“Can you read accounting books, Walter?”
After tidying up her clothes, Edith strode towards him. Walter nodded, pushing down the negative thoughts that instinctively arose within him.
“Roughly.”
“You’re holding the papers upside down.”
“…”
Walter adjusted the papers as if nothing had happened. While he wasn’t sure why she had copied the ledger, he recognized many familiar names.
“More than half of the people we worked with are gone. The rest seem to be those who are still in the manor.”
“Worked with? Not anymore?”
“These are the ones who stole the Viscount’s belongings and ran away at night as they haven’t been paid for their overdue wages. These are the ones who gave up their wages and officially quit.”
“As expected…”
Hearing Walter’s anticipated response, Edith breathed a sigh of relief. The situation was unfolding just as she had expected.
“There was an accounting ledger in the Viscount’s room. They listed the names of those who are not in the manor right now and falsely indicated payments made to them.”
“I guess Sophia and the butler had a common interest.”
Walter began reading it carefully. The hastily scrawled handwriting showed no signs of hesitation.
It must have been a situation where others could have rushed into the Viscount’s bedroom by surprise, but it was bold of her.
Folding the results neatly and concealing them within her stockings felt quite provocative.
In many ways, Walter felt that the woman before him was amazing. However, that wasn’t the only new information Edith found.
“Also, while talking to Isabelle, I found something important.”
“Something important?”
“Yes, Sophia and Whitman didn’t just embezzle the Viscount’s money.”
Edith remembered every word Isabelle had complained about before Vivian came to fetch her.
⋙“Well, after all, the Viscount needed the marriage dowry my father was going to provide as a lump sum and also financial support.”⋘
⋙“Financial support?”⋘
⋙“Yes. Since I will also be living in the Fortrion Manor in the future, my father said that the company would support some of the maintenance costs of the manor. He made some sort of pact with the Viscount.”⋘
If Sophia and the butler inflated the management expenses of the manor, some of the inflated expenses would be borne by the owner of Karkus Trading Company.
“That means Isabelle’s father and those who belong to the Karkus Trading Company are also victims of Sophia’s embezzlement scheme.”
As he listened to her, Walter’s eyes narrowed.
“If the owner of the Karkus Trading Company knows about this, he will lose his mind. He’s the kind of person that regards money as blood.”
“He’s paying for the maintenance of the manor where his daughter lives with the good intentions of strengthening the cooperation with the Viscount. But if he finds out that they inflated those expenses to claim more money, he’ll be furious.”
The influence the owner of the Karkus Trading Company holds over the Fortrion House is evident from the fact that Sophia couldn’t openly confront Isabelle.
Edith was well aware that she did not have the strength to attack Sophia directly.
She had to wait for the moment when she could deal a fatal blow to Sophia. Fortunately, the manor was set up for a big event.
“I heard that every year on Thanksgiving, merchants related to the Fortrions are invited to a dinner.”
Walter laughed subtly. He thought Edith’s chosen timing for disclosure was indeed appropriate.
“Nearly all the business owners that are in contact with the Fortrion Businesses will attend. And the owner of the Karkus Trading Company cares for his daughter, so he will definitely come.”
“Walter, please don’t spread this fact for the time being. If rumors circulate among the servants that the ledgers have been tampered with, Sophia and the butler will create fake ledgers.”
“As you wish, M’lady.”
Walter nodded playfully. His behavior seemed to annoy Edith as if he was making fun of her for treating her like a lady. Edith’s expression turned slightly sour.
“All right then. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Edith took the copied ledger back. She was about to tell him to turn around so she could conceal it in her stockings, but he spoke first.
“So, is M’lady the only one taking her share again today?”
“Ah… our deal.”
Only now did Edith seem to understand why he had been staring at her as though he were about to swallow her whole.
He had assisted her, so it was only fair that she provided him with useful information in return.
『 But I still don’t know anything. I can’t promise him right away that I’ll search the Viscount’s bedroom and office… yet.』
The idea of explaining that she had nothing despite receiving help was embarrassing.
“I did visit the Viscount’s bedroom today, but all I found was the ledger.”
“…”
“And I’m looking into the place where the Viscount might have hidden the imprisonment spells. It will take some time to receive a reply, but…”
Edith murmured at the end of her words and lowered her blue eyes. It was a habit she had developed during her time at the clinic.
Walter gently lifted her chin with his knuckle.
“What should I do if M’lady keeps lowering your eyes like this?”
“Well, I have something that I can give you right away…”
As Edith struggled to come up with something to say in response to him, Walter spoke up.
“I hope there will be a definite reward for the time it takes, M’lady.”
Swallowing a dry gulp, Edith nodded her head. Hearing his deep voice, she realized that her safety now depended entirely on this man.
