HSYR 17

Chapter 17

Jo wasn’t just a kid who talked big.

The next morning, he arrived at the Ishpern County Castle with a group of workers.

Jo spoke politely.

“Most of them are temporary workers. They may not be to your liking, Madam, but the count’s household is short-handed at the moment. We’ll observe them over time, select the ones who are skilled, and hire them properly.”

Helena answered with dignity.

“Leave it to the steward.”

Benjamin did not witness any of this.

The night before, as if staging a protest, he had dragged over a dresser, placed it beside the bed, then walked out of the bedroom and never returned. Before the sun even rose, he left the castle.

Clearly, he was quite upset about the bathroom incident the previous night.

Good. Him not being here makes life so much easier.

Helena cursed Benjamin inwardly.

May you fall flat on your face and break your nose and then fall backward and crack your skull.

The Ishpern estate without Benjamin belonged entirely to Helena.

Pointing toward the whole castle, she spoke to the workers.

“Well then, I don’t think I need to tell you what needs to be done, do I?”

Seeing the castle, which was little better than ruins, the workers were fired up.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Jo led them up to the highest floor of the castle. Helena followed, taking the opportunity to look around.

While she paused to catch her breath after climbing the stairs, Jo divided the workers into groups.

“We’ll clean one floor at a time from top to bottom. We’ll split the areas, but fetching water for the cleaning will be done in rotation.”

Even the workers were motivated, but Jo in particular burned with visible passion.

He held up a rusty juniper-branch-shaped silver candlestick and declared before the workers:

“As you all know, this castle is the residence of the Lord of Burwood, the Count of Ishpern. Though it’s covered in dust now, its beauty, its history, its tradition…! Let’s make them shine again!”

Jo Wilton.

An orphan, he had been adopted by Curt Wilton, the former steward of the Ishpern family, because of his intelligence. He resembled Curt so much in personality that even a biological son couldn’t have been more similar.

Jo loved old, beautiful things. And his hobby was cleaning.

“Let’s make this castle beautiful enough to suit our lovely Madam and the Count!”

Leaving the excited Jo to polish the rusty candlestick, Helena wandered alone down the dusty corridor.

There, she discovered the stairs leading up to the watchtower and climbed them.

Once she passed the dizzyingly steep steps and reached the tall tower, the wide-open landscape of Burwood stretched before her.

“Wow…”

She panted but smiled in satisfaction.

“It was worth the climb.”

Under the clear morning sky, the vast land of Burwood stretched endlessly.

The hill where the castle stood was blanketed with reeds, and sunlight shimmered over them, turning them into an indescribably brilliant gold.

Helena gasped.

Before her eyes, golden waves rippled across the sea of reeds. It was the wind.

So wind is something you can see.

At that moment, a beautiful bird’s song reached her ears.

Overcome with emotion for no logical reason, she gazed at the distant horizon.

The blue sky and the green earth—two worlds that could never touch—merged into a single line in the far distance.

Standing before such vastness, Helena felt her agitation settle, replaced by a rising sense of awe.

Under the boundless sky, the land of Burwood spread out, mostly flat plains and gentle hills.

The greenery and forests were still lush, and the farmland glowed golden with harvest season.

The fields were neatly divided, and clusters of homes looked like little mushroom colonies.

There was no large city in sight, but small villages were scattered evenly, giving the land a charming feel.

And the drifting shadows of clouds over that picturesque scenery—what could be more beautiful?

A good domain indeed.

Just then, Helena’s satisfied smile vanished.

…The problem is the Count.

She turned her gaze back toward the castle.

The Ishpern Castle, perched on the hill, was divided into two main sections: the main castle and the annex.

The largest building was the main castle where she currently stood, and it was surrounded by towers that served both defensive functions and housing for the staff.

To the right of the main castle was a building for the knights and soldiers, but it too had fallen into disrepair and looked desolate.

Behind the knights’ building stood tall, ancient trees. Peeking through them, the tip of a roof was just visible—likely the annex.

Counting the buildings with her eyes, Helena muttered to herself:

“Even cleaning alone will take at least a month.”

After roughly memorizing the castle’s structure, she climbed down from the tower.

The main castle had four such pointed towers sticking up from the roof, and excluding them, the castle itself had five floors.

The 5th and 4th floors held guest rooms with good views and a long-unused banquet hall. Fortunately, the furniture had been covered and the doors shut properly, so those floors were relatively clean.

While the workers cleaned the tower and the 5th floor, Helena toured the castle with Jo.

The 3rd floor had more lavish rooms, reception halls, exhibition rooms, and a small ballroom—but unfortunately, from here on, signs of the fire were evident. Soot clung to the walls and windows, and pale dust covered everything.

Jo looked sorrowfully at the damaged paintings in the open exhibition hall and corridors.

“What a waste. These look like valuable works…”

“It’ll be worse downstairs. On the 1st and 2nd floors, most things will probably have to be burned.”

Helena tried to open every room to inspect the inside, but several doors were locked.

“These rooms are locked.”

On the 3rd floor, any room that seemed even slightly important was locked.

At first she was confused, but then she realized it might be a blessing—locked rooms were probably less damaged.

“We’ll have to find the keys.”

“If I find them, I’ll bring them to you, Madam.”

They descended to the truly dreadful 2nd floor.

Helena was currently staying on this floor, but the only room that had been cleaned at all was Benjamin’s bedroom—the one she was using.

It seemed the existing staff had only cleaned areas Benjamin used.

Everything else was in horrible condition.

“We’ll have to roll up all the carpets and throw them out. The curtains too.”

“Understood.”

Helena swung open the doors of rooms that looked like ghosts should be living inside them.

Jo followed behind her, checking the condition of large furniture and valuables.

The 2nd floor appeared to have been used by the former Ishpern family. There were four large, ornate rooms with reception areas and adjoining baths, and in the center, a library.

After seeing them all, Helena said flatly:

“Just as expected—ruined.”

The furniture had warped and cracked from humidity, silk wallpaper was covered in mold, and not just the walls but curtains, fabrics, and even leather were rotten. Metal decorations and handles were all rusted or discolored beyond recognition.

Covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief, Helena noticed that the largest room was locked.

The entrance had armor decorations and elaborate carvings—likely the room of the former Count.

The locked rooms couldn’t be checked, but everything else was a disaster.

The library was especially horrific.

Seeing the mold-devoured books, Jo looked like his world was ending.

“Oh no, these precious books—! Ah, this is the Chronicles of the Cordia Empire! And this—Michel’s Book of Prophecies! There are only a few copies in the entire Empire…!”

To Helena, who had no interest in books, they were nothing but revolting lumps of mold.

She said indifferently:

“Ugh, mold lumps… Jo, burn them all.”

“Madam!”

Jo shook his head urgently.

“These books shouldn’t be burned so quickly. I’ll look for a restorer. And the books deeper inside seem to be in good condition.”

“Really? Then leave that to the steward as well.”

Helena gazed at the shelves for a moment and spoke.

“We’re not after books right now. What we need is the ledgers.”

“The ledgers…? You mean the household ledgers, Madam?”

“Yes. And all the records related to income and expenses. I doubt Benjamin managed any of it properly. We’ll need to examine everything from at least the last ten years.”

“I’ll look for them.”

Leaving the library, Helena stared quietly at the locked door of the former Count’s room.

All the rooms worth investigating are locked. I need the keys. But who locked them?