Chapter 40
The person sat on a chair in the kitchen, fiddling with some kind of paper. There was a faint rustling sound from the thin paper.
‘What is it? Lola shouldn’t be here at this hour.’
Lola usually ran to her room to sleep whenever it was break time.
Just as Idel began to feel suspicious, someone knocked on the side door of the kitchen. The woman sitting in the kitchen stood up to open the door.
“Good evening!”
The person outside was a middle-aged man with a rough voice. However, the person inside the kitchen didn’t respond to his greeting, and the man began to place something down in the kitchen, as if he was used to it.
‘Vegetable vendor…?’
Idel guessed it was because the sound of what he was placing down resembled sacks of potatoes.
After setting down several sacks on the kitchen floor, the man dusted off his hands and said, “You just need to sign here, right?”
“Why do you keep asking, as if you haven’t done this a hundred times before?”
Idel was startled awake by that irritated voice.
‘Mrs. Bohén?’
It seemed Marsha was purchasing vegetables from the vendor and signing a receipt.
“I always bring exactly what you ask for, and I always sign the receipt, but… are you sure everything is okay?”
“Has anything ever happened in the last three years you’ve been delivering here?”
“Well, no, but recently I just feel a bit uneasy.”
“Then quit! We can always find another vendor.”
“No, no, that’s not it! Haha! Well then, see you next time!”
The man hurriedly lowered his head and left as if fleeing.
As the side door of the kitchen closed, Marsha rustled the paper again and muttered.
“Even if they’re giving me free money, they still complain. These aristocrats don’t know how good they have it. Where else would I get to handle such large sums of money…”
She made a dangerous statement before grabbing the papers and leaving the kitchen.
After she left, Idel stayed still for a while, listening intently before quietly descending the stairs.
The sacks the vendor had left were still by the side door of the kitchen.
‘I need to check them.’
Idel opened each sack one by one.
Inside were potatoes, onions, carrots, dried tomatoes, peas, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon.
‘These are the usual items…’
But why did Marsha say something about taking the aristocrat’s money?
Thinking hard, Idel recalled the vendor’s hesitation when signing.
‘It was probably a receipt, and there must have been something on it that made the vendor anxious.’
However, Marsha had already taken the receipt, so Idel couldn’t check it.
‘What should I do?’
If she dropped her curiosity, it would be just another ordinary peaceful day.
Even knowing that, Marsha’s behavior bothered her so much that Idel couldn’t just sit still.
She left the kitchen and checked the clock, then looked to see where Marsha was.
Marsha was coming down from the second floor.
‘The second floor… could it be Linea’s room? Or the Count’s office?’
It could be that Marsha had entered Linea’s room and then left. Or perhaps she had gone to place the receipt on Laszlo’s office desk.
Idel watched Marsha as she entered her room with Mina to have tea. After confirming that the other servants had also gone to rest, Idel quietly headed up to the second floor.
‘What would happen if I were caught entering the Count’s office without permission?’
Marsha would likely seize the opportunity to accuse and slander her.
Idel was well aware of the risk.
However, her feet moved silently but quickly towards the Count’s office.
Once she reached the office, Idel looked around the corridor to confirm that no one was there before quietly opening the door and slipping inside.
‘Count Chrysus’s scent…’
His subtle fragrance filled the room.
Maybe because she was doing something wrong, her heart began to pound.
Idel quickly approached Laszlo’s desk and checked it. Sure enough, the receipt for the vegetable purchase was carelessly left on one side of the desk.
She pulled out the receipt and examined it.
「Receipt from Bovex Shop for Purchased Goods
– Chewick Potatoes (First Grade) 20 kg: 225 Rington
– Carrots (First Grade) 10 kg: 105 Rington
– Cubeira Shallots (First Grade) 20 kg: 372 Rington
– Dried Tomatoes (First Grade) 1 kg: 120 Rington
– Peas (First Grade) 1 kg: 50 Rington
… Total: 2,038 Rington
The above amount was duly received.
– Alan Bovex」
Idel couldn’t believe her eyes.
‘Chewick potatoes? Those potatoes I saw earlier were small, flavorless storage potatoes!’
