11. I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again!

A little while after I was adopted into the Sargent Margraviate, Father and Lady Medisina were called to the royal palace. They’d been called by the king, but apparently hadn’t been told why. Knowing Lady Medisina, she would probably be thinking that I, the useless child, had done something wrong. They weren’t immediately brought to the audience chamber, but instead to another room where Lady Margaret and I were waiting. The one who brought them there was Brother Marx, the Deputy Commander of the Second Order of Knights. After he brought them in, he stood against the wall, looking completely innocent. Father had a vacant look in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.

As per a suggestion from Lord Glen, I was wearing a simple dress, like the common people would wear. He wanted to get as much information out of them before the audience as possible, so he had me dress similarly to how I did at home. Lady Margaret was wearing her black uniform and gray robe as a control trainee.

The first person to speak was Lady Medisina. She started ranting at me, completely ignoring her surroundings, “The reason the King called us is because you’ve made some careless mistake, isn’t it? You really are trash!”

I could see Brother’s face morph into a scowl. I just did my best to stay silent and face down.

“But my lovely Margaret is as excellent as ever. That’s the robe that control trainees wear, isn’t it?” Lady Medisina continued, smiling happily at Lady Margaret.

“Yes, this is the robe for control trainees. The researchers all wear white robes with different colored stoles.”

Huh? I could hear a slight waver in Lady Margaret’s voice. She might be thinking that they’d been called due to her behavior. No matter what the reason, the fact that a control trainee like her had attacked someone with a brand new Skill, who was being treated as a guest of honor, wouldn’t disappear. She might have been regretting it.

“And you. You aren’t wearing a gray robe like Margaret. My, my! You’re trash here as well? Who do you think is paying for you to attend this place? Us, that’s who! A good-for-nothing like you is just a waste of money,” Lady Medisina groaned, heaving a big sigh as she did. “Cease your control training and have your mana sealed already. Then, you’ll be able to come home and live as you were before.”

Live as I was before... She meant get up before dawn, put on my rags, clean the manor without a single word of praise, be whipped as “discipline,” and starved. I grit my teeth to pump myself up, before raising my head.

“I...will never set foot in any house with you again.” I didn’t yell or get angry. I just tried my best to say it calmly.

I had learned a lot since coming to the Royal Research Institute. People were nice to me and worried about my well-being... Unlike anyone at home. Who would want to go back to a place like that? I’d created a seed for a medicinal flower that saved Duke Bazrack’s granddaughter, who had royal blood. Thanks to that, I’d become a research fellow, nearly as high a status as royalty. I was also adopted into the Sargent Margraviate. The Eucharis Barony wasn’t where I would go home to, anymore.

Not expecting me to refuse, Lady Medisina’s eyes widened in shock before her face morphed in rage.

“Why is a failure like you talking back!?” She quickly walked towards me, raising her hand to hit me. But Father stopped her. I hadn’t expected that, so my jaw nearly dropped.

“I’ve told you before. Don’t raise your hand against a child,” he chided her, eyes still blank.

Huh... I feel like I’ve heard this before...

Back when I was small, before I added “Lady” to Lady Medisina and Lady Margaret’s names, Father had stepped in when I was about to be hit. Now that I thought about it, he was rarely ever home, but when he was, I was never whipped.

“O-Oh, Barnard. This is discipline. It’s her fault for not listening to her mother,” Lady Medisina said, giving him a bright smile as she pulled her hand back.

“And Chelsea isn’t here as a control trainee, but as someone who awakened to a brand-new Skill. The Institute is paying for all of her living expenses. You’ve been getting paid as well, haven’t you...?”

I nodded at Father’s words.

“What!?” Lady Medisina’s eyes sparkled. “If you’re getting paid, you don’t have to come home. Keep working here and send all your pay home!”

“I refuse.”

I was no longer the daughter of Baron Eucharis. If I was sending any pay home, it would be to the Sargent Margraviate.

My second refusal put Lady Medisina over the edge, and she started screaming, “Don’t kid yourself! Who do you think it was that raised you!? I deserve for you to at least pay me back for that!”

