Spoils of War Duchess

SOWD

Chapter 60

“First, I need to convince you. I’ll need solid evidence proving I didn’t steal those items.”

“If I had stolen them to distribute, I would’ve told them to sell the items immediately. Why would I leave them sitting in their rooms when I knew you’d soon find them?”

“That’s not enough evidence.”

“True, but by the same logic, the fact that the stolen items were found in the rooms of the maids close to me isn’t sufficient proof that I’m the thief either.”

Idel suppressed her rising anger and spoke in a calm, low voice.

“But there’s one person who had access to your room and hasn’t been considered a suspect. That person also accused me of being the thief.”

Only then did Rinia recall that she hadn’t doubted Marsha at all.

“The items that disappeared were the accessories I usually didn’t wear. And who else but Lady Bohen would know that so well?”

Rinia fell silent, lost in thought.

The missing items, like the small pearl hairpin and the delicate gold necklace, were things Idel had suggested Rinia use after becoming her personal maid. Recently, Rinia had started wearing them frequently.

If Idel were the thief, why would she steal such specific items, knowing they would be noticed?

“You may have guessed it already, but this is undoubtedly something Lady Bohen orchestrated to bring me down.”

“I did consider it for a moment. But what could Marsha gain from doing something like this?”

“She’d regain her position as your personal maid. Lady Bohen greatly regretted losing that role.”

Rinia already knew that.

During Marsha’s time as her maid, she had constantly talked about how other housemaids received gifts from their mistresses. Rinia had often suspected that the inflated costs of errands included Marsha’s cut.

“But accusing you of theft just for that? The risk seems too great, even for Marsha.”

“To you, it might seem like ‘just for that.’ But to Lady Bohen, this is no trivial matter. She… to her, this household…”

Idel hesitated.

How could she say that the family had been exploited, that their house was nothing more than prey for a cunning housemaid?

But the time had come to reveal the truth.

Marsha had targeted her friends, and Idel could no longer stay silent.

“In any case, I must inform the Count of this matter and report something else along with it. After the Count has made his decision, I will explain everything to you as well.”

“…Something about Marsha?”

“Yes.”

Rinia seemed like she wanted to press further but stopped, as if she already suspected something. She simply nodded.


Around the usual time, Laszlo returned home, his mind preoccupied with what Dimarcus had said earlier.

“What? You still don’t have a steward? Forget worrying about the royal guard; you need to get your household in order first!”

He wasn’t wrong.

But where was Laszlo supposed to start?

‘If he’s so concerned, why doesn’t he just send a capable steward himself?’

Of course, Laszlo knew that any steward recommended by the Emperor would likely report his every move back to the palace.

After changing out of his travel clothes, Laszlo half-heartedly skimmed through some tiresome documents in his study. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“It’s Idel.”

Her low, composed voice still managed to stir something in his chest.

“Come in.”

Since Idel had taken charge of transforming his appearance, the two had spent a considerable amount of time together. However, after his return from leave, their paths hadn’t crossed much.

Her visit was a bit of a welcome surprise.

‘Though it doesn’t seem like she’s here with good news.’

He could tell instantly from the tense expression on Idel’s face.

“Apologies for interrupting your work.”

“If you’re here, it must be important. Let’s hear it.”

Laszlo set down the documents he’d been holding and clasped his hands, staring intently at Idel. His unflinching gaze was intimidating, but Idel appreciated his straightforwardness—it meant she didn’t need to beat around the bush. She stepped closer to him.

“Do you remember the gift I requested in exchange for the blank check?”

“…You asked me to trust you.”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

How could he forget?

Even now, he couldn’t fully comprehend why Idel had chosen that over a blank check capable of securing tens of thousands of Lington.

But judging by the fact that she was bringing it up again, perhaps she intended to make him understand now.

“I remember.”

“Then please give me that gift now.”

“Out of the blue?”

“I’ve been accused of stealing Lady Rinia’s belongings and distributing them among my close maid friends.”

Laszlo let out a short, derisive laugh.

“You? Stealing Rinia’s belongings? If that’s true, I’d be relieved, honestly.”

And he meant it.

