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Chapter 79
“Zenobio Starace. As the head of the Information Guild, you must have a guiding principle you hold close to your heart, right?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Answer. Only then will you realize it yourself. What must you never overlook when obtaining information?”
The three of them decided to sit down and swallow their anger. They were in the Betra mansion, and with the old butler glaring so menacingly, no one could predict what he might do.
“Never overlook? To make sure the information you got has a reliable source.”
“Exactly. And that’s where you already went wrong. Why on earth did you think my relationship with Valentina was bad?”
“Because you confessed it yourself!”
“And what if even my own words weren’t true? From the start, my relationship with Miss Valentina wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s very good.”
The three of them were instantly thrown into confusion.
“…You tricked us from the very beginning?”
Like a naïve daughter betrayed, the Viscount Starace slumped in despair, while Zenobio boiled over with rage.
“When a client’s words are biased or outright false, the whole premise collapses. That’s when you end up chasing fake intel or going down ridiculous lines of reasoning.”
“So spotting your false request was also part of the test?”
“That’s right.”
Camilla snatched the golden paper from Zenobio’s hand and shot to her feet.
“Even so, we still managed to break through one of your traps! The tea house run by Valentina gives out different tea calendars to VIPs and regular customers, right? We acted sharp and managed to get our hands on the VIP-only calendar.”
Valentina herself had praised them, so she was certain this was their one solid achievement. But contrary to her hopes, Viola declared once again:
“Then what if the tea house owner was lying too? What if the so-called VIP calendar never existed in the first place?”
“….”
“If I, the client, lied, why wouldn’t Miss Valentina lie as well? Out in the field, that sort of thing happens all the time.”
“Who would go to the trouble of making up a fake calendar just to… lie…?”
Camilla’s outburst dwindled into a weak murmur.
Her aunt had always painstakingly doctored the ledgers so the Viscount would be deceived. Camilla knew that all too well.
“Instead of asking Valentina directly and settling it so simply, you should have sought out unrelated noblewomen—at least two who could actually be VIPs—and confirmed whether a so-called VIP calendar truly existed.”
“B-but there wasn’t enough time!”
“When did I ever set a time limit?”
There hadn’t been one. They were the ones who’d needlessly rushed themselves. Viola kindly explained:
“You failed to weed out those who wanted to give you false information. There’s one more thing I could point out, but for security reasons, I’ll leave it unsaid.”
“The guild recruitment, then…!”
“There is none. Go home.”
The butler named Alfredo and the aide named Olly politely escorted the three out and shut the door. Left standing before the empty mansion gates, Zenobio clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his flesh.
“Just you wait, you damned bitch. I’ll have my revenge!”
The very first day I put my family through the admission test, I overheard their conversation in a café in the capital.
It was the very café I often used when sending letters to Ezekiel.
Staffed entirely with guild informants who doubled as waiters, they transcribed the family’s words and delivered them straight to me.
Zenobio: Viola is too softhearted to ever be harsh with us. In the end, she’ll take us in. That’s why she made the test so laughably easy.
Viscount: I know my daughter’s personality best. She can’t even handle a tea house owner in her own territory.
Camilla: Honestly, that sounds about right. As if she could ever manage a fiefdom.
I had no need for people who underestimated me so thoughtlessly. If I had let them into the guild, they would only have ignored the vice guildmaster and defied me at every turn.
“Handled it well?”
The hand resting on my shoulder radiated warmth. I lifted that large hand and kissed its back.
“It was most enjoyable.”
We watched, eavesdropped, anticipated their suspicions, and set traps within traps. From behind, Ezekiel wrapped his arms around me. Mm, so comforting.
“If they lost fair and square, they’ll have no complaints.”
“I doubt that very much.”
My nephew appeared, munching as he stuffed pudding into his mouth.
“People like that always seek revenge, even if they lost fair and square. Their personalities are too twisted.”
“When that time comes, we’ll just use another method.”
