Wow, this THOT was actually ready to sacrifice a maid. Maybe she was actually expecting Alicia to not show up with the earrings?
Hey maybe Alicia gets annoyed and leaves briefly for a costume change. The audience seems to be easily swayed. If Alicia pulls a power move like "I dressed plainly to honor the Emperor's mother, but if you insist, I will show you my true power"... she'll win over the gallery and crush Edith's fakeness.
And I still wonder... Alicia mentioned something in her brother's hand a few chapters ago. Was that significant? Or was the punchline simply just that he swiped a shiny jewel while he was there...