– Earlier, when I lost consciousness on the road, a man appeared who healed me, – Lirien looked at me with a tired look.
Meanwhile, the woman was busy with other thoughts. Being next to the main character, who was distinguished by an innocent appearance, Edina realized that they contrasted with each other, like an angel and a devil.
–Now I'm sure it was you, Countess Edina. What the hell are you up to?
– I don't understand what you're talking about ... – the woman hugged herself, thinking that this was not at all in the style of «Countess Edina», but quickly pulling herself together, she lifted her chin a little to look at Lirien from top to bottom, and with an arrogant face continued: – Are you interrogating me now? I am the benefactor who saved Your Highness.
Her answer was straightforward enough. Lirien rubbed his forehead again and, sighing, looked at the Countess as if she were crazy:
– That's ridiculous. Why did the Countess save me? You, the one who will be the happiest if I die.
'I saved you because everyone thinks the same way. Exactly. So. Same.
If you die, then everyone will think and point to me as the first suspect in this,' – swallowing these words, Edina smiled:
– Let's just say it was a momentary whim, – she replied in a casual tone, and then patted the man on the shoulder as indifferently as possible. – Therefore, Your Highness, I would be very grateful if you would express your gratitude to me and then leave my mansion.
'Countess Edina is known for her extremely impolite attitude towards others.'
Edina's face was beaming with contentment, but Prince Lirien's face was distorted.
'I think he does not agree with such an outcome.'
– That's right. You saved me... thank you, – Lirien said with an extremely displeased expression on his face. He wasn't going to let his guard down.
His prickly gaze reflected the determination not to take the intentions voiced by the woman for the truth.
'He is a good and correct protagonist of this novel.
Therefore, it is difficult for him to accept such "mercy" from me, the Villain. It seems there is no point in continuing the conversation,' – the Countess quickly left the guest quarters. I hope he leaves the mansion as soon as possible.
*****
Lirien left Edina's mansion only half a day after their conversation.
'Most likely, he escaped from the Imperial Palace. Judging by the fact that he was being chased by Viscount Winston.'
– Countess, a letter has been delivered from your fiance, – said Edward, her faithful assistant, entering the office.
'If he's talking about the groom, he's obviously referring to Sir Ash, a frivolous man who runs from skirt to skirt, leaving Edina behind.'
– Again?
– I think this is an attempt to start a conversation about breaking off the engagement. You said that Lord Ashe had already tried to break off his engagement with you.
Edina quickly got tired of listening to Edward's grumbling.
'Even if it's not, my head hurts too much to still deal with a troubled fiance.'
– I'll look at the letter later. Is there anything else?
Sighing at her question, Edward put the letter away in his desk drawer:
– As you said, I have assigned a person to His Highness Lirien, but there is a problem, – returning to the Countess's table, Edward began to report on the work that he was assigned to do. – I have received information that someone has ordered the Ordo Assassins Guild to kill His Highness.
'Oh, right! Someone keeps aiming at the main character!
And I thought that if I stopped bullying him, then no one would mock the main character anymore.
Viscount Winston is a pervert who likes to mock the main characters, but he is not the one who will kill him.
He doesn't have the position of an aristocrat, so he has to use Lirien to take a political position.
If that's the case, then I'm really being framed.'
– But the real problem is that a woman with black hair came to them in a mask and made this order. There was a red camellia pattern on her chest.
'Black hair is a rare hair color in the LaMadinus Empire.
In addition, if you ask about a woman with black hair wearing a red camellia, the symbol of the Edut family, anyone will say that it was Countess Edina.
It's too obvious that their goal is to frame me.'
– Where is Prince Lirien?
– His whereabouts are unknown. The Assassins Guild may have already sent a man to him.
– I understand, let's go, – Edina hurriedly got up from her seat and called Edward.
He looked stupidly at the Countess:
– Where to? Do you want to go to the Ordo Assassins Guild?
– If you know, why are you asking? – Edina took her raincoat off the hanger next to her desk in her office and put it on.
Edward hurriedly put a stack of papers on the table and quickly followed the Countess.
'I need to know who is to blame for trying to kill the main character and frame me.'
*****
Taking about thirty mercenaries, Edina arrived at the Guild of Assassins, located on the outskirts of the capital.
'Naturally, such rudeness is not my favorite method, but the favorite method of the «real» Countess Edina.'
Edward was also surprised, as he had never seen a woman do anything that was similar to the actions of the «real» Countess Edina.
– Are you really going to do this? – Her assistant asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
'I'm trembling with mortal fright, and you keep talking to me,' – Edina tensed and, pressing her fingers to her chest, nodded decisively.
– The water has already been spilled. Guys, let's go inside, – and then she raised her finger and the mercenaries standing behind her were the first to enter the building.
At first glance, it looked like a very good class hotel, and not like a Guild of Assassins, but in fact, not the most ordinary people stayed in this hotel.
The mercenaries who entered the building began to turn over and smash everything inside.
Naturally, the guards and assassins of the Ordo who were in the Guild building ran out to stop them, however, it was useless.
Standing in the lobby of the demolished building, Edina sat down in the chair that Edward had saved for her.
'If one of the nobles saw this, he would immediately start pointing his finger. But where are these aristocrats?
And what will they do? Oh, my God, I'm an aristocrat too.
How hard it is to live with such a reputation.
If there is an aristocrat who works as hard as I do, I should know about her. To get acquainted. ~'
After a while, the mercenaries dragged a woman with a disfigured face.
