Newlywed Life Begins with a Mistake - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 8

“My lady!”

“Are you alright!”

As soon as I screamed, I heard the voices of the butler and head maid.

I quickly fixed my disheveled hair that I had been clutching and feigned ignorance.

“What’s the matter?”

“We heard a scream from this direction!”

“Did something happen to you?”

“You both must have been hearing things. I never made a sound.”

“But we definitely heard something…”

“I told you nothing happened.”

When I widened my eyes to emphasize that I was fine, the two people who had been looking at me with confused eyes checked on my well-being several times as if they were concerned.

“Was there no intrusion by any suspicious person?”

“There wasn’t.”

“Then where are the maids who were by your side? They were attending to you until I left, weren’t they?”

“I sent them on errands. I ordered Mary to bring ink and parchment, and told Rose to bring refreshments.”

“…That’s a relief then.”

“I’m fine, so please withdraw now.”

“But!”

“Yes. We’ll take our leave, so please rest comfortably, my lady.”

Sebastian was about to say something, but Sophia grabbed his arm and pulled him back a step.

Click.

The door closed.

Now alone, I threw the ledger aside and clutched my hair with my hands.

“Ah. Damn it.”

They say even when the rich fall, they last three generations, so why is this place on the verge of collapse?

As soon as I looked at the ledger, my head throbbed painfully enough to give me a headache.

Every page I turned revealed a parade of minuses.

There was some revenue, but losses aplenty.

In other words, House of Count Heteus was a debt party.

“Just how did they manage the ledger?!”

The South, called the land of abundance and prosperity!

The South, where grain overflows enough to enjoy banquets all year round!

The South, where the money earned from tourism is enormous!

“Why! Is it in this state!”

If it weren’t for Casian, I would have immediately argued it was a fraudulent marriage and applied for annulment.

“Sigh, let me go through this step by step.”

After possessing Evelyn’s body, information about the South had entered my mind.

Surely in my memory, the South was a place with enough capacity to afford a luxurious lifestyle.

But House of Count Heteus in reality was.

“In a state where it could collapse at any moment.”

It was no different from a sandcastle facing a massive tsunami.

Externally, it had an image of overflowing wealth.

“But the reality is… a situation where we might not only face bankruptcy but also lose our title.”

I had to urgently devise countermeasures.

To regain my composure, I exhaled several times and caught my breath.

Only after calming down somewhat did I pick up the ledger that had fallen to the floor.

“Let me look again to see if I missed anything.”

I need to analyze what caused this situation – which items the money went to, why massive losses occurred, and so on.

Recalling my days as an intern before I died after being hit by a freight truck, I tried my best to examine the ledger thoroughly.

“Could it be that the butler and head maid embezzled?”

On the surface, the ledger shows no particular abnormalities.

Except for the fact that there are habitual large-sum delinquents and the Duke’s Mansion maintenance costs are excessive.

“Thinking differently, it means they could embezzle money from essential items.”

Inflating costs and taking margins in between.

If they were making excessive profits that way, the current situation would make sense.

“I noticed earlier that those two seemed close.”

Could it be that the two of them conspired to deceive Casian?

If so, it’s entirely possible.

All the servants of House of Count Heteus are under those two people’s control, aren’t they?

“In romance fantasy novels, it was common for butlers or head maids to embezzle the family fortune.”

Right. If it’s a relationship built on corruption, they would embezzle and squander the ducal house’s assets or satisfy their personal greed.

Though it’s only circumstantial evidence, considering the butler’s attitude of not presenting the ledger until now, my speculation was very reasonable suspicion.

Moreover, the head maid Sophia also only receives reports about my daily life through Mary and Rose, and avoids direct contact except for important matters, doesn’t she?

She must have been afraid of me trying to uncover the truth about the ducal house.

“How dare they try to backstab our innocent husband!”

Casian is suffering so much!

Just how much have those two been stealing!

“How should I deal with these people?”

Should he confront them in front of the servants?

For that, he’d need to secure evidence first.

Moreover, weren’t most of the servants on the Butler and Head Maid’s side?

