The Lady and the Stableman

Walter didn’t bother to restrain his strength.

He had witnessed Whitman reach out with his dirty hands towards Edith, who was allegedly involved in embezzlement and infidelity. So, why should he be considerate of him?

The moment he saw Edith flinch, the thought of just knocking him unconscious crossed his mind. After all, Whitman was sure to lose control within a few hours.

“Ugh…!” 

Whitman lost consciousness without even resisting a single blow.

“Lady Isabelle told me to bring the butler. She mentioned there might be something to confirm regarding the embezzlement.”

Walter spoke with some courtesy and observed Edith’s complexion.

Seeing her unharmed face, only slightly surprised, Walter thought it was worth it to immediately turn around and look for her after the under butler informed him that Whitman was searching for Edith.

He attempted to ask her what Whitman had said, but a man blocked her way, speaking confidently.

“Don’t even think about touching Edith.” 

Benjamin glared at Walter. He thought that if this man could easily attack the ‘butler’, he could harm Edith as well.

Walter also looked disapprovingly at Benjamin, who was trying to protect Edith.

Edith said ‘Benjamin.’

Seeing Edith calmly stop Benjamin with her sweet, gentle, and elegant voice, it seemed like they knew each other before she arrived at Fortrion Manor. However, for some reason, it made him feel uncomfortable.

“Sir, perhaps you’re unaware, but in physical combat, body type matters quite a bit. When facing an opponent with a significantly different physique, it’s best not to fight.”

“…” 

“If you clench your fists like that in a fight, the bones in your fingers would be broken first.”

Benjamin gritted his teeth for a moment as he looked at Walter, who was at least twice as thick as him.

He wanted to ask, ‘What do you know?’ but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Walter’s actions, having just knocked down the butler, displayed a sense of discipline even in the eyes of Benjamin, who had no experience in martial arts. Even the well-trained elite soldiers in the capital wouldn’t be able to subdue people quickly and accurately like him.

However, among the skilled fighters he had encountered during his career as a journalist, the man in front of him was the one he liked the least.

Just locking eyes with him induced a feeling of intimidation, triggering instinctual caution.

For some reason, as the atmosphere became more tense, Edith confirmed that the butler was completely unconscious and spoke up.

“Thanks to both of you.”

“…” 

“This is my friend, Benjamin. And Benjamin, this is Walter. He’s a stableman.”

Benjamin noticed one thing when Edith introduced a man who was no different from a scoundrel as a stableman.

Edith was quick-witted from a young age, so she had a habit of keeping her distance from those she perceived as potential threats. But she didn’t do that to Walter.

It seemed that this man was the one who had been helping Edith.

『 Now that I look closely, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before… or maybe not.』

However, it was unlikely that realizing that fact would make him think well of Walter.

Of course, it didn’t seem like Walter held a favorable opinion of him either.

“…?” 

Edith concluded that the increasingly tense atmosphere was due to Whitman.

“Walter, did Isabelle ask for the butler?”

“It seems she caught wind of embezzlement while reviewing the accounts with the Karkus people.”

“And what about Sophia?”

“It seems she’s sticking to the position of not knowing for now.”

Edith swallowed hard. If Isabelle delved deeply into this matter, it was clear that it could deal a blow to Sophia.

If things went well, she might be released from the imprisonment spell and could make her escape from Fortrion Manor.

“In that case, take the butler with you, Walter. I’ll slowly head to the library to observe the situation.”

Walter looked at Benjamin, who was standing beside Edith.

“What about you, Mr. Dweeb?”

“I am a guest of this manor, and I am not Mr. Dweeb.”

Benjamin snapped back before casually bidding farewell to Edith.

As a journalist, his intuition led him to believe he needed to go where the members of the Karkus Trading Company were to observe the situation.

Edith urged Walter, in case Whitman woke up or something.

“Walter, go inside quickly.”

“…” 

Walter looked at Benjamin disapprovingly before leaving. He couldn’t afford to arouse suspicion by entering the mansion at the same time as Edith.

After he left, Edith spoke to Benjamin in a hushed voice.

“Benjamin, if it’s possible, there is something I would like to ask you to investigate.”

“Feel free to say it, Edith. If I can’t do you a favor, what kind of friend am I?”

Edith confirmed once again that there was no one around before continuing her request in a low voice.

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There was a commotion in Sophia’s office.

“Isabelle, this must be distressing. How about having a cup of tea and taking a moment to catch your breath?”

