Chapter – 06
About an hour after Brielle had snuck in, Baron Sutton arrived at the mansion.
When the noise downstairs grew, Fletcher, the Baron’s lover, casually slid the wardrobe concealing the hole to the side. In the meantime, he leisurely exchanged a parting kiss with Gloria.
It worked perfectly in Brielle’s favor. She quickly slipped out through the hole, covering the two lovers’ faces with the coat she had brought along. Startled for just a moment, the couple flailed a few times before passing out entirely.
“Just sleep for a bit.”
The sedative she had sprayed inside their clothes lasted roughly twenty minutes. Within that time, she had to deal with Baron Sutton.
Brielle tied up the two in ropes and pushed them into the next room, concealing the hole with the wardrobe.
At that moment, Baron Sutton entered the room. There was no time to hesitate.
“What the—uhk…”
As soon as he noticed the intruder, Brielle struck him precisely with the rolling pin at the spot Molly had shown her. The Baron collapsed to the floor.
“Oh, this is perfect. Truly, the wisdom of an adult.”
Although there was extra sedative, she had never intended to knock him out so conveniently from the start. Brielle pressed the tip of the rolling pin against the Baron’s weak point once more and found a set of keys on his waist.
Baron Sutton reportedly kept all his important documents in a safe in his room.
Soon, a bright smile spread across Brielle’s face as she opened the safe.
Inside, neatly stacked papers contained all the evidence of the Baron’s corrupt dealings.
The next day, the front page of the Berkshire Times featured Baron Sutton wearing nothing but his underwear.
The world was shocked: this was the first newspaper in history to feature a “photo,” and the image was of the Baron completely exposed. To make matters worse, scrawled across his hairy, round belly were the words:
<Since we’re divorced, I’ll go back to how I looked before marriage.>
The following day, the front and fourth pages again reported on Baron Sutton.
The special report on the front page revealed that he had tampered with his ex-wife’s medical records to force through the divorce. It mentioned that anonymous documents had allowed the newspaper to break the story.
Later, the judge who had overlooked this corruption also faced exposure and was stripped of his authority.
A related article on the fourth page leaned more toward gossip: the first thing the Baron saw upon waking was Gloria and her lover lying in his bed. The story added that the household staff could not help but laugh at the Baron’s frantic naked reactions.
In the end, Baron Sutton had his divorce overturned, and Diane, regaining her position as Baroness, returned home. The staff welcomed her back as their rightful mistress with tearful applause.
Of course, with the Baron now imprisoned for fraud and corruption, he and Diane never lived under the same roof again. Management of the estate naturally reverted to her.
Diane held the newspaper detailing Gloria and her lover’s scandal and gently caressed her mother’s diamond ring, which she had received secretly that very dawn. A note accompanying the ring read:
<Next time, live a life where you can protect what is precious to you.>
…And she would. Renewed by an unknown benefactor, Diane read the thrilling report once more and scanned the advertisement section below.
“A café with a garden, huh? That’s unusual… maybe I should meet some friends after all.”
A warm, genuine smile spread across Diane’s face—one she hadn’t felt in a long time.
After the Baron Sutton incident, when a similar event occurred for the third time, Octavia visited Brielle’s café early in the morning.
“Look at this article! Isn’t it amazing?”
She thrust the steaming fresh Berkshire Times into the half-asleep Brielle’s hands.
“Haah, I think it’s just warm from being on your fancy carriage seat.”
“Always so sharp! Anyway, just look at it! Check out the amazing name our Berkshire Times came up with!”
Rubbing her eyes reluctantly, Brielle looked at the front page.
“Hmm? ‘The Rolling Pin Phantom’…? What’s this?”
“Of course! The perfect name for a righteous thief!”
Octavia read aloud, as if Brielle’s lukewarm response made no sense to her:
“This mysterious vigilante targets only controversial nobles, gaining public support. Notably, he uses physical force only when knocking out his targets with a rolling pin. Our paper has decided to officially name this righteous thief ‘The Rolling Pin Phantom.’”
By the time Octavia finished reading, the sleep had completely left Brielle’s teal eyes. She sighed quietly and spoke.
“Haah… who came up with this?”
“Obviously! Me, Octavia Wood, the future pride of the Berkshire Times.”
“Did this really have to be the best option?”
Octavia explained the other possibilities.
“Well, since a rolling pin is for kneading bread, one idea was ‘Bloody Bakery’… and then…”
“Stop. Yeah, ‘The Rolling Pin Phantom’ is definitely best.”
‘Bloody Bakery’? She had never drawn blood herself. She only knocked people out cleanly… feeling a bit unjust, Brielle composed herself and lightly tapped the article on the front page.
“…No photo?”
“Nope. Where would we even take one? Not a trace left behind. Though the reporters do have a theory…”
“A theory?”
Bending slightly, Brielle followed her friend.
Octavia lowered her voice seriously:
“This phantom… Baron Sutton said he’s a young boy. Other victims also said he was male. So the theory is that a common boy, wronged by nobles, is taking revenge wherever he can!”
“Wow…”
“Isn’t that convincing? Aren’t our reporters amazing?”
“Yes. Truly amazing.”
Except, of course, it was completely wrong.
Brielle silently felt relief. The world still knew nothing of her.
‘I can carry on with my work safely.’
Still, many troublesome nobles remained. Brielle grinned like a well-fed predator and patted Octavia’s back.
“Really amazing!”
“Ah! Control your strength!”
Octavia’s loud scream carried all the way from the café on the first floor to the second floor.
Even Molly, awakened by the commotion, came downstairs, and the three began a bustling day together.
A large, dark carriage slowly stopped in front of the castle gates. Alone inside, Aiden tilted his head back and murmured,
“Annoying as ever.”
He had just arrived in the capital, yet it was already the second summons. The King called him for no real reason, and Aiden was thoroughly irritated.
As he stepped out, a few reporters waiting at the gate immediately swarmed him. Ignoring their trivial questions, Aiden entered the building quickly.
He knew these reporters had been called by the royal court this time, but at his last audience, he didn’t—and tried to answer politely. The result? Ridiculous headlines from B-grade newspapers later that afternoon:
<New Owner of the Hill Family Estate, Aiden Hill: Hidden Intentions Behind the Royal Audience?>
<‘King Walter is My Only Lord,’ Declares Duke Hill: Loyalty Fully Revealed>
<Leaving Pain Behind for the Future: 3 Ways Aiden Hill Differs from Bradley Hill>
The obvious intent of the headlines hit him belatedly. His words had been twisted into fuel for the King.
‘My brother really had it rough…’
A faintly bitter and apologetic feeling flickered in his hazel eyes and quickly vanished.
