Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 51: Class Trial (2)

“All the testimonies presented so far are completely fake.”

A brief silence fell over the trial venue.

The students began to murmur, and Citrine asked with a bewildered expression.

“Clara, could you explain in detail...?”

Instead of answering, Clara dumped the evidence onto the podium.

“Here’s a notebook containing the members’ plans and this contract exchanged between us as proof.”

Citrine, who was scanning the evidence with a grim expression, asked her.

“If these items and your words are true… are you admitting that you were part of the plan as well?”

“Yes. This is something the Instrumental Music Club members and I planned together. So, I suppose you could call me an accomplice.”

Without giving them a chance to argue, Clara firmly declared herself an accomplice.

No one was more shocked than the members of the Instrumental Music Club.

They looked at Clara with pale, panic-stricken faces, cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.

Citrine, though confused, read through the notebook Clara had presented, marveling at its meticulousness.

“Well, I guess there’s no need to continue the trial any further.”

Citrine’s gaze turned to the Instrumental Music Club members, who clenched their teeth and couldn’t say a word.

‘Clara, what are you thinking...?’

The trial, which had seemed likely to end with Ruby’s punishment, was completely overturned by Clara’s shocking confession.

As soon as the trial ended, I rushed to Clara and asked her.

“Clara, why did you do that…?”

When I approached, she looked at me with a tired expression and answered dryly.

“What are you talking about? The confession?”

“Weren’t you trying to get back at us? Why did you make such a choice...?”

If Clara had provided just a little more testimony, Ruby could have faced punishment.

She didn’t answer for a while but eventually opened her mouth.

“At first, I really did plan to do that. Back then, I really hated you. I wished every day that you’d just die.”

I was slightly taken aback by her honest and blunt words.

Clara kept staring at me and continued speaking.

“But you, for some reason, didn’t seem to hate me.”

“…”

“I despised you to death, but you kept smiling, serving me tea, without any clue about what I was thinking.”

She was still glaring at me, but her gaze felt somehow devoid of malice.

“So, I thought, ‘This boring woman won’t react the way I want, no matter what I do.’ That’s when I decided to change the plan.”

“Change the plan…?”

“The reactions of the Instrumental Music Club members are far more entertaining than anything involving you.”

The Instrumental Music Club members, their faces flushed, hurled curses at Clara.

“See? Aren’t they just like a bunch of monkeys?”

They were shouting all kinds of profanities at her out of anger over her betrayal, but Clara didn’t seem to care.

“But won’t this result in Clara not getting what she wanted?”

I was aware that she had intended to push me aside and stay by Ruby’s side.

“…I’ve already failed anyway. No matter what I do, Ruby won’t look at me as long as you’re around.”

Clara made a slightly bitter expression and pointed toward the seats of the Free Activity Club members.

There, her four followers sat with puzzled expressions, staring in our direction.

“And those kids seem to like your insignificant club. If the club gets shut down because the leader is gone, they’ll probably feel pretty lonely.”

“…”

“Even though you hated me so much, why…”

At my question, Clara slightly shook her head.

“Maybe spending time with Amber has infected me with low intelligence too. Making such a foolish choice…”

She chuckled as she spoke.

It wasn’t her usual sinister laugh but a simple, normal one.

“…And honestly, I don’t dislike you as much anymore. Not now.”

“...What?”

While I was talking to her, the student council officers approached Clara from behind.

It seemed they were there to take her away to clarify the facts further.

Clara glanced back at them briefly before quietly saying,

“Congratulations. You’ve won.”

“…Ah…”

Before I could respond, she turned and walked away with the officers.

Citrine patted me on the back as I stood there, dazed.

“Why the face? Ruby was proven innocent.”

I looked at her with a complicated expression and asked,

“Will Clara face trial as well?”

“…Probably. I doubt she’ll get away with it easily. But since she confessed, she might avoid expulsion.”

“…”

As I watched Clara’s retreating figure, countless thoughts swirled in my mind.

Right after the trial, I wanted to be alone for a while, so I told Ruby and went out to the backyard.

Sitting under the shade of a large tree, Diana cautiously approached me.

“Amber, can we talk for a moment?”

“…Yes.”

Diana spoke to me in a calm voice.

“…Thank you for stopping me earlier in the trial.”

She had almost done something dangerous but ultimately changed her mind after my persuasion.

“If it weren’t for you, I might have crossed a line without even hearing Clara out.”

“…”

I recalled her appearance in the trial venue.

Diana’s eyes had turned black, and she used magic I had never seen before.

No, I wasn’t even sure if that was truly magic.

“What was that magic, Diana?”

“…It wasn’t magic.”

“If it wasn’t magic, then what was it…?”

Hesitating to answer, she eventually spoke.

“…It was a curse.”

“A curse?”

