Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 50: Class Trial (1)

The student council president, Citrine, approached us with a troubled expression and said this.

"…Ruby Sarka. In accordance with the student council's rules, I am requesting your attendance at a class trial."

"What do you mean? A class trial for the lady…?"

"You’ve seen the papers scattered around the school, haven’t you? A trial application has been submitted regarding the matters written on them."

Under the student council's regulations, a formally submitted trial application could not be refused.

"…I don’t believe Ruby would have done such things either. But rules are rules."

Ruby, who had been silently observing Citrine, nodded her head.

"Understood. I’ll attend."

"My lady…"

There was no way to know who had orchestrated this or with what intentions.

Ruby and I had no choice but to quietly make our way to the trial venue.

In the trial room were the student council, the entire Free Activity Club—including Ruby and me—and, across from us, the entire Instrumental Music Club.

According to Citrine's explanation, the ones who filed the trial application were members of the Instrumental Music Club.

Since the trial revolved around Ruby, her seat was conspicuously positioned at the center of the trial room.

As I naturally followed Ruby to sit beside her, Citrine stopped me.

"Amber, your seat is over there."

"What? Can’t I sit next to the lady?"

When I questioned her while blocked from proceeding, Citrine shook her head slightly, her expression tinged with sadness.

"Please understand. I don’t want this either."

"…Alright."

This was the first time I had seen Citrine act so earnestly since the letter incident.

This trial must have been just as difficult for her.

In the end, I accepted it and quietly moved to the adjacent seat.

As I sat down, Diana, who was seated nearby with a troubled expression, spoke.

"…It’ll be okay, Amber."

She placed her hands over mine, as if trying to comfort me.

But I couldn’t calm down.

The women of the Instrumental Music Club, sitting there pretending to be victims, appeared utterly despicable to me.

"…If the lady can’t prove her innocence, what will happen to her?"

At my question, Diana hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"That won’t happen. I promise."

"…"

Seeing Diana respond so confidently only made my doubts grow.

Did she have something up her sleeve?

After a brief wait, Citrine approached Ruby and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ruby Sarka. From now on, you’ll answer the questions truthfully."

"…Yes."

Citrine scanned the papers she brought and began listing the testimonies one by one.

"Four instances of physical violence, two instances of threats, five instances of extorting valuables. These are the summarized allegations. Did you commit these acts?"

"…I have no knowledge of these matters."

"Is that so?"

Ruby firmly shook her head, and Citrine didn’t press further, ending her questioning.

She then turned to point at the members of the Instrumental Music Club.

"Club members, take turns coming forward to describe the harm you experienced."

At Citrine’s command, they began stepping forward one by one, wiping tears and putting on an elaborate performance.

"That day was when I was heading home after finishing club activities. Ruby suddenly stopped me and…"

Their testimonies matched perfectly, as if they had meticulously fabricated an alibi.

Astonishingly, the times they cited for Ruby's alleged misconduct all coincided with moments when I wasn’t by her side.

They deliberately referred only to times when Ruby had been alone.

As the testimonies continued, my expression darkened more and more.

"This is absurd…"

When I couldn’t suppress my anger and tried to stand, Diana grabbed my hand and whispered.

"…Calm down, Amber. Speaking without permission could get you expelled from the trial."

"…"

I took her advice and managed to steady myself.

No matter how furious I was, getting expelled from the trial would end it all.

For now, as Diana suggested, I had to remain silent.

Eventually, the final testimony ended, and Citrine questioned Ruby again.

"Ruby, you claimed you’re innocent, correct?"

"…Yes."

"Then, if you didn’t commit these acts at the times mentioned in the testimonies, can you explain where you were and what you were doing?"

"…I was in my dorm room."

"Was there anyone with you?"

As Citrine asked, she glanced at me.

It seemed she hoped I had been with Ruby at the time.

However, Ruby shook her head and answered.

"…I was alone the entire time."

Citrine pressed her forehead as if dealing with a headache and let out a sigh of regret.

"Sigh… Your testimony alone isn’t enough to prove your innocence. If only there had been at least one other person with you…"

My expression grew even darker as I observed the situation.

It was clear that Citrine wanted to prove Ruby’s innocence but found herself unable to do so, which must have pained her.

After finishing her questioning of Ruby, Student Council President Citrine returned to her seat and spoke.

"Based on the testimonies so far, it’s clear that Ruby Sarka had ample opportunity to commit these acts."

She maintained as calm an expression as possible as she continued.

"However, because of a recent incident, I find the credibility of these claims questionable."

