“Speaking of small fry, I heard the Canyon Count’s daughter was bestowed upon that fellow Laslo?”
“It must have been the most dramatic scene at the victory banquet. Everyone was begging like a pack of dogs to have her, but the Emperor just handed her straight to Laslo.”
“He made an example of them. Poor woman.”
Duke Brington clicked his tongue and shook his head, but Isaac just gave a cynical smirk.
“It’s truly laughable how the Canyon Count handed his own daughter over to Duke Lancaster just to make a connection. Then again, seeing how he’s managed to keep his family intact through all this chaos, I suppose he isn’t a total simpleton…”
Everyone caught the nuance in his closing remark.
“Are you planning to use the Canyon Count family?”
“They’ve been keeping a low profile lately, haven’t they?”
Isaac shrugged.
“Well, I’m just keeping an eye on them. I don’t imagine the Count is capable of doing anything spectacular, anyway.”
“The Baron Owen or Count Teshian families might bring us decent results if we handle them right.”
They continued their conversation, discussing which families to use as scapegoats for their own ends. The damage those families would suffer was not a factor in their considerations.
* * *
“Edel. You go pick up the laundry today. We’ll be busy washing what we couldn’t finish yesterday.”
Salia, who was assigning the day’s duties, asked Edel to collect the laundry.
In truth, collecting laundry was among the easier tasks in the laundry room. One could manage to slack off a bit if they were careful. That was why, at first, Salia and Laila would take turns doing it. But as they grew closer, they eventually started assigning the chore to Edel as well.
“The housekeeper is heading out somewhere with Lady Lynnia, so don’t you worry—take your time.”
That was practically the same as giving Edel some free time.
Edel tried to decline, but seeing Salia and Laila already up to their elbows in soapy water, she had no choice but to grab the large basket and leave the laundry room. She tucked the basket into the cart stationed at the entrance of the mansion and decided to start from the top floor and work her way down.
Pushing the cart as if she had been doing it for a lifetime made her feel strangely nostalgic.
‘It’s already been nearly two months since I started working here.’
Today was exactly the 50th day.
She hadn’t been here long, but lately, the strange atmosphere of the Count’s household was bothering her immensely.
‘It makes no sense that there is no butler, and the fact that the housekeeper is the real power in this mansion is just…’
While a housekeeper is an important position, she is, at the end of the day, merely a senior servant. For such a person to wield real power in a household of such high nobility was unheard of. Furthermore, Marsha was exercising her authority in a truly petty way.
‘Creating factions among the few servants and playing queen among them…’
The reason work was piling up wasn’t just due to a lack of staff. A few servants who sucked up to Marsha were visibly slacking off, forcing the others to shoulder the extra burden.
‘It’s the young or inexperienced maids who are suffering for it, mostly.’
The maids close to Marsha spent their time snacking and gossiping, while the rest were forced to work harder under her orders. Since they were new to the mansion, they couldn’t refuse; if they quit, they lacked the experience to get a recommendation letter elsewhere.
‘The housekeeper must have a strong voice, and she’s allowed to spend money within the budget set by the Count. That must be where her power comes from.’
Looking at the poor quality of the groceries and supplies, it seemed she couldn’t even manage that budget properly. Perhaps she had no eye for quality, or she simply couldn’t be bothered to find merchants who sold decent goods.
‘She’s even twisting Lynnia around her finger. She’s probably fueling Lynnia’s insecurities on purpose.’
That was the only way to keep manipulating her. Edel often saw Marsha whispering to Lynnia, acting as if she knew everything. She was likely pressuring Lynnia to summon clothing shops or jewelers that Marsha knew personally, and it was obvious how dresses or ornaments chosen by a housekeeper’s taste would look to other nobles.
Even though it wasn’t her business, it made her spine tingle.
‘And she’s probably taking kickbacks from those businesses as an introduction fee.’
The total disaster that was the Krissus Count family made her sigh.
‘Why doesn’t Count Krissus fix any of this? Even if he’s busy, you have to manage your own household properly for other matters to fall into place.’
