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Chapter – 24
Nick tried to force down the corners of his mouth that kept creeping up. It felt this good to serve a superior like Sián. To be able to enjoy the vivid reaction while delivering an unexpected surprise gift to the other person! Ah, of course, the hefty out-of-office allowance he provided was also a big part of it.
Nick granted Rachel’s request in a calm voice.
“Her Majesty has decided to grant Lady Rachel a large mansion in front of the palace’s west exit and one hundred servants. The mansion is a reward from Her Majesty the Empress, and the servants are a reward from the Council of Elders.”
The area near the west exit of the palace was where high nobles and the wealthy lived, a district of ultra-luxurious mansions. It was close to the bustling city center yet under strict security, so no one could approach it carelessly. This meant neither Jane nor Theodore could easily come near. A large mansion at the west exit with a hundred servants granted! It truly was an enormous scale. And that place…
“Isn’t that across from Duke Dikarsinyak’s mansion?”
“That’s correct.”
“Wow! Right in front of Master’s house!”
Graham shouted.
Rachel suppressed the urge to shout along.
Right across from Duke Dikarsinyak’s mansion! This was the optimal condition to casually meet Dolores without needing separate appointments.
Our Graham, instead of becoming a murderer fighting for love in a tear-jerking drama, will be the protagonist of a childhood romance novel!
“All expenses necessary for managing the mansion will be supported by the palace for the next 20 years. Maintenance and cleaning are complete, so you can move in and start living as soon as you pack your belongings.”
For the next 20 years!
He could live comfortably until Graham marries Dolores!
It felt so strange and delightful to receive a mansion perfectly timed for when a house was needed. She wondered if Sián, who perhaps knew the whole situation, had prepared it, but she soon shook her head.
The mansion was a reward from the Empress. No matter how great Sián was, he couldn’t have obtained exactly what Rachel needed from the Empress.
Nick smiled proudly as he watched the delighted Rachel and Graham.
“I have prepared a carriage, so you may depart whenever you are ready. I shall take my leave now.”
Even before Nick’s figure had fully disappeared, Graham pleaded.
“Mom, mom, let’s leave right now. Huh? We already packed everything, right?”
“Shall we? Shall we go see our new mansion right now?”
“Yay! Great, that’s really great!”
Graham and Rachel boarded the carriage with their pre-packed bags. The workers found the luggage too light and seemed puzzled, but they didn’t pay it any mind.
The granted mansion was beautiful and grand enough to catch the eye from afar. Unlike the Elosa mansion, it had high, large walls, and the entrance was guarded by knights in armor.
As they got off the carriage, Sián greeted Rachel and Graham.
“Welcome, Lady Rachel. And Graham.”
Perhaps because they met often, Sián felt incredibly familiar. Every time they met him, something good seemed to happen.
“Your Grace, it’s a great pleasure to see you in such a place.”
“Hello, Master!”
Rachel and Graham looked thrilled. It seemed the gift was to their liking. Feeling his effort was worthwhile, Sián was in a good mood.
Empress Sigar had entrusted the task of sending Rachel’s rewards to Sián. She had clearly ordered to reward her ‘generously,’ and Sián had followed the command.
Sián knew that what Rachel needed wasn’t money, but a home. The mansion he prepared was convenient, being close to the capital’s center, and safe. It was a condition that would satisfy both Graham and Rachel.
Moreover, thanks to it being granted in the ‘Empress’s’ name, Rachel accepted the mansion without a shred of doubt.
Had she known Sián prepared it, she might have refused out of burden. A super luxurious mansion with a hundred servants—the maintenance cost was on par with the budget of a decent small town.
Following Sián into the mansion, they entered a grand hall where servants were lined up in long rows.
Sián introduced the woman standing at the front of the group of servants. She had sharp features with brown hair, brown eyes, and wore thick glasses.
“This is the head maid and secretary, Katie. She will assist with overall mansion management and daily life.”
“How do you do, Lady Rachel. I am Katie. By His Grace’s order, I am responsible for the mansion’s household and daily life. I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
“Please speak comfortably. Since guests have arrived, I will first guide you to the drawing room.”
After guiding Rachel and Sián to the drawing room, Katie gently caught Graham by the shoulder as he tried to follow them in.
“Master Graham, please follow me. The mansion has a training ground, a playroom, and a study that you might like. I will show you around.”
“Huh, me? But I…”
Graham looked back at Rachel. He seemed reluctant to be separated from his mother in an unfamiliar place.
As Rachel was about to say she’d keep Graham with her, the boy exclaimed,
“O-okay! Please show me around the mansion!”
“Graham? Are you sure?”
“Of course! I want to look around the mansion first and then show it to you later, Mom! Is that okay?”
Taken aback by this unexpectedly spirited response, Rachel blinked in surprise.
Graham grinned at Rachel and made eye contact with Sián.
‘Take good care of Mom, Master!’
Sián smiled back.
‘Alright.’
For some reason, Graham found this delightful. He held Katie’s and the maids’ hands, laughing cheerfully as they walked down the corridor.
A few servants came in and out, setting tea and pastries on the table. Sián, acting familiar, drank his tea and initiated the conversation.
“Well then, shall we get to the main point? You must have many questions.”
Sián was indeed perceptive.