This time, it was the knights who held her back from hitting me, not Father. As they were restraining her, someone knocked on the door. As it opened, Lord Glen and the Prime Minister stepped inside.

“Your voice is echoing into the halls, Madam. But is it not unthinkable to want someone you abused so severely to repay you?” Lord Glen said, chuckling, but his eyes weren’t laughing at all.

Lady Medisina’s face went bright red as she glared at him, screeching, “What does a mere Appraiser like you know!?”

He might be a nationally-recognized Appraiser, but he’s also one of the highest-ranked people in the country, I thought.

“Ah, that’s right, I didn’t introduce myself properly last time we met. I’m Glenarnold Snowflake. While I am a nationally-recognized Appraiser, I’m also the current Duke Snowflake. I’m also His Majesty, King Alexiskevin’s younger brother.”

The second she heard his name, Lady Medisina’s face went white as a sheet, and she began to shake. If he’d introduced himself as “Glenarnold,” even I would have known that he was the King’s younger brother. After all, the fact that “His Majesty the King loves his younger brother Prince Glenarnold very much” was incredibly well known, and even a commoner like the old gardener had heard about it.

“His Majesty is calling for you. Let’s head to the courtroom,” Lord Glen told Father and Lady Medisina with a cold smile.

Apparently, they’d be brought to judgment regarding the false Noble Registry records in front of the King. Father, Lady Medisina, and even Lady Margaret were escorted out of the room surrounded by knights.

“It’s time for your transformation, Chelsea.” This time, Lord Glen’s smile was gentle as he rang the bell on the table. A moment later, Gina, Martha, and my new other maids came in carrying things.

“Huh?”

Lord Glen just gave me a light wave as I was surprised, before leaving with the Prime Minister.

“Please excuse us!” Martha spoke first, and all the other maids nodded before stripping me of the simple common dress.

“I-I can take it off myself...!” It was so sudden that I squeaked the same way I had when I was first brought here.

“His Highness has told us that you will be there during the King’s judgment, as well, Lady Chelsea.”

“We’ve also heard that people who think little of you will be in attendance.”

“That means our job is to shine you up into a beauty.”

Gina and Martha said all that with a smile as they dressed me in the light purple dress that Duke Bazrack gave to me.

“Purple is the color of royalty, and nobles can only wear it if it’s given to them by a member of the royal family.”

“And Duke Bazrack, the former king’s younger brother, has gifted purple clothing to you.”

“If you wear this, it will tell them that you have ties to the royal family!”

They just kept dressing me up as I stood there, shocked. Light purple earrings, necklace, and bracelets. A big hair accessory. And on my chest, the brooch with the Sargent Margraviate’s emblem, a gift from my adopted parents. Finally, they finished off by putting on a light layer of makeup.

“Perfect!” Martha squealed proudly while the other maids all nodded.

As I looked in the mirror, I could see lots of purple, including my own eyes. The brooch on my chest showed that I was no longer the “failure” elder twin daughter of Baron Eucharis. I had never realized that getting dressed up could give you so much strength. No matter what happened in the courtroom, no matter what anyone said, I would do my best!

“Thank you all. I’ll get going!” I smiled, full of vigor as I left the room.

＋＋＋

In the courtroom, half of the room was filled with spectator’s seats, while the other half had a square box painted in the middle. I’d learn later that the box sealed mana just as the sealing bracelets did, so anyone inside couldn’t use Skills.

Inside the box were Baron Barnard Eucharis, his wife, Lady Medisina, and their daughter, Lady Margaret. Off to the right side of the room, against the wall, were seats for my adopted parents, the Sargent Margrave and his wife, Brother, and myself. On the opposite side sat Lord Glen and Lord Tris, Lady Medisina’s father, Marquis Ackroyd, and his wife.

After a short wait, the door on the far wall opened, and His Majesty and the Prime Minister walked inside. His Majesty sat down heavily in a chair in the center of the room, while the Prime Minister stood diagonally behind me.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement. Lady Chelsea has recently saved a life through use of a Skill other than [Cure], and as thanks, has been promoted to the rank of national research fellow.”

