“B-Lady Binen. Th-this way.”
“Hurry up and hand it over!”
“Hii!”
A servant waiting behind hastily brought the coat Binen had been wearing outside. Binen snatched it and put it on herself without the servant’s help. Though the time her skin was exposed was brief, everyone present had clearly seared the sight of Binen’s naked body into their minds.
“How dare you disgrace me so! Execute this person immediately.”
“However…”
“What? Do you have something to say to me?”
“No. Boy, please don’t take it the wrong way.”
The royal guard knight beside Binen hesitated at her command, but reluctantly drew his sword. He then raised his sword in front of Kent, who was sitting down with his torn dress still in his hand.
“Nooo! Older brother!”
Rachel, who could only watch the situation unfold, shouted loudly.
“Hmph.”
The royal guard knight, sword raised, aimed at Kent and swung down.
“What!”
The royal guard knight, who was certain he had finished the job, was surprised by a different sensation and the sound of metal.
“I won’t let you!”
“You blocked this sword with a fork?”
Emily intervened in front of Kent. She had blocked the sword with a dinner fork she held in her right hand.
“I won’t let you lay a finger on Master.”
“Mm, won’t let you.”
Furthermore, Al and Hanako secured Kent and moved him away from the royal guard knight holding his sword.
“My, my. So, this woman and two brats are going to rebel against me? You, they are equally guilty. Chop off their heads together.”
” ” “Yes.” ” ”
At Binen’s command, the escorting royal guard knights simultaneously drew their swords. Emily, Al, and Hanako then faced off against the royal guard knights who had drawn their swords.
“Wh-what should we do?”
“No need to worry, nya. Those three will be fine, nya.”
The situation had taken an unexpected turn. Rachel, unable to do anything and only able to watch, looked anxious. Before she knew it, Mike, as if protecting her, leaned in and spoke to his master, Rachel.
“Wait!”
Just as the royal guard knights were about to attack Emily and the others, a woman’s loud voice was heard from the entrance. All eyes inside the store turned in the direction of the voice.
“I rushed here because I sensed a strong magical presence, what in the world is going on?”
Margaret entered, breathing heavily. Her attire was like that of a commoner, something she often wore when walking around town incognito. She happened to be strolling nearby, felt an unusual wave of magic, and rushed into the store.
“M-Mother-in-law, why are you here?”
“Binen, don’t tell me you came to this store to cause trouble?”
Margaret strode through the store, stopping in front of Binen. She questioned her with a stern tone.
“I did no such thing. I merely came to shop at this store. However, an employee here tore my dress, and I was made to look foolish in front of everyone. When I tried to punish them, these individuals resisted me.”
Binen, surprised by Margaret’s sudden appearance, quickly regained her composure and explained the situation, pointing at Kent and Emily.
“I see. Rachel, may I have a moment?”
“Y-yes. What is it?”
Hearing this, Margaret turned around and addressed Rachel. Startled by the sudden question, Rachel hastily replied.
“No matter how much you refute, Binen will likely dismiss it as the ramblings of a commoner. Therefore, I will examine the situation with my own eyes.”
“Mother-in-law, what are you saying?”
Binen, unable to grasp Margaret’s intention, spoke.
“I’m simply going to verify if what you’re saying is true. Rachel, would it be alright to check the security camera footage?”
“Eh, ah, yes.”
Margaret knew about the security cameras installed in the store. They hadn’t been there from the start, but as many nobles began patronizing the establishment, the volume of money and merchandise handled increased. For safety reasons, they had installed high-spec cameras with recording and audio recording capabilities. Only a few employees, including Kent, who oversaw the installation, and Rachel, the store manager, knew about their existence.
“Royal guard knights, sheath your swords and stand by. You are not to lay a hand on anyone until I return.”
” ” “Yes!” ” ”
Margaret’s orders seemed to take precedence over Binen’s. The royal guard knights sheathed their swords and stood in formation, awaiting further orders. Seeing this, Margaret, guided by Rachel, disappeared into a room in the back.
“Master. You’re sweating a lot. I’ll wipe it for you.”
“Mm, me too.”
From the tension earlier, an unpleasant sweat broke out on Kent’s body. Al and Hanako took out handkerchiefs they had and wiped Kent’s sweat.
