Episode 9
April looked across at the butler and asked.
“Did you show Duke Fitzren to his room?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“He’s an important man, so I’m sure he’ll be well taken care of.”
“I will bear that in mind.”
Gordon and Nora exchanged a glance.
April, who had been stroking her slightly bulging stomach up and down a few times as if to digest, spoke up cautiously.
“I, ma’am.”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t have any plans afterward, I have something to bring up.”
April cocked her head.
“What is it? Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“It’s a little…….”
The butler and maid rolled their eyes at the same time.
“I dare say, at the risk of inconveniencing you, you might want to move.”
“Why?”
“Because there are a lot of listening ears here…….”
The maids and butlers acted as if they were being watched by other servants.
April stood up obediently, even though she knew it was more than that.
“Very well, let’s move.”
“I will escort you to my master’s office.”
Gordon inclined his head in a mock bow and led April upstairs.
The three of them ascended to the second floor.
“And here?”
“My late master’s office.”
“Hmph.”
April snorted, looking around the room and walking at a leisurely pace.
“Oh, and by the way, I’ve invited Duke Fitzren to dinner tonight, so you’d better prepare some proper food, not something like what you served me this morning.”
April took her seat at the head of the table, quite naturally.
After crossing one leg, she spoke again.
“Oh, right. And Mrs. Nora.”
“Yes? Yes, ma’am…….”
“I was hoping you could find me a few children I could babysit.”
“Oh, yes, I will do that. Do you have a particular child in mind?”
April let out a small giggle as if she thought the question was hilarious.
“Why do you ask…….”
“No. I was wondering if that was an appropriate question at this time.”
April clicked her tongue slightly as the maid stared at her breathlessly.
“When did I come to this mansion?”
“You came last night.”
“Then do you know who the girls I work with here are?”
“Oh……. Of course, you do, my apologies, ma’am, my thoughts were short.”
“Whoops. Well, name me a few. I’ll interview a few, and then I’ll choose a dedicated maid.”
“I will do as you ask.”
April nodded in satisfaction at the maid’s obedient response.
“Good. Now, let’s hear your stories, shall we?”
As if her job was done, April jerked her chin toward Gordon and Nora as if to say, “Go ahead and explain.
But the butler and maid’s mouths wouldn’t open, even after she laid the table.
“I told you, sir, I don’t have much patience.”
“That’s the thing, ma’am…….”
Gordon swallowed hard, looking at April, who looked half his age, and opened his mouth with difficulty for the first time in a while.
“It’s somewhat in line with the instructions you just gave us.”
“I see, so why don’t you just tell me what you know and don’t waste time?”
“I don’t know how your ladyship knows, but…… I’ll be blunt with you: the Countess of Falcon’s finances are not in good shape.”
It was something he intended to say in the morning when he visited her room. It was still a difficult thing to say at any time, but it was better to say it before things got worse.
Meanwhile, April’s brow furrowed as she listened to their explanation.
“……What? What does that mean?”
“At face value.”
As if Gordon’s serious tone lent weight to his words, Mrs. Nora was nodding heavily beside him.
April’s lips parted slightly in disbelief.
She looked back and forth between Gordon’s and Nora’s faces in disbelief.
Then she wiped her forehead as if she were dizzy, and spoke in a shaky voice.
“The ledger……. Get me the ledger now.”
“What ledgers are you talking about…….?”
“Anything, anything that will give me a glimpse of the Earl’s finances, because I don’t trust them.”
The moment she raised her voice, April’s eyes glazed over.
Her head was feverish and her eyes were beginning to glaze over again.
As she shook her head and clutched her forehead, Gordon pulled out several ledgers and set them down in front of her, one after the other.
“Mrs. Nora. I’m sorry, but I’ll just have a glass of cold water.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have it for you in a moment.”
April’s face was so pale that she looked like she was about to collapse, so Mrs. Nora replied and stormed out of the office.
“Whoa…….”
April took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.
Barely controlling the flickering in her eyes, she reached out and grabbed the ledger Gordon had set down.
A moment later, her hand tightened on the spine of the ledger and began to mercilessly crumple the flimsy paper.
“Oh, my God, this is ridiculous…….”
She opened this book, she opened that book, but the minus (-) marks in front of the numbers didn’t disappear.
April was practically sobbing now.
If this was the case, …… her luxuries would be for naught.
“What am I supposed to do with myself now?
April’s eyes stung, and she felt as if tears were about to fall.
‘Wow…… really. Isn’t life so wonderful?
She wondered why she had chosen to stay in this world!
It was to clear her debts in Korea and start a new life…….
“Debt again!”
April finally couldn’t hold it in and let out a new scream.
“How much is all of this?”
It couldn’t be zero, could it?
The minus sign in front of the number was unmistakably a debt.
“Ma, ma’am. Calm down……. Calm down. I think you’ll collapse at any moment.”
“I’d rather collapse. And when I wake up, I’ll believe it’s all a dream.”
April grumbled in a dying voice.
She rested her forehead on the open ledger.
Then, as if in self-pity, she began to tear her hair out.
Gordon looked at April with pity.
He was serious.
He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to continue his explanation.
Because now that she was in charge of the manor, he decided she needed to know the whole story.
“That explains why I couldn’t get you a hot bath yesterday, and why I had to serve you cold food this morning.”
Gordon lowered his head in deep embarrassment.
He continued in a somber voice.
“We’re barely getting by now with our combined wage cuts, but at this rate…… I may have to fire all my employees, send them away, and sell the mansion.”
April can’t believe she’s on the hook for the debts of a dead husband she never met.
All April could think was that it wasn’t fair.
But being angry doesn’t change or solve the situation at hand.
Her head knew better, of course, but her heart was in the gutter.
‘Oh, no. Is there any way I can get out of this place? If I run away, will…… people like Chuno or something come after me?’
She thought to herself with evil intent.
Then she remembered one of the causes of all her troubles, and she cursed under her breath.
“Archbishop, you damned old man…….”
If he hadn’t run off with his wedding vows, he could have gotten away first.
The foul language continued to flow.
When she finally calmed down, she sighed heavily and asked in a fading voice, “How the fuck did you do this to me?
“How in the world did …… get into so much debt? Business failure? Gambling addiction? Tell me, butler. There must have been something that triggered you to forget your money like this, right?”
“That…….”
Gordon was silent for a moment, choosing his words.
“My master made a bad investment and…….”
The trailing ‘-go’ suggests there’s more than one problem.
April was quick to pick up on that and rushed her next question.
“And? What else?”
“Norma said…….”
Norma?
“Who’s that?”
“Your late master’s mother, and your mother-in-law. Her name is Deborah Falcon.”
At that moment, an ominous sensation ran down April’s spine.
No one had told her, but she knew.
My stepfather’s enabler was none other than my mother-in-law, Deborah.
The one who could have pushed through the marriage to the dead.
“It was you, Godfather, the Earl of Falcon.
The reason my son was so desperate to find a new bride, even though he was dead…… Yes, there must be another.
‘I’m going to find out who the hell this man is, and what purpose he had in marrying me to a dead man.
Gordon continued.
“You see, Norma, you’re as fashionable as a young person can be, and you’ve been brought up in a wealthy family from a young age…….”
Not wanting to say anything bad about his mother-in-law, he tried to keep his explanation as mild as possible.
However, he couldn’t find the right words, and the sentence was left unfinished.
Still, April was not one to miss the meaning behind a line.
She threw her hands up in the air as if to say that she was done talking.
“What’s so hard to say? It’s luxury.”
“……khem.”
Gordon coughed uncomfortably.
