Chapter 28

Right when he became curious, he heard another cry.

“Master! There’s a servant who was assisting the Young Master!”

There was even a servant. It became even clearer that Navia had been kidnapped.

“Take Navia to the doctor for now.”

“Yes sir.”

Nikan gave the order and then approached Wood’s servant.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the servant was conscious. However, he was shaking with his head stuck on the floor.

“Save me, God…! Please save me…”

The servant was out of his mind at the shock of witnessing a disaster that seemed like the world was ending before his eyes.

Nikan’s forehead crumpled and he signaled to the knights with his chin. The knights held the servant from both sides and forced his upper body up.

Slap!

Nikan slapped the servant on the cheek.

The servant raised his head with a blank look from the slap that came out of nowhere.

“M-Master?”

Nikan quickly decided on the scapegoat by looking at the servant’s stupid face.

“How dare you kidnap the Princess!”

The employees around were aware that Wood was responsible for the kidnapping.

But Nikan blamed the servant who witnessed the scene.

If that was what he decided, then that was what had happened. The employees remained silent.

“Yes…? I-It wasn’t me! This is Young Master Wood’s…”

Slap!

When Wood’s name was mentioned, Nikan slapped the servant on the cheek.

“You dare frame my son?”

Nikan already completed the scenario for this job.

A presumptuous servant kidnapped and detained Navia, and Wood discovered it and saved his sister.

“Put him in jail right now!”

“We heed your orders!”

“This is unfair! I was only following orders! Master!”

Nikan looked down at the servant coldly.

“Why is this bastard calling me ‘Master’?”

“……”

“Why would you, who is not a vassal, but nothing but a servant, call me master?”

Unless the ransom was paid to invalidate the life contract, the employees had to call Nikan master. It was practically being a slave.

The servant was devastated and lost his words.

Nikan turned around without looking back. It was because he had to check Wood’s condition quickly.

‘This couldn’t have happened with just one servant’s help. There must be more accomplices.’

That wasn’t the only thing he had to deal with.

The embezzlement of the chef and the disposal of the maid named Charlotte remained.

As soon as Nikan returned to the main building of the Duchy, he ordered Lyndon to come forward.

“Send a message to the Imperial family that the successors are in jeopardy due to a mana explosion, and the face-to-face meeting should come slowly.”

As Lyndon left to carry out the order, an administrator who had been investigating the embezzlement case since yesterday approached Nikan.

“Master, I’d like to report the investigation.”

“I’ll listen on my way.”

Nikan headed to Wood’s room and began to listen to the administrator’s report.

There was no major abnormality in the investigation. The books and embezzlement that Philippa showed were almost all right.

“But there is something strange about it. The part of the maid named Charlotte was not in line with the other books.”

“How come?”

“That part is under review.”

Nikan clicked his tongue.

She was a maid anyway. He didn’t have time to waste any manpower on such a useless thing right now. He was going to assign Charlotte as a laundry maid.

“Master.”

Nikan was about to enter Wood’s room. But there were several servants waiting for Nikan with pretty grim looks.

“What is it?”

With Nikan’s question, a servant stepped forward.

The servant who was slapped by Philippa for not immediately taking care of the wet Wood.

“I am accusing Philippa of corruption.”

A new celebration took place.

***

Slavery was prohibited by Imperial law.

However, it was only prohibited to treat people as property. There was a similar system.

A life contract.

A life contract that paid a fairly large down payment, as well as a monthly salary, for commoners. However, they belonged to the family.

If they couldn’t afford to pay ransom, they had to live like a slave, but if they did have money, the story changed.

Charlotte wanted to pay it and get out of the contract.

In the first place, it wasn’t her will to enter this place. Her family sold her and fled with the money.

Many of the employees were attributed to the aristocracy this way.

No matter how much you save the frugal salary earned as a maid, you can’t leave in your lifetime.

Charlotte was not incompetent, but it was difficult to earn more in a legitimate way.

So she looked for chances to make a back pocket.

‘If I get out of here, I’ll set up a small cafe.’

Charlotte was good at making fruit jams. If she set up a cafe, she was confident that she would make great jams for teas and desserts.

She would use frozen strawberries, since they can be stored and aren’t sold by fruit merchants at a hefty price.

Making jam out of frozen fruit was killing two birds with one stone since it was more delicious and more cost effective.

When the strawberries are boiling, squeeze lemon juice into the pot. Then the strawberries don’t turn brown and create a pretty red color.

Ah, the strawberry taste will be much better if a couple of cherries are added to it.

The sweet jam will be sold in separate glass bottles, but will be served to customers who order coffee and scones.

Yes. She was dreaming of such a sweet and peaceful daily life.

“What do I do now? All the employees who have ties with Philippa are in her hands!”

Charlotte was in custody in her room on charges of embezzlement. But her room was suddenly empty.

Was there a storm?

Charlotte frowned at the incomprehensible words.

And employees, who had colluded with her, took advantage of the lack of surveillance.

‘Pathetic bastards.’

If the group enlarges, the number of people inevitably increases.

There were more than five places for supplying food. Therefore, it meant that the number of idiots increased.

These were the people who had been referred to by Charlotte and awaited the loss of the vigilant Philippa.

She wasn’t exceptionally smart, but when she saw these morons, she swelled up at once.

But Charlotte soon calmed down.

Wouldn’t it be possible to seize the opportunity even in a crisis with these idiots?

‘Lady Navia controls these idiots like toys.’

Charlotte, who had not yet heard that Navia had returned, looked very worried.

Then, she smiled at the employees who looked anxious.

Exactly like Navia.

“What are you all worried about? This is an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“The chef was betrayed by Philippa and the corruption was exposed. Those two were already holding hands for the embezzlement.”

The employees hesitated.

“But how do you know that?”

Charlotte seemed to sigh when she was asked to prove it.

“You don’t have to doubt it. Go to the cell where the chef is locked up right now and ask him. It’s Philippa who betrayed you.”

“What does that…?”

“The chef who knows about Philippa’s betrayal may expose her weaknesses to retaliate.”

The eyes of the employees shone as if they were being fed.

They immediately did what Charlotte said to.

They visited the chef and were told that Philippa created the situation.

“I knew it would be like this!”

The chef, who was already given a heads up by Charlotte that Philippa was strange, told them at once.

“I will definitely not die alone!”

The chef also didn’t completely trust Philippa.

He had her weaknesses prepared in advance, just like Philippa had.

It was very important to destroy Philippa and the chef together, as they were the oldest members of the family.

Even though they were stupid, they understood that removing the two giants that had previously dominated the house would open new opportunities.

The employees exposed the corruption to Nikan, believing they would become the new main characters.

They said everything the chef told them.

In the process, they didn’t forget to clear Charlotte of the charges.

“The items from Charlotte’s room were bribes Philippa accepted.”

Nikan furrowed his forehead.

“Investigate Philippa based on their testimonies.”

“As you wish.”

The administrator left and Nikan looked at the employees.

They were hostile to Philippa who had already been fully inferred from the accusations.

‘They covered the maid Charlotte.’

He thought she was just a competent maid who handled her work neatly, but looking at the work done today, there seemed to be something else.

Those who wanted to be loyal to Agnes were widespread and laid down. Was it necessary to keep someone whose intentions were unclear?

Nikan ordered coldly.

“Send the maid Charlotte to the laundry room and attach a new maid to Navia.”

“Yes.”