Chapter 37
Laszlo’s cold gaze locked onto him.
“Why? Do you, Deputy Commander, also wish to catch a glimpse of that woman?”
“I have no inappropriate intentions. After all, they used the name of the Imperial Knights, so I’m just fulfilling my duty.”
“It’s fine. Calling a sick person all the way here would only be more trouble. I’ll pass on your apology.”
Edmund’s suspicion deepened at Laszlo’s somewhat dismissive attitude.
‘Now this just makes me more curious.’
Barely suppressing a smile that was threatening to escape, he nodded.
“If that’s your opinion, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve conveyed the Knights’ stance, so I’ll take my leave now. Do you have any further requests or statements?”
“No, there’s nothing. Please, see yourself out.”
As they exchanged what seemed like farewell remarks, Terry, with bloodshot eyes, suddenly shouted.
“You told us! You said if we challenged the Commander of the Guard to a duel, we’d be invited! That we could go in and see the woman!”
Angelo didn’t stay quiet either.
“If you hadn’t told us that, we wouldn’t have come here! We were only joking around…!”
Hearing that Edmund was involved, Laszlo’s interest piqued.
Of course, Edmund could defend himself quite well.
“Sir Chrisos must be misunderstanding. Didn’t I clearly tell you? Don’t come here with the intent to ogle a woman, but to learn something. Do I need to bring the witnesses who heard that statement?”
“But…! But…!”
Terry and Angelo realized they had fallen into a trap they couldn’t escape from.
The friendly and gentle Edmund Milton was no longer there.
Ironically, though, only Laszlo believed what the two men were saying.
‘It’s easy for a snake like him to egg on fools and make them do foolish things.’
That doesn’t mean the idiots who got caught are innocent either.
In the end, Edmund left without helping them at all, and the two knights, bound in chains, were dragged off to the imperial prison.
Back in his office, Laszlo asked Nathan, who was following him.
“Do you think this happened by coincidence?”
“Considering what Sir Milton has done so far, that seems unlikely.”
“If those fools had really harassed the woman, he would’ve made an issue out of it. It’s perfect material for a scandal.”
“On top of that, being disrespected by lower-ranking knights would have been a great way to shame the commander.”
“Exactly. He’s brilliant at doing evil without getting his hands dirty.”
Not to mention, Edmund Milton had an incredible knack for creating escape routes for himself. Even if Laszlo had suspicions, he couldn’t accuse him recklessly, and that infuriated him.
“Oh, and I brought Sir Milton here, didn’t I?”
“And?”
“He kept looking around the mansion the whole time, like he was planning to steal something.”
Although it was a ridiculous suspicion, Laszlo couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.
“Maybe he was looking for the woman. It was good that we didn’t let him meet her.”
Watching Laszlo click his tongue in irritation, Nathan tilted his head slightly.
‘The old captain would’ve arranged a meeting just to catch him red-handed… Something is definitely off with the captain.’
Nathan let out a small sigh, recalling Edel’s expressionless face and the strange look in Laszlo’s eyes whenever he gazed at her.
* * *
“Sister! The Count is calling for you.”
On the third day after ‘that incident,’ Daisy came to fetch Edel.
Edel wasn’t fazed at all, having already prepared herself for this, but Daisy looked worried.
“The two knights who tried to harm you have been sent to a military tribunal. They’ll probably be expelled from the Imperial Knights and fined too.”
“Did someone from the Imperial Knights come here as well?”
“Yes, yesterday. But they didn’t stay long before leaving. I suppose, even though they were fellow knights, it would’ve been hard to cover for them given the circumstances, right?”
Edel adjusted her clothes and nodded, but things seemed to be moving faster than she had anticipated.
‘Count Chrisos must be furious.’
He likely intended to use this incident as an opportunity to send a clear message: “I won’t tolerate being disrespected.” And, sure enough, Daisy confirmed that his anger had also been directed inward at the mansion.
“The day before yesterday, Miss Linia and the head maid were scolded harshly by the Count. It happened while I was bringing you your meal.”
For defying the master’s orders, Linia was forbidden from leaving the mansion for two weeks, and Marsha’s wages were docked for the same period.
Edel expected that she too would soon face some kind of punishment. In noble households, it was common for the servants to bear the brunt of punishment whenever something went wrong, regardless of whether they were at fault.
“Alright, I’ll be going.”
“Sister…!”
“Don’t worry too much, Daisy. I’m…”
She was about to say, *I’ve been through much worse situations*, but stopped herself, smiling instead. It wasn’t the kind of thing to say in front of Daisy, who had likely endured far more hardship than she herself had.
With a wry smile, Edel took a deep breath and headed for Laszlo’s office.
“You called for me.”
When she entered and announced herself, Laszlo stood by the window, staring outside, deep in thought. She stood quietly, waiting for him to finish.
It didn’t take long before Laszlo spoke.
“Have you heard about those men?”
“Daisy informed me about their punishment. I believe it was appropriate.”
“Really? Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t feel like enough to me.”
Edel understood his anger.
As a war hero, the owner of the largest mercenary guild in the empire, and now a count, being insulted by mere knights, the sons of low-ranking nobles, was deeply offensive.
What was even more unfortunate was that she had been the cause of that insult.
“I apologize. I should have handled things better.”
“That’s an interesting thing to say. What exactly could you have done?”
Edel couldn’t find any response and kept her mouth shut.
As Laszlo pointed out, she hadn’t been in a position to refuse Linia’s orders, nor did she know how to handle the men who had harassed her. She wondered if she should be grateful that Laszlo understood that much.
Seeing her stay silent, Laszlo clicked his tongue.
“The real fault lies with Linia and the head maid. Indulging them has only made them think they can get away with anything.”
“But I’m sure Miss Linia didn’t have any other choice. She’s still young and hasn’t had much experience dealing with noble guests. She must have been scared.”
“What’s so difficult about telling them to sit tight with a cup of tea until I got back? They weren’t even important guests!”
Laszlo’s voice grew louder with frustration, which was a bit intimidating, but Edel summoned her courage to respond.
“Miss Linia is not you, Count. When someone is suddenly asked to do something they’ve never done before, it’s natural to panic, especially when it comes to receiving guests—an aspect nobles take very seriously.”
“Are you defending her?”
“I suppose I am, though I may be speaking out of turn. I just hope you can be a little more understanding towards someone so young and inexperienced.”
“You say you’re speaking out of turn, yet you keep saying what you want.”
Edel braced herself, thinking Laszlo might get even angrier, but instead, his voice carried a hint of amusement.
After another brief silence, Laszlo clicked his tongue again, this time in a much calmer tone.
“It’s disgraceful that my servants have to endure insults because their master is incompetent. I’ve lost face.”
“No, that’s not true. The ones who were at fault were those men, not you, Count.”
“If I were more decisive, I wouldn’t have to deal with scum like that in the first place.”
He clicked his tongue once more and then handed down Edel’s new assignment.
“Anyway, from now on, you’ll be working in the kitchen. The laundry room seems a bit too much for you.”
The decision was entirely unrelated to the recent incident and was almost like a promotion.
Edel stood there, momentarily stunned, wondering if there was more to come, but Laszlo looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if asking why she was still there.
She couldn’t help but ask.
“Is… is that it?”
“Why? Did you expect something more?”
“I thought… there would be some kind of punishment for me.”
“Why? You’re the victim here.”
He was right. That was the logical conclusion. But the world didn’t always work that way.
“Because that’s usually how it goes.”
“How it goes? What do you mean?”
“In noble households, when something unsavory happens involving a servant, the servant is usually punished as well.”
Laszlo frowned, the crease on his forehead deepening.
