The Viscountess is Clever [Romance/Kingdom Building]

Underground Dungeon, Lord’s Castle

“Your Ladyship, you really didn’t have to come down here! I fully understood the risks when I agreed to play this part...” Jeckson said from behind the heavy iron bars, looking up at her with concern.

“Even so... as the Viscountess of this territory, how could I not?” Francesca replied, standing before his dark cell with her cane held firm and Stella by her side.

“My Lady...?” Stella called out softly, but Francesca was already drowning in her own racing thoughts, her eyes fixed blankly on the stone floor.

Why am I being so stubborn? Francesca questioned herself, her heart pounding. It is still completely uncertain whether my second chance at life will vanish if something happens to the Azure Tear... Can I truly stand by and allow an innocent man like this to be executed?

She kept tapping the tip of her cane against the cold stone floor in agonizing thought. “Is this really the right choice...?” she muttered under her breath.

No... that is the most terrifying thing about all of this… the sheer fact that I don't know! My second chance could vanish, or it might not. Either way, I don't want to gamble and find out the hard way! Plus, me surviving here with my knowledge is the only way to save Miller and the Third Prince's faction from being completely annihilated in the future!

“My Lady!” Stella gently shook Francesca’s shoulder to snap her out of her deep daze.

“Ah...” Francesca blinked, coming back to reality.

“You should go back upstairs, Your Ladyship... it isn't good for your health to linger down in this cold dungeon,” Jeckson said with a reassuring, weary smile, the heavy chains around his wrists clinking faintly.

Francesca offered him a solemn nod, turning around to begin her slow walk out of the underground dungeon as they reached the foot of the stone stairs.

Stella immediately stepped up to help her climb them slowly, step by step, when Francesca suddenly broke the quiet. “Y-you... you must have talked to Kenny today, right? About what Miller has in mind to counter Ivan during the evening's meeting?”

Tak... Tak...

Stella paused mid-step on the staircase, turning her head to shoot a pointed look at Francesca. “My Lady... why didn’t you simply ask His Lordship that yourself? Don’t tell me... what I witnessed at breakfast this morning... are you two seriously still quarreling at such a crucial moment?”

“Ahem...” Standing with the support of her cane on the middle of the staircase, Francesca cleared her throat nervously. “It is... it’s just not a simple argument, Stella... Just tell me, do you know what Miller is planning?”

Stella let out a long sigh of sheer exhaustion. “Most arguments between lovers are usually just that.. simple. The only reason they spiral out of control is because both sides are too stubborn and prideful to properly communicate.”

Stepping up another stair, Stella added, “And yes, I know what His Lordship is planning. Kenny stayed up all night helping him go through the archives, after all.”

Stella sighed again before continuing, “Kenny said that since the framed evidence of the bloodied knife is already secured against Lord Jeckson, Lord Ivan will attempt to use the known financial struggles of the Libert House as the primary motive to escalate this case to the Imperial Court.”

“A ransom narrative... That makes sense. Ivan would find it easy to build a convincing case around a desperate, bankrupt noble,” Francesca nodded thoughtfully.

Stella continued, “So Lord Miller and Kenny concluded that the only way to break that financial motive is to publicly reveal that Lord Jeckson was secretly working directly under Lord Miller.”

“What...? To prove that the narrative of financial struggle is false, is that it?” Francesca replied, her brow furrowing.

Stella nodded. “Precisely. The Libert House was being secretly backed financially by Lord Miller in exchange for spying on the Council members. Therefore, the idea that Lord Jeckson Libert would commit a murder for monetary gain becomes legally unacceptable.”

“Of course... Ivan might try to spin it that Miller himself ordered the attack, but that won't hold up in an Imperial court since there is no logical motive for Miller to kill a visiting squire...” Francesca nodded, but a deeply troubled expression formed on her face.

“However... Miller's political reputation among the vassals will take a massive hit. The Council members will be in a total uproar the moment they discover he was secretly spying on them... The political aftermath in the viscounty will be chaotic.”

“Eeegh...” Miller made a sound of deep frustration, leaning back in his chair and staring aimlessly up at the ceiling, legal documents scattered across his desk and the surrounding floor.

“This frustration isn't just about Lord Jeckson's legal defense, is it?” Kenny asked, standing near the bookshelf while flipping through a heavy leather-bound volume on Imperial Law. “I heard that you are quarreling with Her Ladyship. Is that true?”

“Can we please focus on the urgent matter at hand right now?” Miller replied, sitting up straight with a sharp, dismissive wave of his hand as he pulled out a fresh stack of documents. “Let's just review these defense points one more time...” He reached for his pen.

Thump!

Kenny slammed the heavy legal book onto the desk in front of him.

“Now out with it, my Lord. You are never particularly great at functioning under emotional distress,” Kenny stated bluntly, folding his arms over his chest.

Miller ran a hand through his crimson hair, letting out a heavy breath. “It’s... it’s not just a simple disagreement, Kenny... there is far more to it than you understand...”

Kenny simply scoffed. “Most arguments between lovers seem wildly complicated on the surface, but in reality, they are remarkably simple. The only reason they spiral out of control is because both parties are too stubborn and prideful to communicate.”

“Sure... sure...” Miller muttered softly, tapping his fingers against the desk as the vivid memory of Francesca’s tear-stained face from last night flashed unbidden in his mind.

Shaking his head to clear the thought, he straightened his posture and added sternly, “Focus back on the documents. The Council meeting begins soon.”