Chapter 8
“Madam!”
“Are you alright?!”
As soon as she screamed, the voices of the butler and the head maid rang out from outside.
I had been clutching my head, but I quickly fixed my messy hair and pretended nothing had happened.
“What is it?”
“We heard a scream from this room!”
“Has something happened to you?”
“You must have imagined it. I didn’t make any noise.”
“But we clearly heard—”
“I said nothing happened.”
I widened my eyes to emphasize that I was fine.
They looked at me in confusion and asked several times to confirm my safety.
“Was there an intruder?”
“No.”
“Then where are the maids who were with you? They were here before I left.”
“I sent them on errands. I told Mary to bring ink and parchment, and Rose to bring refreshments.”
“…I see. That’s a relief.”
“I’m fine, so you may leave.”
“But—”
“Yes. We’ll take our leave. Please rest well, Madam.”
Sebastian tried to say something more, but Sophia pulled his arm and stepped back.
Click.
The door closed.
Alone, I threw the ledger onto the floor and grabbed my hair.
“Ah. This is insane.”
They say even if a rich family falls, their wealth lasts three generations.
Then why is this place on the verge of collapse?
The moment I saw the ledger, my head began to throb.
Every page I turned was filled with negative numbers.
There was income, yes.
But losses were everywhere.
In short, the House of Hetis was drowning in debt.
“How on earth did they manage the accounts?!”
The South, known as a land of abundance and prosperity!
The South, where banquets were held year-round because grain overflowed!
The South, which earned enormous income from tourism!
“So why is it like this?!”
If not for Cassian, I would have demanded an annulment for fraudulent marriage on the spot.
“Alright. Let’s think step by step.”
After transmigrating into Evelyn’s body, information about the South had entered my mind.
In my memories, the South was wealthy enough to sustain a luxurious lifestyle.
But the House of Hetis?
“It could collapse at any moment.”
Like a sandcastle facing a tidal wave.
Outwardly, they projected an image of overflowing wealth.
But in reality—
“They could go bankrupt. They might even lose their title.”
I needed a solution, fast.
I took several deep breaths to calm myself.
Once I felt steadier, I picked up the ledger from the floor.
“Let’s check again. Maybe I missed something.”
I needed to analyze where the money was going and why such massive losses were happening.
I recalled my days as an intern before getting hit by that truck and tried to review the accounts carefully.
“Did the butler and the head maid embezzle funds?”
At first glance, nothing seemed strange.
Except for the large number of habitual tax delinquents and the excessive maintenance costs of the estate.
“If you think differently, it means money could be siphoned from essential supplies.”
Inflate costs.
Take a cut in the middle.
If someone did that, the current situation made sense.
“They did look close earlier.”
Did they join forces to deceive Cassian?
It was entirely possible.
All the servants were under their control.
“In romance fantasy novels, it’s common for butlers or head maids to embezzle family wealth.”
Yes. If they were corrupt, they could siphon off the ducal funds for personal gain.
It was only suspicion, but considering how the butler had resisted giving me the ledger, it was a reasonable one.
And Head Maid Sophia only received reports about my daily life through Mary and Rose.
She avoided meeting me directly unless necessary.
She must have been afraid I would uncover the truth.
“How dare they take advantage of my innocent husband!”
Cassian was already working so hard!
How much did those two steal?!
“How should I deal with them?”
Should I publicly reprimand them?
No. I needed evidence first.
And most of the servants were probably on their side.
As furious as I was, stopping unnecessary expenses came first.
Punishing them could wait.
“What expenses can we cut immediately?”
I sharpened my focus and scanned the ledger again.
Then something caught my eye.
“Oh. Today’s the day.”
It was the day for food supply transactions.
***
“Haha! How much is this?”
“Three thousand gold!”
“So the rumors were true. The House of Hetis really spends big.”
Loud laughter filled a shabby tavern that had been rented out entirely.
Several local lords clinked glasses and stared at a chest filled with gold coins.
“We should’ve done this sooner. Inflating ingredient prices is so profitable!”
“At first I was nervous we’d get caught, but now I just think about how to make it look more convincing!”
They were the lords who supplied food to the House of Hetis.
More accurately, they were corrupt landlords who exploited farmers and delivered low-quality ingredients to the ducal estate.
“By the way, why is Viscount Ribelt late?”
“He’s in charge of the ingredients today. Probably busy preparing.”
“But the transaction time is soon. We’ll miss out on good money.”
They were taking turns supplying goods, so they waited for Viscount Ribelt.
As they prepared to profit again—
“Ugh!”
“Viscount Ribelt?!”
The tavern door burst open, and Ribelt rolled across the floor.
“What happened?!”
“Were you attacked?”
“The ingredients! Where are the ingredients?!”
He looked terrible.
His face was bruised, as if he had been beaten badly.
And he smelled awful, like he had rolled through fertilizer.
They wanted to recoil from the stench, but they needed to know about the goods.
Just as they waited anxiously—
“So this is where everyone is.”
An unexpected figure appeared.
The iron sword of the Empire.
The favorite son of prosperity.
The heir of a noble house tied to the imperial family.
The master of the South.
Duke Cassian of Hetis.
“W-Why are you here?!”
The lords froze in terror.
The air in the tavern turned cold.
Why is the duke here?!
This can’t be happening.
They still had more money to make!
No—just a few more times and they planned to quit!
Why now?!
Had they been caught?
They had used fake fronts and borrowed names to avoid suspicion.
Each time, it looked like a different merchant group was supplying goods.
They even laundered the payments through layers of accounts to avoid taxes.
So how were they discovered?
Questions flooded their minds.
But they didn’t get the chance to ask.
They weren’t even sure they would survive.
Run.
That was the only thought.
Exchanging glances, they abandoned Ribelt and tried to flee.
“Ugh!”
It was pointless.
Soldiers of the House of Hetis had already surrounded the tavern.
The lords backed away, retreating inside.
Should they escape through a secret passage?
They looked at the tavern owner—
“P-Please spare me!”
But soldiers had already placed a blade against his throat.
There would be no escape.
Cassian drove them into a corner like trapped rats.
Once they were gathered together, he twisted his lips into a faint smile.
“The rat hunt is over. Let’s begin the interrogation.”
Bang.
The tavern doors slammed shut.
Not long after, blood-curdling screams echoed out.
“Aaaagh!”
The punishment for their shameless corruption had begun.
