Chapter 12

“Did she not say she would stay quiet in the inner quarters. It did not sound like a lie…”

“Did you really believe that?!”

The knights erupted into an argument over Elicia.

A single unwanted guest who had landed in the peaceful northern territory had somehow become the center of everyone’s attention.

“I heard Madam even helped during the mine collapse.”

“That has to be nonsense. Have any of the rumors floating around the outer wall ever been reliable. They are only for entertainment.”

“Well, that is true.”

The Lombard dukedom was so vast it could be compared to an entire country.

And even within Lombard, communication between the inner wall and the outer wall, or between cities separated by mountain ranges, barely functioned.

People lived in different zones and rarely crossed between them.

Edwin clicked his tongue as he listened to his subordinates.

“Discipline has slackened.”

“M, my lord!”

“Regardless of how I feel about the duchess, it is not something subordinates should be talking about so carelessly.”

Everyone in Northern Lombard knew Edwin hated Elicia.

Every summer since childhood she had gone to the imperial villa in the north, then made a fuss over trivial nonsense that forced her to redirect her carriage toward Lombard Castle instead.

Her excuses were nothing but excuses. Her real goal had always been obvious.

Each time she came, Edwin’s temper had been frightening.

Knights had polished armor that was already spotless and swept the drill grounds again and again to avoid provoking their irritated lord.

And now he warned them not to speak casually of her.

Considering the past, it was the kind of incident that could flip Lombard upside down.

“Do you have complaints.”

“N, none at all!”

The knights, who had been staring in shock, immediately straightened their posture.

They were confused, of course, but when the lord asked if anyone had complaints, none dared answer yes.

Edwin let out a short sigh.

“Is the duchess still at the monastery.”

“I will check immediately.”

“No, there is no need.”

“Pardon?”

The knight did not have to wonder long. Urgent hoofbeats thundered from the distance.

A rider practically rolled off his horse and bowed before the duke.

“Please help us. Madam is causing havoc at the mine administration office.”

“Oh dear.”

Someone let out a low whistle.

Someone else muttered that she had barely been married but here she went again.

“My lord, what will you do.”

“Let us go see.”

“Pardon?”

“She sounds like she needs help.”

Perhaps his view of the duchess had changed. Even a little.

Anyone listening would have fainted at the thought, yet the reason this crossed their minds was because Edwin clicked his tongue with an expression that looked, strangely enough, intrigued.

It was a face none of them had ever seen on their lord.

* * *

I stormed into the mine administration office.

I had finally decided to deal with something that had been nagging at me.

‘It is divine punishment for an unvirtuous mistress of the house.’

That was what people had said when the mine collapsed in the past. The collapse had occurred not long after she married into the family.

Behind those rumors was Patrick, the mine administrator.

The whole Castle Office buzzed with it, but I had never paid much attention.

The mines were not under my jurisdiction and my workload had been overflowing anyway.

‘But now that I think back on it, something was very off.’

Patrick had fled as soon as a formal investigation began.

But since Lombard was a paradise for the corrupt, the matter vanished quickly.

To be clear, I had not barged in today simply for the sake of justice.

‘If rumors like before start spreading, I will be in trouble.’

I had not yet heard whispers of divine punishment falling on me, but one never knew.

“Charge!”

“Yes, Madam!!”

It was after work hours, so only a few frail fatigued office workers on night duty were left inside.

Thomson cleaned up the scene on his own with ease.

There had never been any real resistance. The exhausted clerks did not have the strength to resist.

‘Why am I suddenly sad…’

My eyes heated up for no reason and I fanned them lightly.

The clerks, already defeated in spirit, spilled Patrick’s location without hesitation. Thomson ran to the nearby residences and dragged him out.

In his pajamas, Patrick saw me and burst into tears.

“Madam, Madam. Please spare me!”

“What did you even do that you are already begging. We have not even started.”

“I do not know what this is about but I have long suffered from slander. Please do not be deceived by lies and see the truth!”

“Quiet. Someone shut him up.”

“Madam!! Mmph… mmph…!”

Patrick wriggled his fingers in some kind of gesture as if begging for understanding, but I ignored it.

I sat at the head seat and flicked my hand.

“The documents?”

“Here they are, Madam.”

While Thomson restrained Patrick, the baron must have worked some magic behind the scenes. The night shift staff suddenly became very cooperative and brought the operation records.