“For the time being, it feels like I’ve narrowly escaped.”
Kent felt a sense of relief now that Margaret had appeared, even though the problem wasn’t entirely resolved.
“Mother-in-law, what can you possibly understand from that ‘bo-han’ thing? Well, I’ll wait since you told me to, but the crime of humiliating me hasn’t been erased.”
Binen said irritably, glaring while keeping a distance from Kent.
“So this is a security camera. I can see Kent and Binen too. I can understand the current situation in the store as if I were there.”
“The images captured by the cameras installed within the store are displayed on this monitor.”
Rachel and Margaret moved to a separate room. Rachel explained the system to Margaret, who looked at the security camera footage displayed on the monitor with great interest.
“I believe I heard from Catherine that it’s possible to rewind time and watch.”
“Yes, I will now display the footage from around the time Lady Binen arrived.”
Rachel selected a time slightly before Binen’s supposed arrival from the history section and began playback. Margaret then decided to review Binen’s actions from the moment she entered the store.
“Mother-in-law, are you still not done? A considerable amount of time has passed.”
Binen said irritably. Though only about ten minutes had passed, life as a princess had made her accustomed to not being kept waiting, so this time felt excruciatingly long for her.
“Apologies for the wait.”
Margaret returned with Rachel in tow.
“Mother-in-law, so, did you find anything out? You haven’t been swayed by anything that woman said, have you?”
” I haven’t heard anything about this situation from Rachel. By the way, Binen, since when did you come to dislike red clothes?”
“Eh?”
Binen’s voice faltered at Margaret’s question.
“After the employee over there said ‘welcome,’ you suddenly said you didn’t like red clothes. And then…”
“Wh-why do you know all of that in such detail?”
Margaret explained Binen’s words and actions from the moment she entered the store with a precision that suggested she had witnessed it herself. Hearing this, Binen’s face grew increasingly pale. Even if Rachel had explained the situation, Margaret’s description was too detailed, far beyond what could be explained verbally.
“It’s because all your actions were recorded. I’ve just seen them. Rachel, show her that.”
“Yes.”
Rachel took out her smartphone, operated it, and showed the screen to Binen. There, a video and audio recording of Binen and Lola, who had copied the security camera data, were played back.
“Wh-what! I had no idea such a thing existed…”
Confronted with the evidence, Binen slumped to her knees in defeat.
“Wh-whatever, I understand, please stop.”
The playback continued, and Binen’s naked body was displayed on Rachel’s smartphone screen. Binen, feeling the gazes of the royal guard knights behind her, who were watching with interest, pleaded for the playback to stop.
“This is enough. Rachel, thank you.”
“Yes.”
Margaret said to Rachel, who then stopped the video playback on her smartphone.
“Binen, I’ve heard your bad reputation from all over town. They say you make all sorts of unreasonable demands. And this time, you visited this store because Elnet was involved, weren’t you?”
“Th-that is…”
Binen looked down, receiving a lecture from Margaret.
“Sisters from a Duke’s family who are at the forefront of fashion. They are using the merchandise from this store. So you decided to harass them?”
“That’s right. That woman, whom I once banished from high society, is now setting the latest trends and everyone adores her. I couldn’t stand that situation!”
Binen emotionally raised her voice.
“Binen, understand your position. Now that you are to be associated with royalty, you must not act out of envy or jealousy. For today, please return home. We will discuss this matter thoroughly at a later date. Royal guard knights, please take care of things.”
” ” “Yes!” ” ”
Margaret ordered the royal guard knights to escort Binen back to the castle.
“You were lucky to escape death.”
“Mm, I won’t forgive you for pointing your sword at Master. No matter what happens from now on, I won’t save you.”
“Hmph, I haven’t fallen so low as to be saved by a child like you.”
Binen spat those parting words at Kent. Kent didn’t reply, not wanting any further involvement, but Hanako, who was beside him, spoke for the first time in a while. Binen dismissed it as childish prattle, but for some reason, Kent felt a profound weight in her words.
“Well then, Lady Binen. This way to the carriage.”
Following their orders, the royal guard knights led Binen out of the store. They then boarded a carriage and Binen returned to the castle.
As some of you may know, a certain project is currently underway. Please wait a little longer until we can officially announce it. (This is a report as of October 20, 2021.)
