Zenon didn’t open his mouth throughout their journey to the master suite, and couldn’t hide his increasing misery.

For some unknown reason, the outing that was approved during the founding festival was banned today.

Perhaps it was the difference between being permitted by the marquis in advance or not, or that the butler had only been completely taken in recently.

The one that called for the knights in black armour was the butler.

As Heloise entered Zenon’s room, she understood the shock he had received, but didn’t offer platitudes to console him.

In order to comfort someone, rather than dividing the sadness that couldn’t be fully shared, it would be faster to get rid of the problem he was facing.

“Change the butler right now.”

Then, Zenon refuted in a self-mocking tone.

“With what method? By letting Uncle know that he’s a heretic and a violent offender? Uncle won’t dismiss him. He’ll definitely find another excuse.”

“If he can’t make any excuses?”

“What?”

“To be more precise, he doesn’t need to make any excuses. All you have to do is put a wedge between the butler and the Marquis of Velks. Because there’s no one that doesn’t have a skeleton in their closet?”

Zenon grabbed Heloise’s shoulder with a frown.

“So…you plan on digging up his backing?”

At Zenon’s slightly worried remarks, Heloise smiled and shook her head slowly.

“No, Young Master. Is there a need for me to use my hands?”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

“Name, Christopher Wants. 42 years old, and have been working for the Lionerik Duchy for over 25 years.”

Andrea handed out a business envelope that was on the desk.

The unnecessarily wide and dirty fairy bridge was the same.

Heloise took out the contents of the envelope that she was handed.

The butler’s personal information was organised within.

“From the investigation of the colleagues around him, he’s a person with rapid mood swings and a classic example of someone that’s strong to the weak and weak to the strong.”

“Hm……”

“An unusual point is that he leaves the mansion every other weekend. Apparently he has been going out more often lately.”

At the part where the butler going out every other week was mentioned, Heloise recalled the basement rally that she had witnessed before.

If her guess was right, he went out to attend those meetings.

“Thank you, Andrea.”

Heloise said as she scanned the information quickly.

Then the eyes of Andrea, who was wearing light red makeup, narrowed and she shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not holding this position for no reason at all. This much isn’t anything impressive.”

“Even so, I didn’t expect that you’d find this information so quickly.”

“For generations, the fairy bridge’s gatekeeper position can only be taken up by the most competent of fairies.”

Heloise switched off at her pompousness, and examined the details of her familial background as written below.

Wife – bereavementChildren – only son (Unemployed. Squandered the family’s fortune through excessive gambling)

Heloise smoothed the corner of the envelope while in deep thought and asked.

“Could you also find out how much the butler’s salary is?”

“Salary? There’s nothing that I can’t uncover if you want to know… Why? Isn’t it obvious that he has an employee’s salary?”

“That should be the case, right?”

“Even if he’s the Lionerik Duchy’s butler, I don’t think the butler for the ousted successor’s mansion will be affluent. Do you still want me to investigate?”

As Andrea was raising her nose to its peak, she asked with a puzzled look.

Heloise shook her head.

“No… I’m talking about the butler’s only son that was mentioned in the report.”

“Oh, that gambler. It’s nothing much, but apparently he frequently hangs out with the sons of the upper classes. That’s why he’s extravagant with his money.”

“With such extravagant gambling, I wonder where he gets all that money from.”

“Hmm, I don’t think he made it himself… Perhaps it’s given by the butler.”

“If someone in the family is gambling, the family would always be short of money, no matter the father’s salary.”

That would be even more the case if he was the only child left behind after his wife’s death.

At Heloise’s words, Andrea’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Don’t tell me…… Heloise, are you planning to buy off the son with money?”

If she could, it would’ve been easy and comfortable, but whether the son would sell out his father for money was unknown, and she didn’t have enough money that would convince a gambler.

“I don’t want to waste money on a bottomless pot.”

“Then…?”

“Whether it’s the Lionerik Duchy or Kashua, something is definitely supporting the butler financially. Earning money in an unjustified manner would surely drive him into a corner.”

“It won’t be easy to tamper with the public funds of a high-ranking aristocratic family.”

That’s right.

As there were quite a number of vassals with wide open eyes, Zenon’s assets weren’t something that could be recklessly meddled with.

Heloise didn’t know if it was the Marquis of Velks, but there’s no way a butler could do anything.

As Andrea frowned, Heloise spoke with a grin.

“That’s why I think about whether he touched the church. Andrea, do you know what’s the easiest way for a religion to make money?”