Sophia suggested again, trying to hide her impatience. However, Isabelle paid no attention to her proposal.

“Under butler! Why hasn’t the butler come yet when someone went to fetch him?”

“…” 

Sophia didn’t know what to do as she watched Isabelle lose her temper for the first time since she came to this manor.

Despite being the daughter of a merchant, Sophia had assumed that Isabelle wouldn’t know how to handle anything related to accounting. However, Isabelle was exceptionally competent when it came to accounting.

“There’s no way there could be so many servants in Fortrion Manor… Sophia, where is the list of servants?”

Isabelle noticed at once that the accounting books were suspicious and called the Karkus executives to start inspecting the books together.

『 How on earth did her attitude change in the last few days?』

Sophia missed the Isabelle who only practiced singing as if she had no interest in worldly affairs.

“It makes no sense that salaries have been paid to the already laid-off servants. There’s no way they bought so many items.”

“…” 

“Sophia, I want to check the expense records to find out the purchase price of the goods. Where is it?” 

“Well, It… must be somewhere.” 

Sophia wore a gentle smile typical of nobility, but that alone couldn’t resolve the situation.

Although they had conspired together, Whitman, who was good at calculating, had taken care of the actual duties, so Sophia didn’t even know if there were any records to prove these expenditures.

Just as she was thinking she’d like to chew her nails or something, the people gathered around them began to murmur.

The eyes of the servants, especially the maids, were fixed on the man who carried the butler as if he were carrying a hunted beast.

Sophia was not good at remembering the names or faces of the servants, but this was a face she couldn’t help but know.

“… Walter.” 

“It’s been a while since I last greeted you, Lady Sophia.”

“I’m sure I told you not to stand in front of me or set foot inside the mansion.”

“I wanted to faithfully follow your order, but the order was for me to go find the butler.”

Thud—

Walter put Whitman down, who was holding him like a piece of luggage, on the floor.

As Whitman’s body collapsed, lifeless, Sophia’s face lost its color.

“He’s not dead. Not yet.” 

Walter kindly added, as if he knew the reason for Sophia’s exaggerated reaction. Her complexion darkened even more in response.

Isabelle, seeing the butler looking unwell, frowned, but that was it.

“Sophia. You said you knew nothing about the embezzlement, right?”

“…” 

“Then, Whitman must have done it alone. We must punish him severely.”

Sophia and Whitman were the only ones who could touch the ledger. And after comparing some documents, it was concluded that the handwriting in the ledger matched Whitman’s.

The evidence was so clear that there was nothing to hear from the person concerned.

Isabelle knew nothing of Sophia’s relationship with Whitman, so she had no hesitation in imposing strict punishment. 

Sophia felt like all the blood was draining from her body.

“Still, Whitman devoted himself to House Fortrion from the time of the previous Viscount until now… Hiring and firing the butler is also within the authority of the Viscount.”

“Hmm, is that so?” 

Isabelle thought she couldn’t simply dismiss the butler while ignoring the authority of the current master, who was still unconscious. As she pondered what punishment she should impose, Walter interjected.

“Then, how about detaining Whitman at the Karkus Trading Company until the Viscount wakes up?”

The mention of detention made Sophia’s gaze harden, but Walter didn’t seem to care at all.

“The butler embezzled not only the money sent by the Karkus Trading Company but also additional funds.”

“Well, the Viscount trusts my father. He often says there’s nothing as trustworthy as a relationship involving money.”

Isabelle glanced at Sophia.

“It’s okay to detain this embezzler in Karkus until the Viscount wakes up, right?”

“…” 

Sophia couldn’t give an immediate answer.

The moments spent with Whitman, avoiding people’s eyes, flashed in her mind.

Would Whitman have kept his mouth shut if it had been the other way around? She wondered if she kept her mouth shut, wouldn’t that mean she was confessing as an accomplice?

Sophia felt a moment of suffocation and finally spoke.

“…There’s no other choice. Let’s do it that way.”

As she made the decision, Walter inwardly sneered. Discarding people when they were no longer useful was indeed a characteristic of Sophia.

If she were the Fourth Lady, she would not abandon her people until the end.

With a brief glance at Sophia’s pale face, Walter lifted Whitman again, like a piece of luggage.

“Then I’m going to move him to the place where the Karkus Executives will stay.” 

It was Walter’s first act of revenge against Sophia for locking Edith in this barbaric manor.

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