CHAPTER 50 When I came out of the department store, everyone was pointing in the same direction.
“Look over there!”
In the outdoor garden of this department store—once an art museum—stood a massive artwork.
A statue of a child holding a large golden pig… and on the pig’s head rested an ice crown.
“Why is that up there?”
The crowd flocked closer. Up close, the statue seemed even bigger; I had to crane my neck to see the top.
“I’ll get it.”
Zikren launched himself forward faster than anyone else.
He leapt from the child’s palm to its shoulder, then stretched his hand and snatched the crown off the pig’s head.
“What the hell? You went through the trouble of stealing it, only to put it on a pig’s head?”
Having come down already, Zikren flipped the ice crown over. Out fell a rolled-up piece of paper tied with string.
On the outside, it read: “To Lady Aristina.” It was unmistakably written on the genuine stationery the phantom thief always used for his notices.
“What’s this?”
I unrolled the paper. It read:
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“……”
I was at a loss for words.
“What? What does it say?”
Zikren peeked over my shoulder, then let out an angry laugh.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
He looked even more outraged by the content of the note than by the fact the phantom thief had slipped past our surveillance.
“What? What is it?”
Everyone crowded around to see. Some laughed in amusement, others shouted how cool it was.
One way or another, the phantom thief had once again stirred up interest with his fresh theatrics.
So he can’t rest easy unless he grabs attention—even if it’s like this.
I folded the note in half and snorted.
“Hair? What hair! He only managed to steal the crown but was too scared of House Rozen’s retribution to keep it. He just gave it back! And leaving a note? Does he think I’ll be frightened?”
“This isn’t something to take lightly, milady.”
Aldensis spoke gravely.
“I don’t understand how this happened. It’s one thing that my brother and I fell asleep from his trickery—but for even the traps not to activate? Unless a ghost came and went….”
“Told you.”
Zikren interjected.
“He’s no ordinary opponent. I didn’t lose him for no reason.”
“What trick did he use? To put us to sleep, then threaten us….”
Aldensis turned to me, face stiff.
“Right before his strange spell overtook me, I saw an illusion: the phantom thief holding you hostage and threatening us.”
“Me?”
“Yes. And seeing how he left that note about hair makes me all the more suspicious. Could it be… he’s discovered our contract with you?”
“No way.”
“It’s very possible. If he tries to exploit that, then we might be helpless before him.”
He stepped closer, as though about to seize my arm.
“We must make sure he never approaches you with such intentions.”
“Agreed. We need countermeasures.”
Zikren nodded.
“……”
Hmm.
I had used the Authority of Interrogation of Truth earlier, so I knew these two were far from being real suspects.
Still… if survival is my priority, I really don’t want to get too entangled with transcendents. Just a friendly distance is more than enough.
Quietly stepping back, I smiled at them.
“Ahaha. That won’t happen.”
Then I swiftly snatched the crown from Zikren’s hands and held it high toward the reporters.
“Anyway, I don’t have to shave my head now, right?”
“Congratulations!”
Had there been cameras in this world, this would have been a blinding photo-op moment.
And thus, the incident concluded.
It was the first treasure the phantom thief had stolen but, for some reason, failed to take away. Word spread like wildfire.
Our family’s famed ice crown became the Empire’s hottest topic overnight.
Not that I cared much—I had already achieved the publicity I wanted.
“Report from the merchant guild, my lady.”
When I opened the documents Benjamin’s errand boy delivered, I was stunned.
Beneath that title was an astronomical number.
I had just opened the store casually, since everything was ready—yet it had become a smash hit. No, a super smash hit.
Even after splitting with the Imperial family, the revenue was enormous. Upon checking, I found out why.
“Is this the line to enter?”
“No, sir. This is the line to wait to enter the line to enter.”
People were wrapped around the building several times.
“Welcome, valued guest! This is the Imperial Department Store. If you see anything you like, please let us know anytime.”
Freed from their tyrant of a manager, the employees now greeted customers with genuine smiles.
Meanwhile…
“Why is this layout so confusing? Who designed this?”
“Where’s the exhibition hall?”
As the bewildered crowd wandered in circles, I discreetly hid my face behind a fan.
Yes—the twisted store layout was my doing. The more people walked around, the more shops they’d pass.
Funny how I used to curse this kind of tactic when I worked part-time… yet when it came my turn, I copied it without a second thought.
