The Viscount, caught by the guards, was dragged out of the office.
His tearing-out movements made me focus on reality.
“No! You can’t do this! Aww!”
He stomped his feet in displeasure, anyone overseeing would know that it was Viscount who was deceived.
As someone old enough to die, the Viscount was pathetic. One of the knights had not yet left the office, he stood facing me with his subordinates.
He was a handsome middle-aged man with a thick beard, about the same age as Dolores, in his forties.
The knight greeted, “The introduction is late, Madam. This is the knight Hubert.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Charlotte D. Arista.”
“May the Marquis rest in peace.”
I nodded in response.
Hubert continued, “It must have been difficult for you, but even the scammer must have suffered a lot.”
“Thank you for your concern. But this much is tolerable.”
His behavior was sincere. That’s right, how many storms have I gone through while raising Bliss over this year? (EN: She is talking about the first year after her husband’s death.)
I smiled lightly and glanced behind me.
“Miss Dolores has suffered more than me.”
Dolores stepped forward and reached out to Hubert.
“Nice to meet you. I am a lawyer in charge of the execution of the deceased Marquis’ will.”
Hubert gladly shook hands with Dolores.
“I’m Hubert. Only two minutes, if that’s okay, do you mind taking the reference survey? It is necessary to send the criminal we just arrested to prison.”
I nodded happily, but it was Dolores’ consent that mattered here.
“Before that, there is something you should know.”
Suddenly, Dolores made eye contact with me, looking sullen as usual.
“Madam. I will respectfully decline the 100 million gold you offered.”
Whoops! The amount of 100 million gold made Hubert take a deep breath.
Of course, he was surprised.
100 million gold was not a light amount for a lawyer of the former Marquis of Arista.
That said, the currency of the Empire is divided into copper, silver, and gold; 100 million gold is about 1 billion dollars.
It’s not that I’m ignoring Dolores, but when would an ordinary person touch a billion dollars in her life?
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of any reason for her to refuse the huge sum of money.
‘I’m sure 100 million gold isn’t a rejection because it’s a small amount of money… Am I not to her liking?’ ,Charlotte thought curiously.
It was difficult.
Because I needed her for all that I was going through!
‘It’s a big deal. I can’t think of any reliable lawyer other than Dolores.’
But my worries didn’t last long. Didn’t anyone tell you that one must listen to the end to know the result? (EN: Probably a saying giving the moral: outcomes may change midway through a process)
Finally, Dolores spoke again.
“But I will accept the offer to become an exclusive lawyer for the Arista family.”
Argh! I was so happy that I screamed and even hugged her.
“Miss Dolores! Thanks! Thank you very much!”
For a moment, I felt Dolores stiffen in my arms. But she didn’t push me away or yell at me to get away at that moment.
I hugged Dolores tighter, seeing her in a new light.
She patted my shoulder with a small sigh, and spoke with a weak voice,
“You have yet to come to rejoice.”
I let Dolores go. And clenched my fists, feeling reassured.
“I can’t! Don’t worry, Dolores! Our road ahead will be a solid road!”
Suddenly, a painful moan escaped the knight Hubert’s mouth.
Without realizing it, my eyes narrowed.
“What are you doing, Hubert?”
“I’m sorry, Madam. I think it would be difficult to accept Dolores’ testimony as evidence.”
“Why?”
“Even if you turned down the 100 million gold case, didn’t Dolores just decide to become a lawyer for the Marquis of Arista?”
“So, the testimony of Miss Dolores has lost its objectivity and is difficult to trust.”
“Besides, even for a brief moment, the relationship between the wife and the viscount, who was taken away, did not seem to be good.”
But I didn’t worry about not being able to put the Viscount in prison.
“It’s okay. The evidence that the Viscount is a gambler is not the only witness, Miss Dolores.”
Dolores’s eyes widened at my leisurely smile, and Hubert’s ears perked up.
“Are there any other witnesses?”
“No. There is something more certain than that.”
Before I met Dolores, I had moved ‘it’ to the office earlier. I handed the object to Hubert.
Hubert, who received a thick notebook wrapped in a leather cover, froze, and checked the contents.
“This…It is the notebook of the deceased Marquis Arista.”
“Yes. Moreover, there is evidence that the Viscount was a gambler in the notebook, as well as the location of the illegal gambling establishment.”
Hubert couldn’t help but sweep down the dungeon with his hand (EN: A Salute) with the vacant hand.
“This will be an opportunity to catch not only Viscount, but also all the gamblers and traders who are going to and from illegal gambling houses!”
