The 'Room of Punishment' had opened.
Long ago, the method used by Eliza's mother, Empress Isabella, to interrogate ladies-in-waiting or noblewomen had, over time, come to be called the 'Room of Punishment.' And the person who now made the most frequent use of the Room of Punishment was none other than Countess Rinko.
The countess had summoned every noblewoman who had entered Richmond Castle that day. She seated the noblewomen who fawned over her like tongues in her mouth, fanned out around her like wings, while the seats for the remaining noblewomen were arranged off to one side.
Through this arrangement, she drew out even greater loyalty from those devoted to her, and she could instill a sense of alarm in those cautiously gauging the situation by showing them firsthand what would become of them if they fell from her favor.
Behind the countess, maids dressed in dark blue, uniform-like gowns stood in a row like soldiers, sunlight streaming in behind them. Backlit, their faces were cast in deep shadow, exuding an air of solemnity.
In this room, Countess Rinko was both king and judge.
And directly in front of the countess, in the spot receiving everyone's attention, a single chair sat conspicuously. To anyone who looked, that was the seat of a criminal.
A noblewoman who had come to the castle early in the morning to deliver an item to her husband and had gotten caught whispered to the person beside her.
"I suppose she intends to interrogate the woman His Grace brought with him, doesn't she?"
"She only arrived yesterday; who knows how His Grace will react… I can't help but wonder if she's merely raising an alarm among us powerless folk for no reason."
"I heard she laid hands on the maids of Count Leuwen's daughter; could it really be true?"
"Whether she did or not isn't important. What matters is that the countess has placed that woman in this room."
Meanwhile, Flora stood behind the countess, glaring at that seat.
"That is utterly atrocious, Countess! Heavens, to think she threatened Flora's maids!!"
When Countess Leuwen, Flora's mother, raised her voice with bulging veins, the other noblewomen nodded and chimed in.
"Truly, the viciousness of those seeking to climb the social ladder surpasses our imagination."
"I felt something was off the moment I first laid eyes on her."
Countess Leuwen rubbed her arms as if a chill had run through her and addressed Flora's two maids.
"How did that vicious wench intimidate you?"
At that, the two maids shed tears as they bitterly complained.
"She said she would kill us. We were so terribly afraid…."
"Y-Yes. That's right. We were on our way back after serving dinner when we were suddenly dragged off somewhere. I-It felt as though she would kill us at any moment."
"Heavens, and to think she couldn't even show gratitude to the maids who served her dinner!"
The countess crossed her arms elegantly and tilted her head.
"Why did you not report this immediately?"
"We were told not to tell… We were afraid we would be killed."
"Countess, how wickedly must that wench have behaved, to frighten them so?"
Revulsion flickered across the face of Flora, who stood behind the countess. But soon, a smile spread across her face. She couldn't be more grateful that the fool had gone and caused such trouble of her own accord. Fearing someone might see, she hastily reined in her smile and whimpered with a pitiful expression.
"I… should have protected you better…. I'm sorry."
"Oh, Flora. It is not your fault. To be so soft-hearted…."
When the countess herself reached back to pat her, Flora finally burst into tears.
"Do not cry. There is another who ought to shed tears."
Scarcely had the countess finished speaking when a polite knock sounded. Flora, who had been wiping away her tears, and the countess, who had been patting her back, both turned their gazes toward the door at the same time.