Liselotte flipped through the documents Marsha had sent at speed.
At first, ownership of the Rovans estate was jointly held by Anne Rovans and Hedmilton’s father, Henry Rovans.
After the business failed, Henry Rovans’s share of ownership was transferred to Crystal Gaol.
And the one who had won the bid in this auction for Anne Rovans’ share was also Crystal Gaol.
For a swindler, the name Crystal was impressively grand.
Turning to the next page, there was a brief list detailing the arrears used as proof to put the estate up for auction.
[ List of Evidence
Exhibit A-1. Witness Statement of Fact 1
Exhibit A-2. Witness Statement of Fact 2
Exhibit A-3. Certificate of Residence at the Rovans Estate (Hezela)
Exhibit A-4. Statement of Reason for Residence at the Rovans Estate (Hezela – unpaid wages)]
The most important items here were the third and fourth pieces of evidence.
“A certificate of residence?”
That meant Hezela had been living inside the Rovans estate all this time.
Liselotte let out a low groan and stared hard at the text.
If she truly had been living there, they might have to pay the arrears themselves.
“Lady Rovans. Do you happen to have any documentary proof that Mrs. Hezela was residing in the estate?”
The old woman’s eyes went wide, as if she had just heard complete nonsense.
Moments like this made it oddly clear how much Hedmilton resembled her.
“In the old days, if you hired someone and they said they wanted room and board, you just gave them a place. We didn’t write anything up separately.”
These days things were more systematized, but even now there were plenty of people who lived loosely, much like the laws surrounding Gloria’s subjugation affairs.
Especially among nobles, family matters were often handled faster by command than by paperwork.
Mrs. Hezela had worked for House Rovans for over thirty years, so she must have been a trusted retainer they relied on even without documents.
‘So the other side doesn’t really have proof either.’
When Liselotte fell silent, the room grew quiet.
After turning the conversation over in her mind, Lady Rovans pressed a hand to her forehead as if in disbelief.
“I can’t believe it. Mrs. Hezela said she wanted to leave of her own accord long before I ever considered laying anyone off. She even brought fruit as a farewell gift.”
“Is there any reason someone who worked here for over thirty years would suddenly leave?”
“She said she was getting old and was going to live with her daughter, so I thought that was why. I never imagined she would betray us like this…”
Instead of continuing, she let out a deep sigh.
It wasn’t hard to understand her feelings.
If Hezela had even brought fruit to say goodbye, it hadn’t ended on bad terms at all, which only made the shock greater.
When there was money involved and someone fell ill, swindlers were bound to gather.
Eren, who had been glancing over the documents from the side, spoke in a low voice.
“It sounds like Crystal’s side must have offered the woman some kind of deal. The risk is high.”
The truth Hedmilton had been unable to voice was now confirmed through Eren’s mouth.
The air in the room grew heavy in an instant.
Amid the pessimistic atmosphere, Liselotte cheerfully shrugged her shoulders.
“That figures, right? Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Earnest gazes from Lady Rovans and Hedmilton, even Wat, gathered in one place.
Unease crossed and swelled.
She did not give an answer right away.
Instead, she asked about various details.
“Lady Rovans. While you were bedridden, was there anyone who came and went to the mansion?”
“My eldest son and his wife, Hedmilton, and Ezel came regularly, but…”
The trailing end of her sentence suggested many questions.
But she left them as mere curiosity and did not ask directly.
It was a trust a little too heavy to be considered the price for calling the High Priest.
After neatly organizing the documents with a snap, Liselotte handed them to Hedmilton and asked Wat,
“Can what you just said be written up as a witness statement?”
“I don’t know what it is yet, but if you tell me, I’ll try writing it. If it helps Lady Rovans, that is…”
“Then Hedmilton will receive the witness statement, and…”
As she considered what she needed, Hedmilton cautiously asked,
“Should we try to find Mrs. Hezela?”
“No, it’s fine. She’ll come out on her own.”