I was about to shrug my shoulders without realizing it, but put up with it after looking at Hubert’s expression.
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He was busy looking into my eyes.
“But Madam are you really okay? If you present this notebook to the office, it will be known to the world that your deceased husband was a gambler.”
I smiled and took back the notebook from Hubert’s hand and lied without blinking an eye.
“Actually, it’s not okay. No matter how bad the Arista family’s reputation is, gambling is a felony forbidden by the imperial family.”
Gulp.
Hubert swallowed his saliva loudly, causing the chorus to shake.
He felt a heartfelt passion for the notebook.
‘If you have the information in this notebook, you will be able to clear out illegal casinos temporarily. Besides, if the case is this big, promotion is a no-brainer.’
I smiled leisurely and handed the notebook back to Hubert.
“So, would you like to reserve an appointment with the commander of the Order of the Marquis of Arista, the higher rank of the guard?”
Hubert, who could hardly take his eyes off the notebook, quickly picked it up.
“Of course! By the way, do you know what the purpose of seeing the Commander is?”
Instead of answering, I smiled meaningfully and also instructed Dolores.
“Dolores. As an attorney for the Marquis of Arista, please meet with the Knights Commander and negotiate a fine. I hope that the fine the Marquis of Arista has to pay should be reduced as much as the importance of the notebook.”
Although the dead Marquis Arista will not be taken to prison, if this continues, the Marquis estate will have to pay a fairly large fine.
I had just inherited a legacy and I didn’t want it.
Fortunately, Dolores lived up to my expectations.
Two days later, she came to me with a fine of ‘0 gold’.
***
A Weekday morning.
I greeted Dolores at the tea table in the garden.
I can’t help but be grateful for the good news.
“Awesome, Dolores! You are reducing the fine I have to pay to 0 gold!”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“Fufu. Miss Dolores is really humble .”
I smiled softly and pushed a three-tier tray of finger foods, including sandwiches and madeleines, towards her.
During the two days that Dolores negotiated with the Knights Commander, Charlotte was able to have a plausible tea time with Dolores, unlike before, when they went to the bank in her past life to withdraw the money from the deceased marquis’s account, to pay the scammers.
‘I also prepared a new black dress.’
I no longer wore mourning clothes that were likely to pop a hole in them at any moment.
I didn’t have enough time to customize the dress, leaving me no choice but to mend the old clothes from my dresser.
‘Nevertheless, compared to my previous attire, this is nothing short of a princess’ dress. Above all else, I am running in the race properly.’
If you are a lady, you must wear a dress with elaborate lace, frills, and ribbons; no matter how painful.
Because this splendid façade tells the world, ‘I am an aristocrat, the top 1% of the Empire’s population.’
“Do you like black tea? I know Miss Dolores likes herbal tea, but this tea is specially imported from the East…”
“I have to tell you something.”
Dolores cut my words out of nowhere, making me raise my right eyebrow.
I blinked my eyes at her innocent expression.
I was afraid that Dolores would never again become a lawyer for the Arista family.
Fortunately, my worries were unfounded.
Dolores bluntly suggested,
“Call me Dolores from now on.”
“Huh…Why so suddenly?”
“What did you mean ‘suddenly’?”
Dolores’ eyes flashed.
“Coming out of the way, where is the Madam who speaks respectfully to her employees? Besides, even if it were me, did you use respectful words even to one of the guards the day before? Will you make me work in a household that does not even have basic manners?!”
I wanted to,
It is something that I cannot understand at all since I have the memory of the 21st century Earth, I also remembered that there is no gender discrimination in this world, but class discrimination appears to be the trend here.
Because of this, middle-class people like Dolores take pride in the reputation of the aristocrats they serve.
Without realizing it, my mouth was wide open.
“So, Dolores, you really have decided to be mine. If Dolores had decided to treat me only like an employer, you would not have pointed out my mistake.”
Come to think of it, I don’t know why I didn’t realize it earlier.
‘Dolores’ ears are red!’
Perhaps embarrassed, Dolores swallowed her words for a moment, then tried to voice her characteristic bluntness.
“I just didn’t miss a good opportunity.”
“Um, come to think of it, lawyers, accountants, and clerks employed by noble families often pass down their profession from generation to generation, rarely changing.”
I nodded indifferently.
However, Dolores’ expression looking at me is a bit strange.
I tilted my head slightly.
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“Is there anything else you would like to say?”
Dolores, who had been touching the handle of the teacup for a moment, spoke with difficulty.
“The day before, why did you send me 100 million gold? I already said that I decline the exorbitant fee.”
-To be continue
Translator: Byoun
Editor: Ersted