--Night. Midnight, when everyone is asleep.

In a small room at the back of the palace, the battle has begun.

"What is it you want to talk about, Mia?　At this hour of the night?
I'm sorry, Master Saara. Thank you for coming all this way.

There were two lights in the dark room. Mia walked to the wall and turned on the room light.
What emerged from the light were several figures. The color of the chief's face changed.

"This is ......?
Welcome, Chief.
Mia, what's going on?
Mia, what's going on? - Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

It's Deanna who stands up, chuckling. Her makeup is on, her dress is blood red. She was a fully-dressed 'villainess'.
When the headmistress recognized Deanna and looked back at the door, she saw Rita standing in front of the door and knew she had lost her way. Standing by Deanna's side are Yuri and Lurie.

--At this moment, she realized that this small space was controlled by the Red Rose.

I'm not sure what to say. What can I do for you at this time of night?
"I'm sorry. I didn't know when I would be able to see you if I followed the proper procedures and applied for a meeting.
"...... I'm sorry, I've been busy preparing for the Royal Court's New Year's events.
That's not true, is it?　I was told by the palace maids that the preparations for the New Year's holidays would come much later.
No, because this year the palace has become so festive.
Are there any new events planned?　I wonder if that is something that should take precedence over the preparations for the garden party, as ordered by His Majesty.

The odds were clearly against the matriarch. I'm not sure if she understood that, but she turned to her right-hand man Mia.

"Mia, explain!　What's going on?
I'm not sure what you're talking about.
...... So that's it.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. After that, she turned to Diana as if nothing had happened, and I was impressed beyond dismay by her thick skin.

I'm sorry. Now let's see what you want.
Mia told me everything.
Well, what do you want?
That you've been secretly embezzling government funds belonging to the Crown Prince by fiddling with the books. That you are selling off expensive equipment to black market dealers and purchasing similar counterfeits at low prices and pocketing the difference. Manipulating the personnel of the inner palace to suit his own needs. ...... Should I list more?
"I don't remember.
Oh, you don't?
I don't know what Mia said, but I'm sure she's unhappy with the way she was treated and is planning to use me as leverage. I'm sure the wise Red Rose will understand.

She's a great old lady. Deanna was inwardly impressed.
The way the High Priestess was acting was extremely vicious, but in a way she could understand why she had been appointed High Priestess at this difficult time. As soon as she assessed the situation, she chose the most advantageous course of action, and if necessary, she would even show affection to the person she hated. You have an exceptional sense of timing and acting ability.

I guess I'm in. Deanna tilted her head lightly.

"What do I know?
"Master Red Rose. You can't embezzle public funds. The entire palace budget is strictly controlled, you know.　At the very least, it's impossible for me to do it.
"...... I see.
The only thing I can do is to falsify the numbers in the actual paperwork. The only thing I can do is to falsify the numbers in the actual paperwork, but my job is to make sure the paperwork is complete. --The paperwork is the job of the lady-in-waiting.
"Oh. What do you mean?
Well, I'm afraid a female officer can embezzle public funds. Yes, for example, Mia there.

Mia's expression changed slightly at the mention of her name. Deanna thought about it and approached the head mistress.

Yes. So you're saying that if there was embezzlement of public funds, it was done by a woman, not by you. Is that what you're saying?
I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry for my lack of supervision. ...... Now that I think about it, I can think of a few people.
I'm listening.

The names the headmistress gave were almost as expected. Yuri wrote them down on a piece of paper.



"And the other injustices Mia told you about at ......?
"When reporting false injustices, it is best to cite the ones that are actually being done, to give a sense of reality. Maybe they're using my name in case of emergencies. Don't be fooled by the name on the paper.
You're saying that Mia and the other girls did all this?
"And you blame me of all people? These girls are outrageous.

The matriarch glared at Mia. Mia turns to Diana.

No, no, Master Red Rose!　I never lied to you. I never lied to you. It was an injustice done by the High Priestess, I have proof!
"Shut up!　You're not ready for this. How can you have proof of wrongdoing you didn't commit?
Check the High Commissioner's office. There's a ledger in there, I swear!
Enough of this nonsense!　Don't be misled by the words of such a small man, Red Rose. There's no ledger. Even if I were guilty of fraud, the Red Rose knows that I wouldn't have bothered to produce any evidence.

