I’m Not A Saint Though?

chapter 17

In the dim dawn, Madam Magda, wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low, entered a secluded alley.

A dirty back alley littered with trash and vomit.

An ordinary noblewoman would have been terrified and fled, but Madam Magda simply kicked away the trash that caught her feet with an annoyed expression.

Born as the daughter of a courtesan and raised in a brothel, such a scene was quite familiar to her.

She, who almost followed the same path as her mother due to her outstanding beauty, had a chance encounter with the Duke and succeeded in turning her life around.

Of course, due to her low status, she couldn’t become his official wife, and because of the previous Duke’s disapproval, she had to live hidden in the annex even after the Duchess’s death.

Although she moved into the main house after the previous Duke’s death, she still couldn’t act as the mistress of the house due to his will, which entrusted all authority of the Veloce family to Shaen.

But she lived in the Duchess’s room, enjoying luxuries she couldn’t have dreamed of in the past, so her life had definitely taken a 180-degree turn.

‘I vowed never to come back here…’

She sighed deeply, looking around the dirty alley with a disgusted expression.

‘Well, there’s nothing I can do now.’

Since the Duke’s arrest, her life had been a series of chaos.

Just trying to understand what was happening was enough to make her head explode, and the voices of those demanding the Duke’s punishment, reaching even inside the mansion, amplified her anxiety.

Some thugs even kicked the front door while shouting curses, forcing her to leave the mansion and seek refuge in her old house.

On top of that, there was no news from the Duke, who had been taken to prison, so she was going crazy with frustration.

‘Even if I want to find out what’s going on, I need connections.’

Although she had entered high society with the Duke’s support, no high-ranking nobles wanted to associate with her, a mere mistress.

She had befriended a few lower-ranking nobles who were interested in her background, but none of them had contacted her since the incident.

To make matters worse, even the servants had all quit, so there was no one to send out to gather information.

‘At this point, there’s only one way.’

Walking briskly, Madam Magda stopped in front of a building and knocked.

“Who is it?”

A deep male voice came from inside, and the door opened shortly after.

A short, stout man with a messy beard was holding a long broom, as if he had been cleaning.

The man’s shifty eyes scanned her from head to toe.

After closely examining her figure, accentuated by the low-cut neckline and tight dress, he made a troubled expression.

“You must be here for an interview. But what to do, we’re not open for business right now. Come back in the afternoon.”

He seemed to have mistaken her for a courtesan applying for a job.

‘How dare he treat me like a prostitute?  Are those even eyes?!’

She wanted to strangle him right then and there, but now wasn’t the time.

Suppressing her surging anger, she spoke with an air of dignity, recalling the noblewomen she had seen at parties.

“Go and get Kiesa. Tell her Magda is here.”

Kiesa was her childhood friend from the brothel. After working as a courtesan, she was now the madam of a high-class bar.

“Ah, are you an acquaintance of the Madam? Oh dear, I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

Scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed, the man told her to wait and went inside.

Madam Magda bit her nails anxiously, staring at the closed door.

Kiesa was a madam of an entertainment establishment and, due to the nature of her job, knew many high-ranking nobles, so she would be able to easily find out about the Duke’s situation.

But the reason she was so anxious was because of something that had happened three years ago.

She had visited a dress shop to indulge in luxury with the Duke’s money, as usual, when she happened to run into Kiesa.

“Oh my, look who it is! Magda, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Wow, you’ve changed so much.  You’ve become quite the noblewoman.  It seems you’re still receiving the Duke’s favor.”

It was their first encounter in 15 years, as she hadn’t seen Kiesa since becoming the Duke’s mistress.

Perhaps because they had been quite close during their childhood, Kiesa seemed quite pleased to see her, but Magda wasn’t.

She was now the Duke’s woman.

Being acquainted with the madam of an entertainment establishment wasn’t beneficial to her reputation at all.

Madam Magda coldly pushed Kiesa away, who was trying to hug her, and whispered, “Hey, don’t you know your place? How dare you touch me?”

“…Wh-What?”

“Sigh, Kiesa. I’m the beloved woman of the one and only Duke in the Empire. I’m not someone a madam from a brothel, who sells her body and laughter to men, can approach. Understand?”

