your lies, my Lady even got a ridiculous misunderstanding.”

The way people looked at Claire was quite different from before.

It was full of doubts, and there were some who expressed their hatred openly.

“I really didn’t know either. My maid would do this to hurt me. I apologize on behalf of my maid. I am truly sorry for letting the princess get involved in this.”

Claire walked in front of me and slowly knelt down.

Some of the people looked a little surprised at this. Claire’s apology seemed sincere, and when I looked down, her face was pure. Certainly, she exuded a strange atmosphere that stimulated people’s hearts. If someone who didn’t know the situation looked at it, it seemed like they might think of me as a villain who bullied the pitiful weaklings.

“I also can’t believe that a mere maid could do this on her own. If something suspicious is revealed, you should take her away and investigate. Why are you standing still?”

Elvin opened his mouth slowly. Contrary to the languid face and the bored voice, his gaze was cold and overwhelming. The guards who received his gaze started to move in a hurry.

The compassion that had been on the people’s faces as they looked at Claire a moment ago was completely erased. Their fear of being hated by Elvin was greater than the sympathy for the beauty in front of them.

“There are a few things we need to check, so come with us, Lady Dana.”

The guard spoke to Claire with a solemn face. Their attitude was still polite but firm. Claire took turns looking at Elvin and me with a surprised expression.

However, Elvin’s expression remained the same throughout. His expression, looking at Claire, was supremely cold. Her innocent face didn’t seem to have any effect on the man in front of her.

“Okay.”

Claire lowered her gaze as if resigning and nodded her head. The tip of her nose and eyes that turned red all of a sudden seemed to swallow the resentment. At this, some people around Claire flinched slightly. There will be many people who will come forward for Claire besides them. But now she was locked up in iron bars and was being investigated.

‘Well, it will be only for a while.’

Sooner or later, the prince on a white horse will use his hand to save her. For some reason, the memories of the past passed by one by one. It hasn’t been long since I fell into this world. However, the incidents and accidents that I have experienced so far were at a level that cannot be said to be small.

“Princess, we have made a mistake. I also want to apologize to the princess’s maid.”

The guards apologized to me.

As I nodded, they said to Annie with an awkward expression.

“A while ago … I’m sorry for what happened.”

“It’s okay. It was unavoidable.”

“I have a few questions to ask, it’s just a procedural check, nothing else. So I hope you don’t feel too burdened.”

The guards’ attitude towards Annie was very polite and careful, whether they were looking at me or not. I watched it for a moment, then turned to look elsewhere.

“Just a second.”

I stopped the guards who were dragging Claire.

They stopped meekly and looked at me with puzzled faces.

I approached them. Claire opened her eyes and looked at me.

I raised my hand high towards her and slapped her face with all my might.

“Ah!”

Claire’s cheeks turned to the side with a clear sound. She looked at me in disbelief. Her gaze was ferocious, as if she had forgotten to act out of surprise.

“I can’t say that you’re innocent in this situation.”

“Princess!”

The young man shouted with a reddened face. He was the one who had been by Claire’s side until now. I said without looking at him.

“It’s not the first time someone under you has been taken away. Isn’t it strange? How long has it been since your maid made her own play at Count Evans’s residence?”

Claire didn’t say anything. She just had tears on her face with no words. But there were not many who sympathized with her anymore. As I listened to the people’s whispering, I continued.

“I wonder how long you plan to live with the help of others. Then good bye. I hope we don’t see each other for a while, at least.”