TPES 14

Chapter 14

“What do you mean by that, Haren…?”

Clenching my teeth, I asked Haren again.

“I’m right, aren’t I? I heard everything you said to Plaria at the debutante ball. You said he was your ideal type. Don’t you remember?”

How would I know that…?

The Espin back then and the me now were completely different people.

Grinding my teeth, I shot Haren a look that clearly told him to stop.

“It’s not me.”

“It is you. I heard it clearly. ‘I want to lean against those broad shoulders. If it were Duke Holt, he’d be able to scoop me up in one go, right?’ I heard you say that.”

Haren seemed determined to humiliate me.

I tried to act like it didn’t matter, telling myself that those were the thoughts of the original owner of this body, Espin—but it was even more embarrassing because I’d had the exact same thoughts when I looked at him.

“Kh— that’s enough of that.”

At Travis’s attempt to stop Haren, heat rushed to my face.

Haren was the one running his mouth, so why was the embarrassment all mine?

In the novel, he seemed like a rather serious character.

Serious? If anything, Haren’s mouth was as light as a feather right now.

“Yes, haha. Then what will happen to that man?”

“He’ll be charged with harassing a noble and unlawful trespassing.”

“And from what I saw, it looks like he’s committed other crimes as well. We’re searching for him on the wanted list. If there are additional crimes, the punishment can be increased.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“We can seek a sentence of up to twenty years. And once his term is over, he’ll be permanently barred from entering the Imperial Capital and the territory of Count Leon.”

In this empire, scammers usually only get about a year. Twenty years just for harassing a noble.

I was glad I’d never have to see Sebastian again, but somehow my mouth tasted bitter.

“Is that so? That’s good, then. Is that everything you needed to say?”

I wanted them gone as soon as possible.

“One more thing. Just one more question. Why did you go to the gate terminal that day?”

“Huh? Ah, that…”

I was screwed.

I’d tried to gloss over it, but Travis had pinpointed the most suspicious part with unsettling sharpness.

Think calmly. Stay calm.

They had no evidence. If they did, that talkative Haren would have brought it up already.

Which meant Travis was just testing me on a hunch.

“Things have been pretty stifling for me lately.”

“Right. A stepmother and even a stalker. You must’ve been under a lot of stress, Espin.”

I nodded vigorously at Haren’s convenient support.

“I wanted to travel, but with my father gone I couldn’t leave the capital. I was riding around in a carriage when I felt someone following me, so I ran to the gate terminal.”

“Espin, it must’ve been really hard. Now that he’s been caught, you can go around freely.”

“Thank you, Haren.”

Travis nodded. His expressionless face revealed nothing of his thoughts.

“All right. We’ll conduct a bit more investigation and let you know the results. I apologize for visiting so suddenly and causing you distress.”

After offering a neat farewell, Travis stood up.

Just as I was letting out a sigh of relief at the thought of him leaving—

“Then I’ll see you again.”

Travis left behind those meaningful words and walked out.

* * *

At the same moment Espin was lost in thought over Travis’s parting words—

“Count, we’ve received word that Miss Espin has dismissed all the servants at the Imperial residence.”

At the attendant’s report, the Countess of Leon, who had been dining with the Count, narrowed her eyes.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Hah. What on earth was she thinking? Rumors spread so fast among the maids.”

Speaking in a sharp tone, the Countess subtly checked the Count’s reaction. Seeing him focus on his meal without saying a word, she let out a faint smile.

“Well, Rose should have a bit of that ruthlessness too. Our Rose is too soft, which worries me. Rose, could you cut off servants that harshly?”

“If it’s necessary, then I should. Espin must have had her reasons. There’s no way she’d dismiss people whose livelihoods are at stake for no reason.”

“Still, what reason could justify firing everyone? Our family has a reputation to uphold.”

Crossing her arms, the Countess turned to the attendant.

“So what was that ‘excellent’ reason?”

“Well, um…”

“Don’t tell me she did it without a reason? That would be dragging the Leon family’s name through the mud!”

“No, ma’am. There was a reason. The servants in the residence apparently behaved disrespectfully toward the young lady.”

The Count, who had been eating slowly, froze.

“That sounds like nothing more than an excuse. She just needed a reason to fire them. Who would dare disrespect her?”

“Exactly. The servants in the capital are all so polite. Maybe Espin was the only one who felt that way?”

As the Countess hurriedly added her words, Rose, seated beside her, also took her side.

“I think Espin has a bit of a victim mentality. I’ve seen people like that before—they think everyone is their enemy. When I go to the capital this time, I’ll—”

The Count rose from his seat without listening to another word.

“Where are you going, my lord! Dear!”

At the word dear, the Count turned back and replied coldly.

“I told you not to use that form of address.”

“……”

Turning away, the Count issued an order to the attendant.

“We’re leaving for the capital immediately. Prepare at once.”

“Immediately? Yes, I’ll inform them.”

“What about us? We need time to prepare too.”

The Count left the room without even looking back. It was clear: he would go, and they could follow if they wished.

“Mother, will this be okay?”

Unable to contain her irritation, the Countess slammed the table.

“That girl—why did she have to start causing trouble now, when she’d been quiet?”

Espin, who longed for affection, had been an easy person to handle. That was why, when she remarried the Count of Leon, the Countess had carefully laid out all her plans.

She intended to slowly drive a wedge between Espin and her father, isolating Espin within the family. Then she would find a reason to expel Espin from the house.

By then, she would have had a child with the Count of Leon, and that child could inherit the title. In that case, she herself would live lavishly as the lady of the Leon household for the rest of her life.

As the first step of that plan, the Countess had turned the servants into her own people. In front of them, she subtly belittled Espin. Watching Espin remain silent, unable to say anything, the servants naturally began to look down on her as well.

“You’re right. What if she tells her father everything?”

“There’s no way she would.”

They were a foolish father and daughter—both cared deeply for each other, yet neither could express it in words.

The frustrated Count couldn’t show his love in front of Espin.

Growing up watching her taciturn father, Espin came to believe he disliked her. On top of that, there were whispers that she was a child who had been born at the cost of the late Countess’s life, which only reinforced her belief that her father didn’t love her.

“Then are we just going to sit here?”

“Of course not. We’re going up to the capital too.”

“Okay.”

“And since the social season is coming up, make sure all your outfits are prepared. This year, you must find a husband.”

“Of course. There’s already someone I have my eye on.”

“Good. What you want, you take for yourself. I’ll deal with that Espin girl, so you focus on the social season.”

The Countess’s lips curled into a vicious smile.

It was time to remove that eyesore once and for all.