Chapter 25: CH 25

“Are you worried? You’re afraid I’ll overdo it.”

“……”

“But it’s okay. Just playing with cherry makes me feel really bad. Decent work is necessary. Oh, by the way, how is the festival going? I think I’m almost done with the preparations. Still, I think it’ll be okay if I finish it myself… and.”

I swallowed for a moment. Now is the time to speak. Enough evidence!

“The butler was embezzling the duke’s budget.”

“I know.”

“The evidence here… You know?”

Cesare nodded. He glanced at the papers on Daphne’s desk and added.

“I saw the documents you prepared.”

“Ah…”

“It was pretty helpful. Good work.”

For a moment, it felt like my ears were burning. Was it because I was praised? Even when Cesare says he likes me, it feels like my calm heart suddenly beats.

Somehow I got a little embarrassed.

“What do you mean? Anyway. I can take charge of the festival again. I never wanted to throw everything away and run away. I thought it would be better to do all of the work here.”

“… So is it really okay to work?”

“If Cesare would let me do it again.”

It was physically inappropriate for me to just play and eat. I enjoyed the vacation enough.

I wanted to be a Duchess who did what I had to do. I wanted to make a name for myself that when I went down in history I was a wise duchess.

“… If you wish, do it. I will have Shannet move the necessary things.”

“Thank you. Oh, but Cesare.”

I remembered the ending of the criminal that I had read in the original.

Cut off your fingers and kick them out of the realm.

It is a cruel punishment like the R-19 novel.

“Uh, the butler. Do you have to cut off his fingers?”

“… It’s okay if you don’t want it. As long as there are other appropriate punishments, it is okay to do so.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Haah… I’m glad. I didn’t want to follow such barbaric laws.

Cesare glanced at me once more and left.

Not long after that, Shannet returned. But Shannet said that she didn’t bring the documents I had been waiting for. Behind Shannet were two servants. With something in their hand.

“Du-Duchess. If you sit on the floor like that, you will catch a cold. Come here quickly. Your Majesty the Duke told me to put thick rugs on the floor.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry up.”

At Shannet’s urging, I immediately woke up. I was afraid of strangers, so I grabbed cherry behind me and ran out of the office. Then the servants started laying rugs on the floor of the office.

“… Cesare did that?”

“Yes, madam.”

Haah… He’s a cute guy.

Actually, if it looked bad, I would have said something like sit on the sofa, but I quietly watched it from behind. Is this the same as ‘Do what you want, I will take the responsibility’?

As I looked at the thick rugs on the floor, my heart seemed to be moving.

“He’s really kind, right?”

Shannet whispered to me.

“That’s right. He’s kind and attentive in a way that’s really unexpected.”

As far as the rugs were laid, I looked at the papers as I rolled over with Cherry on the floor.

Wouldn’t it be nice to do this sometimes? Rolling on the rug full of Cesare’s attention.

Cesare’s face kept popping up on the white paper.

My face was like a burning sweet potato.

When I thought of Cesare, I burst out laughing. I rolled my feet with my face buried in the papers.

The reason I couldn’t concentrate on the paperwork was probably because Cesare’s face that kept coming to mind was like an idiot.

****

The documents were well organized. And there was enough evidence that the butler was using the money. It really just had to be done.

The documents also included how the butler stole the money, where it was spent, and how it was stolen. In addition, the testimony of witnesses was also accepted. It was the perfect document.

“Then, can we just get the butler?”

This kind of person is a joke.

How can I trust you to entrust the family’s money?

After checking the documents one more time, I added the things I needed to add and finished organizing.

The festival was also well prepared. Still, I thought it would be good to add at least one thing, so I added a comment.

I got up from the floor and waved the bell. As I moved, Cherry, who had been sleeping with her stomach exposed, was startled and jumped up.

“Woff….”

I endured the sound of calling me to the floor again and waited for people to come.

“Madam. Did you call?”

“Shannet. Would you like to call the butler?”