The spectator’s seats erupted in murmurs at the Prime Minister’s words. I stood, giving a perfect curtsey. Lady Medisina and Lady Margaret looked as if they couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw me. They were shocked, both to see me acting like a proper noble, and to be head-to-toe in purple.

I’d changed since I came here to the Royal Research Academy. I was not the same girl who had been called “trash” and abused.

“In addition, she has been adopted by Margrave Sargent.” When the Prime Minister continued, Marquis Ackroyd, who had been sitting along the opposite wall, shot to his feet.

“Why the Sargent Margraviate!?” he screamed, loud enough to echo through the whole room.

By the way, my new Father, Margrave Sargent was smiling cheerfully, while my new Mother took my hand and stroked it. I was embarrassed, having never been touched so gently by anyone but Lord Glen.

“Chelsea is my granddaughter! She should be adopted into my family, if anywhere!”

Marquis Ackroyd was breathing heavily through his nose as he raged, but His Majesty, the Prime Minister, and Lord Glen all shook their heads, sighing.

“I’ve taken care of you at the Eucharis manor before, haven’t I? Now, Chelsea, come to me, right now!” He was saying the same kind of thing that his daughter Lady Medisina had said earlier.

“May I be permitted to speak?” I asked the Prime Minister behind me, and got a strong nod back. Staring straight at Marquis Ackroyd, I straightened my posture and spoke: “I refuse. Though I remember being kicked by you at the Eucharis manor, I have no recollection of you ever taking care of me.”

Hearing my response, Marquis Ackroyd started shaking, red with rage. His wife must have realized, because she moved her chair away from his, giving him a cold look before looking resolute.

“We will explain later why Lady Chelsea was adopted into the Sargent Margraviate,” the Prime Minister told Marquis Ackroyd, before signaling for me to sit, and moving to stand beside His Majesty.

And then... Their judgment began.

“While registering Lady Chelsea as the daughter of Margrave Sargent, the fact that fraudulent information was recorded in the Noble Registry came to light,” the Prime Minister stated, looking at my former family.

Father’s eyes were still blank, and he seemed to be staring into nothingness. Lady Medisina’s face twitched, but she still acted haughtily.

“Recording fraudulent information into the Noble Registry is a grave crime in our country. With that as preamble, I will read the fraudulent entries.”

Hearing this, Lady Medisina’s demeanor changed. She looked towards her father, Marquis Ackroyd, opening and closing her mouth. Could she not have known that it was a crime...?

“There are three incorrect points. Firstly, Lady Chelsea’s birthday is listed as two days from her true day of birth. Secondly, her true birth mother is the Baron’s first wife, daughter of the former Margrave Sargent, Lady Sophia. Lastly, Lady Chelsea and Lady Margaret are listed as twins, despite having different mothers.”

Lady Medisina looked downwards, unmoving as the Prime Minister continued.

“As the fraudulent passages were recorded at her birth, Lady Chelsea herself has no involvement in the act. Similarly, as she died in childbirth, Lady Sophia also has no involvement. The ones with reason to falsify the records are Lady Chelsea’s birth father, Baron Eucharis, his second wife, Baroness Medisina, and her father, Marquis Ackroyd.”

“What are you saying!? I had absolutely no involvement!” the Marquis denied, spraying spittle as he did.

“We have brought witnesses,” the Prime Minister announced, signaling for the knight at the entrance to open the door. Three people walked into the room and stood between the spectator’s seats and the square box, all bowing their heads.

The first one to speak was the chef from the Eucharis manor, who used to secretly feed me: “I am...was, until recently, the chef at the Eucharis manor. After Lady Medisina, the second wife, came to the manor, Lady Sophia, the first wife, was sent to live in a small shed on the property. I brought her food every day. She was always happily stroking her pregnant belly.”

The next up was the maid who served Lady Medisina. She was also the person who taught me how to read and do math: “I was Lady Sophia’s personal maid at the time of her death. After giving birth to Lady Chelsea, she passed away. A few days later, Lady Medisina gave birth to Lady Margaret in the manor. The day she gave birth, I saw her father speaking to the Master.”