Thanks to that, the crowds who came to see the ice crown ended up boosting sales, which explained those incredible numbers.
Perfect. I needed a good excuse anyway.
I summoned my maids—Sophie, Ellen, Mia, and Ferdel—who had helped with the scheme.
“Thanks to you four following my orders and creating such splendid artwork, our publicity was a huge success. The department store is thriving, and our guild will be stable for a long time.”
I looked around at them. This was an important moment.
“You all did wonderfully. As I promised, keep our secret and…”
“Of course, my lady. We swore to take it to the grave.”
They answered in unison.
“Good. Then as promised, I’ll pay you for your work.”
I opened a drawer and brought out four fat bundles of money.
“Take it. Sophie, you’ve been scraping by with your sister to pay off debts. Ellen, your mother’s been sick, and medicine isn’t cheap. Mia, your house burned down years ago, and your family scattered. And Ferdel, you want to study, but lack the funds.”
Their expressions shifted.
Scary, isn’t it? That I know all your circumstances this well? You’ll never escape my grasp.
I smiled like a hawk snaring chicks.
“You’re all quite talented. Soon, I plan to formally hire you like Father’s aides—salary negotiations and all.”
So don’t wish for me to die early, or worse, kill me yourselves. Forget the past. Let’s live long and prosper together.
I sent that silent thought their way.
“……”
The four exchanged glances. They seemed dazed, but not displeased.
“Please count on us, my lady. If it helps the guild, we’ll do anything.”
Sophie spoke with solemn resolve.
Her face had brightened in just a few days—adorably so. I had to fight to keep my lips from curling up.
“Good. Now take the money and go.”
“Yes, my lady! Thank you, thank you so much!”
They bowed several times and left.
“What is it? What happened?”
Other maids crowded them in the hallway, envious of the obvious reward even if they didn’t know why.
If you’re jealous, then hurry and step into my grasp too.
I spread my hands toward them in my heart—when suddenly, I felt eyes on me.
…?
I turned and locked gazes with someone lingering shyly in the corner.
It was Ferdel. I thought she’d left with the others, but she had stayed behind.
Gasp.
Flustered, I pretended to stretch.
“Why are you still here?”
“S-sorry. I-I just… I have something to tell you, my lady….”
She fumbled her words.
“Sophie, Mia, and Ellen all contributed, but I did nothing. Yet you gave me the same reward….”
“You helped them plenty. And they insisted you be included.”
“Yes, but I wanted to be of real help to you, so I thought of something. I mentioned it to the others, and they said it’d be best to quietly tell you alone….”
“What is it? Don’t be nervous, just say it.”
Sensing something unusual, I offered her a chair and a cushion.
“As you know, I’m in charge of the mail.”
Clutching the cushion tightly, she continued:
“All outgoing letters from the ducal house must be sealed with the family’s crest. So we first place them in the antechamber mailbox in the aides’ office. But… someone’s tampering with it.”
“What?”
“I realized it because of the New Year’s card you sent to the Crown Prince. You ordered me to spray it heavily with perfume, remember? Well, one time—just once—I forgot. When I rushed back to fix it, the letter was gone.”
Terrified, she later checked again—and there it was, back in the box. But the seal felt warm, as if freshly pressed.
“Suspicious, I checked all the letters. Three more had been resealed. And all of them… were yours, my lady.”
“You mean someone is opening only my letters, then resealing them?”
“I don’t know. I’m only telling you what I saw. Since then, I’ve just dropped letters in and left immediately—I was too scared.”
…Remarkable.
For a servant to tamper with a noblewoman’s sealed letters was unthinkable. To reseal them with my crest—unforgivable.
And the person capable of that…
Most likely our chief aide, Eunice.
If she dared tail me personally, resealing letters would be nothing to her.
But that was only suspicion.
Fine. Let’s test if it’s really Eunice.
My eyes fell on the New Business Sales Report on my desk. Perfect bait.
I pulled out paper and began writing a letter—an “official request” to someone.
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After sealing it, I handed the envelope to Ferdel.
“Put this in the aides’ mailbox as usual. Just drop it in casually.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“You did very well to tell me. Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
She left with the envelope.
Three days later—
“The Duke wishes to see you, my lady. He also wants a report on the new business.”
The moment I’d been waiting for had arrived.
“Excellent.”
I jumped to my feet.
