The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 73

“Finally, you reveal your true colors.”

 

“You want that maid to stay quietly alive, don’t you?”

 

Shailoh nodded.

 

Looking satisfied, the duchess pressed on. “Then prove it. Confess at the witness stand in the court. Say it was all your delusion. That every report you made was false. That there’s no evidence anywhere.” Her voice was smooth, like a snake hissing with the flick of its tongue. “Do that, and your maid will come back without a scratch. I promise.”

 

“…Give me some time to think.”

 

“To think? I suppose that maid isn’t as precious as I thought.”

 

Shailoh’s face contorted, and she suddenly shot to her feet. “Fine!”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll do what you want. Just let Doris go.” Her voice trembled.

 

The duchess’s lips curved faintly. “Not yet. We’ll talk again after the trial ends, the day after tomorrow.”

 

* * *

The trial over the Diponz family’s tax evasion, embezzlement, and smuggling began under a taut, suffocating atmosphere. Only a select few were allowed into the courtroom. Three judges took their seats on the high bench, and the proceedings began. First, the accused members of the Diponz family were given the floor.

 

“This is outrageous. None of it is true.”

 

“Yes, I swear to heaven we’re innocent. Sasha Griche, holding a grudge over an old incident, filed a false report.”

 

All eyes turned to Shailoh, whom the two men were pointing at. Caleb, seated beside her, took her hand.

 

Sir Roderick then called Shailoh to the witness stand. As every gaze fixed on her, he began his questioning. “Do you stand by the charges against the Diponz family?”

 

Shailoh slowly turned her head toward the duchess, seated in the front row on the defendants’ side. Through the black veil, the duchess smiled when their eyes met. Shailoh then looked back at Roderick. “No.”

 

“What…?” Roderick’s jaw dropped.

 

The judges and the audience erupted in murmurs. The presiding judge raised his gavel, restoring order, then addressed Shailoh directly. “Miss Sasha Griche, is that true? Did you file a false report?”

 

“It wasn’t a false report. In fact, I have additional information to submit.”

 

“Duchess!”

 

In a completely unexpected turn, the duchess, breathing hard in agitation, nearly toppled backward. The duke’s servants hurried her out of the courtroom, and the trial resumed.

 

Shailoh looked straight at Evan and spoke. “Evan Diponz murdered Baroness Boris not long ago. The reason was that she had been investigating the Diponz family’s double ledgers.”

 

“You!” Evan jabbed a finger at Shailoh and roared at the top of his lungs.

 

Shailoh handed the documents she had received from Olivier to the judge. “Here is the evidence.”

 

“That’s all you’ve got? Without solid proof, you’re just tightening the noose around your own neck.”

 

Breathing hard as he glared at Shailoh, Evan spat out a shocking confession. “Your Honor, that woman’s entire testimony is invalid! She lied from the very beginning. That woman is not Sasha Griche. She is Shailoh Diponz. She’s the one who killed the leader of the Grid Merchant Guild three years ago!”

 

“…My god.”

 

“What did he just say?”

 

The spectators gasped at the unexpected revelation. The judges, just as stunned, looked back and forth between Shailoh and Evan.

 

“Is what he says true?”

 

“Yes. But I didn’t kill the guild leader. I witnessed Evan Diponz poisoning him, and because of that, he tried to kill me too.” It was a story Shailoh had longed to shout to the world, a truth she had been forced to suppress for years. With trembling fingers, she pointed at Duke Diponz and his son. “The reason Baroness Boris was investigating the Diponz family was also that, during that process, they committed another murder to silence her younger brother, who had disposed of a body for them.”

 

The courtroom fell utterly silent in the wake of her shocking revelations. In that chaos where no one even dared to breathe, Shailoh laid bare the rest of their sins.

 

“As evidence, I submit the written confession of the doctor who performed the autopsy on the leader of the Grid Merchant Guild. The poison used to kill both the guild leader and Baroness Boris, and Claire Diponz’s statement that this poison can only be obtained from the duchess’s family estate. In addition…”

 

“…”

 

“I accuse the duke of massacring the gypsy troupe that had cared for Claire Diponz.”