“Yes!”

It would be nice if it could be resolved through the conversation. Still, the butler is someone who has worked for Cesare for a long time, so I hope he can communicate with me…

At my call, the butler came to the office. Shannet and the other maids also entered the office.

“Shannet, take cherry to the bedroom with you.”

Shannet nodded and left the office with Cherry. I could scare Cherry if my voice rose because she didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Why did you call me, Duchess?”

I can’t believe he did such a thing with such a gentle face. Seriously, these days, are there one or two people who stick knives behind their backs with smiles?

“Butler, I would like you to see this first.”

I handed over the paperwork to the butler. The butler accepted it with a puzzled face.

The butler, who was calm at first, turned white as he turned over the paperwork. The butler dropped the papers he was holding.

“Du-Duchess!”

“Shh. Don’t raise your voice. Because I want to solve it through conversation.”

“Th-his is a trap! Those who were jealous of me did it…”

“I know it’s not a trap.”

“I was crazy! My brother is sick and in a hurry…”

“I know that’s a lie too, butler.”

The butler bit his lip. It was the face he knew he couldn’t get out of anyway.

You thought I wouldn’t know it?

The butler finally gave up his excuses and knelt on the floor.

“I’m wrong, Duchess. Please close your eyes just once…”

“The Duke already knows. He knew before me and told me to take care of this.”

“That….”

The butler lowered his head.

“Anyone who covets his master’s property and touches it will get cuts off his finger. Right-handed people put their right thumb on it, and left-handed people put their left thumb on it.”

This was the law of this world.

Because this is a crap novel. So in the original, the butler had his finger cut off.

“Sa, save me, Duchess! I have sinned to death!”

“Why are you asking for help if you say you have committed a mortal sin? So you shouldn’t have done this in the first place.”

At my words, the butler nodded his head.

“I will never do that again… Really. So, if you only save me once….”

“… Instead, you will have to pay a price for it. Where are all the stolen funds now?”

I asked knowingly. If you lie again, the butler is garbage that doesn’t even deserve forgiveness.

Sincerely repent and repent, you who have sinned.

“… I wasted on gambling.”

“…..”

“You should have cut off this wrist… Once I started, I couldn’t stop, and eventually I touched the duke property to pay off the debt. I am the one to kill.”

The butler spoke frankly. It is surprising that so much money was spent on gambling, but the original money increases as you spend it.

“Is there any way to get that money back?”

The butler’s face turned calm. In fact, that would be impossible. So the debt will be getting bigger and bigger.

You would have played the game again and played the game again to pay the money back. With that excuse, things would have gotten so big.

All gamblers have the same excuses, right?

“I’m really sorry!”

“I was thinking of firing you from your job and releasing you if the butler said he would pay all this money back. It’s unfortunate.”

I spilled the words

You didn’t like being forced to work. Wouldn’t it be better if you voluntarily pay for your sins?

“Uh… I’ll make money and pay it back!”

“What are you going to do? It’s hard to pay back all that money by doing a decent job, you know.”

“Well, that…”

There is a saying that the most risky and difficult work is a high return. And in the family of the Grand Duke, there was a high-paying job that a sinner could do.

The only complaint I had while on vacation was the foggy windows.

There was no one here to wash the windows, so even the huge mansion had unopened windows all dirty. It was the same here.

“Would you like to try cleaning the windows?”

“Yes?”

The butler raised his face.

“Wipe the window.”

I pointed my finger out the window.

“This mansion has as many as 200 windows as far as I know. And most of them do not open, so there is a cloud of dust. When it’s time to clean all 200, they’ll be dirty again. It’s a job that keeps coming in!”

“Du-Duchess!”

The butler trembled.

“Of course, I plan to make the equipment myself.”

What a high-profit part-time job in Korea.

“This is my last suggestion.”

You won’t get the money back anyway. Cesare must have taken him and cut off his finger and kicked him out.

If so, wouldn’t it be better to get the money back in some other way? rather than following the law.