Honestly, Kaella wanted to openly count the silverware and cut off the butler on charges of embezzlement.

But that was too bold a move for her, ‘merely a Grand Duchess’, to make.

And there was little chance that Peon would listen to those words. After all, wasn’t he the butler who raised him? It was already surprising enough that he had banished the former head maid.

Kaella had to move more carefully. If she helped with this, would Peon allow her to send even Mary back to Ostein? The focus of everything was to send the maids back. That was the most important thing.

“Shall we pull out all the silverware storage boxes right now and count them together with you in that hall?”

So when Peon spoke as if he had read her mind, she was slightly surprised. Surprised, but she didn’t answer. Peon didn’t seem to be waiting for her answer either.

“……It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. In fact, when we first counted the silverware last time, we could have pressed the butler.”

But at that time, Peon said, ‘Let’s just take stock for now.’ After that, they changed the head maid and Beatrice barged in, so there was no time to count further.

“But if we do that, it will end with just the silverware. He wouldn’t have messed with just the silverware, would he?”

Kaella also knew it was obvious that the butler would make a flimsy excuse that he had diverted it to the military fund out of loyalty, not embezzled it. Honestly, she wanted to block even that from the start.

“Is it enough to wrap up the meddling with the castle’s finances like that and fire the butler? What does my lady think?”

Peon looked directly at Kaella.

“Please don’t say things like it’s all my authority, or that I should handle it myself. This is a matter that you and I, the two of us, must decide together.”

As if she was indeed about to say that, Kaella slightly pursed her lips.

“We should discuss it together.”

Your Highness, you must consult with me and decide on internal matters together.

Before her regression, Kaella had clearly stated that she was the Grand Duchess. Now he was repeating her words.

He thought he couldn’t listen to the words of an untrustworthy woman just because she said something right. He blindly followed the illogical instructions of the prohibition. Isn’t it ridiculous?

Even now, he was still pathetic, wavering between the typical sinner’s desire to ignore desire and guilt, and the self-reproach that he shouldn’t.

Can this him approach Kaella this time? Because it was impossible, he promised to divorce before getting married. Even now, he desperately wanted her. The more he was with her, the deeper that feeling became, to the point where his body ached.

So he had to constantly remind himself of his sins and repent. If not, he was a beast without an answer.

“……I also think all the sins should be revealed in detail.”

Kaella answered while fiddling with the poison bottle she had put in her pocket.

“Lucenford is a border area and battles are frequent.”

Peon nodded with a smile. It was an attitude of listening to whatever she said.

“Embezzling the castle’s finances, which prioritize feeding and clothing people in a place where human lives come and go, is a serious crime.”

It was something that ordinary people couldn’t imagine coming out of the mouth of a young princess. As if she had been a Grand Duchess for several years, Kaella spoke clearly and solemnly. So Peon felt like his nerves were being cut one by one.

“I think embezzlement and misappropriation are the same as putting soldiers’ lives at risk.”

Through years of experience, Kaella knew well how to speak in a way that would at least be effective to those who wouldn’t even listen to her words.

She had to touch on a point that the other person considered important at least once. Speaking logically was useless. Humans are not creatures that move by logic.

“And it’s ignoring the laws and regulations of Lucenford.”

In Peon’s case, the army and discipline were the most important.

“No matter what excuse is made, the castle’s property should be cared for by Your Highness, not used at the butler’s discretion.”

“My lady’s words are right. However, the castle’s property is for you and I to care for together. That’s why I said I would entrust you with the butler’s successor as well.”

Peon gave a bitter smile.

“Have you thought about a successor?”

He would have thought that authority wasn’t hers, so how could she have thought about it?

“……Can I really appoint the butler’s successor? Since I chose the head maid, wouldn’t it be better in many ways for Your Highness to choose the butler……”

“I will be busy soon.”

“Ah, the inspector is coming, right?”

“Besides that, there’s a lot of work in Lucenford. I’ll look after the outside affairs, so I’ll leave the inside affairs to you, my lady.”