Citrine turned to face the Instrumental Music Club and asked.

"Your club president consistently sent Ruby Sarka threatening letters. How do you explain that?"

The members exchanged glances and whispered among themselves before one stepped forward to respond on their behalf.

"That was just our president’s timid way of seeking revenge against Ruby."

"Revenge?"

"She couldn’t bear to see us suffering at Ruby’s hands, so she sought revenge in her own way. She cared deeply for us…"

How could they lie so shamelessly?

It was sickening.

She nodded firmly as she listened to their stories.

"Even so, all the testimonies so far come solely from your club members. Without a third party to provide additional testimony, it’s hard to accept them as valid."

As Citrine pointed out, there was no direct evidence.

All they had were claims from within their group, with no third-party verification.

Although Citrine tried to steer the case toward insufficient evidence, one member shook her head and spoke.

"Actually, we do have a witness here."

"…Here in this room?"

"Yes, Clara from the Free Activity Club saw everything."

At the mention of Clara’s name, the member pointed her out.

"Clara saw it…?"

The entire trial room turned to look at Clara in shock, and the person named stood up abruptly with a rigid expression.

Startled by her sudden action, I asked in confusion.

"Clara…? What’s going on…?"

"…"

Without answering my question, Clara stepped forward.

Citrine, looking upset, addressed her.

"…Clara. If what they say is true, please step forward and share what you saw."

"Yes. I’ll do that."

Clara confidently climbed onto the platform and opened her mouth with a complicated expression.

"I…"

Just as she was about to utter her first word—

"Ugh…"

Clara, who had shown no signs of discomfort until then, suddenly clutched her head and groaned.

"Ahh…!"

Moments later, she began pulling at her hair, letting out a terrible scream.

‘What’s happening all of a sudden…?’

Sensing something strange, I turned to Diana and whispered softly.

"Diana, doesn’t Clara seem…off…?"

"…"

When I looked at Diana beside me, I was horrified by what I saw.

"Diana?"

Her hands trembled visibly on the desk as she glared at Clara with an open hostility.

Her once beautiful blue eyes were slowly turning black, and her expression grew fiercer.

It seemed that Clara’s suffering was caused by Diana.

Alarmed by her abnormal state, I shook her shoulder and spoke urgently.

"Diana, what are you doing…!?"

Even as I questioned her, Diana’s gaze remained fixed on Clara.

Clara’s suffering grew more intense with each passing moment.

"Aaaahhh…!"

Clara let out a piercing scream, clutching her head as she slammed her fists against the platform.

When I continued shaking Diana, she brushed me off and said.

"Don’t interrupt me, Amber…!"

Her eyes, now fully black, began to bleed dark red from her nose.

As the trial room filled with murmurs and students began screaming, I hugged Diana tightly around the waist and shouted.

"She’s going to die at this rate…!"

The sudden embrace startled Diana, causing her to flinch and exhale ragged breaths she had been holding back.

"Haah… Haah…"

Her blackened eyes returned to their usual blue as she gasped for air.

"Amber, why are you interfering…?"

"What…?"

The expression on her face was anything but normal.

Her usual demeanor was gone, replaced by a visage consumed by hatred.

With a voice full of bitterness, Diana spoke to me.

"You want Ruby to be okay too, don’t you? Am I wrong?!"

As blood dripped from her nose, Diana, who was trembling with emotion, made me shake my head fiercely.

"This isn’t what I wanted…! This is wrong…!"

Hearing my words, Diana appeared conflicted.

Though her gaze wavered, she still couldn’t abandon her assault on Clara.

"No one wants this to happen!"

"…"

Hoping desperately for her to regain her senses, I silently pleaded.

Finally, after a long moment, Diana sighed and withdrew her hand.

"…Fine."

As soon as Diana stopped, Clara, who had been supported by other students, suddenly recovered as if nothing had happened.

Once the commotion settled down, Citrine approached Clara and asked.

"Are you okay…?"

Clara, looking disoriented, nodded after a moment of confusion.

"…Yes. It was just a sudden headache…"

She seemed embarrassed but showed no signs of serious physical harm.

Clara’s collapse was dismissed as an incident caused by an unexplained headache.

She steadied her breathing and began to speak again from the platform.

"…I am Clara, a member of the Free Activity Club. I have something to reveal to everyone here."

Clara’s gaze turned to me.

I didn’t know why she was looking at me, but her eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"…Clara?"

She stared at me for an uncomfortably long time before finally facing forward again.

Then, crumpling the paper in her hand, she declared.

"All the testimonies presented so far are entirely fabricated."