“Isabelle, if you’re just looking at the accounting books like that, your health will deteriorate. So, take it easy.”
As soon as Victor finished his light breakfast, he became worried about his daughter who refused to leave the desk.
However, Isabelle continued to examine the books with even more eagerness.
“Don’t worry, Father. My health won’t deteriorate from doing this much. I have a guest coming soon, so I want to show off my hard work.”
Soon, a maid who was tidying up her room delivered some good news.
“M’lady, Lady Edith has arrived.”
“Tell her to come in. As I mentioned earlier, prepare refreshments for three people.”
Isabelle took a look in the mirror and confirmed that she looked presentable.
Victor thought that his daughter was just like that time when she was nervous about inviting her closest friend to her birthday party.
『 I will soon find out why the Viscount’s fourth wife wanted to see me.』
Just as Victor’s fatherly demeanor changed to his sharp merchant’s gaze, the door opened.
“Thank you for inviting me, Isabelle. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master of Karkus.”
Victor was speechless for a moment as he saw Edith greeting him with a smile.
『 Didn’t she just become Lady Fortrion last month?』
Despite the rumors of her humble origins, she seemed to lack nothing compared to her well-educated daughter. In the way she carried herself without excessive humility, Victor could see that she had lived a respectable life.
And when she spoke politely first, he could feel the elegance that is unique to those who know how to respect others.
Her modesty was astonishing compared to those who flaunted their newly acquired wealth with flashy jewelry.
『 You can’t trust rumors after all.』
Victor, who prided himself on being the best judge of character in Fortrion, immediately liked Edith.
“Nice to meet you, M’lady. My name is Victor. I manage Karkus Trading Company.”
“Edith, do you know my father? I was surprised when you asked to meet him.”
Isabelle smiled and led her to a lavish tea table near the window. Normally, she wouldn’t have allowed someone she didn’t like to enter her room.
However, Isabelle had developed a significant fondness for Edith, who had pushed her way onto the empty stage.
“The refreshments will be ready soon.”
“Thank you, Isabelle.”
Edith immediately sat down in the seat she was offered, then glanced at the ledgers placed on the wooden desk.
“Were you reviewing the ledgers?”
Isabelle answered, trying to conceal her pride in her cleverly staged actions.
“Yes. It was a mistake to entrust all the ledger management to Sophia from the beginning. It’s my duty, so I should have checked them occasionally.”
“May I look at them?”
“Of course. Now that you’re also the Lady of the Manor, you share the same responsibility.”
When signs of embezzlement were detected in the account books from the first few years she came to this manor, Isabelle began bringing all the previous account books for inspection.
Thanks to this, Edith could comfortably read the ledgers away from Sophia’s watchful eyes.
Surprisingly, embezzlement had been ongoing steadily since Nicholas Fortrion inherited the title.
“At first, I think the Viscount used the money that should have been used to run the estate on gambling.”
Edith checked the detailed budget for that year while Isabelle spoke with a sour expression on her face.
Just as she expected.
『 It seems he also embezzled money that should have been reserved for repairing the embankment.』
Since it was money set aside annually and withdrawn every 15 years, he must have thought it wouldn’t be a problem to take some out and replenish it later.
But after that, Sophia and Whitman, who took charge of accounting on behalf of Nicholas, went further.
The Viscount used to spend whatever money he could have, but after Sophia started taking charge of accounting, she inflated the expenses and used even non-existent funds.
『 If the Viscount had realized that the repair fund was empty, he would have filled it with other emergency funds…』
What’s worse, Sophia and the butler seemed to get along well.
Isabelle, who believed without suspicion that the main culprit for the embezzlement was Whitman, sighed.
“I should have investigated earlier instead of trusting Sophia. She always spoke so confidently that I thought she was capable of handling the accounting, but she didn’t even realize the embezzlement that was occurring.”
Her voice was filled with guilt.
“It’s the duty of the Lady of the Manor to manage the estate well and assist in its management. But I didn’t do anything. I feel sorry for the Viscount who helped my family’s business.”
Only then did Edith understand the reason why Isabelle, who had claimed not to love the Viscount, had been crying so much upon hearing the news of his accident.
『 She’s a merchant’s daughter who knows how to give and receive.』
Isabelle doesn’t love the Viscount, but she receives a lot of help from him, so she remains committed to fulfilling her duty as the wife he desires.
