Episode 10
“Fraud?”
“Yes.”
Fresh from a bath perhaps?
The Grand Duke, droplets still falling from his hair, pulled his gown tighter and frowned.
“Are you talking about the accountant of House Leandro?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“That’s not true, Your Grace!”
Milton, whose collar I had in my grip, began pitifully squirming again.
“I… I’ve done nothing wrong, cough!”
Be quiet.
I tightened my hold just a little, and Milton immediately shut his mouth.
This was convenient.
“…….”
Seeing this, the Grand Duke wiped the remaining moisture from his face.
Like he had just seen something incredibly unpleasant.
Was that look for me? Or for him?
“Let’s go inside first.”
The Grand Duke stepped aside, and I walked straight into his room.
“Now… Tell me what happened.”
Sitting on the sofa, the Grand Duke alternated his gaze between me and Milton, still held by the collar.
“Please, explain.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I’ve seen this man before at the Tekins Count’s estate.”
“At the Tekins estate?”
“Yes. My half-brother… no, the Viscount Tekins, once pulled off a large-scale mining investment fraud.”
The Grand Duke’s sharp gaze grew even sharper as he listened.
“I clearly remember that my half-brother… no, the Viscount, invited his accomplices over to the Tekins estate at least once.”
“And you saw him there?”
“Yes. That half-bastard… ugh, I’ll just call him trash. Anyway, this man participated in that scam.”
I saw it clearly! Absolutely clearly!
“But when I was being punished, I never heard this man’s name or saw his face back then.”
Of course, once the fraud was exposed, that trash brother of mine dumped all the blame on me.
I was dragged around and thrown in prison multiple times, only to be released again and again.
‘I don’t recall seeing this guy back then.’
Later, when I returned to the mansion, battered and bruised from prison…
“There were so many slippery eels like him around, you know? Impressive. Hey, you’re back? Guess prison life was comfy? You look so refreshed.”
I remembered hearing those words.
“If you want, you can check for yourself.”
I handed over Milton’s bag, which I’d been holding with my other hand. The Grand Duke took it and immediately opened it.
Inside were just a few clothes, some books, and a small pouch of coins.
“For someone involved in such a huge mining fraud, he’s carrying very little money. Doesn’t seem like he has hidden savings either.”
After checking even inside the coin pouch, the Grand Duke asked:
“Do you happen to know where he stashed the stolen money?”
His flat gaze locked on me. That meant this wasn’t enough proof yet.
“You’ll be convinced after you see this.”
Sorry, I forgot to put it back after checking earlier.
The guy kept trying to run away, you see.
“Ugh!”
I tightened my grip again, making Milton choke.
Stop acting so dramatic!
“…….”
The Grand Duke took a small notebook and some documents from me and began reading slowly.
“Hah.”
His neutral expression didn’t last long. Line by line, a sneer appeared on the Grand Duke’s face.
“Milton Burgel.”
Snap.
The sound of the worn notebook closing rang out loudly.
“You joined a fraud scheme while carrying the name of House Leandro.”
The Grand Duke rose from his seat and took a step closer, then another.
“And you even used that money to run more scams.”
Exactly.
After taking part in a large fraud and somehow dodging punishment, how could he still be this poor?
‘He must have run another scam and failed.’
Perhaps he found the thrill of fraud too addictive.
This time, Milton started his own scheme.
And failed spectacularly.
How badly did he fail?
Bad enough that even after pouring in all the stolen money, he couldn’t cover the losses.
To the point where he borrowed from every bank and lender he could find.
“And of course, you even touched the accounting books.”
He even used House Leandro’s funds to patch things up.
That little notebook in the Grand Duke’s hand was a secret set of falsified ledgers.
“Y-Your Grace!”
Thud!
Milton, struggling again, slammed his head on the floor.
“It wasn’t intentional! I just… I just wanted to live well! It was a small mistake! I’ll repay everything I took!”
Whether the Grand Duke was even listening or not…
He stepped toward the wall.
“Please, just this once! Think of my wife and children! Have mercy!”
The begging cut off.
Milton’s body collapsed limply to the side.
Huh?
Wait a second… no way…
Did he die…?
I suddenly recalled a scene I’d seen before:
A collapsing man, a bloodied massive sword, the Grand Duke standing before it with an expressionless face.
My throat tightened as if being strangled, breath growing shallow. The world blurred.
