The air cooled in an instant.

Looking at her husband’s face, wondering if she had heard wrong, Lady Catherine discovered Olga with a face identical to hers.

The two officers were the same. They just bowed their heads, as if to confirm more clearly that what she had just heard was true.

As Lady Catherine slowly regained her senses, her face turned pale in an instant.

“What do you mean by that……”

Lady Catherine’s voice trembled aimlessly.

Surely her son wouldn’t suddenly sell their family’s horse.

Hael was a son she had raised without ever lacking anything he needed.

If he just asked, she could provide him with anything, whether it was tuition or anything else, and Lady Catherine never held back when it came to her son’s issues.

Not only that. Hael was the one who couldn’t get enough of horses.

But what is this….. Even if Hael had sold the horse, he wouldn’t have kept his mouth shut when he was searching the whole neighborhood, saying he would uncover the thief.

Catherine concluded that this fellow must be talking nonsense with a smooth face.

“There must be some misunderstanding. Hael wouldn’t do that.”

Olga couldn’t believe those words as much as Lady Catherine. He calmly asked again.

“Aren’t you mistaking someone else for my son?”

The officer handed a document to the two people who couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

It was the seller’s personal information provided by the Litton Buffitt auction organizers in response to a request for cooperation in the investigation.

There, undeniably, Hael’s name was written in his distinctive handwriting that anyone could recognize.

As the situation became undeniable, Olga’s expression became blank, and Lady Catherine held her forehead.

In that state, both of them turned their heads at the same time.

At the end of their gaze, Hael was gripping the railing with a pale face.

Unable to make any excuses.

“Then can we conclude the case here?”

While Lady Catherine couldn’t continue speaking, Olga sent the officers out and wrapped up the matter.

Olga, who came inside, grabbed Hael and went into the room.

From outside the door, Olga’s frustrated voice and Hael’s silent atmosphere were clearly transmitted.

“Where on earth did you spend that money?”

“……”

“This father believed you wouldn’t do such a thing, but after seeing that document, I can’t deny it, Hael.”

“……”

“Why did you sell Brit at that auction house? What did you do with that money?”

Listening to that conversation, Lady Catherine let out a hollow laugh.

It was because she remembered herself loudly declaring that she would drive out the thief who was inside the house from Alphonse.

How loudly she had shouted at the villagers, venting her anger…..

At the tea party she held last time, the invited people from Alphonse had subtly worried that it might have been Yuriel, that child.

Saying they had seen Yuriel lingering around the ranch with Hael.

There was even a lady who said that since they were close, Hael might have given her a key.

She had somewhat suspected that child too.

Although outwardly, as always, she said it couldn’t be.

But to think the culprit was her son.

Several days passed after that.

Lady Catherine was afraid the villagers would find out the truth. Whenever the topic of the horse thief came up, her heart was pricked.

Meanwhile, her son still didn’t say a word, as if he had become mute.

He only kept saying he was sorry.

Today too, Olga, coming out of the room, let out a sigh.

Deep wrinkles formed on Lady Catherine’s face as she watched him.

It was obvious. He must have only said he was sorry again.

“He still hasn’t said where he spent the money from selling Brit?”

Olga shook his head. The image of his son just muttering apologies with unfocused eyes was vivid.

As always, he directed all his anger towards Lady Catherine.

“When the mistress can’t do her job properly, the household runs so well, tsk.”

“Did I know Hael would do such a thing? Did you know?”

“What have you done well, really.”

Shaking his head, Olga sat down in the chair irritably.

Watching his back, Catherine bit her lip.

Her hand striking her chest in frustration grew more violent.

Each time, numerous thoughts crossed her mind.

Come to think of it, there were many strange things from the beginning.

Her son, who had been leaving for the lord’s mansion more frequently from dawn, saying he had a lot of work lately.

Her son, who said he would take care of the horse alone, dismissing other servants.

Her son, who subtly retreated to his room whenever the topic of the thief came up.

Even her son’s pale face when checking on Brit a few days ago….

Moreover, Hael hadn’t said a word during the past few days while the household members were searching for the horse.

How could her kind and innocent son do such a thing.

‘My son wouldn’t do this alone.’

Did Hael get involved with bad company in the capital?

No. That can’t be.

What kind of place is that. It’s the academy that only high-ranking noble young masters attend, even selected as an excellent student by the Blanchet scholarship foundation.

Her innocent son might have felt inadequate among that high crowd, but he wouldn’t have learned bad habits.

