Stealing, you say.
Zeke has been working for our household for a long time.
If he were to steal, he would have done so before the guards from the main family arrived.
“This incident involves the disappearance of your belongings, young master, so you must decide the punishment.”
The head chef’s health has deteriorated significantly, leaving Zeke, the sous-chef, in charge of the kitchen.
In this situation, especially when our dad’s return is imminent, would he commit theft now?
“What’s the usual punishment for this kind of situation?”
“It’s not just anyone’s belongings—it’s the master’s. If this were the Duke’s manor, Zeke would have had his wrist cut off and been expelled.”
I looked up at the butler’s face, which held a faintly hidden smile.
The only person who could testify that Zeke didn’t commit the theft is the servant in the next room.
But that servant just so happens to be an employee from the main family. And, coincidentally, he’s currently on leave due to a family emergency.
It’s true that people can change when their circumstances change.
It’s possible that Zeke has suddenly turned into a thief.
But in my eyes…
Everything about this situation seemed far too coincidental.
“I don’t want to go so far as cutting off someone’s wrist.”
Recommending such a punishment to a seven-year-old child was unsettling enough.
Just how terrifying is the main household?
I hesitated to pass judgment, and from behind Dietrich, I leaned in like a sly conspirator and whispered:
“Hey, Dietrich.”
“What?”
“If Zeke leaves, who’s going to make us apple pies?”
“What?!”
“And we won’t get to eat Zeke’s cranberry tarts anymore?”
“WHAT?!”
For some reason, I really didn’t feel like going along with what the butler wanted.
It seemed better to keep familiar employees around as much as possible, in case of unexpected circumstances.
“But, young master, young miss, anyone can make snacks. Are you saying we should overlook theft for something as trivial as that…?”
“Zeke’s apple pie is never trivial!”
Dietrich’s serious declaration left the butler speechless, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
…Although this was my plan, it was a bit embarrassing.
“Dietrich, is Zeke refusing to return the watch?”
“Of course not! It’s your belonging, young master, and I must return it! But I swear, I didn’t steal it!”
“If he gives back the watch and apologizes, then let’s forgive him. Dietrich, you’re the young master, after all.”
“I’m sorry, young master!”
For a cook, their wrists are their lifeline.
Desperate to avoid the punishment of losing his wrist, Zeke turned pale and hastily prostrated himself before Dietrich.
The stolen item had been returned, and an apology had been made.
“Then let’s do this. Just like how the nanny scolded Yasmin last time, Zeke can stay grounded for about two weeks.”
“But, young master, that’s…”
“Wow! Dietrich, you’re the coolest young master! The best!”
Before the butler could protest, I raised both hands in the air and praised Dietrich.
The best, the coolest, truly amazing!
As I showered him with compliments and elevated Dietrich with a medley of praises, his pride swelled immeasurably.
It seems the butler intended to replace our household staff by manipulating Dietrich.
But when it comes to handling Dietrich, I’ve got the upper hand.
With a fierce glare directed at me, the butler bit his lips and turned away.
***
“Young miss, this is unfair!”
What a scare—almost made me choke.
I had just finished lunch and returned to my room when I was greeted by a maid kneeling and sobbing at my door.
Which department was she from again?
I vaguely remembered her face from passing by, but her name escaped me.
“What if the young miss gets frightened by this? Get up immediately!”
“Betty, do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t desperate? I’m really innocent!”
“Even so, this is unacceptable!”
As the argument between Betty and the maid continued in front of me, I raised my hand to cut it off.
“Let’s start by coming inside the room.”
At the very least, I should hear her out.
Once inside, the maid stood briefly before kneeling on the carpet again as the door closed.
Her face was as pale as a sheet, and beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, indicating that this was no ordinary matter.
“What is it? What happened?”
“I’m a maid in charge of managing land revenue.
To put it simply, I collect money from the lands lent by the master to those without property.”
I nodded to show I understood, and the maid began speaking rapidly.
“Last year, a merchant operating a business on that land reconstructed their building, which caused a temporary drop in revenue.”
That makes sense.
If they were renovating, they wouldn’t have been able to run their business during that time.
“I documented all of these circumstances thoroughly, but now the butler is accusing me of altering the ledgers and embezzling money!”
“Embezzling?”
“Absolutely not, young miss! If I had stolen such a large amount of money, why would I still be working as a maid here?”
It seemed this maid had a habit of blurting out her thoughts unfiltered when flustered…
However, as someone familiar with the struggles of working life, I couldn’t find fault with her reasoning.
Betty, on the other hand, appeared to disagree, nudging the maid’s side with her elbow.
“Please, young miss, clear my name!”
While I wasn’t entirely certain if the maid was truly innocent, one thing was clear:
In less than a month since Zeke was almost dismissed, three long-time staff members of this household had already been fired.
If this maid were to be dismissed, that number would rise to four.
When including those I personally intervened to save from termination, the number of targeted employees climbed even higher.
‘This makes it the ninth attempt by the butler to oust our staff.’
At this point, he wasn’t even trying to hide his intentions.
The problem was that I still didn’t know his exact reasons.
As I stared at the kneeling maid, contemplating the butler’s motives for ousting staff, a rhythmic knock sounded from outside the door.
Startled out of my thoughts, I nodded toward Betty, who opened the door.
The one knocking was the butler himself. Without waiting for permission, he stepped into my room as soon as the door opened.
“So this is where you were. Young miss, I’m here to take Lea.”
“Young miss, please help me! I swear I didn’t embezzle anything!”
“Using a three-year-old young miss to evade punishment—have you no shame?”
“Why should I be ashamed? I’ve done nothing wrong, so what do I have to be embarrassed about?”
“Still denying it? The tax officials from the main household uncovered all of your misdeeds, yet you continue to argue?”
“Those officials outright ignored all the evidence I presented!”
Whether Lea, the accused maid, was guilty or not, I didn’t know.
But one thing was clear: the staff from the main household had been treating both me and Dietrich with blatant disregard lately.
They used to be polite and courteous, but their attitude shifted dramatically after the Dietrich snack incident was uncovered.
Since then, they’ve started stirring up trouble among the household staff.
There’s no way the employees, who had been working diligently until the main household’s people arrived, suddenly became a group of criminals.
“What are you all doing in front of the young miss?”
Betty, standing nearby, scolded them, and only then did the butler and Lea fall silent.
What should I do?
If I sided with the butler, his motives seemed suspicious.
But if I blindly supported Lea, her reasoning lacked strength.
And of all things, it involves financial management. There’s no three-year-old who can read ledgers fluently.
While I pondered a way to save Lea without arousing suspicion, Yasmin, who had followed the butler inside, softly called out to me.
“Young miss Mariela.”
“Hmm?”
“You need to behave kindly.”
I looked up at Yasmin, then turned my gaze to the butler, who was barely suppressing a smirk after hearing her remark.
It seemed the staff from the main household were sharing how they harassed me behind my back—or how they planned to do so.
This realization made me wonder if they had higher-level approval from my grandfather or uncle for their actions.
A voice filled with anger erupted behind me.
“What did you just say to our young miss?”
Oh no.
I had forgotten that the ever-unrestrained Betty was present in this room.
