“A-About that.”
As Laura hesitated, Atticia’s eyes gradually narrowed.
“Don’t tell me, you….”
Seeing her expression, Laura kneeled flat on the floor.
“I apologize, Miss. Without realizing it myself, I forgot to ask about it.”
“What did you say?”
Atticia’s voice became high.
“Are you kidding me right now? What have you been doing all this time? Did you come after playing at Aachen?”
“It’s not that–”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
Still kneeling down, Laura bit her lips.
“What the hell is everyone doing? You’re all just being lazy! You’re always late whenever I ask you to run an errand, and you even went out to play? Did I say I sent you to Aachen to play?!”
Atticia bit her lips tightly.
This was all Diana’s fault.
It was only because of one person, Diana, who quit, that there was suddenly a lot of work to do.
Several people shared Diana’s leftover work, but they found it difficult. Inevitably, Laura also had to share part of the work. The hardest thing was that Atticia now had no one to relieve her irritation. After having the person she picked on disappear, she started to get annoyed with everyone.
‘Diana, just why did she quit?!’
Atticia seemed to have the same thought.
“Not a single thing has worked out since Diana quit!”
“Ah, right, Miss. I saw Diana at Aachen!”
Atticia suddenly stopped and frowned.
“What? Diana is in Aachen?”
“Yes! Yes. I’m telling you so.”
Laura nodded urgently. But Atticia’s face only became more distorted. Laura was flustered. Just why was the Miss acting like this?
“So?”
“Yes?”
“So you’re using that as an excuse? You saw Diana in Aachen, so you just came back?”
“N-no. I apologize.”
Laura kneeled flat again.
“Miss, I’ll immediately go again and—”
“Forget it!”
For a moment, the dull sound of an object being thrown was heard right next to Laura’s face. Surprised, Laura turned around and found a magazine had tumbled down.
‘Did the Miss just throw the magazine at me?’
She couldn’t believe it. She had seen the magazine thrown at Diana countless times, but it was the first time she, herself, had experienced it. Atticia shouted at Laura, who was taken aback.
“I’ll send another person! You! Go out immediately!”
Laura couldn’t talk anymore and left the room without delay.
Atticia did not even look back at Laura, and simply grumpily pulled on the line that was used for calling maids.
In no time, a maid from another floor came rushing through the hallway. The maid who saw Laura in front of the door whispered as she was short of breath.
“Laura! You just came out of Miss’ room, right? What’s the matter?”
“How would I know?!”
Laura shouted irritatedly. The surprised maid covered her ears and glared at Laura.
“If you don’t know, then you don’t. Why are you shouting?”
At that reply, Laura suddenly opened her mouth. She was a maid that was always cautious about how she was treated.
“What did you just say?”
“I asked why did you shout!”
The maid shoved Laura hard, pushing her out of the way.
“You can’t even work. A maid who only knows how to play.”
“W-What did you just say?”
“Why? Why don’t you go and tell the Miss again? Though I don’t know if she’s going to listen to you now.”
The maid snorted and entered the Miss’ room.
Clenching her hands tightly, Laura trembled in anger. But, she couldn’t open the Miss’ door and enter at her own will.
“Just wait and see… I won’t forget this.”
The Miss was only angry at her for a moment. If she wasn’t beside her, she would be called by the Miss right away.
First of all, she had to tell what she heard today. Laura hurriedly went downstairs. As soon as she reached downstairs, she ran into someone she was looking for.
“Head Maid!”
“Laura? What’s the matter?”
“I have something to tell you! It’s about Diana.”
The head maid’s face hardened.
“Follow me.”
The Head Maid walked past the empty hallway and entered a dusty room in one of the corners.
“What did you say? She received an inheritance? Diana did?”
Laura explained everything that she had experienced at the Lily of The Valley Boutique to the Head Maid.
“That’s impossible. I’m sure I organized everything.”
“At first, I also didn’t believe it, but she took out a gold coin! Also, she said with her own mouth that it was her inheritance.”
Laura bit her nails nervously.
“If it’s not from her inheritance, then from where would she suddenly get that huge amount of money?”
“That’s right.”
The Head Maid was the one who knew best about Diana’s salary.
“Then, first….”
The Head Maid opened her eyes a bit and said as if to calm herself down.
“I’ll find out what happened.”
***
Time flew by quickly. It seemed like it had only been a blink of an eye, but investigating Diana had been slow. There was also the constant problem with the maids serving Miss Atticia. A call came as Atticia sent back the maid, who was crying and clinging onto her, saying that she could no longer serve the Miss.
“Madam, did you call me?”
It was the Madam who was in the middle of welcoming a guest. The guest sitting in the drawing room was a man who they had never seen before.