Peon approached the desk and tapped the ledger.

“Let’s find everything without missing anything.”

After her regression, Kaella had changed a lot. She became less talkative, didn’t smile much, and didn’t follow him around saying she liked him.

But where would that meticulous and flawless personality, unable to tolerate injustice, go?

The ink stains on her fingers are not flaws to be erased, but symbols of higher education and diligence. She must have been analyzing the ledgers for quite some time, and she’s probably continuing without stopping midway.

“Together.”

Peon did not miss the words that would remove even the slightest anxiety that might remain in Kaella. He spoke emphatically, and after confirming that a faint sense of relief spread across her porcelain doll-like face, he fell into despair again.

You are, after all.

Yes, after all.

He pulled back his hand that dared to reach out.

*

While Beatrice was severely ill with a cold, Kaella was comparing ledgers and digging into suspicious points to the extent that there was no time for the ink stains to come off her hands.

Peon said they would look “together,” and he really assigned Sir Renard, one of the knights he trusted most.

“Renard will be useful in uncovering suspicions.”

Well then, trusting Peon a little, Kaella would have to move four people: Sir Renard, Cecil, Denise, and Mary.

Just as she was thinking it was much better than before she died since at least one person from Lucenford was included, Denise quietly tipped off Kaella.

“These days, the head maid is fighting with the butler.”

At this truly eye-opening news, Kaella turned her head. Who’s fighting with whom? Why?

“Ah, I saw it too.”

Sir Renard, who knew all the rumors circulating in the castle inside out, said he didn’t just hear it, but actually saw it.

“It’s natural for a power struggle to occur when the head maid changes. Our old man Rolf is holding onto the keys and ledgers and has no intention of handing them over to Mrs. Sirens, and Mrs. Sirens, whew.”

Sir Renard shook his head and then grinned.

“She’s absolutely not to be trifled with. She won at least the first fight. She took some things away. But old man Rolf still hasn’t completely handed over the head maid’s authority and is still partially holding onto it. It’s been like that all along.”

Because the butler was above the former head maid.

“But Mrs. Sirens is sharpening her knife, saying she’ll tell the Grand Duke if he doesn’t hand it over.”

“Do all the castle people know about this?”

“They might not know as much as I do, but most of them know. Mrs. Sirens is also skilled at swaying public opinion.”

Kaella quietly sank into thought.

Before she died, there was no one to tell her such things. Even the maids from Ostein were ostracized as foreigners, so Kaella never had proper information in her hands.

Knowing nothing, she made many mistakes and suffered great losses. And she was always late to know, so she was ridiculed. Kaella really knew nothing.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Sir Renard, who was carefully observing Kaella speaking so curtly, added.

“It seems Mrs. Sirens is trying not to drag my lady into this. I heard her say she would establish the head maid position on her own. If she comes to my lady to tattle every time something like this happens……”

“It ultimately becomes a fight between me and the butler. It becomes a fight between me, who is not from Lucenford, and the people of Lucenford.”

At such an accurate and blatant statement, Sir Renard awkwardly replied.

“Yes. That’s right.”

In that sense, the new head maid Fabiola Sirens was doing very well. But she is a person from Lucenford. So she couldn’t become Kaella’s person.

“There must have been another friction today. They’re busy preparing to receive the inspector, but old man Rolf is not handing over the authority to purchase tableware or expensive ingredients. Using the excuse that the head chef hasn’t been decided yet.”

She could have come to Kaella and asked to quickly decide on a head chef because the butler was behaving like this, but the head maid hadn’t said a word about it to Kaella yet.

“Sir really knows everything.”

“Thank you for the compliment. May I say one more thing while I’m at it?”

Kaella looked at Sir Renard.

“I really like how the head chefs have been changing these days. Among them, I especially liked the head chef from around the time Lady Lavalle arrived. It was really delicious, my lady.”

“Is the cook currently in charge of the kitchen not good?”

