Chapter 16: 16

A few days later, as promised, Madenna began preparing to head out. 

“Shall we bring out your clothes, miss?”

“Yes, right away.”

The maids immediately dressed her up.

The clothes chosen weren’t the high-end outfits she usually donned while going out. Rather, it had a simple design, serving like streetwear, or something a commoner or a poor noblewoman would wear.

The cloth was also mixed with cheap cottonwood, which brought out a harsh texture. It was noticeably uncomfortable to wear.

Although Madenna’s unique selection of clothing perplexed the maids, they still helped her dress obediently.

Unlike a couture dress, which had complex design and took a long time to fit into, the plain clothes were easily slipped on.

“What about your hair, miss?”

“I don’t need any decoration, just roughly tie it up. Make it so that it doesn’t feel extravagant.”

“Understood, miss.”

In Madenna’s previous life, this was her preferred style, and was rather unusual, in context of the empire’s culture. Most would strive to fancy and pretty up their hair.

Even the maids were combing her hair with puzzled faces.

‘Well, it’s supposed to look natural instead of attractive.’

Today, she had to head to the commoners district.

If she dressed up as she usually did and visited such a place, it was certain that she would draw unwelcome attention.

Therefore, she had to choose her clothes carefully, as to not create a sense of incompatibility, and remain conspicuous..

‘These days I’ve been wearing a lot of bright clothes thanks to Farren, so it’s been a long time since I’ve worn dark clothing like this.’

The attire she wore today was a blotchy brown dress.

Her gorgeous hair colour was covered up with a cheap headscarf as the outfit’s finishing touch.

At a glance from afar, her look was similar to that of any passerby.

“Okay, I think this is enough. It was difficult for you guys to decorate differently than usual.”

Madenna praised the maids and handed them the jewelry she didn’t use.

The maids’ expressions, who were worried about the result, turned bright.

Ailee, a maid who was particularly close to Madenna, thanked Madenna on behalf of the rest.

“Thank you for your generosity. Please leave things to us in the future as well, miss.”

As Madenna looked at Ailee, she could feel a lump forming in her throat.

Before her return, she had been kicked out under the charge of theft by Suzanne.

Chills still ran through her spine whenever she recalled the time when those who cared for her were exiled one by one.

“Yes, I think I’ll need similar clothing in the future. Please take good care of me then, too.”

“Of course! Although, it’s a bit disappointing that we can’t dress the lady up.”

“Pardon?”

Madenna tilted her head in confusion as the maids behind her gave a nod of agreement.

“Yes! I have a lot of friends working at other aristocratic families. They say everyone is envious of the Rodenherg belle’s beauty. It’s our pride to dress as pretty a woman as miss.”

“That’s right. There are rumours about miss, even though you haven’t made your debut yet. That just emphasizes Miss’ beauty.”

“…You’re just overpraising me over some jewels”

“We’re being sincere, miss.”

“Alright, alright.”

While they were casually talking, the butler called from outside.

It was a reminder that it was time to go out with Farren.

“Well, I’ll be back.”

“Yes, miss! But where are you going, dressed like that?”

Instead of replying to Ailee’s question, Madenna just gave a soft smile and winked.

“We’re just surveying some fishing spots.”

 

***

Farren, who was waiting in the hall, was also sporting simple attire similar to Madenna’s.

Compared to his days at the orphanage, he was much cleaner, yet he still looked relatively shabby for a nobleman.

‘Of course, focus should be placed on the face before the clothes.’

As soon as Farren saw Madenna on the stairs, he rushed over like a dog that had spotted its owner.

“Good morning, Countess.”

“Yes, good morning. By the way…it’ll be better if you put on a hat, Farren.”

“A hat?”

“Yes, your face stands out too much. It’s not very suitable for where we’re going.”

Farren rested his hand on his chin as he blinked.

“If that’s the case, then I think the countess is even more noticeable than I am.”

“Me? Your clothes look unnaturally tight.”

“You’re too beautiful. Everyone’s attention will be drawn to your face.”

Madenna was stunned by his compliment.

‘This child really…’

“…Why are you being so excessive? I haven’t even gifted you anything.”

“What do you mean by gift?”

“I gave my dressing maids some jewelry as gifts, and they started flattering me, just like you. I appreciate my beauty, but the praise is too much.”

“I’m not trying to flatter you, I’m simply telling the truth, just as the maids did.”

