chapter 22
I took out the document I had prepared ever since I received the summons from Sir Winchester. And just as Lady Perrede seemed to have shown him papers to accuse me of wrongdoing, I, too, handed the paper to Sir Winchester.
He glanced once at the paper on the desk, and then at me. His look clearly asked, What is this?
“Today, four maids and one gardener did not report for work. According to Lady Perrede, four of them were too ill to come in, and one returned late yesterday and therefore arrived late today. However, my investigation shows that this is not true.”
I could already picture the contortion of Lady Perrede’s face—even without seeing it—whether in shock or anger.
“First, I want to say that the Camellia Manor employs far too many staff.”
“Camellia Manor is not a small house like your family home,” Lady Perrede quickly interjected, as if to shut me up.
“Of course, my family home is much smaller than Camellia Manor. But the number of household members is also higher, so there’s naturally more work. Even so, the number of staff there doesn’t exceed fifteen. Meanwhile, Camellia Manor employs more than twice that—over thirty people.”
“They are all necessary staff.”
“Even so, it’s hard to say the house is well-managed. There were five gardeners, yet most of the gardens were overgrown, and many trees were poorly pruned. Not just the garden—the whole estate was like that. Before I arrived, there were only two mistresses to serve, yet the kitchen had five staff, cleaning five, and laundry three.”
I looked at Lady Perrede. Her expression was venomous as she glared at me.
Perhaps because she had reigned over the manor for so long like a cunning fox, she didn’t realize that now wasn’t the time to glare at me—but to grovel.
“The maids here did not treat Daniel as they should have. Of course, the previous countess had ignored Daniel, so the habit continued, but I felt that alone couldn’t justify the maids’ audacity. Upon closer observation, I noticed that despite having so many staff, everyone seemed strangely busy—forgetting to prepare meals for the precious young countess, grumbling about laundry, and so on.”
Of course, being busy was no excuse, so I had dismissed them all.
“What I realized while living here was that the number of staff listed on the rolls exceeded the number actually working.”
I felt Sir Winchester’s blue eyes shift, showing a spark of interest as he listened to my words calmly.
“Demi, Lynn, Otto, Patty, Kieran. They are the ones Lady Perrede claimed were sick or late today, right? But you also know, don’t you? That these people will never come to work.”
“……”
Lady Perrede did not answer my words. She just pressed her lips tightly together and glared at me.
“They don’t exist.”
So I had to answer for her.
“The names were on the payroll, and salaries were paid regularly. Because staff had to take on their work, they were busy and unable to properly attend to the young countess.”
The fox had ruled not only the forest without lions but had also been quietly siphoning off its wealth.
“The last line on the document I gave to Sir Winchester lists the total salary paid to those five nonexistent staff members.”
I saw Sir Winchester glance down at it.
“I don’t know how much severance Lady Perrede would have been entitled to, but at the very least, that amount should be deducted from what she receives.”
After I finished speaking, silence filled the room. Sir Winchester looked at Lady Perrede, but she could not speak.
“Is all of this true?”
“Surely, you’ve misunderstood something, Madam…”
“What misunderstanding?”
Lady Perrede seemed ready to defend herself, but Sir Winchester interrupted bluntly, as if daring her to do so immediately.
“……”
Then she fell silent.
Right. Even if she had a mouth, she had nothing to say.
“If everything is true, then there is no severance I need to pay. If it’s true she embezzled funds, then I should reclaim that money.”
“Lo-Lord Count…”
Lady Perrede called out to Sir Winchester in desperation.
But who was he? His face did not change, nor did his eyes waver. His icy-blue gaze simply regarded her like a frozen winter lake.
“……”
Quietly, Lady Perrede lowered her head.
Thus, the old fox, the housekeeper of Camellia Manor, was driven out without a single coin.
Lady Perrede gone, I and Sir Winchester remained in the office. The awkward silence filled the room, but I endured it. I still had words to say, and the aftermath of speaking them would be even more intense.
“The responsibility for this situation lies with you as well, Sir Winchester.”
I dropped this bombshell onto his desk with a thud. Even the usually indifferent Sir Winchester reacted.
He slightly furrowed his brows and looked at me as if asking what I meant. I was slightly intimidated but clenched my fists and gathered my courage.
“It goes without saying that a house revolves around its master. The gardens are overgrown, yet the parade grounds for your morning training were impeccably maintained. A fine chef prepared meals using fresh ingredients, but there were no snacks for the child.”
Sir Winchester listened silently. His furrowed brows had relaxed, and his gaze was calm.
“The staff move according to your actions, your routines, and your attention. Since you paid no attention to Daniel, it’s natural that the subordinates neglected him as well.”
I had finally said what I had long wanted to say.
“So, are you saying I am responsible for this as well?”
“Yes.”
“Because I did not pay attention to Daniel?”
“Yes.”
He asked as if to confirm my meaning. I did not back down.
“How could you know whether I am paying attention or not?”
“Huh?”
But the next question made me blink involuntarily and ask back.
“Are you really saying you don’t know?”
“Well, you can usually tell by observing.”
“By observing… how?”
I wondered if he was trying to dodge responsibility, claiming that he had paid attention but it was not apparent. Even though the story clearly states that Daniel “grew up under his father’s indifference”!
But Sir Winchester was serious. He genuinely wanted to know how one could tell.
“You want to know if they ate, what they wore today, whether they slept well. You keep wanting to see them. If they missed a meal, you want to feed them. If something pretty catches your eye, you want to buy it. You hope their life goes well, and that they live happily. That’s basically it.”
“……”
Sir Winchester slowly pondered my answer, as if chewing over my words.
Is that really something to think so seriously about?
“It’s similar to what Miss Naery told me last time.”
“Me?”
When did I say that… Oh! Right! When I lied, claiming I was head over heels in love with Sir Winchester at first sight!
The memory flashed. But Sir Winchester’s gaze had already narrowed suspiciously.
No, don’t doubt me!
“Yes! That’s right! I did! Back when I was passionately in love with Sir Winchester! Exactly like that! It’s similar!”
I shouted desperately. But his eyes still bore a suspicious look.
No! I’ve just managed to clear some obstacles from Daniel’s path to happiness!