Perhaps due to the urgency of proving her usefulness, something she had forgotten crossed her mind.
“Come to think of it, the Viscount took my necklace away. I don’t think he was specifically aiming for that thing, but he was just trying to break it to intimidate me.”
“A necklace?”
“Yes, I was wearing it when I was captured. The lady who stayed at my house for a while as a guest gave it to me. She said it was a combination of a Thanksgiving present and a birthday present. It must have been quite expensive.”
Edith distinctly remembered. Isaac’s mother, Mrs. Leah, always wore modest clothes, but she would often replace the accessories hidden within her clothes with more fancy ones.
She wondered how a woman who wandered around the village, raising her son, managed to collect such items.
Edith liked Mrs. Leah because she had many secrets. Approaching her while she was reading books or knitting and admiring her jewelry was a hobby of hers to the point of fascination.
“I treasured it, but I lost it completely when the carriage was unexpectedly attacked.”
Her mood plummeted as Edith imagined that the necklace carrying her memories might now be buried under dirt and dust because of the Viscount.
“This is all I can think of right now, but I will try harder to be of help to you in the future. Things will get better if Sophia’s embezzlement is exposed.”
Edith became desperate, afraid that Walter might change his mind. Since he continues to provide help without receiving anything in return, he might want to just forget about their deal.
But Walter surprisingly wasn’t angry.
“If the necklace was what the Viscount was aiming for at the last minute, I think it’s pretty useful information.”
He didn’t lower his voice or threaten her to give him useful information. Edith was surprised by that and looked at him blankly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just surprised you’re not acting like a thug today.”
“A thug?”
He questioned, as if taken aback by his own reputation. Edith was somewhat surprised by her own words, which she had spoken exactly as she had thought.
-Thug.- There is no other word to describe him: sarcastic, using physical strength to control others, portraying himself as diligent despite not working, and more.
“I misspoke. You don’t have to take it to heart.”
Edith tried to take back what she said, but she couldn’t completely hide the laughter that escaped her.
Even though Walter seemed confused by her smiling self, she could meet his gaze easily. Strangely, it put her at ease to the point where she could look into his eyes for a long time.
──────────✿◦•
The Viscountcy of Fortrion presented a different impression than usual on the day of the Thanksgiving dinner.
The most noticeable change was a Thanksgiving decoration made from golden reeds woven together and tied with a deep orange ribbon.
Vivian spoke as she brushed Edith’s hair as they admired the garden decorations.
“Since the Viscount is still unable to wake up, the decorations this year are a bit simpler.”
“It doesn’t look simple to me…”
Vivian let out a small laugh in response to Edith’s accurate observation.
“To be honest, although the decorations have become simpler, the amount of money spent will probably be similar to last year. If she was really concerned about the Viscount’s condition, she would have canceled the Thanksgiving dinner altogether.”
“She has bigger things to consider.”
She would soon need to announce the Fourth Lady’s pregnancy and introduce her as well…
Edith smiled bitterly and prayed to God, hoping that there would be an opportunity to expose Sophia and the butler’s infidelity.
A small note hung on the window frame Edith was looking at, a note that Isabelle’s pigeon might have left.
Meanwhile, Victor, the owner of the Karkus Trading Company, was gradually nearing Fortrion Manor in his carriage.
Victor’s secretary momentarily set down the documents he was reading and surveyed his master’s face.
“Seeing how Master smiles, I suppose we’re almost at Fortrion Manor where the young lady is.”
“Isabelle should be healthy, right?”
The secretary smiled heartily. Everyone knew that Victor had taken special care of Isabelle, his late-born child, nurturing her like a precious greenhouse flower.
『 I thought she would grow up to be just an immature young lady, but I never expected that she would accept the old Viscount’s marriage proposal for the sake of the family and our business.』
Nobody knew that Isabelle had been seduced by the old viscount convincing her that he was going to make her a singer.
Victor was deeply sorry and grateful towards his wise daughter who had not only agreed to marry the old viscount but had also elevated the status of the Karkus Trading Company.
For him, a commoner, having a close relationship with the Viscount was incredibly important.
“As soon as we arrive, ask Isabelle how she’s doing and if she needs anything else. Get rid of anyone who annoys her.”
“Understood.”
“And then…”
Victor gazed at the slightly more modestly adorned garden and manor façade compared to the previous year. Despite hearing that the Viscount’s condition was critical, Fortrion Manor seemed calmer than expected.
Victor found the tranquility rather suspicious.
“See if there’s a way to loosen the people’s tongues about what’s going on in Fortrion.”
His merchant’s intuition was telling him that something was being concealed within Fortrion Manor.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
Everything is working out so far and that scares me.