Chewick potatoes were famous for being delicious and of high quality. But the potatoes she had seen in the kitchen were absolutely not from Chewick. Idel could tell, having eaten Chewick potatoes all her life.
Even the weight was wrong.
’20 kg? That’s impossible! The ones I saw earlier were no more than 10 kg, at best.’
It wasn’t just the potatoes.
It made no sense that those tiny carrots and garlic were labeled as first grade. The shriveled peas and barely fragrant cinnamon were equally suspicious.
As for the shallots, they were just small onions, but the receipt claimed they were the finest Cubeira shallots. Had they bought such small onions just to pass them off as shallots?
Just by looking at this one receipt, Idel could tell what Marsha had been up to.
‘Mrs. Bohén has been skimming off the top!’
Now it made sense how she could afford to buy a house on Durum Street in less than three years of working here.
If she had been diverting goods like this regularly, saving up for a house wouldn’t have been difficult.
‘It’s probably not just the ingredients. She’s likely obtained everything in the mansion this way.’
Suddenly, Idel remembered the carriage she had ridden when she first came to the estate.
At that time, Idel thought the carriage had been too small and shabby for a noble family’s standards. Could it be possible that Marsha had even tampered with the purchase of the carriage?
It was hard to believe someone would be so bold, but Idel couldn’t shake off the suspicion.
After putting the receipt back where it was, Idel quietly slipped out of Laszlo’s office.
Just as she was about to leave the area—
“Idel Lancaster?”
Her back stiffened, and cold sweat trickled down.
Idel tried to appear as nonchalant as possible while frantically thinking of an excuse as she turned around.
“You called for me, my lady.”
It was Linea who had called her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well…”
Her mind went blank.
Though Linea’s room was on the second floor, Idel hadn’t expected to run into her.
‘What should I say? She’s already upset with me…’
Idel’s mouth went dry.
Previously, when the royal knights had harassed her, Linea had also been punished. Linea would likely hold a grudge, and now, caught suspiciously wandering around the second floor, things were not looking good.
“I asked what you were doing.”
“I-I apologize. The truth is…”
“The truth is?”
“I… I was worried about you, my lady.”
“What?”
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would be audible across the hallway, but Idel steeled herself and decided to press on with her lie.
“I know it’s presumptuous of me, but… I heard that you were punished by the Count because of what happened last time, and I was concerned about how you were doing.”
Linea looked at her with wide eyes, seemingly caught off guard by the unexpected response.
“I understand that you had no choice but to call me that day. There’s no way you could have known the knights would act so disgracefully. But still, being punished with a two-week ban on outings seemed… a bit too harsh.”
“So you’re saying you came up here to spy on me?”
“What could I possibly gain by spying on you, my lady? I was just…”
Idel licked her dry lips nervously, preparing to take a gamble.
“I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you.”
“Something you could do for me? Like being my punching bag?”
“Even if you wanted to slap or kick me, I wouldn’t mind.”
At that, Linea let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Do you think I’m like my brother, some ex-mercenary? I don’t hit people!”
Idel silently breathed a sigh of relief, though she doubted Linea realized it.
After a moment of hesitation, Linea, surprisingly, spoke in a softer voice.
“And thanks to you, my brother shortened my punishment.”
“What?”
“Apparently, you told him to. You must have a lot of nerve.”
This time, it was Idel who was left speechless.
“Well, thanks for that, anyway.”
“I’m glad… to hear that. It seems the Count understood that you weren’t at fault either.”
“Hmph! He’s always picking on me… I mean, ahem! Anyway.”
Linea had been about to grumble further but quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat. Then, she suddenly asked an unexpected question.
“By the way, do you know Lady Emerson, the wife of Viscount Emerson?”
“Lady Emerson? …May I ask why you’re asking about her?”
“I think she’s taken a liking to me. I’ve been invited to her party for the second time now. It’s happening in a month, and everyone says it’s one of the most entertaining parties—everyone wants an invitation.”
Linea’s tone carried a hint of pride.
However, Idel couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling bubbling up inside her.