The more he thought about it, the more infuriating it became, but stopping meaningless expenditures was the priority.

Punishing them would come after that.

“What expenses can be cut immediately?”

As he examined the records with sharp eyes to find realistic solutions.

“It happens to be that day today?”

The grocery transaction date caught his eye.

* * *

“Haha! How much is all this!”

“A whopping 3,000 gold!”

“The rumors about House of Count Heteus being generous were true.”

Boisterous sounds echoed one after another.

Noblemen who had rented out an entire shabby, run-down inn clinked their glasses while gazing at the gold coins in the box.

“We should have done this from the start. How wonderful it is to inflate the materials several times over!”

“At first my heart was pounding with fear of getting caught, but now I only think about how to make it look plausible!”

That was right.

These were the noblemen who supplied groceries to House of Count Heteus.

More precisely, they were vicious landlords who exploited farmers and supplied low-quality materials to House of Count Heteus.

“By the way, why isn’t Baron Ribelt coming?”

“Since he’s in charge of materials, he probably has a lot to prepare.”

“Still, it’s almost transaction time… At this rate we’ll miss out on a fortune.”

Since they had agreed to take turns supplying materials, they were waiting for Baron Ribelt.

As they waited to make a killing as usual.

“Ugh!”

“Baron Ribelt?”

As soon as the door opened, Baron Ribelt rolled across the floor and tumbled into the inn.

“What on earth happened!”

“Were you attacked by bandits?”

“The materials! Where are the materials to be delivered?!”

The Baron was in terrible shape.

As if someone had beaten him thoroughly, large bruises covered his face.

Moreover, a foul smell emanated from his clothes.

It was such a terrible stench that one might think he had rolled into a fertilizer field on his way here.

Though they wanted to immediately distance themselves from him, the noblemen urgently helped Baron Ribelt up and bombarded him with questions since they needed to check the condition of the most important materials.

As they waited anxiously for the Baron’s answer with worried faces.

“So you’re all gathered here.”

An unexpected figure appeared.

The iron sword representing the Empire.

The prodigy leading infinite prosperity.

The fruit of a prestigious noble family and the Royal Court.

The master of the South, Count Heteus, Casian had appeared.

“Wh, why!”

The noblemen who saw Casian were so startled they momentarily stopped breathing.

The air inside instantly froze.

‘Why is the Count here!’

The noblemen’s faces turned pale. They denied the situation before their eyes.

This shouldn’t be happening.

There was still more to exploit!

No, actually they were planning to do it just a few more times before backing out!

Why now of all times!

Why were they caught red-handed by Casian?

They had avoided the Ducal House’s pursuit by putting forward others as front men so their tails wouldn’t be caught.

To make it appear as if different Merchant Guilds were supplying groceries each time, they had used other people’s names in transactions.

They had even evaded taxes by receiving money under borrowed names, so why were they caught?

Countless doubts poured forth like a flood, but they had no opportunity to ask questions.

Before that, whether their lives would be guaranteed was uncertain.

The thought that they needed to flee immediately dominated their minds.

The noblemen exchanged glances, abandoned Baron Ribelt, and hastily attempted to escape.

“Ugh!”

But it was a meaningless attempt.

Before they knew it, soldiers from House of Count Heteus had filled the inn.

Seeing the armed soldiers, the noblemen stepped backward and came back into the inn.

Should they escape through a secret passage? They looked at the Innkeeper while racking their brains, but.

“Sp, spare me!”

Before they knew it, soldiers had occupied even the inside, and a cold blade was touching the Innkeeper’s neck.

He wouldn’t allow even an inch of gap. That warning was clearly conveyed.

As if he couldn’t give them a glimmer of hope, Casian cornered the noblemen to the edge of a cliff.

Having driven the rat-like noblemen into one corner, Casian twisted his lips and muttered quietly.

“Now that the rat hunt is over, let’s begin the interrogation.”

Bang! As soon as those words ended, the inn’s door closed.

And not long after, blood-curdling screams echoed through the air.

“Aaaahhh!”

The fitting punishment for those who had committed evil deeds without hesitation had begun.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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