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Chapter : 6
Kal’s wrinkled face stiffened.
“What do you mean you did it hoping the atmosphere would turn worse?”
“There aren’t only problems with the servants in the Elrosa estate, are there? I wanted this incident to make everyone reflect on what they’ve done at least once.”
As Rachel said, most of the servants in the Elrosa estate had problems. The fact that no one had reported Masha during her long years of working as a nanny was proof enough.
Regardless of circumstances or form, they all had similar thoughts.
‘Count Theodore doesn’t care about the estate anyway. Countess Rachel is kind, but not very sharp. So we’ll just pretend to work properly and cling to this household.’
The only one who truly worked hard was Kal. To him, Theodore was a very “special person.” Even he had no choice but to give up on the other servants.
The reason Masha was punished first was because she was a nanny. Among all her faults, neglecting a child was judged to be the most serious.
By dismissing Masha in a somewhat excessive way, Rachel intended to make the other servants snap to attention—return stolen items if they had taken anything, and not neglect their duties.
…Well, not all of them would obediently change, of course.
Kal let out a sigh and bowed his head.
“…It is my fault for failing to properly control the servants. Please forgive me.”
“I had just left everything to Kal until now. I should be the one apologizing. I’ll pay closer attention from now on.”
“I will inform the servants of Masha’s wrongdoing and instruct them to be more careful in their conduct.”
“Yes, please do.”
The conversation ended there.
Kal’s plan to intimidate Rachel by using the servants had failed. Instead, she had pointed out his and the servants’ faults and scolded them.
As he left the reception room, Kal’s eyes flashed.
‘The countess seems different lately. I’ll have to be more careful.’
It was already a belated realization.
After Masha was dismissed, Rachel canceled all her schedules and had dinner with Graham.
Graham was extremely excited.
“Today I really get to have dinner alone with Mom?”
“You wanted to eat alone with me?”
“Of course! You’re the person I like most in the world!”
“Then let’s eat together every day from now on. How about that?”
“Yes! I’m so happy!”
He was so excited that he kept hopping around and spinning in circles around Rachel’s chair.
“Today I played alone in the garden! I did well, right?”
“Really? Weren’t you bored playing alone?”
“Not at all! I made this for you, Mom!”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Graham brought over a plate he had placed at the corner of the table and held it out to Rachel. Inside the shallow plate were a few flowers.
“This is the… flower tea? The one Mom drinks every day!”
Flower tea!
This little child had noticed Rachel’s habit of quietly drinking flower tea alone on lazy afternoons.
Rachel took the plate Graham handed her and pretended to gulp it down.
“Wow. This tastes way better and looks prettier than the tea Mom usually drinks.”
“Hehe.”
“Can I keep this?”
“Of course! It’s a gift for Mom.”
A blissful smile bloomed on Graham’s small face.
It was dazzlingly beautiful.
In the novel, Graham was described as the most handsome man in the world. It didn’t seem like an exaggeration. Even at just four years old, his beauty was dazzling.
As he was about to start eating, sitting in his chair, Graham suddenly looked like he was about to cry.
“Oh, Mom. I dropped it…”
It seemed a piece of grilled beef had fallen.
“Oh dear. That’s a pity, but you can’t pick it up and eat it. It’s dirty. I’ll ask them to bring a new one, so wait a moment, okay?”
“Yes! I’ll wait nicely.”
His obedient answer was adorable, and she laughed.
That’s right. No matter how hungry you are, you shouldn’t eat dirty food.
If you do, you’re bound to get sick.
Rachel had been engaged to Theodore as a political marriage partner the moment she was born. Theodore had been four years old at the time—just Graham’s age now.
The hopeless romantic Theodore, as he grew older, despaired at his situation.
‘An arranged marriage without love—how horrible!’
When preparations for the wedding began, a small young Jane appeared and became Theodore’s perfect escape. Perhaps because it was impossible, he burned even more passionately.
‘A love hindered by status, age, and even opposition from our parents—what a cruel fate! But I will overcome it with the power of love!’
…That was Theodore’s thinking.
How ridiculous it was.
If he wanted to write a tragic novel, he should have done it alone—why drag poor Rachel into it and create this mess?
Rachel sliced her meat with intensity, as if burning hostility toward Theodore.
Graham, as if unaware of his mother’s feelings, chatted away while swinging his legs throughout dinner.
“Earlier, I picked up a stick and pretended to be a knight from a book. It was fun.”
“Graham as a knight? That sounds amazing. You’ll have to protect Mom later too.”
“Of course! I’ll protect you. If a bad guy appears, tell me. I won’t forgive anyone who hurts you.”
Then Graham straightened his back and his eyes sparkled, as if he truly were a knight.
Her husband didn’t even pretend to protect her, but her son was reliable.
Rachel smiled brightly with a happy heart.