The last one to speak was an old woman who I’d never seen before. She seemed very nervous: “I-I worked as a midwife for many years. Twelve years ago, I helped Lady Sophia birth Lady Chelsea, and a few days later, helped Lady Medisina birth Lady Margaret. After Lady Margaret’s birth, a man calling himself Marquis Ackroyd came, and I remember he looked closely at her. And also...my late husband worked at the Eucharis manor as a gardener. He was very worried about Lady Chelsea’s circumstances.”

So she was the old gardener’s wife!? It was thanks to him that I was able to live somewhat like a normal human. I was so thankful for his kindness. As I looked at the woman silently, she gave me a smile.

“Do you have any objections?”

“I went to see my granddaughter, nothing more!” Marquis Ackroyd cried, only for his wife, who had been sitting beside him, to get up and slap him across the face.

“So it was a lie that you cut contact with her.”

Marquis Ackroyd shut his mouth tightly, scowling as he sat back down.

“Please forgive my shameful display,” his wife said before sitting back beside him.

The Prime Minister turned his gaze on Father.

“I’ll tell you all that I know,” my birth father said, lowering his head.

＋＋＋

To begin at the conclusion, Lady Margaret and I had been registered as twins due to Marquis Ackroyd’s insinuations that he would cut off his assistance to the Eucharis Barony otherwise.

The Marquis himself turned out to not have become the Marquis by blood, but by marrying into the family, and Lady Medisina was born between him and a commoner. Though he was the current head of the family, he had no blood connection to them, and had been ordered by his wife to cut off contact with Lady Medisina and her mother. But rather than cut her off, the Marquis spoiled her. As it was, Lady Medisina would live as a commoner, despite having noble blood.

At the same time, Mother and Father had been married for three years, but had yet to be blessed with a child. That was why the Marquis came to offer Baron Eucharis Lady Medisina’s hand in marriage. After my parents discussed it, it was decided that Lady Medisina would become his second wife. Marquis Ackroyd was happy that his daughter would be able to live as a noble. And through his assistance to the Baron, he would be able to see Lady Medisina...

A year later, both my Mother and Lady Medisina became pregnant at the same time, and gave birth around the same time as well. In noble families, the eldest child would be the heir. In the case of twins, since they were born almost at the same time, it was normal for the twin with the most skill to be named as heir.

Because I was born just two days earlier, I would be the heir to the Barony. That would mean that if Lady Margaret didn’t marry a noble, she’d end up as a commoner. Unable to accept that though he had managed to make his daughter Medisina into a noble, there was a chance that his granddaughter would be lowered to common status, Marquis Ackroyd made it so Lady Margaret and I would be registered as twins.

Lady Margaret alone would be raised like a noble to show she was capable, and that she should be the heir. And that was why I was raised to be a failure, treated like a maid, not allowed to go to school, or be taught anything about noble life...

By the way, apparently Lady Medisina had loved us both at the beginning. She had heard about the false records in the Noble Registry, but didn’t care. But when she learned that Father was to make me the heir... She thought that he was choosing his late first wife over her. She wouldn’t accept that it was only because I was the eldest. After that, I was neglected and treated as Marquis Ackroyd ordered. Father had tried to stop Lady Medisina, but he was forced into confinement at the Marquis’ estate as “work,” and was seldom allowed to return home.

Once Father finished speaking, Lady Medisina shrieked from beside him, “It wasn’t my fault!”

“It’s true, you had no involvement in the falsified records.” His Majesty the King agreed.

She broke out into a smile. “His Majesty agrees! It’s not my fault!”

“But, you knew that they were not twins. Could you not have reported it?”

“Eh, ah, but I...”

“Though you knew, you did nothing. And on top of that, you abused Chelsea.”

“No, I didn’t! I disciplined her! And shouldn’t a parent be allowed to treat their own child as they wish!?” Screaming with bloodshot eyes, Lady Medisina started lashing out. Knights immediately moved in to hold her down.

