Chapter – 11
“Hey. Wake up.”
Baron Bore’s sweet slumber didn’t last long. Someone was pressing something hard against his forehead, waking him up.
“Ugh… uhh? Ack!”
His murmurs in sleep quickly turned into cries of pain. Startled by the sudden impact that fell onto his head with a thud, the baron shot his eyes open.
“This is hardly the time to be sleeping so comfortably. Your entire fortune’s been stolen.”
Rubbing the swelling that was already forming on his forehead, Baron Bore squinted at the figure standing on his bed. Judging by her outfit, it had to be Doily, the maid who had opened the door for him and guided him to the room just a moment ago.
“Wh-what? Who are you? Yo-you… Doily? How insolent! When did you tie me up? Untie me immediately! How dare you rob me?”
“Stop babbling and just look at my face properly. Baron, you haven’t forgotten me already, have you?”
The mysterious intruder—or perhaps a thief—rolled her face closer to the baron, who was tightly bound by ropes at his wrists and ankles.
“…!”
Bore froze at the familiar face, unable even to let out a sound.
The intruder was clearly the only daughter of a gentry family, Miss Baker—the same woman the baron had been eagerly trying to flirt with only a few hours ago.
“You enjoyed yourself all evening, didn’t you? Your mouth kept stretching every time you saw me.”
“W-why, why are you doing this to me, Miss Baker…?”
Bore managed to find his voice. Though he had no grasp of the situation he was in, he decided that the best course was to placate the wealthy young lady before him.
Naturally, this only earned him more scorn.
“Haha, you think my real name is Baker? That’s just what people call me these days.”
Rolling Pin—the thief—mocked the baron, striking her palm down repeatedly with the same weapon she was nicknamed after, looking down at the immobilized Bore with amusement.
“T-that thief? Rolling Pin?”
“Oh. Your brain’s finally catching up, I see.”
Pleased that he recognized her, she crouched beside him and patiently explained the situation.
“So, why did you live like that? Picking only gentry women, seducing them, even pushing for marriage—your habits were quite persistent.”
“Wait a second. You’re punishing me like this just for that? I’m different from the other nobles you’ve tormented! It’s just a case of lovers parting ways…”
Bore struck the mattress with the back of his head in frustration, protesting his innocence. Of course, none of his lies had any effect on Rolling Pin.
“When it comes to nobles, deceiving someone under the pretense of marriage is a crime. But with a noble and a commoner, it doesn’t count. That’s what you exploited.”
“…!”
“You even mentioned dowries under the guise of family tradition? You really took a lot.”
“Wait… if a commoner is to join a noble family, there should be compensation…”
“Shut it for a moment. There are still more sins for you to hear. You’d take everything, then blackmail your partner into annulment, pretending to be the ‘good guy’ who wants to protect the woman’s honor… Aren’t you brazen?”
She openly scolded him, then pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket. Without hesitation, she began reading the list aloud.
It was a record of the people Bore had deceived over the years and the property he had extorted from them.
“Touch that paper, and I won’t stay silent! I didn’t break any law!”
“That’s exactly it. That scam only counts as illegal depending on your social status. That’s why I’m here—to make you feel what those women felt.”
Having finished her words, Rolling Pin rose from her seat, looking as if she had completed her business. She lightly kicked Bore’s waist with a look of disdain.
“And you… how can you swindle so many and then leave the house entirely to one maid? No wonder no one answered your screams. By the way, your great maid Doily? I gave her a day off. She loved it.”
“You… you! You colluded with Doily! I’ll expose you! Starting with Doily!”
“Haha, of course. When Doily got her day off, I was disguised as you. Even last night, I pretended to be her, and you didn’t notice, did you?”
Having said all she needed to say, she left with a final remark:
I’ve said what I came to say, so go back to sleep.
Bore felt a tremendous shock on the back of his neck. Struggling to hold on to his consciousness, he asked one final question:
“If this is how it’s going… why did you appear as… Miss Baker, cr-cry…?”
“Oh, that…”
Rolling Pin raised her dark eyebrows as if the question surprised her. Her tone, now serious, was markedly different from the playful voice she had used earlier.
“When you’re expecting something big and it gets ruined, it feels like your whole life has collapsed. I wanted you to feel that same despair—the way you made women feel.”
The next day, the Berkshire Times ran a front-page story about Baron Bore.
Thanks to a report sent by Rolling Pin that morning, the women’s identities were kept anonymous, but Bore’s misdeeds were thoroughly exposed.
Seated at a café with a closed sign, Brielle read the article with a beaming face.
She even chuckled upon realizing that he wasn’t actually a baron but a sub-baron from a provincial area—a fact he himself didn’t know.
“Even if he’s not on the Taylor list, it’s good we dealt with him.”
As she skimmed to the last paragraph, her eyes widened in disbelief.
<Meanwhile, worried that the nobles’ fear of ‘Thief Rolling Pin’ was escalating, the police decided on extraordinary measures. They hired a ‘special aide’ to ensure her swift capture. That aide was none other than Duke Aiden Hill, astonishing the public…>
“Good grief. What a waste of manpower.”
After Aiden left the café in a hurry, Brielle investigated him further. Her conclusion?
“A naive young master who’s only ever studied? He can’t catch a thief.”
Just as she flipped the page, the café door was knocked with a heavy hand.
“Business closed for today…”
“Miss Taylor. It’s Aiden Hill. I came to verify something, so please allow me in briefly.”
The naive young master had come seeking the thief.
A strange tension filled the space between the two.
To an onlooker, it might have seemed like romantic chemistry between a handsome man and a beautiful woman. In reality, it was pure awkwardness. Both were deeply uncomfortable.
Brielle’s palms sweated from nervousness, worried that Aiden might have come to confront her for the lies she had told in front of the Taylor couple.
‘Was I too cheeky?’
Though her actions were minor revenge for being judged by him, from Aiden Hill’s perspective, it could easily be seen as a serious offense. Brielle regretted not apologizing earlier.
Finally, Aiden spoke in a low voice:
“I apologize for visiting without an appointment. Though I knew it was improper, I came immediately when I had the chance. I hope you understand.”
Brielle widened her eyes, surprised, then shook her head. Her platinum hair cascaded over her shoulders, shimmering like waves.
“No, the apology is actually mine. That day…”
“Regarding that matter, it would be better for both of us not to bring it up. I’ve already made my position clear.”
“Oh.”
Though Brielle had intended to apologize politely, his firm refusal to revisit the topic caused her lips to twitch in displeasure.
‘He truly believes my feelings are real… and openly dislikes me.’
Seeing this, her mischievous streak stirred. She decided to give a soft, teasing smile, as wistful as she could manage:
“Your words… they hurt my feelings.”
