Chapter 21
“What?”
While I was absentmindedly mumbling, I heard a response next to me.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Rita looking at me with eyes as round as a squirrel’s.
Rita, who had been setting down a cup of warm tea, cautiously withdrew her hand.
“Um… if you don’t like the tea, should I prepare something else?”
I shook my head at Rita, who seemed to misunderstand my words and was saying something off the mark.
I pulled my body out of the chair and reached for the teacup to lift it.
Rita smiled slightly and headed towards the break room.
I quietly watched Rita’s back as she walked away, then rolled my eyes.
I set down the teacup that I had been bringing to my mouth, reached down, and opened the bottom drawer of the desk.
I took out a red file folder and opened it.
After flipping through the papers inside, I checked the desired content and closed it.
I looked out the window.
It was still a long way until the rain stopped.
“Maybe I should finish this while I’m at it.”
Pushing the steaming white teacup aside, I stood up.
I remembered I had things to take care of.
“You mean you want to hire a new person?”
Head butler Datum raised his wrinkled eyebrows.
His face showed more confusion than surprise.
“Yes. I’ve been hearing a lot of things lately, so I thought it was time for some changes.”
“But suddenly, at a time like this…”
“It’s not so sudden. Mother had a good eye for people, so there haven’t been any major issues so far. But as you know, stagnant water starts to rot. Problems are popping up here and there, so I think it’s time for a refresh.”
Datum adjusted his monocle slightly and let out a low sigh.
His neatly bearded mouth moved as if to say something, but no fitting words came out.
And rightly so, because it made perfect sense.
“Understood. I’ll start preparing the internal administration.”
“I’ll send you a list I’ve been considering. Please review it.”
Datum nodded, then withdrew with a slight bow.
As soon as he left the room, I stood up and went straight to find the scribe in the records room.
When I opened the door and walked in, I saw a thin man with a blank expression, idly stirring a pen in an ink bottle.
“You’re having a good time.”
“Who dares… Miss Sierra?!”
His slouched body and even more slouched neck straightened up instantly when he saw me.
In the process of standing up, he dropped the ink bottle, spilling ink all over Vincent’s pants.
“Argh!”
He let out a weird scream and stretched out his leg, but the ink had already spilled.
The ink trailed along the path Vincent moved.
Vincent mumbled, “I’m screwed,” under his breath, covering his forehead with his palm.
Then, as if remembering me again, he looked at me urgently.
With a slightly embarrassed, blushing face and eyes full of confusion, he glanced at me awkwardly and smiled.
“Uh, this is, well…”
“It’s fine. More importantly, do you have a moment?”
“Is there a problem?”
Vincent asked cautiously with a puzzled look.
Each domain usually had one scribe.
Scribes were tasked with recording the major and minor affairs of the lord and their family.
They were appointed directly by the royal family and always kept an eye on the lord.
Because of this, having the lord’s side come directly to speak with the scribe wasn’t a pleasant experience for him.
The reason was obvious.
“It’s not a problem, I just want to look at some records.”
“The records are managed by the royal family, and you need their permission to view them. Ah, this ink is hard to clean off.”
Vincent shook his head while pressing a handkerchief against the ink stain on his pants.
The blue handkerchief quickly turned black.
I watched the handkerchief get blacker, like a scorched map, then pulled out a cloth from my pocket and handed it to him.
“Use this to clean it.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Vincent took the cloth I offered and pressed it against his still-wet pants.
The white cloth also started getting stained with black ink like a burn.
“Anyway, it’s difficult to show you the records. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but that’s the rule. And, uh, thank you for the handkerchief.”
Vincent, who had been giving a formal answer, folded the ink-stained cloth in reverse and handed it back to me.
I didn’t take it and just looked down quietly.
Vincent, puzzled, also looked down at the now blackened cloth in his hand.
In the corner, not yet fully stained with ink, was an emblem embroidered with golden thread that anyone in the empire would recognize.
“This emblem…?”
“When my father inherited the countship, the late emperor gifted this very valuable handkerchief. Looks like it’s ruined now.”
“Uh… why did you give this to me…?”
“It looked like you needed it. I didn’t expect you to use it to clean the ink off your pants. I thought you’d just use it for the ink on your hands.”
I took the handkerchief from Vincent and showed him the part completely stained black. I shook my head with a look of regret.
“It looks like it’s ruined. This was something the late emperor gifted… My father might be a bit angry.”
“Oh…”
“Oh, weren’t you in public service, Vincent? Isn’t there a rule about getting dismissed if you lose or damage something gifted by the royal family?”
I tossed the handkerchief into a nearby trash can with a smile.
Vincent, who had been maintaining a formal attitude, approached me with a tense expression.
“Um, Lady Sierra. You’re not going to tell the Count about this, are you?”
“I have to. It was something my father gave me, and now it’s ruined. Don’t you think he should know?”
Vincent’s face turned pale at my words. His expressions changed rapidly from worry to anxiety, to anger, and finally to desperation.
He bit his lip and cautiously spoke.
“Um… if it’s alright with you, could we keep this between us…?”
“I can’t do that. I have my own rules to follow.”
When I echoed his words back to him, he closed his eyes tightly.
Vincent sighed deeply and reluctantly said, “Alright. I’ll show you the records. But please, keep this a secret. I’m getting married next month, and if I get fired, the engagement will be called off.”
“Will you really show me?”
“Yes, but you can only view them here. You can’t take anything out.”
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
I smiled as I moved toward the records room door. Behind me, I heard the sound of the trash can opening.
Glancing back, I saw Vincent holding the ink-stained handkerchief and sighing deeply.
“So, how should I handle this? Even if it’s ruined, I should probably wash it…”
“Just throw it away. I have plenty of those.”
“What? Wasn’t it a gift from the late emperor?”
Vincent looked puzzled. I opened the door to the records room and turned back to him.
I nodded my chin at him, who was staring at me with a blank expression.
“There are plenty of handkerchiefs gifted by the emperor. He was a very frugal man, so most of his gifts were handkerchiefs. I have more than ten of them, so just throw it away. Or you can wash it if you prefer.”
“…”
I closed the door with a smile before Vincent, still looking dazed, realized he’d been tricked.
There’s a saying passed down in the Brilloxen family: “The line between deception and strategy is paper-thin.”
Sorry for tricking you, but what else could I do?
“It’s his fault for accepting something so quickly.”
It’s always dangerous when someone offers you something for free.
***
Due to the rainy season, the knights’ outdoor training ground was closed.
As a result, the knights had to gather indoors.
The indoor training ground was smaller, so most of the knights, except a few, were busy maintaining their equipment.
“We’ve approved the expansion of the indoor training ground that you requested last year. Starting next year, all the knights should be able to use it without any issues.”
“Thank you, my lady. I was worried it wouldn’t get approved since it’s not used much, but this is a relief.”
“You’re valuable members who have sworn loyalty to our family, so this is the least we can do.”
Walking alongside with Obern, the captain of the Brilloxen knights, I took a good look at the training ground.
It was definitely small, and it felt crowded with just a few bulky knights inside.
“How is the indoor training ground being managed now? Is there a schedule, or is it by reservation?”
“Well… it’s a bit complicated.”
Obern trailed off with a troubled expression, sighing as he looked around the training ground.
I turned my head in the direction he was looking.
There were knights who couldn’t train and were instead busy maintaining their equipment.
“Because of this five-day-long rain, they haven’t been able to wield their swords in daylight.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
“Damn it! I can’t take this anymore!!”
Just as Obern was about to continue, a loud, angry shout echoed from the training ground.