‘Who is it?’
The Baroness of Bordeaux looked uncomfortable somewhere.
But, on the contrary, the man looked quite pleasant. The man was fiddling with his luxurious suit and had a stylish mustache. When he saw the Head Maid, he smiled.
“Are you the Head Maid of The Bordeaux mansion?”
“Yes. I’m the Head Maid. How may I help you?”
The man shook his head and spoke in a plain tone, as if he was only talking about the weather.
“You have been charged with embezzlement and fraud.”
“Pardon?”
The Head Maid doubted her own ears.
“What are you talking about?”
“Since I have already investigated it in advance, it is useless to deny it.”
“No, I mean, embezzlement? Fraud? If this is a joke, it is certainly not funny.”
The stern Head Maid denied instinctively.
However, a chill clawed at her from the very bottom of her toes.
“Does this sound like a joke to you?”
The man asked while opening his eyes clearly.
For a moment, she recalled an event.
‘Don’t tell me… No way! But how come it’s only being investigated now? That was years ago!’
“I don’t know.”
“If you’re denying it, then I suppose I’ll tell you.”
“What are you talking—”
“Do you admit that you siphoned off April’s fortune? The very April who worked at the Bordeaux mansion as a tutor?”
The Head Maid urgently looked at the Madam.
“Madam! What kind of situation is this right now….!”
But the Madam’s expression was firm. No, rather she was even glaring at her. For a moment, the Head Maid, who was suffocated, puffed up.
“Do you admit it?”
“…Who- Who the hell set up such ridiculous false charges?”
The Head Maid’s voice became fierce.
What kind of stupid bastard was fighting a Baron over an orphan girl?
Yeah! It was true that she siphoned off April’s fortune.
However, the Baroness of Bordeaux caught her when she was stealing it.
But, funny enough, the Baroness of Bordeaux didn’t tell her to return the inheritance to Diana. Rather, instead of just turning a blind eye to it, she even demanded to get a part of the inheritance. The Head Maid was forced to hand over 70% to the Baroness of Bordeaux.
When she had to pass it over, she was sad, but she believed in one thing.
That the Baroness and herself were now on the same boat. If the Head Maid was dragged away, the Baroness could not avoid responsibility, too. When the Baroness became her backing, the Head Maid became more confident.
The Baroness of Bordeaux kept Diana in the mansion just in case she would talk nonsense. And when no one was looking, she finally kicked her out. But as soon as she kicked her out, this happened!
“Who accused me of doing such things?”
Don’t tell me, it’s Diana?
However, at the Head Maid’s question, a voice answered back as if it was laughable.
“If you knew that information, then what would you do with it?”
“….”
“Are you going to contract someone to kill the person?”
“Yes? W-what kind of—”
“It was a joke.”
“….”
The man laughed like he was having fun.
But the Head Maid, and the Baroness, didn’t feel like laughing at all.
“You don’t have to be curious or upset, because the accusation came from someone that you can’t even dare to imagine.”
The man gulped down the lukewarm tea water. Hm, it’s cheap.
At a noble mansion, the tea would never be of low price because it would be served to guests. But, to a person who worked under the archipelago–no, the continent’s richest man, it was nothing but a cheap cup of tea.
That was the truth. Baron’s Head Maid was somewhat…. Even if this was a Baron household, they were dealing with Ohrid, who could crush Barons with a single finger.
It was absurd that Count Ohrid’s professional lawyer, himself visited this smelly country estate.
At first, he tried to get people to handle it roughly. However—
[As expected, they siphoned off the inheritance.]
[It seems like the Baroness is her backing.]
It was the Little Young Master, who had vanished from his official seat for several days, who ordered him to do so. Numerous rumors had poured over the head of Ohrid’s heir.
However, the Little Young Master, who ordered the investigation, was calm as if he did not care about the rumors. Even indifferent to the report of the girl’s miserable past that he received.
[First, focus on handling the maid and tracking down the inheritance. I’ll leave the Baroness alone for now.]
And, that Young Master gave the orders ‘personally’.
[You have to do it perfectly.]
Perfect. He used the word ‘perfect’. It meant that if he made a mistake, it wasn’t the Head Maid or the Baron of this countryside’s head who would fly away, but rather his own.
Nevertheless, it was strange.
An Ohrid and a single mother who just died. And he’s interested in the legacy of an ordinary orphan girl?
The inheritance was insignificant compared to any property of the Ohrids. Of course, it was a little too much for a single mother who was a commoner. But, it would be nothing but dust if compared to Ohrid.
It was unpleasant as he may know or not know about something. But whatever the Young Master’s purpose, it had nothing to do with him. He only needed to carry out what he was told to do.