IPMPBB 16

Chapter 16

“It’s a really bad habit to accuse people based on mere assumptions.”

I said this while looking straight at Ginata and Zachary.

The siblings looked slightly tense.

“I never tattled on you two to the Marquis or the Young Marquis, and I have no reason to hear this kind of talk from you.”

I continued speaking to the siblings.

“I’ll give you one last chance to apologize. If you sincerely apologize, I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“Uh? Uh… I’m sorry……”

“Zachary, shut up!”

Zachary, cowed by my presence, was about to apologize when Ginata smacked the back of his head to stop him.

“If you apologize, you lose!”

Apologizing means losing? What is he, a child?

“Well then, I guess there’s no helping it.”

I shook my head inwardly and looked the siblings in the eye.

“What, are you going to hit me again like last time or something?”

Zachary asked provocatively.

To be honest, I did want to beat him up and reestablish the hierarchy.

But that was impossible. The Marquis of Elvington’s murderous gaze was fixed on me.

Besides, Elia already had a reputation as a delinquent.

So, there wasn’t much I could do.

But that didn’t mean I didn’t have a good hand to play.

“Zachary.”

“…What?”

“You invited your friends to your room for gambling, didn’t you?”

Zachary’s eyes widened in shock.

“How disappointed the Marquis must be… He cherished you two enough to let you call him father, even though he’s merely your guardian, and yet—what a blow, to find out you’re worse than the delinquent daughter, a gambling addict.”

Zachary’s face turned pale.

“Y-you, how did you know that……?”

“Idiot, don’t admit it!”

Ginata smacked Zachary again.

But it was too late—Zachary had already admitted everything.

“Curious how I found out?”

The way I found out he was gambling in his room was surprisingly simple.

“You should’ve cleaned up better. Why would you throw out the cards with spilled liquor all over them?”

“You, you… You went through my trash?!”

Zachary’s face contorted with horror.

I just smiled.

After transmigrating here, I snuck around the mansion at night to investigate. After all, information is power in this world.

In the process, yes—I did something a bit unusual. But I wasn’t breaking the law, so there was no reason to feel ashamed.

“You really are crazy. I knew you were nuts, but wow, you’re insane!”

Apparently, Zachary didn’t see it that way.

“What kind of noble goes digging through garbage?”

“…It wasn’t garbage per se. Just a pile of junk the maids hadn’t cleared away yet.”

Don’t get the wrong idea.

Zachary’s horrified expression made me feel a little awkward, so I added a quick explanation.

Someone might think I was rooting through sewage or something.

Although, if it meant surviving in this world, I’d do worse.

“Next, Ginata.”

“W-what about me?”

Ginata stiffened up—classic guilty reaction.

‘As expected.’

I smiled to myself.

I also knew Ginata’s secret.

“You’ve been exchanging love letters with a man outside the family, haven’t you?”

Ginata’s face turned pale. But unlike Zachary, she didn’t give herself up so easily.

“I’ve never done such a thing.”

She denied it flatly.

“And even if I did, what’s the big deal? Since when is exchanging love letters illegal?”

‘Oh, coming out swinging, huh?’

I didn’t panic. Ginata was already in the palm of my hand.

“True, exchanging letters isn’t illegal.”

I smiled.

“But exchanging them with someone who’s already engaged? That’s a different story, don’t you think?”

Now her face turned bluish.

“Y-you… How did you… Hmph!”

Ginata had inadvertently confirmed her guilt before clamming up.

“Easy.”

“You dug through my trash too, didn’t you?”

“Yup.”

“You really are insane!”

Ginata looked utterly disgusted.

Hey, I said it was just a pile of junk the maids left out!

“If you’re going to write risky letters, at least clean up properly afterward.”

At any rate, I had successfully taught Ginata a lesson too.

When doing something sketchy, cover your tracks.

“I wonder how disappointed the Marquis will be when he hears about your little affair.”

Ginata bit her lip.

She clenched her fists and trembled with anger—desperate to lash out at me.

But unlike before, she didn’t start a fight.

‘So, they can at least do basic cost-benefit analysis.’

“If you don’t want to disappoint the Marquis, you’d better not treat me this way again.”

I gave a firm warning.

“Because I know more about you two than just this.”

This way, they’d be too afraid to touch me.

They wouldn’t dare make a move unless they figured out what I knew.

“Well then, I’m off. I’m exhausted after working all day.”

I patted Ginata on the shoulder.

Honestly, after meeting with Count Gonnir, visiting the black market, and persuading Countess Spencer, I was beat.

I patted Zachary’s shoulder as well and walked away.

“My lady, that was amazing!”

As soon as I returned to my room, Mary—who’d followed me in—cheered.

“It felt like ten years of frustration just disappeared!”

Mary clasped her hands together and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Oh, it wasn’t a big deal.”

I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit shy.

“Not a big deal? That was incredible!”

Mary continued gushing about my performance for a while.

“Ah, I got too excited. Let me prepare your bath, my lady.”

She scurried around like a squirrel, filling the tub attached to my room.

I took off my uniform and handed it to her, then slipped into the foamy water.

Warmth spread throughout my body, relaxing every muscle.

“Really, today wasn’t bad at all. Right?”

I asked myself as I soaked, and eventually drifted off to sleep, filled with new confidence that I could handle whatever came next.

The next day, I woke up early and refreshed.

The servants and attendants hadn’t even stirred yet—it was still dawn.

“I’d feel bad waking Mary. I’ll just get ready myself.”

Not that there was much to do—Mary had already laid out my uniform last night.

Even after I got dressed, the mansion was still asleep.

“Hmm, I’ve got time to kill.”

Too early to go back to bed, so I decided to take a walk.

The destination: Elvington Manor’s garden. It couldn’t hurt to explore it thoroughly, after all.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

The garden was massive and stunning. I kept walking, but hedges and bushes kept coming.

Then I turned a corner around one of the topiary sculptures and saw him.

“Hm?”

I froze at the sight of a familiar figure in the distance.

Red hair, tall build… That’s Carlos, isn’t it?

He stood alone in the garden, resting his hand on the hilt of his training sword, staring blankly into space.

He was far enough away that he hadn’t noticed me.

Did he come to greet me again today?

‘What should I do?’

Should I say hi, or slip away quietly?

As I was debating, Carlos noticed my presence and turned sharply in my direction.

“Who’s there… Captain?”

Carlos approached me.

He was so tall, I had to look up at him.

“Did you just wake up, or… did you not sleep at all?”

“…? Of course I just woke up.”

I tilted my head, not understanding the question.

Carlos’s expression turned complex.

“I’m surprised to see you up so early. Didn’t expect you to become such a diligent person.”

So that’s what this is about?

He thought I was up all night partying?

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, covering my mouth.

“Sir Ivach, come on. I’m not a child—I sleep at night, okay?”

I barely held in my laughter and looked up—only to meet Carlos’s stunned eyes.

He stared at me like he was mesmerized.

“…What’s wrong?”

I cleared my throat, wondering if I’d done something wrong again.

“It’s nothing,” he said quickly, turning his head away.

His earlobes had turned slightly red.

Weird. It’s still winter—he can’t be overheating.