Then, she looked Kiesa up and down with a sneer and left the shop.

Kiesa looked deeply hurt, but Magda didn’t care.

At the time, Kiesa was of no use to her.

‘I wish I hadn’t said those things.’

Just as Madam Magda sighed deeply,

“Who’s here?”

The closed door opened again, and a woman appeared.

A woman with jet-black hair and contrasting snow-white skin, her appearance slightly disheveled as if she had been in the middle of a deep sleep.

Looking Magda up and down with indifferent eyes, she then widened her eyes in surprise.

“Oh my, look who it is. It’s really Magda. What brings the esteemed Duke’s woman to visit a madam from a brothel, who sells her body and laughter?”

Her voice, repeating the very words Magda had said three years ago, was laced with mockery.

Magda’s pride was hurt, and she pursed her lips.

But there was nothing to gain by asserting her pride in this situation.

Suppressing her surging emotions, she grabbed Kiesa’s hand.

“It’s been a while, Kiesa. How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing great, Madam Magda. But would you mind letting go of my hand? I’m afraid my lowly, prostitute hand might dirty your noble hand.”

“Oh, come on, are you still upset about that?”

“Upset? What are you talking about?  Am I in a position to be upset with you, Madam? You’re now a noble being I can’t even dare to look at.”

This bitch!

Madam Magda’s brows furrowed at her sarcastic tone.

Normally, she would have yelled at her for being petty despite her age.

But given the circumstances, she forced herself to be more patient.

“I’m really sorry about what happened back then, Kiesa. You know I’ve always had a complex about my background.”

“…”

“I thought I could finally turn my life around after meeting His Grace, but as you know, that world is quite cold. The noble ladies don’t even treat me like a human, and I’m constantly being pointed at as a mistress in high society.”

She caressed Kiesa’s hand with a gloomy expression.

“If the fact that I’m the daughter of a courtesan had been revealed in that situation, I would have been completely ostracized from that world. That’s why I acted so coldly.”

As she pleaded, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, Kiesa’s expression softened a bit.

‘She’s always been so soft-hearted since we were young.’

Madam Magda seized the opportunity and hugged Kiesa tightly.

“I shouldn’t have done that to you, my only friend. I must have been crazy. I’m sorry, Kiesa…”

“Alright, alright. Let go of me now.”

Finally appeased, Kiesa grumbled and released herself from Magda’s embrace.

“So, what’s the reason you suddenly came to see me?”

“What else? It’s because of my Master…”

“The Duke?”

“Yes, you know, right? My Master was arrested. Oh my, I was so shocked. To think my Master is a bastard child and a murderer, how can that be?”

“So you came here to complain about that?”

Kiesa asked, sighing deeply.

“No, it’s not that, I want to know what’s going on… As you know, I don’t have the connections to find out about these things. Even the people who worked for me have all quit. I thought you might know something.”

As Madam Magda looked at her with teary eyes, Kiesa’s expression darkened further.

“I did hear something from the customers who came yesterday…”

“Really? What did they say? Are they saying my Master will be released soon? Huh?”

After hesitating briefly at Magda’s urgent question, Kiesa replied in a voice laced with a sigh, “Magda, your lifeline is no good anymore.”

“What?”

“It’s a rotten lifeline.”

Clicking her tongue as if pitying her, she then dropped a bombshell, “The Duke of Veloce won’t escape severe punishment.”

*Thud.*

Madam Magda collapsed onto the floor.

“Severe punishment? What kind of nonsense…”

But the shock didn’t end there.

“And the same goes for you, Magda.”

“What?”

“His Grace confessed to everything.  He said you and your daughter were also involved in the crime.”

“Wh-What are you talking about? What crime are Melina and I involved in?!”

“The murder of the legitimate heir of the Dukedom.”

“…！”

“Aiding and abetting the impersonation of the Duke.”

“…！”

“And even the accident of the late Duchess.”

“…！”

“Those are your crimes, Magda.”

Madam Magda’s jaw dropped at the list of crimes she hadn’t committed, flowing from her friend’s lips.