44. A Relieved Friend (POV: The Family of Count Allingham)

“—Sir Cyril Brandner, I’d like to show you something. Will you grant me the honor of escorting you to another room?”

“…Why is that?”

Cyril narrowed his eyes at Keira.

On the other hand, Count Allingham seemed to have misunderstood Keira’s intentions, believing she was stepping in for him. Relieved, he set the books down on the desk.

“That’s right. Since Cyril will be my assistant for a while, he’ll need to be familiar with this mansion. Now, why don’t you follow her lead?”

Leaving behind Count Allingham, who completely misunderstood the situation, Keira and Cyril left the study.

◇

They entered a simple hallway where not a single luxurious piece of furniture could be seen. As Keira led him, Cyril dared to ask her.

“Have you been serving the Count of Allingham for long?”

“Indeed. My family has been serving this house since my great-grandfather’s generation.”

“That’s… Then, it must be difficult, the current situation…”

His thoughtful words only cemented Keira’s resolve.

…If it’s him, I can show him the document left by Lady Avril.

“…I apologize for my rudeness, but how much do you know about the Count of Allingham family, Sir Cyril?”

“I’ve heard from my employer that the situation isn’t very good, but I shall refrain from answering further.”

“That’ll suffice. Please excuse my uncouthness.”

At a corner lined with rooms for servants, Keira reached for a certain door, a plain wooden door. The place itself was cool due to not exposed to the sun.

On the other side of the door was a small private room consisting of a simple wooden desk, a coarse-looking bed, and a small window fitted with a thin curtain. Without hesitation, Keira opened the closet near the entrance. Many wooden boxes could be seen there.

Behind her, Cyril gazed with curiosity.

“This place is…?”

“This room used to belong to Lady Avril Allingham.”

“I see. She’s widely talked” about in the royal capital as a villainess.”

“Is that how it is?”

“It seems so. Did she truly live in this place? It’s quite different from the rumors…”

…

Despite having a vague inkling, Keira asked.

“What kind of reputation does Lady Avril have in the royal capital?”

“She’s a villainess whose tarnishing the reputation of the young duke. She buys expensive clothing, enjoys fine arts, and indulgse in extravagance. But I also heard that the socialites favor her for being an unconventional villainess.”

“…”

…The feedback was better than expected.

Only then did Keira realize that her expression was stuffy, while her lips were pursed.

…None of that was mentioned in the various letters Lady Avril sent me.

Although, maybe the girl in question just didn’t realize it. Keira was an old friend of Avril. Having an inkling as to what had actually taken place in the Duke of Lancester, she broke into a smile.

“…I’m glad that the young lady is having a good time in her new home.”

“Despite her wickedness, she seems to care deeply about her family. Apparently, my impression was mistaken.”

“I think it’d be better not to talk about her reputation in this house. As you can see from this room, Lady Avril didn’t have it easy.”

“It seems so. If the person herself were to tell me, I don’t think I’d believe her.”

However, upon seeing the modest room that Avril used to live in, Cyril could instantly guess it—

—the woman named Avril wasn’t without her circumstances, and that she was married to the Duke of Lancester as a villainess.

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…I don’t even need to waste my breath explaining. As expected of a person from the academy.

Thus, Keira opened the lid of a shabby box amidst the stacked wooden boxes. Inside, among several books and documents, was a contract sandwiched between cloth-covered mats.

“Can you please take a look at this? I don’t really understand, but Lady Avril especially said: ‘Before this house goes bankrupt, show it to the assistant from the academy.”

“Then, if I may—”

Cyril received the document and proceeded to flip through the pages. Almost immediately, his expression twisted.

“…This is a huge issue.”

“…A, huge issue?”

Cyril was about to answer when a voice came from the entrance.

“What are you doing here?”

“M-my lord…”

Keira hurriedly bowed and withdrew.

“I thought you were touring the mansion, but you went to a servant’s room. Did you come all the way here just to mess around with a maid? Why don’t you keep to your job? The academy should be giving me your salary instead.”

Count Allingham, having finished hiding his ledger, was becoming haughty. He hurried after Cyril so he could urge him to work on the mountain that was the fief’s miscellaneous affairs.

Cyril spoke instead of Keira as she wasn’t allowed to speak.

“No, I wasn’t messing around with your maid. She was telling me where important documents were kept besides the study.”

“Hmph, is that really it? This room isn’t even used by anyone, so that’s very unlike—!?”

Having said that, Count Allingham flinched at the contract in front of him.

“That’s…!?”

“It’s a contract for a loan with the mansion and part of the fief of Allingham as collateral.”

“Why did you have it!?”

Cyril stared at the screaming Count Allingham with contempt.

“Apparently, this had been stowed away here for a while. Perhaps so that someone could entrust the decision to the right person at the right time. That person must’ve genuinely cared about the future of this house.”

“W-why, the contract that should’ve disappeared—…Who did it!? Even though the PIN number of the safe was ridiculously complicated!”

It was Lady Avril.

Keira, who saw the entire conversation unfolded, easily understood. Avril, who had impeccable memory, was in charge of the study. As such, she must’ve memorized the PIN she stumbled across and discovered the contract.

As she watched silently, Cyril’s tone grew firm.

“Even with this contract, you still fail to see reality? Let me tell you, the land you pledged as collateral is just above the limit set by law, making it impossible to repay the debt. Moreover, judging from the ledger I saw earlier, the downfall of this house is but a foregone conclusion.”

“Why are you bothering with something like this…? An intelligent assistant with excellent memory and the competency to handle miscellaneous tasks is all I asked for, so why…?”

Cyril turned to Count Allingham as he continued to lament.

“To not realize what you’ve lost… I don’t understand how anyone can be so blind.”

“What did you say!?”

“Well, it’s only a matter of time before this house falls. However, the servants are innocent, so let’s properly make arrangements for them.”

“W-wait, my daughter, Corinna is also responsible for paying the debt… If she goes to work for the rich Count Lindberg, the debt can be postponed!”

At Count Allingham’s words, Cyril rebutted sharply.

“Resistance is futile. It’ll be better if you just wait for the fateful day to arrive. Do you at least understand? The so-called incompetent person has taken advantage of your arrogance.”

Keira, who was quietly watching, exhaled in relief.

Sir Cyril, while most of your remarks are accurate, the last one is a bit…

…For you see, Lady Avril is a bit special.

In the end, she smiled wholeheartedly at the thought of Avril who seemed to be living happily ever after.

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