I am doomed to evil

I looked at Larry Leonard, who was staring calmly at Oscar, before saying in a calm voice, "Oscar, stop it! You'll hurt her!"

At that, Oscar immediately pulled his hand away, and I pulled mine away, trying to ignore the intense pain I felt. However, I was careful not to show any sign of suffering. When I looked at Oscar, I noticed a strange expression on his face... I couldn't interpret it. Was it regret or frustration? I couldn't understand, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by his usual cold expression.

Then he said in a calm tone, as if nothing had happened:

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you... but you're making me angry. Sorry."

 Huh? Is he kidding me?! I almost lost my wrist, and all he can say is that "anger got the better of him"?! Seriously, I hate people like him.

But before I could say anything, Oscar continued sharply:

"But, Oriana, you're the one who's wrong here. You should have stopped making mistakes."

Then he turned to Leonard, adding in a snarky voice:

"Look at her now. The one you were defending yesterday... made the same mistakes today!"

I couldn't bear it any longer. I walked towards him with calm steps, but my gaze grew more intense:

"Can you tell me what I did wrong? Do you even know what happened between me and the maid?"

There was silence, and I didn't need his answer; I already knew. "Of course you don't know... You didn't even bother to ask. You came in here, you decided in advance that I was the one in the wrong, and that was it for you. Look at my wrist... It was only a matter of breaking it if Leonard hadn't intervened."

Then I smiled sarcastically before continuing, "You know? You're very good at using power, Oscar, but I wonder... can you use it against the right people, or would you prefer to use it only against me?"

There was a moment of silence, before Leonard broke the tense atmosphere by saying calmly, "You're the one in the wrong here, Oscar. You should have heard what happened from Oriana before you made your judgment."

Oscar looked at Leonard, then smiled coldly as he said, "So, tell me, Oriana... what happened?"

I looked at him coldly, then said indifferently, "Do I have to tell you?"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?"

I replied, my voice calm but clearly challenging: "Are you the owner of the duchy? Or the emperor? Or what exactly? I don't see myself having to tell you anything."

Then Oscar shouted angrily, "You, what are you—"

But before he could finish, I pulled out the device I'd taken out of the drawer this morning. I waved it slowly in front of him, letting the room light reflect off its shiny metal surface... Then I looked directly at him and smiled calmly, "I think you know what this is, don't you, young Duke?"

His eyes widened in shock as he muttered, "This... This..."

I nodded. "Yes, as you think... It's a high-end recording device."

I could see the astonishment in his eyes. This wasn't surprising, as such recording devices are extremely rare, expensive, and only available in a few places. Luckily, I had one thanks to Duchess Camilla.

Leonard then spoke up, "So, does this device contain a recording of what happened?"

I replied confidently, "Yes, but it will only be shown in the presence of the Duke. I don't have to show it to anyone else here."

Oscar's anger flared, his eyes turning into burning coals as he said angrily, "Can't you see that you're underestimating me? You're being rude to me and Leonard!"

I smiled sarcastically again, before saying with deadly calm, "I don't have to respect someone who treats me with contempt... and who treats me less than even a servant."

Leonard then placed his hand on Oscar's shoulder, trying to calm him down, and said in a calm voice, "So, you're determined to only show the recording when my father comes?"

I nodded again, and I said firmly, "That's right."

Leonard replied calmly, "Then it's fine. My father is in his office right now and isn't busy with any meetings, so you can show him the recording."

He then turned to me and said, "Shall we go? Clara will be coming with us."

He looked directly at her and added in a cold tone, "You don't mind, do you? Since you're not wrong."

I turned to Clara, noticing a clear tremor in her expression... She looked completely different from the confidence she'd shown in her earlier conversation with me.

As for Victoria, I noticed a slight hint of fear in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it with a bright smile. She stepped closer and asked gently,

"Oriana, is your hand okay? Would you like to come with me before we go to Father? I can treat it for you."

I looked at her coldly and replied,

"No problem, it's nothing big. It'll go away with time."

But she didn't give up easily, adding in a worried voice, "But, my sister..."

Then Leonard stepped forward and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. His voice was calm but firm, "Victoria, Oriana wants to go to Father now. There's no need to force her to do anything else."

He turned to me and asked, "Shall we go now, Oriana?"

I looked at him and replied coldly, "Okay, let's go."

We began walking through the long corridors of the palace, while Victoria and Clara followed behind us, talking about something in low voices that I couldn't hear clearly.

As I walked, I noticed a shadow moving quickly behind me... and I felt an unnatural movement behind me... immediately receding, and in a flash, it was Victoria who fell to the ground. My eyes widened as I realized the truth.

"Huh...?"

I froze for a few seconds before realizing what had happened—she was trying to bring me down! I knew why immediately... she wanted to smash the recording device, which was fragile and easily broken.

But instead of confessing, she froze for a few seconds... and then suddenly burst into tears, as if she was waiting for the right moment.

"Huh... Don't tell me she's going to say now that I—"

She interrupted me, her voice hoarse, "Sister... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Clara quickly rushed over and sat beside her on the floor. She raised her head and looked at me with feigned anger, saying, "Miss Oriana, why did you push Miss Victoria? That's too cruel!"

As I expected... since she hadn't succeeded in breaking the tool, she was now trying to pin the blame on me.

But before I could say a word, a sharp, angry voice came:

"Clara.

