Chapter 169: need to be sacrificed

Marianne pov

As I walked into my chamber, Roselia was there moving in circles with furrowed eyebrows, my head was spinning only by looking at her. Or was it because i didn't sleep whole night.,

My whole night was spent in haggling with that old miser, who could be noble by anything but not her negotiation skills, by that he could only be scrooge. 

Yet I am happy because this time I had bargained a lot too. In fact, I got all the necessary things. My smile brightened as I remembered the promises he had made to me. But if he went back on his promise, all hell will break loose, and  I would make sure he would be burnt in that.

I walked behind her and asked, "what are you doing?" and she put the dagger on my neck making my eyes widened and all the knights and guards moved towards us with their hands on the hilt of their swords.

She jumped two steps back looking at me as if she had seen the ghost, just what had happened to her!

I raised a hand to stop the guards from holding her hand.

"Leave"

"But your highness"

"She is my knight, I will take it as she was not in her senses for a moment but that did not mean that she wanted to hurt me, I am safe with her." I added looking at the girl who was getting redder from the shame, I could see her forehead covered with sweat. It was a reflexive reaction that happened a while ago. But it indicated that she was not in her senses, and knowing what happened was the most important thing now.

"I apologise, your highness for the sin i had done unknowingly, i am ready for my punishment." she replied bowing up to 90 degrees.

Only then did the guards grip on their sword loosen.

"Rise, we will discuss your punishment in my office. Follow me" i instructed and without looking back i started walking forward.

She had created a new headache for me unknowingly. As we walked towards my office, I saw maids looking at me discreetly and I did not need to know why. I was not here all night, and now my clothes were in a mess.

I had thought of taking a good warm bath but.. I closed my eyes and grumbled, this foolish girl had a reason to keep me unkempt all this while.

I sat on the sofa, or should i say leaned on it, to give my back some rest before horse riding, hoping that my honey bun would force that man to wait for me.

"Marianne, I am seriously embarrassed by what has happened here, I was not. I was lost in my thoughts that I did not see you coming." she replied, and I could see the sincerity in her words, but was that enough!

"So you mean that if it would not have been me but a servant or other staff then you have the right to attack them with your dagger just because you were not in your senses, and you call yourself a knight." i said in a low voice, almost questioning her integrity.

I knew I would sound rude, because as a good friend I should console her, tell her that it was okay and I understand, but from the start, I had never been like that, she needs to see the mirror in case anyone else would do that with her.

"I know, it was a mistake. And I am ready to bear the consequences. You can punish me as you feel appropriate" she added again and I sighed.

"What was the matter that made you so restless?" I asked looking at her seriously.

Her face turned worried again as she looked at me and then took out a parchment from her uniform and handed it to me. I raised a brow and took the parchment from her hands.

I opened it to read when, 

"Do you even know what it is. It is the result of your test and the tea you had given to the physician. Do you even know what you have consumed to just earn this piece of paper" she grumbled, trying her best to control her voice, but failing miserably, thank goddess i had already asked the maids to leave.

"This report said that the tea had a very strong stimulant in it that worked as a catalyst. It will make you numb and drowsy when taken. And then it will mix in your nervous system. It will aggravate your emotions, making it 10 times stronger than normal. And if taken for a few times you will get addicted to it and even go crazy if you will not consume it then. 

Remember the way you had shouted on Isabella, I guess the tea had something to do with it.

My goodness, that family was crazier than i had thought." she continued grumbling as I read the paper.

"That is good news, we can use this to prove that they want to hurt the higher nobles for their power, and even send them to prison." i replied, now i had financial fraud and criminal proof too.

"But it was crazy to try that on yourself, you could have fed the tea to any servant too." she accused and i looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"So you want me to use an innocent life, just to achieve my goal. Then what would be the difference between me and Isabella, when we both did not care about anyone else except their goal, how could you even think like that." i said in a very low but scorned voice.

"Because I only care about your safety, for protecting the nobles, commoners have always sacrificed themselves. If not why nobles don't fight as footmen in war and why they do not take the task of serving others.

You have to understand that power is needed to save the empire, and this family sure needed to be eliminated for that."