Pesha was walking briskly when she spotted a maid quietly mopping the seemingly endless corridor with a bucket and a mop. She spoke to her.
“You’re working hard. I have something to order the butler, so could you call him to my room?”
“Yes. Understood, My lady.”
While the maid went to fetch the butler, Pesha returned to her room and, setting aside the overwhelming feeling of helplessness for the moment, began writing down the priorities of what needed to be done first.
Just then, there was a knock, twice.
“My lady. It’s Albert, the butler. I heard you called for me.”
“Come in.”
Sitting at her desk and writing down the problems that needed to be dealt with, she held out one hand toward the butler without taking her eyes off the paper.
“Good. I have some things to ask you and something to tell you. First, bring me the estate’s financial reports.”
“The financial reports……?”
“Yes.”
Yet despite the hand she had held out, the butler wore an expression of discomfort.
“Pardon me, but may I ask what you need them for?”
Was there any reason for the Countess to look at the household accounts?
Even though she had only recently married, she was unquestionably the lady of the White Castle.
Pesha raised her head and looked at the butler. She found his question a little absurd, but answered him kindly.
“I’m the lady of this castle now, so I thought I should do what I’m supposed to do.”
“Ah……”
If there was no problem, he should have simply shown them to her. But after clearing his throat, he answered in a businesslike voice.
“Well, My lady, I’m afraid that will be rather difficult.”
“What?”
Had he just openly refused her order?
Was she being so polite that he hadn’t realized it was an order?
“Why?”
“I have managed all of White Castle’s household affairs and meticulously maintained the household accounts until now. Ever since His Lordship was granted the title of Count.”
So what was she supposed to do about that?
“As I’ve been managing everything all this time, the system has become established according to the methods that are most convenient for me, so it may be difficult for you to understand. The handover would also be extremely complicated.”
“I see. So where are the financial reports?”
Unfazed by his roundabout way of speaking, Pesha continued holding out her hand. Seeing that, the butler finally revealed what he truly thought.
“Well…… I believe that, as you are still inexperienced and will be quite busy with other matters while adjusting to the estate, wouldn’t it be more reasonable for me to continue managing everything as I have been? Of course, I promise that I will hand over the accounts once you are sufficiently prepared.”
Pesha smiled sweetly.
“When? Ten years from now? Or when I’m dead?”
“Pardon?”
There was probably plenty of information circulating about Io, who was renowned as a purification mage, but comparatively little was known about Pesha.
Perhaps that was why the butler seemed to think that if he stalled her with one excuse after another, Pesha would eventually give up out of annoyance and leave the authority to him.
In truth, Pesha had grown up in the Grand Duke of Rydel’s household without a lady of the house managing the estate, so she could not clearly define what an ordinary lady of a noble household was supposed to do.
She had been too busy with other things to learn such matters while feeling the absence of her mother.
Moreover, her father, the Grand Duke of Rydel, was hardly the type of person who would patiently teach her such things himself.
Ever since she had given Jeremy the opportunity and given up studying abroad, her father had arranged for her to learn the subjects of common knowledge and etiquette from tutors.
However, she had spent every spare moment studying herbalism on her own, the subject she was most interested in, leaving her with little time to learn the practical aspects of managing a household or estate.
“As you know, the capital and the East have many differences, and taking charge of the household finances immediately may be burdensome for you. And, most importantly, do you know anything about accounting?”
Although his voice remained polite, by the end, his tone was blatantly dismissive.
Pesha answered while maintaining her smile.
“Of course. Do you think I never received even basic accounting lessons?”
“Not basic accounting, but something more professional……”
“Butler. Is there perhaps some kind of specialized ‘Countess Studies’ that I don’t know about? From what you’re saying, it sounds like only a woman who has mastered advanced accounting, the East’s unique methods, and the butler’s personal manual can become a Countess. I suppose that must have been a marriage requirement I somehow missed. What am I supposed to do? I’m already married.”
“……”
It wasn’t as though he failed to understand that she was telling him to hand them over already, yet the butler merely groaned and stubbornly refused to give her the accounts until the very end.
Isn’t he skimming something behind everyone’s backs?
‘No wonder there are only potatoes and tough meat in the food storage. This bastard must be the reason. You’re dead meat.’
Once suspicion arose, Pesha felt that she shouldn’t back down here. She needed to press him harder.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? I suppose my order……”
She was just about to ask whether her order meant nothing to him.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Pesha and the butler simultaneously turned their heads toward it.
“Who is it? Come in for now.”
The butler hurriedly invited the person inside, despite the fact that the visitor was not even his guest, clearly intending to change the subject and cut off their conversation.
The door opened slightly, revealing a woman.
It was Philia, the head maid.
“I apologize for interrupting. There is something I need to tell My lady……”
“Is something wrong?”
At Pesha’s question, Philia politely clasped both hands together and, with her head bowed, spoke.
“I have an urgent matter concerning the new dress you ordered yesterday. The tailor is waiting to take My lady’s measurements. Would you be able to spare some time?”
“My dress?”
A dress?
She had never ordered anything like that.
There was no way she would have suddenly ordered a dress to be made on the very first day after holding her wedding and arriving at White Castle.
But she wasn’t so oblivious as to ask about it outright.
Apparently, Philia had some other business with her.
If she was willing to lie about it, Pesha thought she should hear what this was about before dealing with the accounts.
However, still displeased, Pesha deliberately shot the butler a sharp glance before speaking.
“Butler, we’ll continue our conversation about what just happened later, so go for now.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The butler hurriedly left the room with an utterly shameless expression.
Once his footsteps echoing through the corridor beyond the door had faded into the distance, Pesha spoke.
“So. What is it?”
Philia repeatedly glanced toward the door, as though checking whether the butler had truly left, before speaking in a quiet voice.
“My lady. Did you perhaps call the butler and discuss the household accounts?”
“Why?”
“I’m sorry to be presumptuous, but please don’t do that.”
Pesha stared at Philia without even noticing that the ink from the quill in her hand had dripped onto the paper.
“Tell me why.”
“Please don’t misunderstand me, My lady. I’m saying this for your sake. I’m worried.”
“Then why are you worried?”
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