I pressed my fingers to my temples, already feeling exhausted by the Grand Duke's insistence.
"You don't have to hide the truth from me."
"Didn't you just tell me that giving false testimony in court was a bad idea?"
"Of course I did. But that wouldn't be a lie."
I frowned deeply, trying to remind him of the facts. The Grand Duke let out a quiet sigh.
"No, it would be a lie. That's precisely why I'm correcting your misunderstanding."
"Most people who come to me say exactly the same thing. They're innocent, it's all a misunderstanding, someone else is lying."
I answered his protest with indifference. It was the same old routine with defendants.
"I'm telling you, I really never—"
"Then why on earth did you kill Vivian's father?"
We couldn't even agree on the second question, and the conversation was already dragging on. My irritation was beginning to get the better of me.
At my sharp retort, the Grand Duke's face twisted into a frightening scowl.
"Didn't you promise to prove me not guilty?"
"Yes. I promised to get you a not-guilty verdict. I never said you were actually innocent."
"What… did you just say?"
His eyes widened in shock.
The truth was, whether he was genuinely innocent had never particularly interested me. All I cared about was the Success Fee he would pay once I secured his acquittal.
He had clearly misunderstood the role of a Defense Counsel.
How naive.
I heaved a sigh.
"Let's be honest with each other. Our contract only requires me to secure a not-guilty verdict for you. It doesn't require me to believe you're innocent."
And frankly, everything surrounding the case pointed toward Grand Duke Richard having murdered Vivian's father. The motive was fairly obvious, too.
Scrape!
The sound of a chair dragging across the floor interrupted my thoughts as the Grand Duke abruptly rose to his feet.
"I have no need for a Defense Counsel who doesn't believe me. Get out. Now!"
"Wait, you can't do that! Our contract clearly—"
"Yes. Our contract."
He glared at me fiercely.
The red eyes that had regarded me so seriously only moments earlier now held nothing but suspicion and distrust.
"If you secure my acquittal, I give you half my fortune. But if I refuse to cooperate, you won't be able to secure that acquittal."
"W-what?"
A defendant refusing his own legal defense?
That was something I hadn't anticipated in the slightest.
All I could do was stare helplessly as the man turned his back on me and disappeared.
The problem only grew worse.
The next day, the day after that, and the day after that, the Grand Duke refused every request I made to visit him.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Another wasted trip.
I worried at my lower lip with my teeth.
I'd assumed the Grand Duke would calm down after a day or so, but he showed no sign of changing his mind. Instead, I was the one growing increasingly anxious.
Of course, I had no intention of giving up. I'd been diligently investigating the case on my own, gathering whatever information I could to prepare his defense.
But all that work would be meaningless if the one person whose cooperation mattered most refused to be defended.
If the Grand Duke decided to confess to the crime in court, everything would be over.
I trudged out of the prison empty-handed, only to spot Lieutenant Victor Genoa approaching from the opposite direction.
At some point, his attitude toward me had become considerably friendlier.
"Your Highness, is His Grace doing well?"
I did my best to appear perfectly composed. I couldn't let him discover that the Grand Duke and I weren't on speaking terms.
"Of course. Absolutely. More importantly, have you been following the instructions I gave you?"
"Yes, Your Highness. But are you certain this is all we need to do? I can't help thinking we look rather feeble. We're supposed to be men, yet we hardly look capable of killing an ant."
You really don't understand, do you?
I shook my head firmly.
"No. Looking as though you couldn't kill a thing is precisely the point."
What I wanted was a complete overhaul of the Richard Unit's public image.
Whenever the soldiers came to the prison, they were to leave their weapons behind, wear light-colored clothing, shave off their beards, and keep their hair neatly groomed.
The truth was, Victor and the other soldiers had an excessively intimidating, macho air about them.
They looked exactly like the sort of henchmen you'd expect to find serving a murderous Hidden Villain.
I needed to eliminate anything that might damage the Grand Duke's reputation before it became a problem.
Fortunately, the soldiers had faithfully followed my instructions, and their appearance had changed beyond recognition.
Gathered together now, they looked almost like a congregation of devout young men attending a religious service.
Now, if only I could get the Grand Duke to change his mind…
The absence of the most important person in my plans was proving painfully costly.
I let out a heavy sigh, then headed off for an interview with a reporter from one of the leading daily newspapers.
My relationship with my client might have hit a rough patch, but I still had a job to do.