That time… when the Grand Duke killed that man…
“Lady Tekins.”
Suddenly, my vision brightened.
“Breathe.”
Only then did I realize I wasn’t breathing.
“Haah…”
“Slowly.”
Pathetically, I calmed my breathing while still clinging to the Grand Duke’s hand. He waited for me to steady myself.
“He’s just fainted.”
Only then did I notice Milton again. Foam bubbling from his mouth, his eyes rolling back.
“He’s not dead.”
“Ah…”
I barely got to my feet, staggering.
Quickly, I smoothed down my messy hair.
“I-I was really shocked. I thought he was dead.”
“I do know how to restrain myself.”
The Grand Duke, who had been holding my hand, gave a light squeeze before releasing it. Then he rang a bell on the table.
“Or perhaps…”
After setting the bell down, he stared at me.
“In your mind, am I the type to swing a sword and kill people at random?”
Despite claiming not to believe the rumors…
His gaze said: So in your head, I’m a murderous maniac?
“Either way, it doesn’t matter to me.”
His tone said it didn’t bother him at all what I thought of him. Still, I opened my mouth.
“Ah.”
No, it’s not that… It’s just…
I kept remembering what I saw before.
I was about to say that but shut my mouth.
He wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“I was just startled. I thought you had drawn your sword.”
What the Grand Duke had used to hit Milton wasn’t a sword—it was the scabbard from the shelf.
“Sorry for scaring you.”
He set the scabbard back down and briefly apologized.
“If I’d struck with my bare hand, I might really have killed him. This was the better choice.”
“……?”
Wait, what?
Did he mean his bare hands were deadlier than the scabbard?
‘Besides… I get the feeling he already had suspicions about the accountant.’
Otherwise, why would he side with me—a stranger—over his own employee?
Especially considering this was the infamous Grand Duke Leandro.
‘The’ Grand Duke Leandro.
I shot him a suspicious look, but he remained calm.
“Your hand is red. What happened?”
His face suddenly stiffened. Carefully, he took my hand.
“You’ve been burned.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes, you, Lady Tekins.”
Only after hearing him did I notice my own fingers properly.
Blisters, white and opaque, had formed on my fingertips.
Probably from when I dipped my hand to check the water temperature earlier.
“Oh right, Belois got hurt too!”
But that wasn’t the main issue right now.
“A maid brought scalding hot water and Belois burned her hand badly. I had her taken to the family doctor, but…”
“If she went to Annette, she’ll be fine. That one’s a skilled healer.”
The Grand Duke released my hand and continued.
“You should worry more about your own fingers. They’ll scar.”
“It’s just my fingertips.”
Even if they scarred, they were just fingertips. Nobody would really notice.
“More importantly, Your Grace.”
I grabbed the Grand Duke’s hand tightly.
“What do you plan to do with him?”
Since Belois was okay, my next concern was not my fingers—but Milton, still foaming at the mouth.
“I’ll investigate the situation and handle it according to the law.”
“No, no.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t really believe this guy acted alone, do you?”
I gripped his hand harder.
“He has backers. You must have at least some idea.”
“…….”
The Grand Duke frowned, letting out a sigh.
“I’m looking into it.”
See! He already had suspicions and was investigating.
“I have a pretty good guess who it is.”
I smirked, raising one corner of my mouth. Actually, it wasn’t just a guess—I knew exactly who.
I had a rough idea of how this incident would unfold in the original story.
“Come to think of it, you’re a former con artist yourself. And an embezzler too. You’d know better than anyone. I’ll listen to your advice carefully.”
Was that sarcasm?
I glared at him, but the Grand Duke’s face stayed annoyingly shameless.
“So then, Lady Tekins… who do you think it is?”
“Hmm…”
I pretended to ponder.
“In cases like this, it’s usually a relative. Someone close to the late Grand Duke. Or… perhaps the person who recommended this man for the accounting position?”
Resting my chin on my hand, I rolled my eyes dramatically, then met his gaze.
“Most suspicious of all… someone whose wealth suddenly increased after the fraud scandal!”
I smiled broadly at the Grand Duke.
“Do you happen to know anyone who fits all those criteria?”
“…….”
The Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed. Not because he didn’t know, but because he was annoyed that my deduction was correct.
But his silence didn’t last long. Soon, he spoke.
“Uncle Preston.”
Bingo. Correct.
