Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

The courtroom was thrown into an uproar.

On the plaintiff’s stand, there was a beautiful young woman in a maid outfit. It was impossible for a mere maid to be present in the High Court, not to mention her outrageous claim.

—She was a slave, and not the daughter of a count.

It was unprecedented.

It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been cases of commoners claiming that they were descendents of aristocracy. However, no matter how hard one were to think about it, it would be beyond unusual to proclaim oneself a slave if they were truly of noble birth.

Truly, such a fool might never be found.

If asked thusly, anyone who had witnessed the trial could only answer in one way.

Anrietta Pola Cartan, or the so-called Uni.

(She really wants to go back to Tullius.)

Simone Meslier Pontauban- now Oubeniel, thought so to herself.

A wish to return, strong enough to cast away the comfortable trappings of noble life. During the preceding trial, she appeared unmoved, but she clearly held an extraordinary devotion towards her master, Tullius.

“I don’t understand in the slightest. All this pomp and circumstance, for a mere slave?” Simone’s husband, Linus, cursed. It seemed that he hated not only his brother, but his property as well.

Simone could hardly understand his point of view.

Admittedly, Tullius was once feared as a deranged butcher who slaughtered his slaves. However, at present he was only a young noble who had skillfully managed the territory entrusted to him by his elder brother. In Simone’s eyes, he had already turned over a new leaf.

Despite this, Linus claimed that Tullius was only pretending to have changed his ways. Although he had no evidence, he was sure beyond a doubt that his brother had some scheme in mind. It was as though it was completely out of the question for him to consider Tullius reforming.

If something was suspected to be afoot, one could simply request that the High Court perform an investigation. However, no suspicious details had surfaced in the report concerning the second son of Oubeniel. His fields were well-cultivated, the hired bureaucrats were efficiently employed, and the new mine was running smoothly. Except for some minor issues such as the water distribution in the villages, everything else seemed the result of administrative perfection.

With this in mind, Simone could only see her reckless husband trying to smear the innocence of her brother-in-law.

Moreover, he vented his frustrations on an ex-slave. Truly, the height of childishness.

(This man isn’t a good match for me, after all……)

Simone could not help but think to herself.

Certainly, Linus had dignity, education, and ability in spades. Even if only in regard to his presentation, he could be called handsome. However, he had a tendency to lose control of his passions, and to meddle in household affairs. These traits, coupled with an unnatural hatred for his younger brother. Truthfully, he was an exhausting person to talk to.

(All the better for Tullius.)

Saying her thoughts aloud would only bring trouble, so she held her tongue.

In fact, she saw in Tullius a gentle young man whose appalling notoriety was only a shadow of the past, who had listened to her grumblings about her newly-wed life in a relaxed manner. Unconsciously, she had compared him, who had patiently listened to her selfish story, to his quick-tempered brother. Furthermore, she felt excited that Tullius was challenging the Marquis, the puppetmaster behind the scenes. All this drama to reclaim a servant of many years, and a woman at that. Such stories provoked a certain thrill in a woman’s heart.

She privately thought that she would rather marry Tullius if she had to.

—If she had known Tullius’ true nature and his ongoing plans, all the favourable impressions she had of him would have quickly vanished.

(I can somewhat understand that girl’s feelings…)

Simone returned her focus to Uni, standing before the court.

Linus and Cartan. Both counts, but significantly different in age. She could not help but feel sorry for Uni who probably felt  like fleeing on the spot.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Hm. Although there is no excuse for Count Cartan’s behavior, just look at Marquis Lavallee. I wonder how many cards he has up his sleeve. No matter what occurs, I am sure the proceedings will not turn out the way Sir Tullius desires.”

A husband who looks about to spit fury as he speaks, wholeheartedly looking forward to his brother’s public disgrace. Simone prayed silently for Tullius, while sighing internally at Linus.

