PVMC 26

Chapter 26

<Everything is ready.>

<We’ll send a carriage from our side, so please ride that and come.>

The next day.

After checking the letter Lady Odilon had sent, I hummed to myself and took a bite of bread.

‘One thing is done, at least.’

The board was already set. Lady Odilon had even offered to send a carriage. Now all that remained was to focus on sneaking in unnoticed.

“Miss.”

At that moment, Sophia, who had gone to the archives, came in carrying thick ledgers.

After stacking them neatly on the desk, she straightened her shoulders.

“These are the ledgers you asked for! I scraped up everything there was in the archives.”

“Well done.”

I grinned and picked up the ledger lying on top.

<Total Gross Sales by Quarter Last Year>

‘There’s no way he only siphoned off the family’s money.’

People who are crooked never stop at just one thing. He must have meddled with the merchant guild as well.

‘If I’m going to catch him, I need to pull him out by the roots.’

Even if it meant taking losses right now, in the long run it would definitely be profitable. If you added up, coin by coin, all the money that had been bleeding out to parasites like that, the total would be huge.

‘Gotta scrape it all together.’

Still, there was one worrying point.

Dealing with Xavier himself would be easy enough, but the other nobles who had ties with him—

Among them, there were probably quite a few with considerable prestige.

If a truly high-ranking noble was involved, they likely wouldn’t have acted directly, instead forming connections through their retainers.

‘If they cut off the tail, I might never know…’

It would be fortunate if they pulled out immediately like that.

But if, after Renesti was rebuilt, they tried to assert their rights belatedly, it would become a real headache.

There was a limit to how many nobles a count’s family could realistically stand up to.

‘I need to build some backing.’

Dealing with Xavier wasn’t the end of it. After that, the collapsed merchant group and finances would need to be restored.

‘This is where connections really matter.’

First, I’d have to revisit the families I’d previously been connected with. Since I needed fresh investments, I’d also have to think up suitable items to offer.

‘Who would’ve thought I’d end up doing business.’

And not just any business—reviving one that had already failed. That was far trickier and harder than starting something new.

‘No, still… things are getting better.’

Rebuild it properly, then quietly rake in the money and make my escape.

‘There’s a reason the term “figurehead boss” exists.’

I planned to leave a trustworthy person in charge as a proxy and just collect money from behind the scenes.

I wanted to deal with Xavier and run, but more people’s livelihoods were tied to my hands than I’d expected.

Just looking at the servants staying in the mansion made that obvious.

‘Looks like I can’t just run anymore.’

No matter what, the conclusion was that for now, I just had to work like a dog.

“Sophia.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“I’ll give you a document later. Can you finish it by today?”

“Today?”

“Yeah. But it’s not difficult.”

Sophia tilted her head at my words, but without any complaint, she nodded obediently.

I set the ledger down with a thud and leaned back against the chair.

‘Right. Whether I end up a figurehead or whatever, I need to screw that bastard over first.’

To do that, I had to prepare as much evidence as possible.

‘So he can’t wriggle out of it.’

I grinned.

It was time to squash some bugs.

Creeeak—.

Along with the sound of the door opening, blunt shoe heels pushed into the room.

The man who entered after taking a deep breath, Xavier, ground his lips together.

‘Damn it. I have to find them by today!’

Time passed, and there was only one day left until the auction.

Within that time, he absolutely had to find the rest of the former countess’s relics. Only then could he sell them directly to nobles and pocket a larger commission.

If they were sold through the auction, what fell into his own hands wouldn’t amount to much.

But selling them directly?

If he passed them off to overseas nobles or merchant guilds that were hard to trace, the returns were beyond imagination.

‘I’ll just put a few decent-looking items up for the auction.’

He could pad the results that way and sell everything else under the table.

He’d said he would put the blue diamond set he’d received earlier up for auction, but in truth, he hadn’t even listed it internally.

Later, if Aria asked about the process, he could just say that high-grade items like those were usually shown separately to distinguished guests.

