“Look at this! It’s even in the newspaper! I was so shocked when I just received it…!”
Sylvia, I’m more shocked by how you look. You’ve got a fork stuck in your messy hair.
So, this is how you are when you’re alone in your room on a holiday.
I took a step back from Sylvia, who looked like she might have a slight odor, and took the newspaper from her.
‘Count Vermont, Really Fell for Commoner Sl*ves? Both Ages Revealed to be 13 and 14, Causing a Scandal…’
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ screams!]
What the heck is this?
Falling in love?
If that were true, I’d be getting ready for an engagement and asking the protagonist to officiate the ceremony.
If I could’ve won over Charlotte and Julia, I would have done it a long time ago.
“H-How did this happen? Although the head of the family does regularly swindle and intimidate people, he’s not some trash who harbors lustful desires for children, is he?”
“I think I have an idea where the rumor started.”
“Really? Where?”
“…?”
Sylvia looked at me with trembling pupils.
She genuinely seemed clueless.
Shouldn’t she know just by overhearing the maids gossiping?
It seems like Sylvia is being ostracized among the staff.
I just learned something I didn’t want to know.
“Tell the head maid to gather all the maids in the dining room.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“And while I won’t ask you to dress as you do on workdays, at least take the fork out of your hair. Just so you know, it looks great on you. I didn’t tell you to remove it because it looks bad.”
“…!”
She stuttered.
Sylvia’s hand clumsily reached up to her head.
She touched the fork, and her face turned bright red. It seemed she had forgotten that the fork was in her hair.
“T-This is…! Ah! Never mind!!!”
Swoosh.
Sylvia screamed and ran away in a hurry.
She really is someone who strictly separates work from rest.
At first, I thought she was a completely different person.
“…Master. The head maid and all the maids have been gathered in the dining room.”
A little while later, Sylvia returned with a tidy appearance and reported.
Her face was slightly, no, very red.
“And about the fork… Never mind… It’s not that I usually do this; my hairpin broke, so I had no choice…”
“It’s fine. If you’d told me, I would have bought you a new one. Is it tough because of your pay cut?”
“It’s not because I have no money!!!”
“Alright, alright. Don’t hesitate to tell me from now on.”
“Ugh!!!”
Leaving the screaming Sylvia behind, I entered the dining room and found the maids lined up stiffly.
It had been a long time since I’d seen them so tense.
“If you thought I wouldn’t know about the rumors circulating in this estate, you were gravely mistaken.”
“…”
“As long as you do your work well, I won’t make an issue of what you say behind my back. But the fact that rumors that should have stayed within the estate have spread outside is another matter.”
I threw the newspaper onto the table.
As they glanced at the headline, the maids’ faces instantly turned pale.
They had been recklessly fantasizing about me with Charlotte and Julia, but now they’ve crossed a line that should never have been crossed.
This is a serious matter that cannot be taken lightly.
“Rumors might seem like random wildfires, but if you examine them closely, it’s not hard to find their roots. It’s just very troublesome. Should I go to the trouble of finding out, or would it be better for the culprit to confess right here?”
“…!”
“If you choose the latter, you’ll get off with a light punishment… but if I have to do the work, there will be an added charge of disrespect.”
Despite the absurdity of the rumor, it was actually quite flattering.
However, it doesn’t change the fact that someone in this estate spread baseless gossip outside.
While someone else might have escalated it to the press, finding the root is the first step.
As I looked at each maid, they seemed on the verge of tears, their lips trembling.
“No one? Really? Then…”
“Excuse me, Master. I am deeply sorry for this unfortunate situation. However, I swear on my life that none of the maids I’ve trained would ever cause a security breach by discussing estate matters outside. Even if they did make such a mistake, they would certainly confess. I stake my life on it.”
“…”
The head maid rushed forward and bowed her head in front of me.
Her strict training methods were well-known, and I often saw her harshly scolding the maids.
Now, she was swearing on her life.
Given her long service and reputation, I decided to trust her, at least for now.
‘If none of the maids have confessed yet, then it really means the culprit isn’t among them.’
And if the culprit was here, they would have confessed when the head maid swore her life on it.
Otherwise, they would be risking not only their own life but also the life of the head maid, who has been like family to them.
I pretended to still be angry on the outside, but inwardly, I mostly dismissed my suspicion of the maids.
These ones weren’t guilty.
Though they might have indulged in malicious gossip, it was clearly confined to the staff.
