Chapter 14
Marsha and Paul were sweating, their minds racing for a way out.
But there was no escape.
Because I won’t allow it.
I flipped my notebook and added pressure with a smile.
“You two know better than me how much the Duke hates those who overstep their place.”
Marsha and Paul exchanged looks.
They weren’t fools like Moretti. They quickly dropped to their knees and begged.
“Please spare us, Madam! Our worthless lives are in your hands!”
“We’ve managed this villa for over six years! We’ll be much more useful alive!”
Marsha even wept, rubbing her hands together.
Paul slammed his forehead against the floor in desperation—
the same man who, moments ago, had glared at me with murderous intent.
Leaving people like this alive would be like ignoring a cancer you know is there.
And I had no intention of such foolishness.
Just then—timed as if on cue—the door burst open.
The newcomers’ faces were familiar.
Marsha and Paul recognized them instantly.
“Wh-why is Deputy Steward Basten here…?!”
“Did you already tell the Duke?!”
“You said you hadn’t told him yet!!!”
“Were you playing us?!”
The last hope in their eyes turned into despair.
I smiled brightly.
“I never said I didn’t tell the Duke. But I also never said I didn’t tell the Steward.”
Aside from Deputy Steward Basten, the men who entered were senior staff under Steward Baron Romond.
Basten and the Steward’s upper servants.
They were the Duke’s hands for dirty work.
They had been the ones to drag Moretti away.
Most likely, Basten himself oversaw interrogations and torture.
He looked the part, too—his scarred lips and eyes radiated menace.
Expressionless, he approached me and dipped his head once.
“The Steward sent me. He said the Little Madam uncovered termites gnawing at the Cohen estate’s pillars.”
“That’s right. Here, take this.”
I handed him the notebook listing all those involved in the embezzlement.
Marsha and Paul’s faces went deathly pale.
“N-no! Not me! I didn’t do it!”
“She’s lying! It’s all her fault, not mine!”
They screamed while being restrained by servants.
I ignored them and told Basten calmly:
“The related evidence is already with the Steward. Just take away everyone on this list.”
“The Steward sends his thanks.”
Yes—once again, I gave the credit to the Steward.
Catching petty villa thieves wasn’t the kind of achievement that mattered to the Duke.
To him, servants in a villa were nothing more than ants beneath his feet.
But among the staff, it was different.
If I had reported directly to the Duke, the Steward would’ve been blamed for failing to control his men.
But if the Steward himself “discovered” and reported it, it became his accomplishment.
And I arranged it that way.
After reading the list, Basten muttered coldly:
“This villa will be empty.”
That was how widespread the corruption was.
A third of the villa’s staff were involved. And they weren’t just anyone—they were senior employees in key positions.
But my true goal wasn’t to gain the Steward’s favor.
It was to punch a huge hole in the villa’s manpower.
Hiring replacements would take time. Finding trustworthy ones would take even longer.
Naturally, Edmund’s surveillance would loosen.
Perfect. This will make his escape much easier in a few months.
I watched the embezzlers being dragged away, screaming.
I kept a soft smile.
Goodbye. Thanks for giving me the excuse to replace you all.
They were thieves and abusers of a child.
There was no room for pity.
A week later—
After the chaos of a third of the villa’s staff being hauled away, Edmund stared blankly at what was laid before him.
“….”
A new maid asked nervously:
“D-does it not please you, Young Lord?”
What she had brought was a set of new clothes and shoes just for him.
A clean linen shirt, trousers and a coat embroidered with simple but neat patterns, and polished shoes without a speck on them.
By his noble status, they weren’t truly the finest quality.
But to me, they feel more than enough.
That was the scar left by six years of neglect.
He had only ever been given one new set of clothes—about a year ago, grudgingly.
And even then, the fabric and finish were cheaper than a servant’s.
As he grew, the clothes had been patched again and again.
The same with shoes.
So Edmund had been left to wear ragged, ill-fitting clothing all this time.
And yet just removing the embezzlers has changed things this much…
It was hard to believe.
The maid’s worried voice pulled him back.
“Young Lord…? Is something wrong?”
“No. Leave.”
Relieved, she fled the room.
Since that incident, much had changed.
Most of the people who had led the abuse and neglect were gone.
Those who had treated Edmund with contempt followed them out.
The few left kept their heads down in fear.
The new hires didn’t know the old atmosphere.
And so, Edmund’s treatment changed dramatically.
“You’ll get to vent your anger on the traitors. And regain at least part of your rights.”
Just as Cassia had promised.
And there was another benefit.
The eyes watching him everywhere were mostly gone.
He could move much more freely now.
Finding the family’s signet ring will be easier too.
Unconsciously, he murmured:
“…Can I… really trust her?”
He pictured the smiling girl with chestnut-brown hair and green eyes.
The girl he had told himself, over and over, he must never trust.
But now, he couldn’t deny it so easily.
The clean, perfectly fitting clothes before him sealed his lips.
They were proof of her kindness.
“….”
After standing dazed for a moment, Edmund shook his head.
Then he carefully began dressing in the new outfit.
The crisp, tailored fabric felt awkward and unfamiliar—
like the unfamiliar kindness of the girl who had given it to him.
Later, wearing his new clothes and shoes, Edmund ran into the one person he least wanted to meet.
“Ah, Edmund!”
“…!”
Cassia, walking toward him, waved cheerfully.
For some reason, heat flooded his face.
It felt like being caught doing something shameful.
He glanced around in panic.
She shouldn’t be greeting me openly like this!
But the halls were empty.
So many staff had been removed that there were few people around.
No excuse to avoid her.
Cassia walked up with a bright smile and whispered cheerfully:
“Those are new clothes, right? They look great!”
“Th-that’s…”
Normally, Edmund would have snapped back: So what, are you showing off now?
But somehow, the words wouldn’t come.
And then—
“!”
Cassia suddenly leaned close.
So close her breath brushed his face.
Her pale pink lips filled his vision.
Edmund’s heart nearly burst from his chest.
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
The pounding in his head drowned out everything else.
For 13 years and 9 months of his life, this was the most flustered he had ever been.