It was a very principled way of thinking, saying that since you received money, you would give what you promised regardless of the other person’s condition.
『 Is there anywhere a more perfect person as a business partner like her?』
After checking all the points she wanted to confirm in the ledgers, Edith sat down at the tea table with Isabelle and Victor.
While the maid left to fetch the following snacks, Edith spoke up.
“I have a proposal for both of you.”
Victor sensed that Edith wasn’t bringing up this proposal lightly.
“What kind of proposition…?”
“Please send someone to the capital and call a mage who can use high-level magic. I hope you will do me this favor.”
“…!”
The father and daughter could not help but be shocked when they heard what she said calmly.
“M-M’lady, do you happen to know how much mages of that caliber typically charge for their services? Recently, they hardly take on private commissions, as they don’t want to get involved in political conflicts, so the price they demand is astronomical.”
But Edith really needed a mage desperately.
『 The chances of Walter and me not finding the imprisonment spell are much higher.』
The surest way to escape from Fortrion Manor was to call a mage who could dispel the imprisonment spell more quickly and reliably at any cost.
“I’ve read about it in books. The basics should be around several gold pieces, and if the required magic is difficult, they might charge several hundred gold coins.”
“Glad you know about it… But I’m sorry, I don’t think I can provide that kind of help.”
Victor gently but firmly declined.
Given the current situation, it was clear that Edith had no money. In that case, her proposal ultimately meant asking them to pay the mage’s fee on her behalf.
As the Karkus Trading Company’s doctrine was not to engage in unfair deals that would result in losses, there was no choice but to refuse.
But Edith was resolute as if she expected to be rejected.
“Of course, what I’m asking is for you to pay the fee that the mage demands in my place. I don’t have the money right now.”
Edith’s confident request for money left Isabelle with no choice but to question her ears.
『 I never expected her to say something like this.』
Could there be a situation where they absolutely had to call a mage? Just as Victor was about to speak up, intending to say something in place of his flustered daughter, Edith, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, smiled and spoke again.
“Victor, do you think of merchants as people who only trade in tangible goods?”
“Well, not necessarily, but…”
In fact, commerce was not limited to exchanging goods for goods or money for goods.
Would the harvest be abundant or poor this year? Would certain fabrics be in high or low demand during the social season? It wasn’t just about exchanging goods and money but also about anticipating desires and timing, buying what people wanted cheaply, and selling it at a high price.
What was crucial at that moment was the merchant intuition needed to steer Karkus Trading Company to success.
He wondered why she was thinking of and even bringing it up.
Victor couldn’t help but wait for Edith’s next words.
“As I expected from the head of Karkus, who signs grain purchase contracts for the year’s harvest even before sowing the seeds, please consider my proposal.”
Edith took another sip of her tea and continued.
“If you grant my request, when the Viscount dies, I will not claim a part of the inheritance that will be distributed equally among the Viscount’s wives. It won’t be a loss for both of you.”
“…!”
Isabelle and Victor could only be astonished by Edith’s bombshell statement.
The difference between dividing the inheritance set aside for the wives into four equal parts, including Edith, and dividing it into three equal parts excluding her was substantial.
Even though Fortrion had been tainted by Nicholas’s poor choices and the embezzlement case, it was not enough to forget all the wealth accumulated by previous generations.
『 I refuse to engage in unfair trade, but if we’re the ones benefiting…!』
Victor began rapidly rolling the abacus in his head.
Edith added hints to him.
“And if we’re lucky, Sophia will also be left out of the inheritance. I am also proposing a deal to prevent her from claiming her inheritance.”
“T-then, the inheritance will be divided into two?!”
Victor blurted out his thoughts in surprise.
Unlike the flustered father who was trying to calculate things quickly, Isabelle, with her nose twitching, couldn’t speak.
While Victor was calculating rapidly, Isabelle glanced at Edith.
『 I thought she was just being friendly, but she’s up to something.』
What exactly is her plan for which she’s willing to give up her inheritance and wants to bring down Sophia, who didn’t even notice the embezzlement?
Isabelle became somewhat curious about what Edith was trying to achieve.
“It’s a deal that brings too much benefit to us. There’s no reason to refuse.”
Victor nodded in complete agreement with his daughter’s words. When the father and daughter’s reaction went as expected, Edith sighed in relief.
“Calling a mage might be a bit tricky, but the other request should be easier.”
Edith explained to them the second condition of the deal, which was just as important as summoning the mage.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