She looked at Mia with a blank expression. I'm not sure what to make of this.
It's hard to even suspect when they look like this. ......

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

You're right. You're right, when you think about it.
Master Red Rose!
"You're right. I knew you would understand.

The Matriarch smiled gently and radiantly. Mia sat down and began to sob.

I'll take care of the rest. Now, leave the rest to me. The Red Rose, please go back to your room.
"Oh, I've been sucked into this nonsense too, haven't I?
You're right to be angry, but if this becomes public, the outer court will be implicated. Would you please calm down and let me take care of it?
"My Master Red Rose!　I'm not lying!

Here. I'm not lying!" Deanna smiled euphemistically as she steeled herself.

"...... Yes. So let me ask you this. What are you going to do with Mia?
"Naturally, I will banish her from the palace. For trifling with a national treasure, she deserves to be put to death.

--I got it.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

...... Yeah, I know. If it's that bad, then death is the appropriate punishment. I might even be able to take the house down.
That's right. ...... Come on, Red Rose.
"............ Hmm, matron. Don't you see it yet?

The matriarch looked puzzled. Deanna took a step forward.

I said that I was selling off expensive equipment, but I never said that it included any national treasures.

This was the first time Diana had witnessed such a dramatic change in a person's complexion. The flustered matriarch took a step back.

"...... Yes, yes, that's-
I'd like you to explain it to me as convincingly as you did before. I'm sure you'll be able to tell me why you knew that Mia was messing with the national treasure.
It's a figure of speech!
That's pretty harsh. Normally, the words "equipment" and "national treasure" would not be immediately associated with each other. It is true that some national treasures are kept in the palace, but they are literally treasures that are carefully stored away.

Deanna stepped forward again. The matriarch stepped back for a moment.

If you're right and the national treasure has been sold off and replaced with a knockoff, that's outrageous. As soon as it is discovered, the outer shrine should be notified and a search should be made for the missing national treasure. If you were aware that the national treasure was a fake and did nothing about it, that would be negligence of duty that would get you fired.
Well, it was a big deal, so we searched secretly.
"Hey, Chief, didn't you just say that it was a figure of speech when you called 'expensive equipment' a 'national treasure'?　That means you misspoke, didn't you?　If that's the case, you didn't know what a national treasure was.

One step, one step. Slowly, as she spoke. Deanna walked forward. Slowly, as she spoke, Deanna stepped forward. The matriarch stepped back, until her back was against the wall.

There's only one interpretation that can explain the discrepancy. After all, you knew the national treasure was being replaced. You knew, but you did nothing, and when I questioned you, you tried to ignore it. Because you're the one who sold out the national treasure.


"No, sir!

A raised voice echoed through the room. The headmistress shook her head.

I'm the head mistress of the inner palace. I am the head of the women's court in charge of the inner palace. I am in charge of the inner palace. I am also in charge of your wife. The fact that you have accused me, the head of the inner court, without any solid evidence, I will immediately report this to His Majesty and ask him to consider the punishment!
"...... You're not going to admit guilt, are you?
Are you still saying that? This is the kind of thing that would normally result in your immediate dismissal.
I'll tell you one more time. Admit to ...... the injustice you yourself have perpetrated.
I've already told you that there is no such thing.

The eyes of Deanna and the headmistress crossed. They do not look away from each other, they do not give in.
One beat, two beats, three beats. Silence descends. A painful sense of tension took over the scene.

"Okay.

Deanna was the first to relax. She turned around and walked back to her chair.

"Luly, take that.
"Yes, Deanna.

Rulie, who had not said a word or moved a muscle until then, made her first move. She took a bundle of paper from under her apron and handed it to Deanna.

"Here you go.
Thank you. Thank you. ...... Now, matron. Take a look at this.
There's no point in trying to convince me with false evidence.
I'll know if you're lying when I see it.