******
Several days later.
In the visiting room of the underground prison, Benedict frowned when he heard that Victor Genoa had come to see him.
"Does she take me for a fool?"
Using Victor's name again?
Benedict gave a derisive snort.
Elena was undoubtedly trying to lure him out with another one of her transparent lies.
However, when the prison guard assured him that the visitor was most definitely a man, Benedict awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
A short while later, he entered the visiting room.
The moment he saw Victor, his brow furrowed deeply.
"What in the world are you wearing?"
The sight that greeted him as he opened the door was so absurd that the reprimand escaped before he could stop himself.
"What do you think, Your Grace? Don't I look exceptionally kind and harmless? Her Highness recommended this outfit."
Looking immensely pleased with himself, Victor proudly pointed to the yellow chick printed on his pale pink shirt.
The mention of Elena instantly made Benedict's expression harden.
"Don't tell me that woman sent you here."
"No, Your Grace. I simply came because I was worried you might have fallen seriously ill."
Recently, Victor had begun to sense that something was wrong.
The Grand Duchess's visits to the prison had been growing shorter and shorter.
And there had been something oddly troubled about her expression.
He had begun to wonder whether the Grand Duke might be unwell, so he'd decided to come and check on his commander in person.
Once Benedict confirmed that Victor's visit had nothing to do with Elena, some of the sharpness left his demeanor.
"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine. You, on the other hand, would do well to burn that ridiculous shirt the moment you leave this place."
"Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how effective this outfit has been? Things have been going remarkably well lately, thanks to Her Highness."
Victor threw up his hands in vehement protest.
Then, looking positively proud, he presented Benedict with a stack of newspapers.
"Just look at this."
Benedict's gaze fell upon the headline of a leading daily newspaper, and his eyes widened.
"I Trust the Grand Duke Completely." Grand Duchess Richard Gives Exclusive Interview to Lady Aria.
"Hah."
A bitter laugh escaped between Benedict's teeth.
She trusted him?
What an utterly shameless interview.
The contents were even more outrageous.
'To save the life of a mere commoner like me, the Grand Duke rushed straight into enemy artillery fire without a moment's hesitation. I fell in love with him at first sight. (He cherishes every life and would never dream of harming another person!) Such a warmhearted, wonderful man has now been falsely accused of murder. Behind prison walls, our tender love… (remainder omitted)'
The fabricated love story that followed was so preposterous he could barely bring himself to read another word.
The claim that he would never harm anyone was particularly laughable.
How many people had he personally killed on the battlefield?
And yet the account was written with such convincing emotion that even Benedict, who knew every word of it was a lie, found himself almost moved by the time he finished reading.
"I never knew Your Grace had such a warm heart."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Victor wiped tears from his eyes.
Apparently, merely recalling the story was enough to convince him all over again of the nobility of their love.
Benedict muttered in disbelief.
"People actually believe this rubbish?"
"Of course! I heard that Lady Aria doubled its circulation after publishing Her Highness's interview. The support among women has been especially overwhelming."
"……"
Victor continued enthusiastically.
"Follow-up articles have been appearing one after another, and the tone of the coverage is finally starting to change. Until recently, the newspapers were treating Your Grace like a convicted criminal. Now some are even suggesting that the Crown Prince, who sees Your Grace as a threat, may have pressured the Police Bureau into conducting an excessive investigation."
Victor was genuinely delighted as he spoke.
Benedict anxiously rubbed his stiffened cheek.
"For some reason, everything seems to be working out when we follow Her Highness's instructions. Before, I dreaded every passing day because it brought us closer to the trial. Now I'm almost looking forward to it."
A bitter taste filled Benedict's mouth.
Looking at the hope shining in Victor's face, he couldn't bring himself to say that he intended to refuse that woman's help, or that there was no prospect of him being found not guilty at his trial.
He rubbed his throat, which suddenly felt painfully constricted.
"…That woman. Elena, I mean. What else has she been doing?"
"Well, actually…"
At Benedict's question, Victor's expression abruptly clouded.
Benedict narrowed his eyes in puzzlement.
After a moment's hesitation, Victor began to speak cautiously.
Several hours later.
Victor had departed, leaving Benedict alone in the visiting room.
Benedict pressed a hand to his forehead, his expression darkening as though something truly disastrous had happened.
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
Finally, he muttered with grave seriousness.
"I think Elena Christie is in love with me."