(O God, Holy King, and Savior of Man…… please protect her and Sir Tullius both. Is it not pitiful for those two to be torn apart by a foul conspiracy?)

Even though she rarely attended religious services, she sincerely prayed alone.

……Alas, she did not know.

The master and servant she prayed for were called devils incarnate by the hundreds they had slaughtered.

x x x

“My, my. Did Tullius leave everything up to his slave?”

Marquis Lavallee let out a sardonic chuckle.

Wrapped in the Marquis’ malicious intent, it took Uni every ounce of her being to prevent herself from ripping the count to pieces. Today’s trial was the result of her being unable to control her emotions that day. If she thought about it that way, she could be as dispassionate as necessary.

“Can I assume that what you said was an admission that you are not Anrietta Pola Cartan?”

Marquis Lavallee shrugged.

“No, no, you misunderstand. Only Sir Tullius here calls you a slave. With that understanding, I spoke in a way that was easier to be understood by you. Please do not mistake my intentions.”

In short, he was saying that he had adapted to the new facts created by Tullius’ arguments with Count Cartan.

An old-fashioned, but effective provocation.

“Yes. Then, what are your intentions, Marquis?”

“The youngster who was so skilled in rhetoric decided to entrust everything to a substitute. Naturally, I found it strange.”

“Aren’t your actions more unusual than mine?”

Still seated, Tullius spoke up.

“I mentioned this earlier, but I was called here urgently. Isn’t Madame Josephine the one who called for this trial? She brought Uni in as a witness, did she not? Therefore, her testimony should have some worth. And that was why I had her give her account of what happened. So, let me say this: is there a problem?”

“Is that so? Well then, I see no issue.”

Marquis Lavallee sat back down with a laugh.

At the same time, the presiding judge swung his wooden gavel down.

“Then, the plaintiff. State your appeal.”

“Yes.”

Uni deeply bowed her head and began.

“Before I beginl, I shall introduce myself. My name is Uni. I am a maid, and although I wear no collar, I am a slave.”

These words shook the audience.

“Slave? Did she say slave?”

“I don’t think so…”

“If that is the truth, then by all means—no, never mind.”

Every time, why was there such a response to her calling herself a slave? Uni always believed that there could be no unnaturalness or inconvenience in being the slave of her beloved master.

Uni continued to bite back and suppress her now-familiar irritation.

“One week ago, my master, Tullius Shernan Oubeniel, brought me to the wedding reception of Linus Strein Oubeniel, his brother. Also attending the reception was Count Pierre Simon Cartan—"

“Stop, Anrietta… don’t treat me like a stranger…”

Count Cartan’s whisper was naturally disregarded, as it could not even be counted as an objection.

“—Who I then met for the first time. I was told by the count that I was the child of one of his former lovers and was judged to be his long-lost daughter.”

“You believe it to be the count’s misunderstanding?”

“Yes, I would like to say that it was mere presumptuousness. –I said several times that I was a slave named Uni, and not Anrietta Pola Cartan. However, the count was unmoved, and I was taken to his estate by force.”

Various gazes flitted to the defendant’s seat.

There were no movements made. Count Cartan had no objection, and Marquis Lavallee continued to glare in her direction.

Uni continued.

“Even after I was relocated to the count’s mansion, there was no change in my treatment as his child. I was expected to behave as Anrietta should have. Because of this, until now I have been pretending to play the role of a Count’s daughter. In that regard, I must present my apologies for conspiring to delude the Count’s family.”

“Oh? Then if you are judged to truly be a slave, wouldn’t you be the lowest kind of filth who deceived nobility and profited from such a base action?”

The Marquis’ mouth revealed his enjoyment.

However, Tullius interjected.

“Objection. The Marquis is attempting to coerce self-condemnation from the witness, as well as insinuating that the witness will be in an unfavourable position if the trial ends in favor of the plaintiff.”

“Objection sustained.”

“Hm… I understand, judge.”