Since It's My First Time Being a Lady, I'll Cause Some Trouble - Chapter 33
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Lady for the First Time — Episode 33
“It’s natural to have an escort when going out, but you don’t normally have protection at home, do you? And not just one guard, but two……. Wouldn’t that be a waste of manpower?”
Guards were human and needed sleep, so they would work in two shifts—which meant that counting everyone, a total of four people would be assigned.
In other words, it was impossible to slip away undetected while an exhausted guard slept.
“And this place is close to the Busy District anyway. With so many eyes watching, if anything suspicious appears, it’ll be noticed right away.”
The Imperial Palace had already increased the number of soldiers patrolling the streets significantly after the incident with Togle.
And the Marquis planned to actively spread the word that he had hired guards.
The calculation was that even if someone evaded the patrols, guards would be stationed inside the Estate, so who would dare attempt to break in knowing that?
But despite my objections, the security captain remained unmoved.
“This man killed three prisoners despite guards and wardens being present. That means either his infiltration skills are exceptional, or he has the ability to turn the guards to his side.”
At those words, the Marquis and Marquise’s expressions darkened. They had just realized that even with guards present, perfect safety could not be guaranteed.
Wait—you’re only realizing that now?
“Can you truly trust every maid and servant in this Estate? Can you guarantee that not a single one would succumb to bribery or coercion? These are people who attempted treason in the very heart of the Imperial Capital. They will stop at nothing for revenge.”
At his words, which touched on the pride of the household staff, Dasder and Nikolai, the butler, wore expressions of displeasure.
They were the ones who had spent half their lives training and managing the servants of the Netzger Estate.
The servants they had trained did not abandon their posts unless circumstances truly forced them to, and they maintained a high degree of loyalty to the Marquis’s household.
Though they could not swear that those servants would never betray them, from Dasder’s and the butler’s perspective, it was still a rather offensive remark.
“I trust our Estate’s servants.”
I straightened my posture and spoke with confidence.
“As you say, the criminal may approach our household servants. But isn’t it your role to use that very fact to track down the criminal?”
The security captain answered without backing down.
“That would be true if the servants speak honestly to us, but if they are deliberately hiding something, we may have no way of knowing.”
“Our household servants will speak truthfully if someone suspicious approaches them. No one is foolish enough to trust someone who plotted treason and killed their own colleague. And I’m told our head housekeeper and butler are exceptionally skilled at training staff.”
“Miss…….”
Dasder and Nikolai wore expressions of deep gratification. It was only natural—this young lady, who had only spouted nonsense until now, was defending them.
Meanwhile, the Marquis and Marquise exchanged glances that clearly read: ‘What is she scheming?’
Before they could speak, I quickly leaned in and whispered so only they could hear.
“If she’s under escort all day, there will be a guard present even when we’re talking privately. Even if we ask them to leave, they’ll refuse on the grounds of protection. Then someday they might discover that my young lady and I underwent a Soul Swap.”
“Surely that won’t happen? We just need to be careful with our words.”
When the Marquise objected skeptically, the Marquis shook his head.
“Dear, Ulfina is right about this. Every time we need to check the Sacred Object, if we keep asking the guards to leave, they’ll demand a reasonable explanation.”
……I expected as much, but does she really check that water bottle so frequently?
But what good is checking the water bottle? I still don’t know where that young lady is right now.
I deliberately tried to frighten the Marquis and Marquise to convince them further.
“The Seibow Guild is famous for being persistent. And since they’re a branch of the renowned Resolution Guild, they might leak information about your Estate to them.”
I knew they wouldn’t actually do that.
At the suggestion that personal information would be shared like gossip at a village well—invasion of privacy aside—the faces of the Marquis and Marquise went rigid.
“……But how do you know such things?”
“Why wouldn’t I know? It’s common knowledge where I come from.”
Of course, no such common knowledge existed anywhere. But I brazenly insisted anyway.
“And isn’t stationing two guards inside the house inefficient? It would be better to strengthen the Estate’s external security instead.”
“That does make sense.”
Once the Marquis and Marquise relented, I turned to address the security captain again.
“We will also protect our servants in this Estate. That way, they’ll trust you and cooperate more actively. If neither we nor our staff can be guaranteed safety, then your protection has already failed.”
“My daughter is right. He killed prisoners secretly even while locked in a prison where they couldn’t move an inch, so he won’t suddenly switch tactics and attack brazenly. Therefore, please reassign the security personnel.”
In the face of both my argument and the Marquis’s strong insistence, the security captain retreated a step.
“……If you insist to that degree, very well.”
Excellent! I won!
* * *
“From today, I will be responsible for protecting you, Miss. Please call me Roji.”
A woman with a cold expression spoke in a flat, measured voice.
‘Liar. Your real name is Misty.’
I suppressed the urge to call her out and smiled innocently instead.
“Nice to meet you, Roji.”
Following our strong recommendations, the security captain reassigned the guards and staff, reorganizing the shift rotations.
As a result, each of us would have only one personal escort, and during the night, instead of keeping individual guards assigned, the external security would be strengthened.
‘So I can slip out while my guard is asleep, then.’
I might not be able to scale the wall anymore, but there were other ways to leave.
It wasn’t for nothing that I had spent four days patrolling this Estate without sleep.
“By the way, what was that maid’s name—Bessy? The one supposed to be attending to the young lady—I don’t see her anywhere.”
Roji’s eyes sharpened as she asked the question. Given the nature of her work, she had to memorize the face and name of every servant in the mansion, so she seemed bothered by this one’s absence.
“I stepped away briefly to handle some tasks I’d assigned.”
Bessy had been busy hurrying through the mansion.
She needed to spread word about Ulfina Netzger to the Seibow Guild members as quickly as possible.
A gun-slinging noblewoman of considerable skill—an outsider to high society, yet possessing the courage to challenge to a duel for the sake of her family’s honor.
This was the information the outside world held regarding Ulfina Netzger.
Knowing anything more than that would mark one as naive.
But even that much could never reveal who she truly was. It was the result of the Marquis and Marquise working desperately for the future of their only child.
Even Calderon, the guildmaster of the Resolution Guild, wouldn’t know the full extent of every incident and accident Ulfina had caused.
Either way, for me to move freely, the guild members needed to know the young lady’s true nature.
So I told Bessy to spread every story about the young lady that only the servants of our mansion knew.
‘Yes, I understand. You want me to glorify the young lady, emphasizing mainly how she showed Penri what she’s capable of, correct?’
‘No—tell them about the *real* things I’ve done.’
‘L-like what, ma’am?’
‘……Do I really have to spell it out myself?’
Bessy’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
‘Y-you mean… the young lady invested in a shell company, lost all that money, and then went to the gambling house to play blackjack trying to win it back?’
‘Yes.’
‘Should I also mention how she stole the deed documents behind the master’s back and tried to sell them, but got caught by slave traders?’
‘And tell them how down in the underground prison, she incited the slaves to stage a coup and turned the slave trader himself over to the black market instead.’
‘I swear on my honor, I’ll spread this far and wide!’
Bessy, absolutely thrilled, charged out like a wild dog crashing into a butcher’s shop.
It would be something to make the Marquis and Marquise faint if they found out, but there was no helping it.
If a noblewoman deviated even slightly from proper decorum, the guild members would think, ‘That young lady’s up to something suspicious!’ and grow suspicious.
But if she were already known as a madwoman who defied all sense and reason, they would see her outlandish behavior as nothing more than ‘her acting as she always does’ and pay it no mind.
The truth was, mad people always had an easier time living than the sane ever did.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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