TMWL 08

Chapter 8

Pesha was walking briskly when she spotted a maid quietly mopping the seemingly endless hallway with a bucket and a mop.

She spoke to her.

“Good work. I have something to order the butler to do, so could you call him to my room?”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

While the maid went to fetch the butler, Pesha returned to her room and, instead of dwelling on how overwhelming everything was, began writing down the tasks she needed to handle in order of priority.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Ladyship. I am Albert, the butler. I was told you called for me.”

“Come in.”

Pesha was sitting at her desk, writing down the problems that needed to be solved. Without looking up from the paper, she held out a hand toward the butler.

“Good. I have a few things to ask you and something to discuss. First, bring me the household financial report.”

“The financial report…?”

“Yes.”

However, despite her outstretched hand, the butler looked troubled.

“If I may ask, what do you need it for?”

Was there really a reason for a count’s wife to look at the household accounts?

Even though she had only recently married, she was still the lady of the Namois castle.

Pesha looked up at the butler. She found his question somewhat ridiculous, but answered him kindly.

“I’m the lady of this castle now, so I thought I should start doing my job.”

“Ah…”

If there was nothing wrong, he should have simply shown it to her. Instead, he cleared his throat and answered in a businesslike tone.

“Um, Your Ladyship. I apologize, but I’m afraid that will be difficult.”

“What?”

Was he openly refusing her order?

Had she been too polite, making him fail to realize that it was an order?

“Why?”

“I have been managing everything concerning the household of the Namois castle, including the accounts, without any problems. I have done so ever since His Lordship was granted the title of Count.”

So what was she supposed to do about that?

“Since I have managed everything until now, the system has become arranged according to the way that is most convenient for me, so it may be difficult for you to understand. The handover would also be extremely complicated.”

“I see. So where is the financial report?”

Pesha did not care in the slightest about his roundabout way of speaking. When she did not withdraw her outstretched hand, the butler finally revealed what he really thought.

“Well… I believe Your Ladyship is still inexperienced and will be very busy with other matters while adjusting to the territory. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable for me to continue managing everything as I have done until now? Of course, I promise that I will hand the accounts over once you are sufficiently prepared.”

Pesha smiled sweetly.

“When will that be? Ten years from now? Or when I die?”

“What?”

There was probably plenty of information circulating about Ioe, who was famous as a purification mage, but relatively little was known about Pesha.

Perhaps because of that, the butler seemed to think that if he kept making excuses and dragging things out, Pesha would eventually give up out of annoyance or simply leave the authority to him.

In fact, Pesha had grown up in the Ryadel ducal household without a lady of the house managing the estate, so she could not clearly define what an ordinary noble lady of the house was supposed to do.

She had been too busy with other things to learn such matters while feeling the absence of her mother.

Besides, her father, Duke Ryadel, was not the sort of person who would patiently teach her such things.

After giving up her studies abroad to give Jeremy the opportunity, she had been taught general knowledge and etiquette by tutors at her father’s orders.

However, she had been especially interested in herbalism and spent what little free time she had studying it on her own, leaving her with no time to learn the practical aspects of managing an estate and household.

“As you know, the capital and the eastern region are quite different, and it may be burdensome for Your Ladyship to take over the household immediately. And, most importantly, do you know how to handle accounting?”

His voice was polite, but by the end, his tone was openly dismissive.

Pesha kept smiling as she answered.

“Of course. Do you think I never received even basic accounting lessons?”

“Not basic accounting. Something more advanced…”

“Butler. Is there some sort of ‘countess studies’ that I don’t know about? From what you’re saying, it sounds as though only a woman who knows advanced accounting, the eastern way of doing things, and your personal manual can become a countess. I suppose that must be a marriage requirement I somehow missed. What should I do? I’m already married.”

“…”

It was not as though he had failed to understand that she was telling him to hand the accounts over immediately, yet the butler continued to resist, making a strained groaning sound without giving her the ledgers.

Isn’t he secretly skimming money from the household?

‘Now I see why the food storage only has potatoes and tough meat. This man must be the reason. You’re dead meat.’

Once suspicion arose in her mind, Pesha decided she should press him harder instead of backing down.

“Why are you silent? Surely you don’t mean that my order…”

She was about to ask if her order meant nothing to him when—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Pesha and the butler both turned their heads toward it at the same time.

“Who is it? Come in.”

The butler hurriedly let the person inside even though he had not been the one invited, clearly trying to change the subject and cut off the conversation.

The door opened slightly, and a woman appeared.

It was Philia, the head maid.

“Forgive me for interrupting. I have something to tell Your Ladyship…”

“Is something wrong?”

When Pesha asked, Philia politely clasped both hands together and lowered her head.

“It concerns the new dress you ordered yesterday. It is urgent. The dressmaker is waiting to take Your Ladyship’s measurements. Would you have a moment?”

“My dress?”

A dress?

She had never ordered anything like that.

There was no way she would have ordered a dress to be made on the first day after arriving at the castle following her wedding.

But Pesha was not so oblivious that she would ask about it outright.

Apparently, Philia had another reason for coming.

Still displeased, Pesha deliberately gave the butler a pointed look and spoke.

“Butler, we’ll finish our conversation about what happened just now later. Go for now.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

The butler hurried out of the room with an utterly shameless expression.

Once his footsteps had faded far enough down the hallway, Pesha spoke.

“So. What is it?”

Philia kept glancing toward the door, seemingly checking whether the butler was truly gone, before speaking in a low voice.

“Your Ladyship. Did you call the butler to discuss the household accounts?”

“Why?”

“I’m sorry to say this, Your Ladyship, but please don’t do that.”

Pesha stared at Philia, not even noticing that the ink from the quill in her hand had dripped onto the paper.

“Tell me why.”

“Please don’t misunderstand, Your Ladyship. I’m saying this for your sake. I’m worried about you.”

“Then why are you worried?”