Rachel nodded and quickly asked what she was curious about.
“Suddenly receiving a mansion makes me happy but also a bit bewildered. Is it really okay to accept it?”
“It was an empty mansion. There’s no reason not to. You will soon receive a title, so your qualifications are sufficient as well. From now on, this will be known as the Fram Count’s mansion.”
“How is the disposal of the empty Elosa mansion progressing?”
“That one is a bit complicated.”
As expected. She thought so.
“First, we must recover the money Karl and Jane embezzled. We need to ascertain the extent of Count Elosa’s assets to calculate the embezzled taxes. The disposal of the mansion and alimony payments will come after that.”
“How long will it take?”
It was a question he didn’t want to answer.
The Council of Elders was a group composed of leisurely nobles. For them, work only happened when a fire was lit under their feet. The affairs of a powerless count’s family wouldn’t be handled quickly. The matter of granting Rachel a mansion wouldn’t have been processed for years had Sián not intervened directly.
Fortunately, Rachel wasn’t in a hurry.
“There’s no need to rush on my account. Since you’ve granted me the mansion, I’m not in immediate need of money either. However, there is one thing that worries me.”
“What worries you?”
After pondering for a moment, Rachel suddenly brought up an unexpected topic.
“Your Grace. By any chance, could you accept my request now in your capacity as Elias?”
“Of course—”
Sián, about to say he would accept it, abruptly closed his mouth. He was startled by his own words.
‘Why am I like this?’
He always did his best when recruiting any talent, but strangely, he was more lenient and more impatient with Rachel’s matters.
Preparing the current mansion instead of another one in the capital’s center or the one originally used by the Fram family was part of that. There was no need to place Rachel right across from his own residence.
The thought that he would be able to see Rachel often made him feel good—but that realization came only after Nick and the carriage had departed.
Sián took a deep breath to calm his unsettled heart.
“I will listen in my capacity as Elias. What kind of request do you wish to make?”
“Please prevent Jane from embezzling the money she received from Theodore.”
Embezzling the money.
Upon hearing it, it seemed plausible that Jane would do such a thing. If she were the type to return it obediently, she wouldn’t have taken the money from Theodore in the first place.
Sián nodded.
“Understood. I will recover the Elosa family assets that Jane received as soon as possible.”
“And one more thing.”
“Please speak.”
“Please send one letter to Jane’s house.”
* * *
In the middle of the night, Jane was busily moving around inside her house, lit only by a single candle.
Love and family had both left her. She felt achingly lonely, painful, and also resentful.
“That bastard Theodore!”
Though she raged with fiery anger, regret soon washed over her.
Shouldn’t she have clung to Theodore’s coattails, begging him to withdraw the charges?
Since he didn’t withdraw the charges, guild debt collectors might come soon. To think she had to meet debt collectors even though she hadn’t borrowed any money—it was truly ridiculous!
It wasn’t embezzlement; it was money Theodore gave as a gift. To be falsely accused was unfair enough, but to have all the money taken away was just absurd.
Jane still couldn’t grasp the situation.
Anxious, she had gone to the Elosa mansion several times, but Theodore was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t bring herself to go in and ask if Theodore had returned. She was too scared of Rachel.
In this situation, there was only one thing Jane could do.
‘I really am smart.’
Just as she was smugly grinning, satisfied with the method she had thought up—
*Knock knock knock.*
Someone knocked on the door. Her heart pounded as if she were a thief caught red-handed.
Holding her thumping chest, Jane cautiously went to the front door.
“Who, who is it…?”
“……”
“Theodore?”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Theodore standing at the door. It was five large men wearing black cloaks.
Sián, wearing an eyepatch at the front of the group, answered in a low voice.
“We are debt collectors from the guild. We’ve come to collect the money Karl embezzled from the Elosa Count’s family.”
Finally, what was bound to come had arrived! It was a good thing she had planned ahead! What remarkable foresight!
“My father never embezzled any money! It’s a false accusation!”
“If you don’t open, we will break down the door and enter.”
“Ugh.”
Feigning helplessness, she opened the door.
The debt collectors entered the house. Their large shoes trampled messily all over the place.
Sián also entered and slowly looked around.
Jane pleaded in a voice full of grievance.
“My father really never embezzled anything. Look at this shabby living situation. There’s not a single expensive item here.”
“Jane.”
*Thud, thud.*
Sián, who had been walking through the small drawing room, stopped on the carpet.
Hearing her name called, Jane looked up at the person standing before her. Though she couldn’t make eye contact because of the eyepatch, for some reason, she felt an eerily deep fear.
“If you’re going to tell such clumsy lies, you’d be better off keeping your mouth shut.”
“C-clumsy lies? What do you mean?”
Could he have figured it out? No, impossible. It was perfectly hidden…
*Creeeak.*
A creaking sound came from the old wood beneath Sián’s feet.
Sián drew the sword at his waist.
Thinking he would strike her neck, a startled Jane stepped back, covering her throat with her hands.
However, what Sián swung his sword at wasn’t Jane’s neck, but the floor hidden beneath the carpet. The thin floorboard made a splitting sound and cracked.
“Ahk! H-how…!”
Jane’s face turned deathly pale, and Sián smiled.
Please prevent Jane from embezzling the money she received from Theodore.’
The request was a success.