Flipping through mining volume, shipment volume, work logs, and equipment maintenance reports, I suddenly froze.

My neck stiffened.

“I get high blood pressure whenever I see garbage paperwork.”

“What? Why would you suddenly…”

“You are asking because you truly do not know? The total mining volume and shipment volume do not match. And what is this?!”

The value of minerals should change daily based on the market, but this report repeated the exact same number on a regular cycle.

‘Could this be coincidence?’

I scanned the numbers with my eyes.

Writing them down would be easier but if I did that they might realize I was not a fool so I reverse calculated everything mentally.

“Mmph, mmph!!”

Seeing me scrutinize the documents, Patrick began thrashing in panic.

I ignored him and finished my calculations.

Just as expected, the numbers showed clear signs of manipulation.

But embezzlement by administrators happened everywhere. What shocked me was something else.

“What is this…”

The equipment maintenance records were strange.

Every year the office had taken a significant budget supposedly to buy safety equipment. Yet not a single piece had actually been purchased.

This had continued since Patrick became administrator five years ago.

‘I had wondered why the collapse happened two weeks earlier than in the past.’

Now I knew.

The mine had been at its limit for a long time.

In the past, Elicia had blocked entry for two weeks for winter hunting which paused mining. This time, she had not, so the collapse happened immediately.

It was not divine punishment for an unvirtuous mistress.

It was a man made disaster caused by the mine administrator.

“You miserable bastard!”

I hurled the garbage paperwork at Patrick.

Even with many eyes watching, I could not hold back my irritation.

“You have not even a speck of conscience. This disaster happened because of you yet you dare claim injustice?! This is a crime worthy of exterminating your family line for three generations!”

And I really could do it.

My noble status and vile personality qualified me completely.

Knowing that, Patrick used superhuman strength to break free from Thomson and cling to my skirt.

“It is all a misunderstanding. I, I will explain everything. I was deceived by merchants. The trading company introduced by the previous administrator fooled me and forged the contract!”

“How dare you touch me?!”

I kicked the clinging man away.

Yet he crawled toward me on all fours.

“When I realized something was wrong it was already too late. I tried to fix it myself but it was impossible…”

“So you altered the records.”

“I was afraid. If it were only me I would have gladly accepted any punishment. But my sick elderly mother waits for me every day. I could not, I could not…”

With his forehead pressed to the floor, the man sobbed wretchedly.

People around us began murmuring, wondering who the previous administrator was or if the previous man and the merchant had conspired together.

Even Thomson looked conflicted.

‘Partially admitting fault while pushing the most important part onto someone else. Do they all take the same lesson somewhere?’

I rested my chin on my hand, unimpressed.

Someone muttered that I was a woman without blood or tears but I let it go.

The only truly pitiful thing was not Patrick. It was my eyesight for having read his trash paperwork.

Sensing the shifted mood, Patrick continued desperately.

“I will accept any punishment. But we must reveal the truth. If you give me a little time I will prove the collusion between the former administrator and the merchants!”

“Can you really do that?”

“Of course!!”

Springing to his feet, Patrick shouted.

His ugly face coming close as he stood made me even more disgusted, so I decided to stop wasting time.

“There is no way to catch a trading company that does not even exist.”

“What…”

“It is obviously a fake business partner. The real ledger must be separate. Yet you pretend you did not know. Did I look that easy to fool?”

In my official life I had seen dozens of holes in documents exactly like this.

But my superiors, who had happily taken their bribes, always warned me to stay quiet so I had swallowed my frustration.

“If you were human you would know better than to drag a retired predecessor into this. Ah. If someone else had interrogated you, would you have claimed it was divine punishment upon the unvirtuous mistress again?”

“N, no. Why would I lie like that?!”

The night shift staff flinched.

So that had been the real answer.

“You dare deceive me. Thomson, bind this man. And anyone who almost wavered just now.”

“Madam, I am sorry to say even I almost believed him…”

“You miserable fool?!”

Honesty was a virtue, but honesty with no awareness deserved punishment.

I kicked the desk, though because I lacked strength the only thing that moved back was me, and then flicked my hand again.

The baron rushed over, bowing deeply.

“You know what to do, right?”

“Of course. I will report to the lord at the speed of light.”

“And the name of the person making the report?”

“Obviously our almighty Madam.”

“No. You.”

“…Pardon?”