“Due to your ‘wishes,’ Chelsea was covered in wounds, and had various status ailments, such as inhibited growth. You should be ashamed to call yourself a parent,” Lord Glen stood up and said. Lord Tris looked angry as well from his seat beside him.

“N-No... I-I... I...!” Hearing Lord Glen’s words must have agitated her, because she began screeching unintelligibly. It was so loud and annoying that His Majesty ordered the knights to restrain her and take her outside.

Once she was gone, the room was silent. But the one to break that silence was the King.

“Marquis Ackroyd. Do you think that Chronowize’s institutions have such a problem that they’d allow someone as low as a Baron to easily falsify records?” His Majesty smiled pridefully at the Marquis, as if he already knew everything. Marquis Ackroyd stayed silent, beads of cold sweat running down his face.

“If you say yes, that the problem lies with our country, we’d need to start a large-scale investigation. If you’re innocent, then there’s nothing for you to worry about.” The King’s smile deepened. “But if you say no, then it means that someone would have had to have helped them. And the only highly ranked noble that the Eucharis Barony is familiar with is you, Marquis.”

Marquis Ackroyd looked away, not saying anything at all. With a wave of his hand, His Majesty summoned knights, who surrounded and restrained the Marquis.

“W-What are you doing! Unhand me!!” The knights ignored him, dragging him into the square box. “I’ve done nothing!”

Even as he was being manhandled, Marquis Ackroyd’s pride didn’t falter.

“We have reports from the personnel who did the physical editing of the Noble Registry that Baron Eucharis was accommodating for Marquis Ackroyd’s interests as he gave the false report,” the Prime Minister said, before naming all of the people involved with the fraudulent reporting. “Each of the staff involved all reported various threats from the Marquis.”

“I have no recollection of that,” Marquis Ackroyd denied, but his wife raised her hand for permission to speak, and all eyes moved to her.

“I do not care about either you, who married into my family, or your daughter. What is important to me is the Ackroyd family’s continued nobility. Stop acting so shamefully.” The Marchioness could only speak up due to being the one related to the family by blood. “I have a request, Your Majesty.”

“You may speak.”

“My husband and I will take responsibility for the falsified records. But please, I beg of you not to punish the house of Ackroyd,” Marquis Ackroyd’s wife said, bowing deeply.

“That will all depend on your husband’s injustices. If your son has no connections to any of the crimes, I will consider naming him as the new Marquis.”

The Marchioness bowed deeply again, thanking him.

After the verdict was read, punishments were doled out. Father, due to the falsified records and his hand in the Marquis’ crimes, was to be sent to work hard labor in the mines for the rest of his life. The Eucharis Barony was dissolved. Lady Medisina didn’t recover from her hysteria, so she was fitted with a mana sealing bracelet and sent to a convent. My sister Lady Margaret, due to her magic going berserk, was expelled from the control training program, fitted with a proper mana sealing bracelet, and would be sent to an orphanage.

Marquis Ackroyd’s other offenses made his falsifying records seem like nothing, and he was to be held in the dungeons until all investigations would be finished. Once they were, he’d be hanged... Because his son did actually have a hand in his crimes, the Ackroyd family’s rank would change from Marquis to Earl. Though the Marchioness had absolutely no hand in anything, due to her statement that she would accept punishment alongside the Marquis, she was to spend the rest of her life living in their territory. Also, all of the personnel who were involved in the falsified records would be fired.

＋＋＋

That night, I laid in bed thinking back over everything that happened that afternoon.

I’d stood up and refused Lady Medisina for the first time. And even though she went to hit me, Father stopped her. Father had taken part in the crimes despite knowing what they were in order to take care of our family. He had looked positively at his punishment, saying that since his mana hadn’t been sealed, he’d use his [Earth Magic] Skill to its fullest as he made up for his crimes at the mines.

It seemed that I’d always had the wrong idea about my father. He wasn’t a scary person, but a gentle one. If I ever had the chance to speak with him again, I’d ask him what kind of person my mother was. Though I was sure that her brother, the Margrave... My adopted father would tell me about her, but I wanted to know what my birth father thought of her.

As these thoughts circled around my mind, I drifted off to sleep.