Edina quickly confirmed the inhumanity characteristic of Countess Edut:
– Huh, nice to meet you, Miss Ordo, – she crossed her legs and looked at the middle–aged woman who was forced to kneel in front of her with an arrogant look.
'Joella Knox Ordo. The head of the Guild of Assassins Ordo is known for her excellent skills and resourcefulness.'
– Do you know who I am?
Joella's cheeks were swollen, as if someone had hit them, and a speck of blood had dried near her lip.
'Didn't I tell you not to resort to violence?' – Edina frowned irritably and looked at the mercenaries with displeasure, and they shook their heads in a hurry.
'It's not their job.'
– Where is Prince Lirien?
As soon as Joella recognized the Countess, her face immediately distorted with fear, and she trembled.
But having made some decision, the head of the Guild of Assassins replied with a more or less calm expression on her face:
– I don't know.
'Yes. The person who ordered the murder is important to me now, not the location of Lirien.'
– I... I... I just got the order. What's wrong with an Assassin's Guild accepting a kill order?
– There's nothing wrong with that. Except that a member of the Imperial Family was ordered. It seems that you do not know that it is not customary for me to give permission to receive orders for the Imperial Family.
'All the Assassin Guilds are mine.
It's not for nothing that Countess Edina is the queen of murders.'
Joella trembled at Edina's answer:
– I-I didn't know.
– Do you know what it is? – The Countess pulled out pieces of paper from her coat pocket and tossed them to her.
Several papers, fluttering in the air, eventually fell on a kneeling woman.
– These are letters signed by members of the Assassins Guild. They all say that the work of the Ordo Assassins Guild has nothing to do with them.
Joella took the letters with trembling hands and her face contorted.
– Did you ever think that because of one order, all the Guilds would reject you? Or do you no longer want to occupy this place?
Hearing Edina's words, Joella clasped her hands and, shaking her head, finally said:
– E-excuse me, – she suddenly bowed her head in front of the Countess.
Naturally, Joella realized what a mistake she had made. And I realized that I had almost destroyed myself.
Straightening her legs, Edina leaned forward and whispered in the trembling woman's ear:
– Was Viscount Winston the one who ordered it?
– The order was anonymous. It's hard to say if this is the case.
Naturally, Edina knew this. But unlike Joella's scared expression that she had a few minutes ago, she was so determined now that she was saddened.
– If it's business or politics, then it's better not to talk about it. After saying that, the Countess slowly got up from her seat. – I'm not even a generous person who will take care of those who violate their obligations, but you must have misunderstood something.
Only now did Joella realize the situation and her face turned deadly pale.
– Attempted murder of a member of the Imperial Family, isn't that a great crime to be convicted of? – Edina smiled and turned away.
– Y-you don't have any proof!
'Of course not.
However, when Joella Knox confirmed that she had received this order...' – Edina turned around again and looked skeptically at Joella:
– Are you asking such a stupid question because you really don't know who I am? I can create any evidence. The letters you're holding are one of those proofs.
At that moment, with a desperate expression on her face, Joella hung on to the Countess' legs:
– Madam, please save me! Please save me!
Edward, who was calmly watching what was happening, forcefully pulled Joella away from Edina.
– Then tell me. Tell me who made the order.
However, Joella, begging for her life, did not answer this question.
Taking a slow breath, Edina gave Joella a disappointed look:
– Aren't you going to answer my question?
– T-this… – Joella looked into the Countess's eyes. It was obvious that she was trying to figure out what to do in this situation.
'I gave her too much time to think,' – without thinking anymore, Edina took the letters and went outside.
– W-wait! Wait! – Joella screamed, looking at the Countess's back with a desperate look.
Edina looked back at her, froze at the door and, waving a bundle of letters, took a step outside.
– M-Madam, I'll tell you everything! It's him! It's Viscount Winston! He made the order!
'Is this really Viscount Winston?
Naturally, if it was Winston, then he would have framed me specifically to denigrate me more.
What was that fucking ass*ole thinking, ordering Lirien's murder?' – Edina stopped.
It was extremely difficult for her to erase the smile from the corners of her lips, but after taking care of it, the woman turned to Joella with a somewhat stunned expression on her face.
The head of the Ordo Guild was crying and begging:
– Viscount Winston. This is Viscount Winston. He's... it's him!
Edina nodded to Edward. He took a piece of paper and a pen from the briefcase he carried on his shoulder and put it right in front of the roaring woman.
Joella raised her head, looking at them with tears in her eyes.
– Sign it. Write everything you just said on this piece of paper.
– Eh? It's too much…
– What? I didn't hear it very well, can you repeat it louder? – Edina frowned, pretending she hadn't heard Joella's hesitation, and Joella said nothing.
Clenching her fists, the head of the Guild of Assassins Ordo wrote down Viscount Winston's order on a piece of paper.
After seeing Joella sign and hand the piece of paper to Edward, the Countess left the building.
'The mercenaries will take care of everything else.'
Edward caught up with Edina, who had a pale gray face.
– Look at my sweaty palms, I was wildly nervous, – the woman held out her trembling palms to the assistant.
– Did you see Joella's eyes? Charisma is not a joke. I thought she was going to die of fright.
Edina grabbed Edward's shoulder and took a deep breath.
The man laughed and praised her again for her good work.
– You have an interesting job, – Lirien suddenly appeared, leaning against the entrance to the Guild of Assassins, and looked at them.
He had such an expression on his face, as if he had been watching Countess Edut and her assistant for a long time.