Rather, if it was as the ladies said, that Yuriel girl might have bewitched her son.

Wait a minute, that makes quite a bit of sense. Lady Catherine’s eyes gleamed.

Since coming to Alphonse, Hael had always been hanging around with that girl, hadn’t he?

Moreover, that girl who had nothing might have clung to her son needing money. No, it was closer to certainty than speculation.

It was a mistake to keep that girl around as just a pastime, firmly believing the saying that boys should have a few passing loves when they’re young to grow up properly.

Come to think of it, that girl always needed money.

‘Her mother also worked like a parasite in our house to earn money.’

Though Catherine herself had offered the job and Jane had merely accepted it, such details had long evaporated from her mind.

Only her reputation as an exceedingly kind person, repeatedly praised by numerous ladies, was clearly engraved in Catherine’s mind.

Lady Catherine, abruptly rising to her feet, bit her lip and said,

“Yuriel must have bewitched our innocent son.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Catherine sighed, looking at Olga who asked stupidly, then turned her head sharply and murmured softly.

“There is such a thing.”

It was a matter of finding out where the money from selling Brit had gone.

Catherine sprang up and moved her body hastily.

Behind her, Olga’s cries to stop if she was going to do something useless again continued incessantly, but she hurried her steps.

Until she stood at a distance where nothing could be heard.

Today too, Yuriel’s day began from early dawn.

Though she knew she no longer needed to do so, her eyes opening was like a long-ingrained habit, akin to inertia.

After neatly tying up her hair, she stood before the mirror, and a clean appearance was reflected.

Opening the closet, too large and luxurious for her to possess, dresses only called maid uniforms were hanging in various colors.

When she wore these and headed to the young master’s room, the eyes of other maids naturally followed.

Just as the owners of numerous shops had looked at her when she entered the lord’s mansion through Alphonse’s alleys.

Some say they enjoy such gazes, but is it because she’s not a real lady?

All of that was only burdensome and uncomfortable.

But what could she do? Knowing that protesting would only invite more sarcasm, Yuriel took out ‘that dress’ again today.

The light apricot-colored dress, likely to be the least noticeable among them, dangled at her fingertips.

Fortunately, the young master didn’t say anything about her insisting on only this dress.

Only after confirming her neat appearance did Yuriel sit on the chair and slowly close and open her eyes.

There was still about an hour left until breakfast.

Yuriel neatly arranged the table.

Then she stopped abruptly in front of the bottle containing gold coins.

This was the payment received from reselling the medicine Hael had given her a few days ago.

‘I was going to return it when I saw him again, but…’

Since that day, Hael hadn’t shown himself at the mansion.

From what she learned by asking Aunt Mary, he had taken several days off, saying he wasn’t feeling well.

The voice of the aunt muttering, ‘That’s not like him,’ was vivid.

That day, was it because she didn’t accept the medicine right away that his pride was hurt?

Recalling his expression that seemed wounded, it might have been so.

But how could one accept such an incredible medicine right away?

Even thinking it over, she couldn’t have done anything else.

Hael’s words that she had accepted what the young master gave echoed in her mind.

Right. As he said, she was receiving far too much from that young master.

While playing the role of a jester.

So perhaps not accepting only Hael’s gift was rather paradoxical.

Yuriel felt a bit sorry.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Both receiving and giving are privileges of those who have.

She wasn’t accustomed to such things, and in the world Yuriel knew, there was nothing one could receive for free.

Since coming to this mansion, no, more precisely, since meeting Cassian, she was realizing this fact even more clearly.

Honestly, when she saw that medicine Hael offered, it would be a lie to say she didn’t feel like accepting it.

Nevertheless, the feeling of not wanting to owe Hael was stronger.

Just recalling the voices of the aunts who suspected her when a horse disappeared from that house, just remembering Catherine’s unfriendly gaze among them, was enough.

If she accepted Hael’s help, wouldn’t she really become someone who had committed such theft?

It was obvious how Catherine would react.

Who knew what she might say, if not to her, then to her mother.

Such scenarios frightened Yuriel the most.

So she wanted to escape such anxiety and become confident.

By not owing any debt.

At the very least, she had a strong desire not to leave any debt to Hael, or more precisely, to Hael’s family.

Perhaps that’s why. The money she still hadn’t returned uncomfortably filled Yuriel’s vision.

When she first confirmed the payment the merchant would give, she truly almost fell over.

The amount for a single pill was substantial.

Where did Hael get such money from, she now began to wonder a little.