If he kept postponing it like that, then handed her a little money and said there was no other choice, she wouldn’t be able to say anything.

The Aria Renesti he knew was that kind of foolish niece—someone who couldn’t do anything even in situations like this.

That was why now was his chance.

He would handle more money than the others and finally leave this shabby group behind.

‘Here—here it is!’

Xavier, who had been rummaging through an empty room, broke into a bright smile. Having found a tightly closed jewelry box, he swallowed.

When he hurriedly opened it, inside was a handful of accessories made from all kinds of gemstones.

‘That little brat…!’

To hide something this valuable without telling his uncle!

Grinding his teeth, Xavier snapped the box shut.

After that, greed swelling even further, he began tearing through every possible place—drawers, the bed, the table, even the window frames.

All the while, completely unaware that he was walking straight into a trap.

Creeak—.

Xavier, who had been digging through a drawer, flinched.

It sounded like someone was about to come in at any moment.

He immediately closed the drawer and hastily opened the door connecting to the adjacent sitting room.

Just as Xavier slipped into the next room—

“Hmm~.”

Humming lightly, Sophia came in and set a vase with freshly changed water down on the table.

A moment later,

Aria, who had supposedly been in the study, stepped over the threshold of the bedroom as well.

“Phew….”

Having safely crossed into the next room in the meantime, Xavier let out a breath of relief.

It was a shame he couldn’t find more, but—

‘This should be enough for now.’

Looking at the box he held to his chest as if it were his life, Xavier chuckled.

‘Now I’ve made it. I’ve really made it!’

Late evening.

I quietly smiled as I looked over the fake accessories spread out on the table.

I had deliberately sent the real ones to clearly expose Xavier’s crime, but—

‘Good.’

To put it simply, the plan was a success.

‘She really is incredibly talented.’

The quality was high enough to fool even most nobles, unless they were complete experts.

Selina’s craftsmanship was truly unmatched.

Not only did she meet the deadline perfectly, but when placed side by side, they were so finely made that it was hard to tell them apart with the naked eye.

Even the texture was subtly different from the real thing, making it difficult to distinguish without several days of professional appraisal.

‘He’ll definitely only put some of them up for auction.’

He’d need to pad internal results, so he couldn’t swallow everything outright.

He’d prioritize items that looked decent and likely to sell well.

‘And pocket the rest behind the scenes.’

It was obvious without even looking.

That was exactly why I’d prepared identical fakes of the accessories Xavier had taken.

‘It feels like such a waste to leave it at this…’

Her skill was even more insane than I’d expected, which made me a little tempted.

The auction began late in the evening.

“Please be really careful, Miss!”

While I was getting ready to head to the auction house, Sophia, who had been pacing anxiously, widened her eyes. Anyone would think I was heading off to a battlefield.

“If even the slightest dangerous situation comes up, just swing it right away!”

“…What exactly am I supposed to swing?”

“Obviously a sword! You brought one for self-defense, didn’t you?”

I shot a sidelong glance at the dagger resting on one corner of the table.

I wasn’t sure I could use it properly, but it still seemed better to have it than not, so I decided to take it.

“That’s a last resort.”

I’d only use it if my life was truly in danger.

If I pulled it out recklessly and things went wrong even a little, it would be troublesome.

‘And I’m not taking Matthias with me today.’

Truthfully, I wanted to. But if we were spotted by Xavier or his associates, it would be disastrous.

“Aria…”

So no matter how pitiful he looked like this, I couldn’t waver—

“Really? You won’t?”

“……”

I really am weak to good looks.

People are instinctively drawn to beautiful things, but this was on another level—he was so handsome it felt like I’d be completely bewitched.

‘I feel like I’d agree without realizing it.’

Feeling an unnecessary sense of crisis, I turned my head away. Matthias called my name several more times, his voice full of appeal.

Struggling to ignore that earnest tone, I shifted my gaze out the window.

The sky had already grown dark—perfect for moving in secret.

“Looks like it’s about time to head out.”

The trap was already set.

Now it was time to collect everything, clean and proper.