“Well, it’s good, but……”

It means it’s not that good.

“I think I prefer the Kraine style rather than the Lucenford style. And when I went to play in the kitchen, that head chef made me a salmon dish, saying it was southern style. It had cream with dried tomatoes, and it was really……”

Kaella smiled without realizing it. It’s an Ostein-style grilled dish. It was something she often ate in her hometown too.

“The flavor is good.”

“Yes! With lemon added, I ate it very refreshingly. It was the first time in a long time that a fish dish wasn’t fishy, so I was happy. I don’t know where or how they got the lemon and dried tomatoes, though.”

“Do you consider food important, Sir?”

“It’s the joy of life, my lady.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Since the Grand Duke also liked that cook, he’ll appoint him as the head chef right away. He’ll start work tomorrow.”

“Whew……, you’ve saved a knight’s life, my lady! Finally, there will be at least one joy in life in this tough place……”

Cecil, wondering what kind of frivolous knight this was, was looking at him when Sir Renard stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly. Sir Renard carefully asked about the fact he had just realized.

“……So that’s why the head maid attacked old man Rolf today saying she needs to purchase tableware and ingredients?”

Instead of answering, Kaella smiled an enigmatic smile that was hard to read. The Grand Duchess, who wasn’t treated properly as a Grand Duchess, grew more cunning day by day.

When you’re mistreated, you learn from it. Even if she wasn’t skilled in politics and scheming, she became able to do it to some extent. It’s just that her heart got tired faster before that.

Sir Renard was about to open his mouth wide, but with his mouth still wide open, he saw the door opening.

“My lady, it’s the head maid.”

“Let her in.”

Head maid Mrs. Sirens, who entered dragging in the cool outside air, was more knightly than the wife of a knight. She paid her respects politely and then raised her head. Judging by her flushed face, she seemed quite angry. Sir Renard thought.

‘They must have had a big fight.’

“My lady. Please dismiss those around. I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

Kaella looked around at Cecil, Denise, and Sir Renard before speaking.

“They are all my people. What I need to know, they eventually need to know too. What’s the matter?”

Mrs. Sirens looked especially suspiciously at Sir Renard, then opened her mouth as if she had no choice.

“I’m very sorry at this point, but my lady.”

Has she finally come to tattle that the butler keeps not handing over power? Kaella looked at the head maid.

“……It’s really an unpleasant matter, but I request a private audience.”

“I’ll dismiss everyone. Everyone, withdraw.”

Finally, in the Grand Duchess’s office where all the maids and Sir Renard had left, Kaella faced the head maid she had appointed. Mrs. Sirens lowered her voice and said in one breath.

“The butler is suspicious.”

“In what way?”

“He keeps holding onto things the head maid should be doing, so when I checked, it turns out the Grand Duke has already ordered him to hand over the head maid’s rights to you, my lady. So when I confronted him about it, he kept evading and being frustratingly evasive.”

Mrs. Sirens pulled something out from between her wide dress.

“I just took the calculation sheets and ingredient ledgers that I’ll use, the ones the former head chef and butler used. The problem is that the numbers don’t match at all with the budget I know.”

“How do they not match?”

“It’s short. Significantly so. We can’t entertain the inspector with this.”

Kaella pursed her lips and then relaxed them. Mrs. Sirens, who had bravely stolen the documents, was fuming with anger at the shocking new discovery.

“We’ll have to fill the budget first, then.”

“No, Your Highness. Investigation comes first. This is embezzlement. You must investigate thoroughly. Let me do it.”

It was then. There was a polite knock on the door.

“My lady. It’s Renard. There’s big trouble.”

“Come in.”

As soon as the door opened, Sir Renard poked his head in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but the inspector from Kraine has arrived, they say.”

They’ve finally barged in. Kaella faced Mrs. Sirens again. She was looking at the Grand Duchess with eyes that said this must be investigated.

Perhaps there might be one more person who could be on Kaella’s side, at least in this matter.