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Farren held Madenna’s hand before escorting her back to the second floor.

“I’ll wear a hat, but you should cover your face as well.”

“Sure, sure. I guess it’s best to be extra careful.”

Madenna was eventually dragged up the stairs again by Farren’s adamant request.

 

***

Their destination was the city of Koris. It was located next to the capital.

Their carriage came to a stop before the city gates. Madonna and Farren exited and walked towards their destination.

“Is Sein, the man who Madenna wanted to recruit, here?”

“No, he’s not here right now.”

“So why did you come all the way to this suburb today?”

“I have something to check before I meet him.”

Koris City prospered due to its proximity to the capital, and was subsequently quite large.

In the distance, chimneys, clock towers, and a fortress could be seen at the center, standing as a legacy of the past.

“Do you know what the main industry here is?”

“I heard that Koris was developed in order to help the capital’s complex distribution network, so brokerage and commerce are prevalent.”

“Yes, you are right. As a city focused on distribution, Koris has separate warehouse districts.”

As soon as Madenna entered the city, she walked towards her destination without hesitation.

It was a warehouse district built on the outskirts.

“Even Sein, the man we want to meet, has his own warehouse in this city.”

“He must be a businessman, then.”

“Yes, he’s the owner of a store.”

Warehouses lined the wide-open boulevard, which created easy access for carriages to come through.

“Let’s see, we need to check 179 and 180.”

The two navigated through the numbers written on the warehouses’ entrances.

Unlike other warehouses, which were bustling with people and goods, the atmosphere  of these two warehouses was much quieter.

“…Do you want to go inside?”

Farren looked up at Madenna with a tense face.

“Haha. You want to use magic to force your way in?”

“I’ll do whatever Madenna needs.”

“Thanks for the offer, but we don’t need to do that. Instead, can you cast projection magic? Show me the interior of warehouse 179 and 180. I’d like to check what’s stored inside.”

“Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

A blue light swirled in Farren’s hands as he shaped it, creating a sphere.

And in the sphere of light, ripples started to surface like waves before eventually showing a clear image.

“This is warehouse 179.” 

The dark warehouse was empty. Promptly after, Farren confirmed there were no items in warehouse 180 either.

“…Aha. So it’s like that.”

There were several warehouses owned by Sein in other provincial cities, but it seemed like they didn’t need to check any further.

After seeing the empty warehouse, Madenna was convinced that her conjecture had been right.

“I don’t think there’s anything else to see here. Let’s go back.”

“Yes, miss.”

Farren took Madenna’s hand after dispersing the sphere of light.

“The warehouses were owned by Sein, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What’s wrong with having an empty warehouse?”

“Well, it’s not a big deal to keep the warehouse idle.”

Frankly speaking, it would be ideal to constantly circulate goods with the warehouse, keeping it occupied, but even Rodenherg’s warehouse wasn’t always full.

“…But what if I’ve claimed in my financial statement that I’ve been holding piles of goods in my warehouse? Wouldn’t that be a problem, then?”

“Ah…”

Madenna continued to monitor Sein’s movements through the Stained Ravens.

Sein’s business had grown to a fairly large scale, and she had been informed recently that he was trying to sell his store at a high price.

Although there weren’t any problems on the surface, Madenna caught a sense of incongruity when she was examining the merchant’s financial statement.

The information was fraudulent.

The merchant traded non-existent products, disguised them in his accounting books, and through it blew up the value of the business.

‘It would be a fraudulent accounting felony in Korea, but unfortunately, the Alleo Empire has yet to establish many laws on economic crimes.’’

Madenna had her suspicions and to check the peculiarity present in the statement, she went to the warehouse herself, eventually confirming her intuition.

The firm was enticing honey to buyers, who swarmed it like bees. After it was sold at a high price, the buyer would discover that it was a scam, but their cash had already gone along with Sein, and they were left unable to do anything about it.

‘But we can’t let Sein disappear like this.’

Madenna learned from the novel that Sein had played a huge part in the beginning, but afterwards, he went into hiding for nearly a decade. However, a tragedy occurred within those ten years, and that tragedy was what led Sein to his destruction. 

Of course, Madenna had no intention of letting the original story run its course.

‘It’d be a waste to lose such a brilliant mind.’

Madenna smiled. Sein’s talent resembled her mother’s, an economic titan, which ignited her greed to recruit him.

“With our bait, we can wait now for the big fish.”

It was time to face Sein.

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