At that moment, the door to the conference room burst open, and someone walked in quickly and took a seat next to the podium.
"I'm really sorry for being late. One of the children I received had a seizure..."
[Goodwill 32%]
Bunter muttered an apology with an awkward expression for his tardiness.
'Now that I think about it... he was a high-ranking noble too.'
I was so surprised that I hadn't even noticed if he was in his seat, and I stared at him with a puzzled look.
"Viscount Verdandi! W-What are you talking about!"
Before Bunter could fully take his seat, Duke Ellen asked breathlessly.
"Your Honor. May I state what I witnessed?"
Instead of answering Duke Ellen, Bunter calmly raised his hand and asked the Deputy Minister of Justice for permission.
"Permission granted."
With the permission, he stood up again.
"Two days ago, before the princess was kidnapped, I witnessed her bravely hunting a brown bear alone in the golden-marked area."
"L-Lies! I've never seen Viscount Verdandi around there!"
"Silence, Baron Gaboile!"
Bang, bang!
The Deputy Minister of Justice struck the gavel.
"Control yourself! Someone else is making a statement."
He shouted irritably at Baron Gaboile, who kept interrupting.
"Continue, Viscount Verdandi."
"But the princess ran out of bolts and paused in the middle of firing her crossbow."
"......"
"Seeing the situation becoming dangerous, I was about to help the princess when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appeared and beheaded the bear."
His statement was too consistent with my situation to be a lie.
It meant that he had indeed been watching me from somewhere.
I felt a chill run down my spine at Bunter's testimony.
'Sure enough, my suspicions were correct.'
The 'sudden quest' didn't end with the brown bear.
If the Crown Prince hadn't intervened, I would have inevitably met Bunter, or Derek, or Leonard, one after another.
And I would have had to deal with the rampaging beast until the male leads appeared at the crucial moment.
'What a crazy game...'
While I shivered secretly, Bunter calmly finished his testimony.
"Since the two of you seemed to be having a serious conversation, I moved to another seat. That's all I saw."
The conference room was once again thrown into shock.
"Then Baron Gaboile's words are all lies?"
"The princess's statement was true."
"Good heavens, Viscount Tulet was a royal assassin..."
I glanced around the murmuring crowd and shot a sidelong glance at Ecart.
The duke's face was no different from the others.
What was surprising was Derek's face. When our eyes met, his face slowly twisted.
He seemed more angry than shocked or surprised.
Was he angry because he finally believed his reckless younger brother's words?
Or was he angry because what I said earlier about meeting the Crown Prince in secret was true?
Fortunately, unlike his crumpled face, his goodwill, which had been slowly blinking, remained unchanged.
'Look.'
I lifted my head defiantly, not averting my eyes.
'I can handle things on my own without your ridiculous help.'
While I stared at him with a cold, hard gaze,
Bang, bang!
"The court will render its judgment!"
The judge declared authoritatively amidst the noisy crowd.
"There is a third-party witness unrelated to the case, and his testimony matches the princess's statement."
"......"
"Moreover, the evidence the princess possesses is overwhelmingly clear."
Just before the verdict, the room fell deathly silent.
The Deputy Minister of Justice took a breath and continued.
"The ones who need to be investigated are not Princess Ecart but Viscount Tulet, Baron Gaboile, and seven other nobles, including Duke Ellen."
"J-Judge! I object...!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still unconscious. This is a serious case that could lead to an attempted regicide, so I order the detention of all related nobles!"
Bang, bang, bang.
The gavel struck three times, finalizing the verdict.
At that moment,
〈SYSTEM〉 ~Main Quest: Become the Queen of the Hunt~
[Third. Expose the Assassin] Quest successful!
〈SYSTEM〉 As a reward, you have gained [All male leads' goodwill +7%] and [Reputation +70].
(Reputation total: 200)
'That's it. It's over!'
I clenched my fists and cheered.
"The Emperor must be informed immediately. Sir Walter! Execute the order at once!"
The judge then called the captain of the guard, who was sitting right next to the podium.
The door to the conference room opened, and knights poured in.
"T-This is all a lie, a lie!"
Duke Ellen shook his head frantically as the guards approached to apprehend him.
"It wasn't me! Tulet, that son of a bitch, acted on his own! I had nothing to do with it!"
"I-I don't know anything! Why me...!"
The same went for the blue-haired girl.
As she was roughly restrained with her arms twisted behind her back, she looked around frantically.
She was looking for someone to help her.
However, the Kelin family was not powerful enough to attend the noble council.
It seemed she had aligned herself with Duke Ellen to rise in status.
Clearly, she had intended to suppress Princess Ecart, the center of power, and dominate the social scene.
'I guess she thought I would be as foolish as last year.'
I watched her being dragged away in a disheveled state with a cold, detached gaze.
And I thought,
'I am the ultimate villainess in this game.'
As the involved parties were led away by the guards, the conference room began to clear up.
A few nobles who were leaving kept glancing at me, as if they wanted to say something, but they didn't approach due to my intimidating expression.
"Princess. May I have the evidence?"
At that moment, a stern-looking middle-aged captain of the guard approached me and held out his hand.
"Here."
I handed over the knife I was holding. After taking it, he immediately requested something else.
"I'll also release your bindings. Please extend your hands."
I held out my hands, which were tied with thin ropes, and he said, "Excuse me," placing his hands on my wrists.
He then muttered something inaudible.
The ropes that had bound my wrists together slipped off and fell to the floor.
The captain of the guard bowed to me, picked up the ropes, and left.
'What? It was a magical item?'
No wonder it felt so loosely tied. It couldn't be broken or untied without the activation phrase.
I felt embarrassed, recalling how I had mistaken it for a 'VIP' treatment earlier.
With the tension easing, a heavy fatigue crept up the back of my neck.
I needed a rest. I turned to leave the conference room.
"Lady Penelope."
Someone blocked my path.
[Goodwill 39%]
White text flashed above his well-kept silver hair. I was satisfied with the significant increase in goodwill.
"...Duke."
I realized I should thank Bunter for his unexpected help.
After all, his testimony had expedited the verdict, unlike someone who had forced me to admit to shooting the crossbow like a 'thunderbolt bald monkey.'
"Thank you for your help."
I bowed slightly and expressed my gratitude.
"Thanks to you, I was able to clear my name quickly."
"......I only did what I could."
Bunter quoted my own words from before.
"Besides, I'm glad I could repay the favor for your help at the pre-festival."
A laugh escaped me.
Every time I met Bunter, it seemed I had to hear about 'repaying the favor.'
He was truly a thorough businessman to the core.
"Duke, you always keep your accounts so clear."
"......"
His navy blue eyes widened slightly at my sudden laughter.
He just stared at me silently. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I wiped the smile from my face.
"Even though you said you wouldn't accept it, I'll gratefully accept this favor this time."
"......"
"Then, I'll be on my way."
Just as I bowed again and was about to pass by him,