If Idel had truly coveted material things, he would have happily provided her with far better items. She had earned that much and more—after all, she had been instrumental in improving both his and Rinia’s public image, saving Rinia from disgrace on more than one occasion.

But, of course, Idel wasn’t the type to desire such things.

That’s why it was easy to dismiss such absurd accusations.

“I believe you didn’t steal anything. Does that suffice?”

“No. That’s not the kind of trust I’m asking for. It’s obvious that I wouldn’t steal anything.”

“…True.”

“What I want is for you to believe what I’m about to tell you.”

Idel took a deep breath, then handed him a stack of papers she had prepared in advance.

“The person who accused me is Marsha Bohen, the head maid. She’s been embezzling funds from this household, engaging in various corrupt practices, and extorting payments from other servants. These documents detail the findings of my investigation over the past three months.”

Even with only three months of digging, the findings filled six full pages of a standard notebook, front and back.

Marsha had been ordering the finest products from suppliers and substituting them with the cheapest ones, pocketing the difference.

The tailor and shoemaker commissioned for Rinia’s wardrobe turned out to be completely unqualified to serve noble clients. Marsha had taken kickbacks from them and charged Rinia exorbitant prices for their shoddy work.

She had divided the household staff into those who paid her bribes and those who didn’t, treating them starkly differently. This dynamic had driven several maids to leave, blaming Rinia as the excuse.

“Daisy, Celia, and Lyla only became close to me because the tasks assigned to me were the hardest ones. They were relegated to the most grueling work because they were junior maids with neither the funds to pay bribes nor the career flexibility to quit.”

Idel gestured to the papers Laszlo was now reading through, line by line.

“Everything written there is the truth. Please believe me.”

She had asked for his trust long ago, anticipating a moment like this.

Even so, her heart was heavy with worry.

She was just a maid who had only been in this household for half a year—a “new stone.” Meanwhile, Marsha had been a “firmly planted stone,” serving since Laszlo became the Count.

A tense silence hung in the air as Laszlo read the documents.

Finally, he looked up, his gaze unfocused as he let out a dry laugh.

“I knew she was skimming, but this is… quite the operation.”

Over 7,000 Lington had been embezzled just from food supplies in the past three months. Even assuming this had been happening for only three years, the total would be a staggering 84,000 Lington.

And food wasn’t the only thing she could’ve stolen from. It wasn’t hard to believe she’d managed to buy herself a house during her tenure here.

“Do you think Marsha accused you as part of all this?”

“Possibly. But I must have been a thorn in her side. My presence made it harder for her to manipulate the staff and sway Lady Rinia.”

“So the maids whose rooms were searched were just caught in the crossfire.”

“Yes. Daisy even told me that Lady Bohen tried to recruit her recently. When she refused, she was assaulted. Isn’t that enough to raise suspicion?”

Idel clenched her fists anxiously.

If Laszlo chose not to act or hesitated, Marsha would erase all evidence and destabilize the servants further. The household would descend into chaos, and nothing would change.

And I’ll be the one who suffers for it.

Marsha’s oppression would become even more ruthless and insidious.

Laszlo, who had been nodding slowly, set the papers down on his desk with a decisive thud.

“I’d always known I’d have to get rid of her eventually… Maybe you’re here to finally wake me up.”

“You believe me?”

“I made you a promise, didn’t I? To trust you.”

Idel let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

But Laszlo wasn’t finished.

“However, you’ve prepared yourself, haven’t you?”

“What… do you mean by that?”

“Well…”

As he spoke, Idel realized she might’ve dug her own grave.

Comment

  1. Dia says:

    I think a chapter or maybe a section is missing? regardless thank you for posting I love this novel

  2. Dia says:

    wow ok i just finished reading the two chapters and wow Idel continues to amaze me! thank for posting btw

    1. Rumi says:

      My pleasure ❤️ don’t miss the new chapters they’ll be posted by friday 😀

      1. Dia says:

        Yes I’m so excited! Can’t wait!❤️❤️

  3. Carla says:

    Não consigo me cadastrar..
    O site não envia o email para eu por senha ..como faço agora para ver os lançamentos novos ?😭😭😭😭😑😑😑

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected.

Options

not work with dark mode
Reset