“...Unlike magic, which uses mana as a medium, it’s sorcery that demands life force as its price.”

Just hearing that explanation made an unsettling feeling wash over me.

Was there anything like that in the original game...?

No matter how much I thought about it, she was still so strange.

Previously, she had casually handled all five magic elements, and now, she had stepped entirely into a realm beyond magic.

“...How is it that you can do something like that, Diana?”

I asked her, filled with doubt, but Diana shook her head as if she couldn’t answer this time.

“...I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

“...”

Once again, she avoided my question.

“You’re always like this, dodging the important questions.”

As I turned away from her and stood up, Diana spoke.

“It’s all for you and Ruby...”

“For us...?”

“...”

“You almost killed someone right in front of my eyes today, and you say it was for us...?”

Without realizing it, my emotions flared, and I shouted at her.

“If that’s your way, then we don’t need your help...!”

“...!”

My voice echoed on the wind, and tears welled up in Diana’s eyes.

“...”

Feeling that I had gone too far, I lowered myself to meet her gaze.

“...I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”

She bit her lip as if trying to hold back her tears and shook her head.

“No, you’re right, Amber. I was impatient... I couldn’t think rationally.”

As her tears looked ready to fall, I turned my gaze away from her.

She covered her face and spoke calmly.

“When the time comes, I’ll tell you everything, Amber. I promise.”

Having already averted my eyes, I couldn’t ask her anything more.

We had overcome the crisis of the class trial, but I still didn’t feel at ease.

A few days after all the incidents had passed, the dormitory students began packing their belongings one by one.

With the start of the vacation approaching, we would soon be returning to the Sarka estate, so we were preparing in advance.

As I sorted through my clothes and my mistress’s clothes, I kept remembering how I’d shouted at Diana earlier, and it made me feel uneasy.

With a sigh, I stuffed clothes into my bag, and Ruby spoke to me from behind.

“Is something wrong, Amber? You’ve been sighing non-stop.”

“...Actually, I said some harsh words to Diana.”

“So that’s what’s been bothering you lately.”

Ruby came over and started packing the clothes I was organizing.

Seeing her do that, I tried to stop her.

“I can do it, please rest...”

“What do you think you’re doing in this condition? I’ll handle this. You go and talk to Diana. You need to make things right.”

“Mistress...”

“Don’t dawdle. Hurry up, or she’ll leave before you do.”

Ruby pushed me out of the room, practically kicking me out.

Hoping that Diana hadn’t left yet, I knocked on her door.

“...Diana?”

There was no answer, so I knocked once or twice more, but the silence remained.

It seemed she had already packed up and left.

“...”

Was I really going to return to the estate like this, without properly apologizing...?

As I turned back, feeling dejected, I heard a familiar voice.

“Amber? What are you doing here?”

I turned around to see Diana walking down the hallway, and our eyes met.

Awkwardly facing her, I scratched my head and started to speak.

“Well... um...”

Her curious gaze only made me feel more uncomfortable.

I took a deep breath and continued as calmly as I could.

“...I came to apologize for what happened the other day.”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about it. It’s fine.”

Diana’s overly cool reaction left me a bit flustered.

“But I yelled at you and said such harsh things...”

“Did that bother you?”

Diana walked closer to me and smiled gently.

“No matter what happens, I’m on your side and Ruby’s side. You two mean everything to me.”

“...”

She was always so kind. Sometimes, her kindness made me want to cry.

Trying hard to hide the moisture welling up in my eyes, I said,

“Actually, I should have been angry at myself, not you... I can’t do anything on my own...”

I had been frustrated by my inability to solve problems on my own and the fact that I had to rely on Diana’s strength.

“I shouldn’t have said anything to you when you’ve been trying so hard...”

As I stared at the floor, unable to lift my head, Diana grasped my hand tightly and said,

“That’s not true. I’ve made it this far because of you, Amber.”

She smiled brightly and met my gaze.

“Whenever I was about to stray, you always steered me back on track.”

She comforted me with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at me and said,

“Amber, you always bring a positive influence to those around you. That’s why I like you.”

“...”

Hearing her words, I sniffled and replied,

“...I think I’m going to cry.”

“Really? Me too.”

As I tried to hold back my tears with a pitiful expression, Diana chuckled and said,

“Should we hug as a sign of reconciliation?”

We shared a light hug and looked at each other.

Diana wiped my face with her sleeve and said her goodbye.

“I’ll head back now. I still need to finish packing.”

“Yes...”

“See you during the vacation, Amber.”

As she turned to leave after saying farewell, I called out to her.

“Oh, right, I also...”

“Yes?”

I managed to say the words I couldn’t before because I had been crying.

“I like you too, Diana.”

“...”

Hearing my words, Diana blushed and smiled.

“...Thank you.”