I'll show you if it's a lie. The matriarch looked resolute, took them from Diana, and flipped them over.
The first one the matriarch looked at nonchalantly. But as she flipped through the second and third sheets, her face gradually turned pale and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. Her hand began to turn the pages faster and faster, and when she finished reading the last page, she crushed the stack of papers with a face that had stopped trying to mend itself.

It's just a copy, by the way. The originals and supporting evidence are under strict control at another location.
That's impossible!
If we submit all this to His Majesty, the wench won't be able to get away with it.
Shut up, you b*tc*!

"Shut up, you vixen!" A murderous intent radiated from Rita and the ceiling. And I mean it.
Deanna laughed and decided to take a confrontational stance with the chief magistrate who had finally shown her true colors.

"Which one of you is the vixen?　She's the one who's gobbling up the national treasury, privatizing the national treasures and doing whatever she wants, bullying out and kicking out any maidservants and maidservants who don't agree with her, and then planning to cut off the lizard's tail by putting all the blame on her subordinates. I think you're a much better fox than I am.
No, no, no!　No, no, no! There is no way, there is no evidence, there is no concrete evidence that I did this!
You know, the people are very clever. I know that nobles like you will try to cut them off if they are in danger. How can you not have an insurance policy to protect yourself when you're about to be cut down?

Once the Cresta family has set their sights on a serious target, there will be no mercy. They will work from the front and the back to expose them thoroughly and thoroughly. Picking up rumors circulating in the social circles (this time, since it was urgent, I infiltrated social gatherings where rumors about the chief and other female officials were likely to be circulating, and increased the amount of information by guiding the topics of conversation with my skillful talking techniques), I sorted out and connected the rumors I had gathered, and searched for any inconsistencies.
Once the discrepancies are found, the next step is to work behind the scenes. Using his information network to the fullest, he was able to find the chief's personal residence, the stores she did business with, and the routes through which the stolen goods were sold, and the rest was just like a string of potatoes. When I whispered to her that I would let her off the hook in exchange for proof of the chief's involvement, the evidence seemed to come out in an interesting way. You can see how little she was trusted.

Of course, the Cresters did all this in just ten days or so for all the ladies and maids of the court. From this, they were able to determine to some extent the connection and relationship between them and the head of the court, and even to find out whether or not their own families or relatives were involved. Naturally, the efforts of Dualis, who spent day after day in the archives, struggling with the huge amount of investigation reports, are hidden in this.
The results were summarized in an easy-to-understand manner in the bundle of papers that she had just shown to the Head Mistress. The first page shows the injustices that have been committed in the inner palace, and the second page is a list of evidence. I had uncovered as much as I could about the injustice that had been going on in the palace for about two years, and the number of sheets was so large that it naturally became a bundle.

--Now, they're just scraps of paper.
But now they're just scraps of paper..." Deanna spoke quietly to the headmistress, who stood dumbfounded, holding the scraps of paper.

The evidence of your wrongdoing has been gathered with the help of the people. It is written there. ...... Are you still going to claim you don't know about this?
...... This can't be happening. Even if there was evidence, how could it be all over the place?　Yes, yes, it's a trap!
You still don't believe me?　The equipment you sold off has been found one after another and the craftsman who made the imitations has confessed.
"I don't believe you!　You can't believe this nonsense coming from someone who can't even leave the palace!

--You're pathetic.
It occurred to me as I looked at the desperate chief consort. She was greedy, dishonest, and addicted to power. They're so greedy, so dishonest, so addicted to power that they can't face up to their own sins even when confronted with the truth. That foolishness is very, very human.



Looking at her, Deanna slowly, slowly stretched her right arm upward.

Then...

--A booklet falls from the dark space, splitting the air. The booklet, which Deanna received with her right hand, she skimmed over.

It's ...... definitive.
It's ......!　Why is it here?
That's the ledger you've been keeping. We found it in your office. It's in your handwriting.
What the hell?

The headmistress lunges at me. I ducked and got behind her. You can't be sure.

I'm sure the culprit wouldn't bother to leave any evidence of wrongdoing. I'm sure the culprit wouldn't bother to leave any evidence of wrongdoing. The higher the amount of money you spend, the more you'll need to keep a back-up book to make it all add up.
Why? How did you...?
"How the hell am I supposed to get them except by going into the office and looking for them?