She did not know what kind of proposal the one named Crystal had made, but Hezela had made a foolish choice.
Liselotte grinned and scrunched her nose.
“Please prepare a consent to delegate litigation authority in Lady Rovans’ name.”
***
While Headmilton carried out the task she had ordered, Liselotte decided to return to their mansion in the Capital first with Eren.
Standing in front of the carriage, she let out a deep breath.
They would obviously be using a third-grade teleportation magic stone to get back again.
If she braced herself before getting on, it would probably be bearable. It was just that the sudden impact felt stronger than usual.
No one knew the condition of her body better than she did herself.
While she was steadying her resolve like that, the man standing in front of the carriage was muttering something under his breath over and over.
She could not hear it clearly, but the way he irritably ran a hand through his hair from time to time made it obvious that things were not going smoothly.
Liselotte slipped closer to his side and suddenly leaned her face in.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
“Ah.”
The pupils within his golden eyes looked unusually elongated today. Just as her reflection formed in his irises, his eyes had already returned to their normal state.
It was only a fleeting moment.
‘Was that my imagination?’
When using the Word of Command, Eren did not seem very aware of his surroundings.
At a glance, it looked like he was placing an incantation on the carriage.
It seemed to be a measure meant to reassure her, even indirectly.
The thought of having to cling to him again on the way back made her feel a little lightheaded.
Liselotte let out a small cough, “Ahem.”
“It happened suddenly on the way here, that’s why. It should be a bit better on the way back.”
And then…
A single sentence lingered on the tip of her tongue.
For some reason, it felt awkward to say it out loud, so Liselotte climbed into the carriage in one quick motion without an escort.
She lightly tapped the seat beside her with her hand and asked,
“Aren’t you coming? I can’t go by myself.”
In one smooth motion, he got into the carriage.
Naturally, just like on the way there, Eren held her tightly in his arms.
The inside of the carriage, where only the sound of their shallow breathing could be heard without any conversation, felt a little unfamiliar.
For no reason, her lower back felt itchy, and Liselotte fixed her gaze only on the area around his chest.
“We will depart!”
The coachman announced the departure loudly.
From a distance so close their faces could almost touch, Eren spoke calmly.
“Hold on to me. I have also placed an incantation on myself so that I will not move.”
As Liselotte quietly fiddled with the edge of his clothes, she conveyed her sincere feelings to him in a soft voice.
“Thank you.”
For not asking. For simply being considerate.
The explanation was a bit brief, but even so, it was within an acceptable range.
Feeling even more shy, she simply wrapped her arms around Eren.
Clatter, the carriage began to shake.
Unlike before, the shaking was less, but for some reason the sound ringing in her ears seemed similar to the way there.
Especially the sound of his heart beating a little faster.
Fast enough to be frightening.
***
“We’re here!”
‘At last! We! Have returned to the townhouse!’
As soon as she got down from the carriage, Liselotte burst into tears of emotion at the sight of the mansion where she had stayed for only a single day.
The moment he stepped down from the carriage, Eren’s expression hardened stiffly.
She did not know the reason, but after exchanging some words with Ail, who had followed after them, he said,
“I have something to attend to, so I will go in first. If you need anything, call for Ail.”
“Wait a moment!”
Before Liselotte could even finish speaking, he hurried into the mansion with Ail.
Watching his retreating back, she blinked awkwardly.
“I was going to ask him to notarize the witness statement once Hedmilton arrived.”
Then again, it looked like he had quite a lot to talk about with Ail.
For one thing, there were matters related to House Gloria, so there would surely be conversations to be had among those who had survived that affair.
Liselotte decided to excuse herself tactfully.
‘I can have it notarized tomorrow anyway.’
As Liselotte was being guided to her room by a maid, she ran into Marsha in the corridor, who was pacing back and forth restlessly.
The moment she saw her face, Marsha rushed over at a frightening speed.
“Your Highness! How can you only be arriving now? You need to change quickly!”
“Uh, why?”