Edel sighed as she collected the laundry from Lynnia’s room. The room, devoid of its master, was decorated in a dizzying array of ornaments. The complete lack of a unified aesthetic suggested things were bought whenever something trendy caught someone’s eye—or perhaps they were bought haphazardly, swayed by the “I heard this is popular” talk of the housekeeper.
‘If she knew even a few noble ladies her own age, she wouldn’t be so easily swayed by the housekeeper. Though, I suppose that’s hard for her to do in her position.’
Edel had heard the rumors that Laslo was struggling to fit into high society. A man who lost his parents young and was left on the streets with his sister, only to start as a mercenary guild errand boy and rise to become the Mercenary King—it was easy to guess he had overcome all sorts of hardships, but the nobility didn’t consider his past “beautiful.”
‘They’re just busy being jealous and envious because a peasant from a class they looked down upon suddenly monopolized the Emperor’s favor and became a high noble.’
Perhaps because of that, it seemed to Edel that Laslo was obsessed with his work at the Imperial Palace just to spite them. However, simply doing his job well wasn’t enough to enter the mainstream social circles or become a source of strength for the Emperor. To put it bluntly, he didn’t have the appeal that would make nobles swallow their pride and extend a hand first.
‘He should be intelligent and articulate, provide financial benefits to those he aligns with, or be a connection to the Emperor. At the very least, his appearance should be presentable…’
The face hidden behind his hair and beard seemed quite decent, but he had no interest in grooming himself, as if he had a strong aversion to being seen. His personality was also blunt, leaving people unsure of what they could gain from currying favor with him. And if word got out that his house was in such a state?
‘I don’t know if his reputation could possibly fall any further.’
Especially Lynnia; she wouldn’t be able to hold her head up unless she was in a setting where she was accompanied by her brother.
‘Count Krissus has no self-awareness that he has become a noble. He shouldn’t have accepted the title in the first place, but once he did, he should have taken responsibility.’
Edel pouted, lost in thought. Her life was already forfeit anyway, so it didn’t matter to her, but what crime had Lynnia—who was being led around by a mere housekeeper—or the maids—who were doing more work for less pay—committed?
‘Would it be presumptuous of me to point this out?’
She was ruminating on the problems within the Krissus Count family as she approached Laslo’s bedroom.
“…if you do that, the ‘Yellow Fox’ might catch on. They’ll likely make the ‘Red Mouse’ a scapegoat and escape. Wouldn’t that just be doing the Yellow Fox a favor?”
“The Red Mouse is already filled with enough poison, so they’ll be much more cautious this time. But they aren’t the type to just walk past a piece of cheese right in front of them.”
Voices drifted from Laslo’s office, as if they were discussing something deep. It seemed the maid who had brought tea hadn’t closed the door properly on her way out.
‘Yellow Fox? Red Mouse?’
They sounded like code names for certain people. Edel felt a flicker of curiosity, but she quickly shook her head and pushed the cart forward.
‘I’m no longer a noble; I’m a criminal involved in treason. I shouldn’t be listening in on such political talk.’
Just as she was about to pass the office, someone inside must have noticed her presence, as they flung the door wide open.
“Who’s there!”
It was a young man she had never seen before who popped out. He didn’t seem to be from the Imperial Guard or the knights, as his clothes were somewhat shabby, but his eyes were sharp and fierce.
Though startled, Edel politely bowed her head, worried that she might be accused of eavesdropping.
“I am a maid from the laundry room. I was in the middle of collecting laundry.”
The man did not remove his cold gaze from her as he asked Laslo, who stood behind him in the office.
“I haven’t seen this maid until recently, Captain. Have you verified her identity thoroughly?”
At those words, Laslo approached.
Seeing him after such a long time, she noticed he had inexplicably shaved his beard—though it looked as if it had been done three or four days ago.
‘As expected, his base features are quite refined. If he were groomed well, he would have an appearance that could gain significant popularity in high society.’
Edel grasped Laslo’s true worth at a single glance. However, it was frustrating that Laslo himself made no use of the strengths he possessed.