 

“Then show us your evidence!”

 

Right on cue with Evan’s shout, the courtroom doors swung slowly open, and two women walked in side by side. It was Elza and Doris.

 

“I present Elza, who served the Diponz family for many years, as a witness.”

 

Even the duke, who had been barely maintaining his composure, shot to his feet. “That’s impossible… How?”

 

“Duke Diponz, do you even recognize the face of a maid who worked for you years ago?”

 

“Then… was it all an act?”

 

Shailoh nodded, her smile bright. “Yes. Well, you treated them like things, like pieces of furniture. No wonder you mistook someone with the same hair and eye color for the same person.”

 

“Then the one we captured…?”

 

“She was someone we arranged beforehand. But now, she has probably escaped, just as planned. Which means kidnapping and unlawful confinement can now be added to your charges.”

 

The more they thrashed, the deeper they sank into the mire. Their arrogance and contempt had led them here. The duke, his face drained of all color, collapsed back into his seat.

 

“Your Honor! Objection.” Evan, desperately scrambling for anything, raised his hand to ask to speak. Though belated, the judge gave a curt nod. “From the start, she brought up flimsy charges like tax evasion and smuggling. The case was opened on those grounds, so if she can’t prove them, everything that follows is invalid!”

 

The courtroom buzzed again with low, restless murmurs. Evan’s argument was strained, but not entirely wrong. Under imperial law, additional charges and reports based on new facts uncovered during trial were allowed, but if the original charges could not be proven with decisive evidence, the entire case would be thrown out.

 

The presiding judge, nodding slowly, turned to question Shailoh directly. “We will set aside calling Elza to the stand for the moment. Do you have conclusive evidence regarding the charges of tax evasion and smuggling?”

 

“That’s…” Seeing Evan’s triumphant expression, Shailoh hesitated for a beat.

 

Just as Evan was about to savor his sliver of hope, Shailoh took something from Doris and passed it to Sir Roderick, who, in turn, presented it to the judge.

 

“Right here.”

 

“This is…?”

 

“It’s the double ledger of the Diponz family hidden by the leader of the Grid Merchant Guild. Every one of their misdeeds is recorded there.”

 

“You!” The duke, eyes bloodshot, lunged forward. Before his hand could reach Shailoh, Caleb stepped in, slamming him to the floor and pinning him down. “Ugh!”

 

Only after the Duke cried out did the judge belatedly bark an order to the guards. “What are you doing? Arrest these criminals at once! The duchess as well!”

 

The enraged Duke lifted his head and glared at Shailoh. “I should never have let someone like you into our family! We took in a worthless creature and made you human, and this is how you repay our kindness!”

 

“…Kindness?” Shailoh let out a low laugh, clutching her sides as the mirth shook her. “Don’t you know that giving something and then taking it away is the cruelest thing in the world? You and your family have done far worse to me than that. Not just to me, but to others as well. And this is the result.”

 

Having lost all will to fight, the two men were dragged away by the guards. It was over. Everything…

 

Shailoh felt completely drained. Her legs gave out, and she staggered, catching herself against the wall. Caleb reached out to support her, but she flinched, shook off his hand, and reached for Doris instead.

 

“Doris.”

 

“Milady.”

 

Leaving the frozen Caleb behind, Shailoh exited the courtroom, leaning on Doris for support.

 

* * *

The court acknowledged the years-long tax evasion and smuggling operations, along with multiple charges of murder, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment. The Diponz family was utterly destroyed. By the judge’s ruling and the Council of Nobles’ unanimous decision, Duke Diponz was stripped of his title, and his vast fortune was confiscated. The three of them were each sentenced to twenty years in prison.

 

Even though Shailoh had finally achieved her long-awaited revenge, she didn’t look particularly happy. There was relief in her face, but she also seemed unstable, on the verge of coming apart.

 

Doris, who had been watching her closely, cautiously spoke up.