‘Then who the hell did it?’
This means the person who spread the rumor to the press is the same one who started it.
The investigation just got a lot easier.
“Who on earth would spread such outrageous lies? The Master would never raise children just to turn them into his women, such trashy thinking!”
“Uh, uh, yeah… Right…”
[The Evil God Kali doubts the sincerity of your words.]
Shut up, Sylvia.
You’re going to get me caught by Kali.
Not that I didn’t think about it.
I mean, only occasionally.
I’ve thought about how great it would be.
Everyone has these kinds of fantasies, right?
Like imagining how much you want to get with the Empress Vanessa or something like that.
You know I’m right, you damn puritans.
“I will start an investigation right away! To prove your innocence, Master…!”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because there’s someone else who will take care of the investigation.”
“Master! A royal messenger has arrived! The Empress sent him directly!”
Just then, the door burst open, and the news I had been expecting finally arrived.
I figured it would come, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.
I quickly left the dining room and went outside to meet the waiting messenger.
“Welcome to the Vermont territory. I apologize for keeping you waiting. Please, allow me to escort you to the reception room…”
“It’s alright. Her Majesty values practicality over formalities, so I’ll deliver the message briefly.”
“…”
Such a messenger for such an Empress.
He doesn’t even want to be received properly and just wants to deliver the message and go.
This goes beyond being a pragmatist; it’s sheer laziness.
How did someone like this become Empress?
“Ahem, ahem.”
The messenger opened the document with a flourish, cleared his throat, and then…
“Aslan Vermont.”
“…!”
The messenger’s deep voice suddenly soared to a higher pitch, almost making me think the Empress herself was speaking.
“I’ve heard some disturbing rumors about you. Apparently, Count Vermont is looking at children with lustful eyes, but that’s not true, is it?”
“No. It’s not true.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way. …That concludes Her Majesty’s message.”
“…”
Did they anticipate how I would respond?
Well, no one would be crazy enough to say, ‘No, it’s true.’
So, I guess it’s only natural. When I glanced at the document the messenger unfolded, it said, ‘…that’s not true at all, is it? (Pause for 3 seconds) Good. Let’s do our best.’
“That’s all. Her Majesty said she will identify the source of the rumor and inform you, Count. After that, you may handle it as you see fit.”
“Yes…”
Leaving behind a rather straightforward message, the messenger departed.
The message was so concise that it made me wonder if that was really all.
“You seem to have Her Majesty’s utmost trust.”
“So it seems.”
For now, I can breathe easy.
What I feared most was the Empress’s suspicion.
Thankfully, it seems the Empress still trusts me.
It seems the sincerity I showed during our audience reached her.
The problem is, what exactly is this trust for?
She mentioned before that she would entrust me with something later and told me to look forward to it…
What on earth is she planning?
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine and a shiver went through my body.
“I’ve gotten through the worst of it. Now I just have to wait and observe the situation until Her Majesty informs me of the source of the rumors.”
I sighed and threw the newspaper I had been holding to the ground.
Honestly, it’s pretty obvious who might have done this.
If it wasn’t a maid, there’s only one suspect left.
The person who stands to gain from this incident.
‘Irene Vermont.’
The one who has always hated me and wants to bring me down.
Aslan’s sister. She’s probably spreading these vicious rumors to tarnish my reputation.
The Empress probably knew this even before starting her investigation.
That’s likely why she left the punishment up to me instead of dealing with it directly.
It’s a kind of courtesy, allowing me to handle family matters on my own.
‘What should I do about Irene…?’
At this point, it’s getting frustrating.
Why does she hate me so much?
And why is she so obsessed with black magic?
Before I became the head of the family, I had to keep quiet and bow down to Irene.
But things are different now.
I should probably summon her, sit her down, and have an open-hearted conversation.
“Julia! What does this word say? It’s a word I’ve never seen before.”
“Hmm. That says ‘scandal’.”
“Then, if you read it all, does it go like this? Count Vermont, did he really fall for commoner sl*ves? They are reported to be 13 and 14 years old respectively, scandal!”
“…!”
“What does it mean to ‘fall for someone’? Does it mean making eye contact? Hehe, I don’t get it!”
I was startled by the cute voice and turned around.
I found Charlotte and Julia lying on the floor, looking at the discarded newspaper.
Charlotte smiled brightly after reciting all the headline, and Julia looked up at me with eyes full of betrayal.
Ah.