“Thank you. I might feel a bit sad if you get a girlfriend later, Graham.”
“I’m not going to get a girlfriend.”
“Really?”
That wouldn’t do. Dorolasa would be disappointed.
“You’ll probably change your mind when you grow up.”
“No! I only have Mom!”
Graham climbed down from his chair and ran over to hug Rachel tightly around the waist.
“Alright, alright,” she said, stroking his head.
The child, shy and introverted, had clung only to his mother since he was young. Given what Masha was like as his nanny, it might have been inevitable.
Because of that, Rachel’s death must have become an irreparable trauma for Graham.
It was heartbreaking.
She wanted to help this kind, shy child make friends his age. She even wanted to go find Dorolasa immediately. She was sure she would become a gentle, wonderful friend.
But there were still mountains of issues like divorce and money.
For now, Rachel had to be Graham’s only friend.
‘Just wait a little, Graham. Today Mom has already cast a lure toward your future father-in-law.’
She hoped Sian would start tailing Theodore soon. If he came with proof of infidelity and gratitude, she could use it to get a divorce—and also help Graham meet Dorolasa.
Just thinking about it made her excited.
Today, Kal asked the same question as always.
“What is your schedule today?”
“Today I’m going to read in the study again. The novel I started yesterday is really interesting. It’s called I Became the Mother of the Male Lead While Living with an Unfaithful Husband. It’s about a young countess who divorces her husband and falls in love with a handsome duke.”
Cough.
As if uninterested, Kal cleared his throat.
Rachel stopped talking and looked at him with round eyes.
“Oh, right. You don’t like these kinds of stories. Sorry.”
“That is not it. I will assume you will spend the entire day in the study. A bill from the guild has arrived—would you like to check it?”
A guild invoice!
Had they already found proof of the affair?
With a pounding heart, she unfolded the neatly folded paper and read it.
[Requesting payment for services rendered.]
Round-trip travel expenses to the estate: 20 gold
Waiting fee: 13 gold
Advance payment: 5 gold
We are currently searching for the requested items. We swear upon the honor of the Guild that we will deliver them by the designated date.
Guild Senior Information Officer, Alias
Unfortunately, it did not contain what Rachel had been hoping for.
It was disappointing that things were not progressing faster, but it couldn’t be helped.
The fact that they hadn’t dispatched troops meant her claims were at least partially confirmed not to be entirely false. That was fortunate.
‘I asked him to find it, but I don’t even know what kind of solid proof of infidelity I’m supposed to expect. There aren’t cameras or text messages here.’
She could only trust Sian, since he was intelligent.
She handed the letter to Kal after finishing it.
“Pay the requested amount. Anything else?”
“We received word that Lady Berengela Elrosa is scheduled to arrive at the estate today.”
“Finally, today. Alright. Prepare to receive the guest.”
Berengela Elrosa—the mother of Theodore and Rachel’s mother-in-law.
Fortunately, the gift for Berengela seemed to be ready in time for her arrival.
Rachel was already curious what expression that strict woman would make once she confirmed evidence of her son’s tax evasion and hidden assets.
“Ledger, ledger, ledger… there we go.”
Rifling through the dusty bookshelf, she selected the books she needed. She replaced them with other books or rearranged their order so it wouldn’t be obvious anything had been touched.
Over the past few days, Rachel had been moving around the study pretending to read novels, while actually searching for documents related to estate management and finances.
Because Theodore neglected estate management, important documents were scattered throughout the study.
“I expected it, but it’s really a mess.”
The ledgers were merely formal records prepared for the imperial reports and taxes.
The Elrosa county, governed by Theodore, had abundant farmland and a mild climate, always producing good harvests. Yet after the death of the previous count—Theodore’s father—the household finances had always been tight.
‘Since Theodore inherited the title, he started openly funneling money to Jane.’
At first, there had been a ridiculous category called “poverty relief funds,” likely because Jane was a commoner. If Jane had heard that, she would have been offended.
After some time, the income itself was reduced. Only a portion of the revenue was recorded as the family’s income after being given to Jane.
If income decreased, taxes naturally decreased too. Theodore must have been quite pleased with himself—getting both the meat and the eggs.
Rachel scoffed.
“That guy didn’t even care if his own child had money to eat and ended up becoming a mercenary killer. The more I think about it, the worse he is.”
As Graham grew older, he learned what Theodore had done. The child lost faith in people and humanity. For him, becoming a mercenary who killed people became easy. He showed no hesitation in killing and did not respond even to pleas for mercy.
Poor Graham.
After finishing her rough tidying, she opened the novel and sat down.
After reading two chapters, there was a knock outside the study.
“Madam, Lady Berengela Elrosa has arrived.”
Finally, the moment had come.
“Yes, I’ll go now. Kal, call Theodore.”
Well then, shall we go present a gift to the mother-in-law who was so eager to devour her daughter-in-law?