“Well, Aunt seems to be one step ahead of them anyway, so you’ll handle it fine.”
“And don’t snack before meals. You’ll ruin your appetite.”
“Aw, come on. Tch.”
Before I could steal it, Michele scooped up a big spoonful of pudding and swallowed it whole.
From the kitchen came the smell of lunch being prepared. I could almost taste the thick, creamy clam chowder and felt my mouth water.
Once this year passes, my days in the capital will end. With the new year just around the corner, I have to wrap things up properly.
This year had brought me immense personal change—and it was closing in happiness.
Gong— Gong—
The solemn toll of bells and a saintess’s prayer ushered in the New Year, which ended in a lively celebration.
Because of the holiday, even maid duties were briefly suspended. That gave me time at last to return to the Betra estate.
“Looking forward to some entertainment, aren’t you?”
“I’ll do my best to meet Your Highness’s expectations.”
The Crown Princess had prepared gifts for my trip home. Most were books on politics or periodicals on management.
“Read these while you’re there. When spring comes and you return, I’ll see how much your knowledge has grown.”
Even with such heavy expectations placed on me, my heart felt light. For all appearances, she was actually quite a warm person.
Who else would allow a personal maid months of leave for her own convenience? That alone showed she was kind.
Thanks to that, I saw a new face of Betra in the deep winter. No longer the bright sun and leisurely songs, but thick fog and frequent floods.
“We’re used to it. Around here, that’s nothing unusual.”
“My uncle’s right. Even when the square floods up to your ankles, folks just shrug and head to work. That’s how people are here.”
Olly agreed as well.
“Most of the townsfolk live off trade, so they’re mentally tied to the sea. A bit of fog or flooding won’t shake them.”
What resilient people. Perhaps that spirit was why Betra had flourished during the Republic’s glory days.
“Still, accidents do happen sometimes. We must be careful.”
Ezekiel’s voice grew heavy. He seemed to be recalling something unpleasant.
“When I was a child, one of my close playmates suffered an accident in winter. He didn’t die, but he must have endured a lot.”
I was surprised he’d ever had childhood friends at all. But it didn’t take me long to realize what sort of “unfortunate accident” he meant.
One night, after finishing my diary entry and closing the last page of a psychology book Michele had given me, I heard a loud commotion outside my window.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, Lady Dogaressa, a child has fallen into the river near the ducal residence…”
My heart plummeted. I rushed to the scene.
The duke’s soldiers were already mobilized, diving into the black waters to save the child.
As this was a city of waterways, Betra’s guards were rigorously trained in swimming for such emergencies.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long before the child was pulled from the river. He coughed up water and gasped for breath, and the adults around him sighed in relief.
“He’s safe.”
“Looks like a child from the orphanage.”
It turned out the boy was from the poorhouse on the outskirts of Betra, where Monica often volunteered.
They had come to the capital temple for group prayer. On their way, the boat carrying the orphanage head and the children collided with a small skiff in a narrow canal.
The boy had been leaning against the railing and toppled into the water.
“That could have ended in tragedy. Thank you so much for saving him!”
The orphanage head bowed repeatedly and took the child away.
Two days later, I sent a letter to check if the boy was still all right.
“…He caught tuberculosis?”
The reply was a shock. Tuberculosis spreads quickly—if one child caught it, the rest were in danger.
“Milady, in the end, the entire orphanage came down with tuberculosis.”
Anna told me this a few days later. Having completed her short-term education at the Imperial Academy and joined Wharton’s Dress Shop as a full member, Anna now picked up plenty of information during her commute.
“One of the seamstresses told me they’ve cordoned off the area near the orphanage. People are told not to pass by on their way to work.”
When I asked Olly about it, she, being Betra through and through, wasn’t surprised.
“Every year, children fall into those narrow, freezing canals. If they’re unlucky, they catch sickness. It happens so often people don’t think much of it.”
