Joe’s face turned ashen, as if the sky had fallen, when he saw the mouldy collection of books.

“Heavens, those precious books… what have they become? Ah – this is the Chronicles of the Cardian Empire! And these – these are Michel’s Prophecies! There are barely a handful of copies left in the whole Empire…!”

But to Helena, who had no interest in books, they were nothing more than disgusting lumps of mould.

She spoke indifferently.

“Ugh, what a pile of fungus… Joe, burn them all.”

“My lady!”
Joe frantically shook his head.

“These books shouldn’t just be burned. I’ll find a restorer. And the volumes further inside seem to be in better condition.”

“Really? Then I’ll leave that to the steward as well.”

Helena, who had been staring at the bookshelves in thought, finally spoke up.

“Books aren’t the priority right now. What I need are the ledgers.”

“The ledgers…? You mean the records of the House of Ishpern?”

“That’s right. And every record of income and expenditure as well. I doubt Benjamin kept them properly. I need to check everything going back at least ten years.”

“I’ll look into it.”

As she left the library, Helena found herself staring at the locked door of the former Count’s room.

‘The rooms most worth searching are all locked. I need the keys. But who locked them in the first place?’

It didn’t seem like Benjamin.

He wasn’t the type to lock doors for fear of damage or theft.

‘Still, he is a Count in name, at least—he must know where the keys are, right? I’ll ask him when he gets back.’

With that decision made, Helena turned to Joe and spoke.

“You’ve probably realized it too, but no matter how many people we have right now, it’s still not enough. Don’t hesitate to round up every able hand in Burwood. Once people find out there’s a chance to become a servant of the House of Ishpern, they’ll drop whatever else they’re doing and come running.”

Joe gave a respectful nod.
“I’ll see to it.”

“The real problem is the retainers…”

That was the tricky part.
It was giving her a headache.

Judging from the case of the former head steward, it seemed clear that after taking control of the estate, Benjamin had driven out every single retainer of the House of Ishpern, leaving not even a single servant behind.

‘He really is insane.’

She had never heard of a head of a noble house dismissing all his retainers.

A count’s household, especially one as large as Ishpern’s, could never be run by one man alone, no matter how capable or brilliant he might be.

Even in her own family, the House of Count Winston, there were countless retainers who managed everything from the administration of the estate to external affairs and internal finances.

These people held official titles and stipends and devoted their lives to the service of a single household.

Nothing more than their lives –

No, not just their lives – it was common for such retainers to serve noble families for generations, sharing their hardships as well as their triumphs.

Such retainers were truly irreplaceable human assets.

‘Could he really have driven them all away? You don’t do that unless you’re really determined to ruin the family within your own generation.’

With that thought, she made up her mind.

Once the castle had been restored to some semblance of its former glory, she would begin the search for the former retainers of the House of Ishpern.

***

That evening, for the first time in a long while, Helena was able to watch the sunset with a peaceful heart.

The estate was still as chaotic and ruined as it had been yesterday, but even so, today was much better than the day before.

Unlike yesterday, today she had Joe by her side – and dozens of eager workers burning with motivation.

And tonight’s dinner was something to look forward to.

The merchant who supplied the estate had shown remarkable initiative in not only supplying the ingredients for the workers’ meals, but also in bringing along some women from a nearby village who were known for their cooking.

These women, on hearing the news that a new lady had arrived at the House of Ishpern, had rushed over without asking for a wage, sleeves rolled up, ready to help.

And there was a reason for their unhesitating rush.

“We were so worried that the fall of the House of Ishpern would mean the fall of Burwood…!”

“Do you think it’s safe to hope now?”

Seeing the genuine hope light up the sun-darkened faces of the estate workers, even Helena – who had spent every waking moment plotting how to hit Benjamin in the back of the head – found her heart softening.

As she sat in front of the vanity, drying her hair herself in anticipation of a proper meal for the first time in ages, Helena found herself thinking –

‘I’m sorry, everyone. Benjamin is beyond saving. But once he falls, Her Majesty the Empress will appoint a new lord over Burwood. And frankly, it’ll probably be much better for all of you.’

This thought made Helena feel much better.

If she thought of it as preparing to help the new lord, then cleaning the castle and hunting down the former retainers suddenly felt like a meaningful task.

The new lord, under her guidance, would rule Burwood from a restored castle, surrounded by the loyal retainers she had gathered – and look after the kind, hardworking people of this land.

‘Benjamin Ishpern, just wait. The day of your downfall will come soon.’

Grinding her metaphorical blade with determination, Helena styled her hair and picked out a clean dress.

As she had to dress alone, she avoided anything too extravagant in favour of a more casual indoor gown.

But even this, in the setting of this ruined castle, felt like the full ceremonial attire of the Empress herself.

Just as she had finished – lightly powdering her face – the door burst open.

Benjamin appeared.

His cold, crimson eyes swept quickly across the room before settling on Helena as she sat at the vanity.

Helena jumped at the sight of his face.

His pale complexion was twisted with displeasure, frozen like melted candle wax in an expression of utter irritation.

‘What the hell? What’s wrong with this madman now?’

Before she could speak, Benjamin crossed the room in long strides, closing the distance with alarming speed for someone who was not even running.

Helena couldn’t help but jump.

Standing by the vanity, Benjamin leaned over her – his posture uncomfortable, his presence heavy.

“You’ve been up to something rather amusing, haven’t you?”

Helena, keeping a composed expression, just looked at her reflection in the mirror.

‘This is about my new steward and the workers, isn’t it?’

She was slightly surprised.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear or hesitation in her reflection.

The woman in the mirror, elegantly dressed, was smiling – not a nervous smile, but a confident, seductive smile.

Keeping the same smile, Helena turned to Benjamin and said gently.

“I’ve prepared dinner.”

“…?”

“If you have something to say, come to the table. I have things to say too.”

“Let’s talk now. Last night you burst in, said what you wanted to say and left – and now, if I’ve got something to say, I have to come to your table?”

It seemed that Benjamin was still hung up on the bathroom incident from the night before.

If he was going to bring it up again, he could at least do so with some shameless confidence – but instead Helena noticed a faint flush rising to his tense cheeks.

Watching Benjamin make such a ridiculous fuss, Helena almost blurted out:

‘You lunatic, I only saw your shoulder…!’

All she’d really seen were Benjamin’s broad, hilly shoulders as he bent over in the bath.

If you’re going to make such a fuss, you should have just shown everything!

Helena had half a mind to rip off every one of those perfectly buttoned shirt studs that were climbing up his throat and scream just that.

But instead she hid her thoughts behind a soft, sweet voice.

“The women from the nearby village have offered to prepare us a regional meal. I can’t ignore their kindness, so come to the table before the food gets cold.”