The headmistress' jaw dropped.

"Cat burglar!
"Oh, that's not nice. Don't worry, we didn't recover any evidence of wrongdoing.
...... You're... Who the hell are you?
"Deanna Crester.

With a high-pitched squeal, Deanna stepped forward. When the empress was frightened, she folded.

"I am the Countess of Clester. Do you know what that means?

"The Shadow Lord who runs the kingdom from behind the scenes. That's what everyone in the upper class knows about the Crester family.

It's not hard for my family to expose your wrongdoings. --You've underestimated the Cresta family.
"Oh, ......!

The next moment, however, she fell flat on her face. The air in the room changed.

"Forgive me, Red Rose!　Please spare my life!
"Oh, no. Isn't the crime of trifling with a national treasure worthy of death?
If you wish, I can give you whatever you want, Red Rose. Oh, yes, beautiful jewelry.
No, thank you. I don't want to be bribed.

The chief mistress crawled over to him, crying.

Please don't do this. I've been taken advantage of by my superiors. The Home Minister and the Finance Minister.
"I'm sure. With all that fraud, how could the Home Ministry and the Finance Ministry not be suspicious? The people who were helping with the books in the Home Affairs Office even noticed. It's impossible unless you're connected to the ministers.
If only!
But I'm sorry. But unfortunately, we haven't found any physical evidence of a connection between you and them so far. If you alone accuse them of involvement, they'll just turn a blind eye with circumstantial evidence.
I'll be your witness!
One witness is not enough evidence. ...... You already know that, don't you, chief mistress?

I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm sure you're not the only one.

"You're just a lizard's tail after all.

You sacrifice those beneath you to protect yourself. For the first time, the person who has been sacrificing is now the one being sacrificed. I guess that's how karma works.

I'm .......
There is no escape for you now. If you run, it's only a matter of time before you're caught.

It's only a matter of time before they catch you." "The national treasure can be used to expose the problem right now. If the government moves to find the culprit, they'll get to the matriarch in no time. Even if she was planning to cut off the lizard's tail, she would know that Deanna would move to protect her "tail men" including Mia.
--She's completely screwed.

There's a rattling sound. The Chief's trembling is transmitted to the ornaments, making a strange music with the floor.
Deanna stood up easily.

I have three demands. I have three demands, and if you keep them, I promise I won't expose you for what you did.
"Yes, yes, my dear Red Rose!　I am at your service!

The matron-in-chief moved very quickly. She looked up and looked at Diana as if she were a god.



「一つ. これより後、『紅薔薇』からの要求には、速やかに応じること」
「は、はい！」

一つ目の関門クリア. これで園遊会の準備がスムーズになるだろう.

「二つ. 『紅薔薇』付きの侍女、女官に、一切の手出しをしないこと」
「もちろんです」

女官長の言はいちいち信用できないが、これで一応二つ目もクリアだ. 国王に直接目通りできる立場の女官や侍女は、女官長にとって脅威のはず. 追い詰められた人間は、何をするか分からない.

「三つ. 今日のことは他言無用」
「御意に」

『牡丹』と結託される確率は低いが（あのリリアーヌが危ない橋を渡ってまで女官長を庇うとは考え辛い）、万一ランドローズ侯爵が動いたら厄介だ. 今はまだ、あの親父と対決できるだけのカードがない.

「以上を厳守してください. 約束を違えたら、その時点で貴女の不正を告発します. 後宮から逃げたり外の人間動かしたりするのは自由だけれど、どこに『裏』の目があるか分からないからね. 余計なことはしない方が身のためだと思うわ」
「わ、分かりました…」

女官長の言質を取って、ディアナは笑った. 今までで一番、晴れやかに.

「有意義な時間が持てて良かったわ. これからよろしくね、女官長」
「――は、紅薔薇様」
「リタ. 女官長をお見送りして」
「畏まりました」

リタに連れられ、女官長が小部屋を出ていく. 足音が完全に消えるのを待って、ディアナはようやく、力を抜いた.

「――じゃ、わたくしたちも帰りましょうか」

いつもの笑みを見せた彼女に、侍女たちは明らかに安堵したようだった.