I turned to find Oscar standing nearby, giving Clara a cold, sharp look.

"Did you see Oriana push Victoria yourself, or are you just speaking without evidence? And who gave you permission to speak in the first place?"

Clara was confused and said in a low voice, "Mr. Oscar, all I meant was—"

But he interrupted her sharply:

"I don't care what you meant, because I saw everything... and Oriana didn't push Victoria."

Then he leaned slightly toward Victoria, who was still on the floor, and said in a calm but impatient voice, "Victoria, are you okay? Come on, get up."

We walked until we reached the Duke's room. Oscar asked permission to enter, and when he was allowed, we went inside. As soon as the Duke saw us, a puzzled expression crossed his face, and then he asked firmly,

"Why is everyone here?" What's going on?"

Oscar took a step forward and answered confidently,

"Oriana is once again accused of a mistake she didn't commit, and she's come to prove her innocence before you."

The Duke's gaze turned to me, a mixture of anger and wonder on his face:

"What's going on, Oriana?" Do you have anything to say?"

I nodded quietly and walked over to his desk, placing the recording device in front of him and saying coldly,

"I want you to listen to this for yourself, to decide if I'm wrong or not."

I pressed the play button, and the device began to play, revealing everything that had happened in the room. As soon as the recording began to play, Victoria's eyes widened, and she quickly grabbed the hem of her dress, as if trying to hide her nervousness. Clara's blood seemed to freeze. As the recording ended... silence fell. Heavy. Suffocating. Before all eyes turned to Clara, who was completely different from her previous appearance. She was trembling, speechless, before whispering in a trembling, shaky voice:

"I-I... I-I didn't do it! E-This recording... is fake!" I'm sure!"

There was silence for a moment, then Leonard's face took on an expression I'd never seen before—a look of freezing coldness, a look of terrifying cruelty as he said with deadly coldness, "Do you realize what you were saying to Oriana in the room? And now you're simply trying to deny it?"

Then Oscar suddenly stepped towards me, extended his hand, and said in a serious voice, "Give me your hand, Oriana."

I looked at him for a moment, then calmly extended my hand. He glanced at my shoulder, where the burn was clearly visible, then turned to Clara and asked sharply, "Tell me, Clara, what's this burn on Oriana's shoulder?"

Clara froze, unable to utter a single word. Her eyes widened, as if she were caught between two fatal choices.

Before she could say anything, the silence was broken by that disturbing sound—Victoria bursting into feigned sobs, as if trying to turn the tables again...

"Clara, how dare you say such things about my older sister?"

Victoria approached me, feigning sadness and concern, and gently took my hand before saying in a low voice, "Oriana, I didn't know you were suffering so much with this maid... You, My poor sister, it must have been hard for you."

Clara tried to speak, and her voice trembled. "Miss Victoria! You ordered me to do this to Miss Oriana! You asked me to do it!"

Victoria's eyes widened and filled with tears, and she began to sob, saying in a broken voice, "How could you accuse me of this?! I couldn't hurt my sister!"

At that moment, Oscar's angry voice echoed through the hall: "You shameless brat! It wasn't enough for you to slander Oriana, and now you're falsely accusing Victoria?!"

Duke Edward then followed with a firm voice: "Consider yourself dismissed from this day. I will issue an order prohibiting you from working as a servant in any noble palace!"

He turned to the guards and ordered: "Take her away from here."

Clara began to scream in despair as the guards dragged her out of the hall: "Believe me!" My Lord Duke, Lady Victoria ordered me! Please, believe me!"

But no one listened. As soon as her voice disappeared behind closed doors, Oscar approached Victoria to comfort her.

I watched the scene blankly before thinking sarcastically:

"Are you kidding me? Her wrist isn't even hurt, and yet she runs to me as if she's the real victim here!"

The Duke spoke kindly to me and said:

"Oriana, I'll appoint you a new maid, and I'll send you a butler to choose one yourself."

I was disgusted by the idea. "A new maid? I don't want or need one."

Oscar's eyes widened in anger, and then he exclaimed in a disapproving tone:

"Have you lost your mind? How can a noblewoman not have a maid?!"

I smiled sarcastically, then looked at him defiantly:

"A noblewoman? And you treat a noblewoman as if she were beneath the servants? Can you guarantee me, young Duke, that the new maid won't treat me the same way?" I'd rather not have a maid than be treated like this."

A silence fell in the hall, before Leonard's calm voice broke it:

"Let's let her do whatever she wants. Oriana." He turned to me and extended his hand slightly as if ready to accompany me. "I think it's best if you go to your room now to rest. I'll walk you there."

I looked at him coldly, then said,

"No need. I know where my room is very well. I can go alone."

He smiled gently and replied,

"But I want to accompany my little sister to her room. You look tired, so I'll go with you."

Not wanting to argue with him any further, I sighed and said wearily,

"Do whatever you want."

When we reached my room, before I entered, Leonard gently took my hand and said in a serious voice, but with a note of regret creeping in:

"I'm sorry... I didn't know you were suffering like this." Normally, I don't like to interfere in family matters, and I didn't want to get close to you or Victoria, but I..."

There was a moment of silence before he took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. Then he said, "Here, take this. It'll help ease the pain."

Then he turned and left before I could say anything.

I stood for a moment, staring at the item he'd given me. Was this it?

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