‘Why is Alias appearing right here and now?’
Rachel tried in vain to make out Alias’ face beneath the hood. He was wearing a black mask that hid both his face and eye color.
Alias. The pseudonym of Grand Duke Cian Aisa Dicarsignac, the father of Dolorosa, the female protagonist of the original novel, and the only Grand Duke of the Empire.
Rachel decided to modify her plan to get the information she needed from the informant. Alias was the father of her son’s future girlfriend, so he would eventually be Rachel’s in-law. Since he appeared before her like this she couldn’t let this opportunity pass by.
Alias tilted his head.
“Countess? Is there a problem?”
“Sorry. I was surprised for a moment because you had the same name as someone I know. This could take a while, would you mind waiting in another room for a bit? I will finish this conversation first and come see you right away.”
“You’ll have to pay me for the time I spend waiting.”
“Of course.”
After hearing her answer, Alias left the room.
If she hadn’t known better, she would have been fooled into thinking that one of the richest men in the empire was so meticulous in calculating his wages.
She was anxious to talk to Alias but before that, she had to finish her business with Marsha first.
After calming her nerves, Rachel slowly spoke again.
“So, now that the interruption is out of the way, should we continue?”
“Ma’am…”
“I already gave you a chance. Don’t feel too sorry for yourself. I have no patience for someone who lets a good opportunity pass them by.”
Rachel calmly put her hands together and handed out the punishment she had decided on.
“First of all, Marsha will no longer be the Elrosa family’s nanny from this moment on. I will revoke all the benefits you enjoyed as a servant of this family. The same goes for the support I’ve provided to Marsha’s family.”
“If you stop doing that, my family will…!”
“Silence. I haven’t finished talking yet. Return all the items provided to you, including the clothes you wear now. If there are items written in the ledger that are unaccounted for, you will have to compensate.”
Marsha’s head dropped helplessly to the floor.
There’s still a long way to go, but she was already so troubled.
“Please return all the items you have secretly stolen. Of course, if something is missing, you have to compensate for that as well. We will charge a usage fee based on the date the items disappeared, and we will also charge an amount based on the date the meeting was held and the amount of food taken.”
“For me… That kind of money…”
“You also need to return the wages you unfairly received while you were away. I will also seek compensation for the psychological damage suffered by me and Graham due to your lies and negligence although I doubt Graham will ever really badmouth Marsha because he’s such a nice kid.”
Rachel exhaled heavily, her words falling like a waterfall.
“I’ll organize the amount and payment deadlines and send it to the countryside where Marsha’s family lives. If Marsha disappears, the family will have to bear the burden, so don’t even think about running away.”
“Ugh, uhuhuh.”
Marsha eventually burst into tears.
After watching her son’s elderly nanny scratch the floor and cry for a moment, Rachel turned away.
Actually, there was still more left, but seeing her cry made Rachel feel slightly bad, so she couldn’t give her the final punishment.
‘Originally, I was planning on starting a rumor that Marsha was kicked out for stealing, but I can’t go that far. Then she’ll never be able to work as a nanny again.’
It’s unfortunate, but Marsha will suffer enough just from this financial burden, so she decided to end it here.
Rachel left and went straight to the other room where Alias was waiting.
As she opened the door and entered, Alias turned his head towards Rachel. It was difficult for him to see clearly in front because his eyes were covered with a mask and hood, but he managed to get the direction right.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“It’s okay. As I said, the waiting time will be calculated and billed to you.”
“Please do.”
There was a chair by the window where the sun was shining, but Alias stood in the shadow. Instead of sitting on the chair, Rachel also went into the shadows and stood. Alias fixed his gaze on her as if he could see clearly.
“As you may have heard, there is something I wish to request. Originally, I would have visited the guild, but my husband and butler care for me so much that they made it difficult for me to do so.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Before we officially discuss the details of my request, there is something I would like to say first, may I?”
“Sure, as long as you’re willing to pay for the extra time you’ve spent on the commission.”
“Okay.”
Rachel politely bowed to Alias, who was wearing a black cloak and mask.
“Greetings to His Highness the Grand Duke Cian Aisa Dicarsignac.”
“What…”
She could sense Alias tensing up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am Alias, an informant for the guild.”
“It’s probably a cover.”
“…”
Alias, or rather Cian, watched Rachel for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth. There was an edge to his voice.
“How did you know?”
She’d succeeded in attracting his interest.
