A room filled with the sunlight of noon. Two people were having a conversation.
A butler with a displeased expression stood with one leg bent, listening to the girl sitting on the bed.
The girl’s lips, which had been chattering away, finally came to a quiet stop.
“…He said we could get money quickly if we did this.”
“Really… the Count told you to do that?”
The butler narrowed his eyes with suspicion and gave the girl a sideways glance.
The girl pretended to look around, shook her head slightly, and cupped both hands around her mouth.
There was no way anyone else could be in this attic, but her actions were enough to create a cautious, secretive atmosphere.
“As you know, maintaining the townhouse costs a lot. And now, even covering it with the estate’s income is difficult, so Father said he found a solution.”
“I’ve never heard anything like that…”
The butler dragged out his words, avoiding a clear answer.
Normally, he wouldn’t have listened to anything the so-called lady of the house said.
But the moment she mentioned a way to get money, his ears perked up.
Until now, the operating costs of the townhouse—caused by the master family’s excessive spending—had been covered by the estate’s funds.
Because of that, the manor had fallen into poverty, and the butler’s own pockets had grown lighter.
He knew too many of the count family’s secrets to simply quit.
The girl, well aware of the butler’s sour mood from not being able to line his own pockets, carefully picked out sweet words she knew would appeal to him.
“A job that brings in a lot of money is never safe, right? That’s why someone as important as the butler of the Vita Count family…”
“It’s dangerous, so Father entrusted the job to me. If I take the lead, people will just brush it off as a child’s prank.”
“The Count… said I’m an important person?”
“Of course, obviously. When Father visited last time, he gave me a letter just for you. He was worried about you. If the information leaked, you’d be in danger.
So don’t worry—just secretly prepare the things I tell you. If everything goes well, there’ll be a share in it for you too.”
The girl lied smoothly.
With her bright, cheerful smile and unhesitating tone, it didn’t even feel like a lie.
By saying that the butler—a commoner—was more important than herself, a noble, and subtly hinting that he’d receive a share, the girl completely won over the butler, who had been half in doubt.
“There’s a share for me too?”
The moment he took the bait, the girl’s calm eyes curved into satisfied arcs, as if she’d been waiting for that question.
“Of course. You’re the one keeping the secret that I’ve taken on part of the family head’s duties.
Even if I handle all the paperwork, the one who’s really running the household is you. Naturally, you deserve a generous reward.”
She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips lifting into a small smile.
Her blue eyes rounded even more than usual, making her look like an innocent child simply stating the obvious.
The smooth, flowing way she spoke, combined with her pure, youthful face, made even lies sound like the truth.
“Ahem… Well, I have contributed a lot to the manor.”
“Exactly! Without you, the Vita Count family would be in even worse shape!”
The girl eagerly clapped once as she agreed with him.
Oblivious to his place, the butler completely forgot that all he had really done was boss the servants around like he owned the place—just because the Count wasn’t around.
He placed his left hand on his right shoulder and gave a polite nod, pretending to follow formal etiquette.
“Understood, Lady Adelia. What would you like me to do?”
Calling her “Lady Adelia” and even using her name—something he rarely did—his voice was dripping with blatant greed.
His lazily smiling eyes and the insincere curve of his lips felt nothing but unpleasant.
Adelia’s brow twitched. It was so subtle that the butler, too busy thinking about money, didn’t even notice.
“Get me a carriage headed to the Medelin region and a room—just one—on short notice. Also, while I’m gone…”
“Just make sure no one finds out I’m gone. I’ll handle everything else.”
“The Medelin region, huh… As expected, the place a Saintess came from must be special. Very well, I’ll see what I can do.”
The butler quickly calculated the costs in his head—opting for the cheapest options, just in case Adelia failed and didn’t come back.
His selfish thoughts were written plainly across his face.
Adelia carefully smoothed her furrowed brow and drove in the final nail.
“Just leave the rest to me and keep everything under control.
If word gets out, it’ll be trouble for me, for you, and for the entire Count’s family.”
“Who would I even tell…”
“Exactly. A butler like you wouldn’t gossip like some commoner, right?
You’ve worked at the Count’s house for a long time—you’ve practically got the manners of a noble.”
“Haha…”
“You wouldn’t, say… leave a voice trace by talking to someone, or send a letter to Father to confirm details, leaving behind written evidence, right?
Because if this leaks outside, well—we’d all be dead, wouldn’t we?”
Adelia gave the butler a slow, languid smile.
Between her delicately curved eyes, the blue in her gaze glinted with a chilling light.
The butler shuddered involuntarily.
Blinking a few times, he wondered if he’d imagined what he just saw.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-No, nothing. I’ll take my leave now.”
He gave a small, quick bow and exited the room.
It wasn’t the kind of bow one should give to a noble lady, but it was what he was used to.
“Pathetic,” Adelia scoffed under her breath the moment the door closed behind him.
Her usual kind-looking face faded into a cold blankness.
Rising from the bed, Adelia walked over to her desk.
On it lay neatly stacked documents and a blotchy, ink-stained pen, all arranged in order.
“He really came in out of nowhere. He almost saw the book.”
She let out a sigh of relief and picked up a red hardcovered book hidden among the papers.
With practiced hands, she slipped it between the pages of another book and carefully blocked it from view with nearby objects—
making sure none of the letters written on its cover could be seen.