At Heloise’s question, Andrea tilted her head.

“What is it?”

“It’s none other than playing with faith.”

⋄────∘°❃°∘────⋄

As soon as Heloise returned home, she called a maid to look through the pile of party invitations.

The maid brought over the invitations that she had previously collected and asked.

“Which ones would you like me to find?”

“Diane, Aloyd, Infanta, Maxwell. Anything from them will do. If they send me an invitation, contact them that I’d like to have tea together.”

They’re the aristocrats present at the Kashmiri rally that she’d witnessed while following the tattooed man on the day of <The Harvest Festival>.

It was a little difficult to meet with Maxwell and Aloyd as they only had sons for children, but Diane and Infanta had daughters, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to liaise with them.

“Found it!”

The maid took out two letters and shouted.

It was a letter inviting her to a boat party from the Maxwell Barony that arrived 15 days ago, as well as the tea party invitation from the Infanta County that had arrived just 3 days ago.

“Have I replied to these letters?”

“You’d already replied the Maxwell Barony, and I don’t think you had for the one from the Infanta County. This family always sends invitations with ample time to spare.”

Infanta.

Heloise just happened to witness Count Infanta attending a  rally for believers in Kashuaism.

She spoke without hesitation.

“Please write back on my behalf that I’m sorry for my past rejections, and that I’ll definitely attend this time.”

Heloise hurriedly took out the dresses in her closet, and spoke as if she had belatedly remembered something.

“Mention that a new guest will also be attending with me.”

A few days later.

The day of the tea party held by Julia, the daughter of Count Infanta, dawned.

Heloise awkwardly stuffed Andrea, who was walking hesitantly, into her room.

“W—why did you bring me here?”

Andrea asked anxiously with her hands wrapped around her shoulders.

“If someone else heard this, they’d think that I’m about to do something terrible. Of course, it’s to dress you up as an ‘immensely wealthy heiress that sailed across the sea’.”

“Wealthy heiress…? Kyaa!”

Andrea, who managed the information guild as well as the fairy bridge, looked like an aristocratic young lady that didn’t need to belong in aristocratic circles. When she wore a dress and walked around, she didn’t have the appearance of a rich person, even with empty words.

If she wanted to successfully complete this task, firstly, she had to change her appearance that consisted of comfortable black clothes that matched the Information Guildmaster name.

“Do you get it? From this point onwards, you’re ‘Andy Bigelow, a dukedom’s young lady that had travelled to the East for your younger brother’s recuperation and to cure his illness.”

“Why the hell must it be me?”

“Although I haven’t made my debut yet, my face is known because of the ‘children’s gathering’. As such, we need a new person. Amongst the remaining faces that I know of, Andrea Bigelow happened to be one of them.”

Heloise explained quickly, and took out the dress that she had prepared in advance.

“You’re taller than me, so I bought a few dresses that fit your estimated body shape. Try it on, and choose one that’s suitable.”

Then Heloise opened the closed door and peeped out, calling for her closest maid without her parents knowing.

“Emma! Emma!”

She called quietly, and the awaiting maid hurried up to her.

“What’s all this about, my lady?”

“It’s about my friend. I’ll be going to a tea party with her today, and I want you to dress her up like a nouveau riche.”

“Nouveau riche…?”

“You don’t know what it means? I’m talking about an overnight millionaire.”

“No, I know what it means, but all of a sudden…”

“Don’t ask me anything and do it. Please.”

When the word ‘please’ left Heloise’s mouth, the puzzled maid’s expression became determined.

“Understood, my lady.”

The dresses that Heloise had bought for Andrea were either ambiguous or a little too large.

The maid’s best alternative plan was to choose the dress that was wider in the chest and after tightening it as much as possible, she began hanging all sorts of accessories on her.

The biggest sapphire necklace that Heloise owned, and the dazzling peacock feather-shaped emerald earrings that she received as a birthday present that she’d kept at home and never worn, etc.

Andrea was so overdressed that she wondered if it’s alright to do this.

Heloise’s maid, who had even included a circlet that was only popular 50 years ago, hurried the two onto the carriage headed towards the Infanta County.

The carriages of those that were invited lined the front of the Count’s mansion.

A waiting servant recognized the emblem on Heloise’s carriage and greeted her politely.

“Are you the Young Lady of the Lorca Viscounty?”

“Yes, and this is the guest that came with me.”

Andrea, who was wearing rings on all ten fingers, was trembling out of fear due to the unfamiliar situation and refused to budge from her position beside Heloise.

“All right. Please come this way.”

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like