Chapter 5 – Part 3

Rose and Elena were increasingly displeased with the changes in Kristin. Ever since receiving the proposal letter from the Duke, Kristin has begun to carry herself as if she were already a duchess, looking down on them with a condescending attitude and consistently talking back.

And on top of that, there was the intimate conversation she had with Viscount Vernon.

They were extremely bothered by how she was distancing herself from them and sharing secret information with him alone.

Thus, they planned to find out why Kristin had changed and what information she was hiding.

As soon as Kristin started her meal, Rose handed a note to a servant, and it said:

[No matter what, you must listen in on their conversation. If you succeed, I’ll give you a reward.]

The one who received the secret note was Cindy, a twenty-year-old servant working at the Edith estate.

Cindy sided with Rose and Elena, admiring them greatly for their rise from commoners to nobility.

Becoming a viscountess from a mere shopkeeper was not an easy feat in the Union Empire.
When Cindy came of age in her twenties, she longed to be on the debutante stage like the nobility.

She dreamed of how wonderful it would be to be a Viscountess, or even a Baron’s wife if she could, and she endured each day.

No matter how much the nobility of the empire spoke ill of Elena and Rose, in Cindy’s eyes, they were nothing but objects of envy.

That’s why she couldn’t help but side with Rose and Elena.

With them by her side, she felt like she could be a noblewoman herself.

Cindy received the note and nodded toward Rose.

While they ate, Cindy wondered how she could behave so that she could listen in on the conversation without being seen.

The easiest way to slip in was to grab a teacup and teapot in the middle of the conversation.

However, that was not a good idea.

Kristin, who was distrustful of the servants, would never let Cindy in to listen in.

So Cindy had to devise another plan.

‘How can I eavesdrop on the Viscount and the Lady’s conversation?’

As Cindy pondered this, she decided to enter the study before Kristin and Viscount Vernon got up from their seats.

If she didn’t get caught, she could hear their conversation from beginning to end. And even if she was discovered, she could say she had come back because she had forgotten something while cleaning.

Furthermore, in the years Cindy had worked at the Viscount’s estate and observed Kristin, she had never seen Kristin scold a servant even once.

Cindy told the other servants that she was going outside for a moment to clean, then quickly headed to the study. Upon reaching the study door, she carefully opened it and slipped inside.

Seeing that no other servants were cleaning, she breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Phew, thank goodness. No one’s here.’

Next, Cindy looked for a place to hide. She glanced around, searching for a spot where she could eavesdrop. Then, she noticed the beige curtains by the fireplace. The curtains, reaching down to the floor, were partially obscured by a three-seater sofa. As long as no one looked closely, her feet wouldn’t be visible.

Cindy, being small and slight, slipped behind the curtain and crouched down. To hide her shoes, she removed her apron and wrapped it around her feet. She thought the apron covering her feet would blend in with the curtain.

Now, the most important thing was to remain silent. Cindy took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her trembling heart.

Cindy knew that if she wasn’t caught, Rose would reward her, so she had to endure this situation.

She was determined to give Rose the result she wanted, no matter what.

* * *

“I’ll go up to the study first, Kristin. Follow me shortly,” said Viscount Vernon. “Oh, and Rose, this is an important conversation between Kristin and me, so please ensure no other servants interrupt us.”

“Of course, My Lord. I’ll instruct the servants accordingly,” Rose replied with a bright smile toward Viscount Vernon.

Kristin found the interaction somewhat odd but didn’t suspect anything further. Even if Rose found out the conversation was about purchasing a mine, she currently didn’t have the funds to buy it anyway. No matter how much Rose schemed, she couldn’t outmaneuver Kristin, who knew the future.

“I’ve finished my meal as well. Let’s go up together, Father.”

“Alright, let’s go and talk,” Viscount Vernon said, looking at Kristin with a somewhat sympathetic smile.

Seeing that smile, Kristin felt uneasy. She could sense the gravity of what was on his mind. However, Kristin didn’t let it show. If obtaining a loan from the bank was proving difficult, she resolved to quickly find another way.

“Kristin, would you like to take your favorite milk tea with you?” Rose asked, instructing a servant to prepare it.

Kristin accepted the teacup filled with milk tea without any hesitation.

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Don’t mention it, dear. It’s only natural for a mother to care for her daughter.”

Kristin lightly thanked Rose and then followed her father. As her father left the dining room, Kristin glanced back to see Rose and Elena linking arms and watching them with expressionless faces.

Cold and piercing, just the way it should be, Rose’s eyes locked with Kristin’s, and she spoke with her mouth.

“I will see you when your father is not here. Kristin.”

Kristin quickly turned her head to focus on her father’s back. In the past, such a look would have made her shoulders tremble, but now she felt nothing. She almost pitied them for having to live that way.

“We have much to discuss,” Viscount Vernon said as they headed to the study.

Ahead of them appeared the gold doors of the study. Upon entering, Viscount Vernon closed the doors behind Kristin and locked them.

Kristin spoke to her father without a hint of anxiety. “What is it you want to discuss? Is it about the mine?”

“Well, Kristin… Sigh,” Viscount Vernon began, hanging his jacket on a coat rack before continuing.

“I went to the bank after you told me about it. Even though the mine is cheap, it’s still a considerable amount of money, and given our current financial situation, it seems we can’t afford it. Anyway, I talked about a loan at the bank.”

“Yes, Father.”

Kristin didn’t need to hear the next words to know what was coming.

There was a problem with getting the loan.

As Kristin sat pondering on the sofa in front of the fireplace, a gust of wind blew through the window, brushing against her cheek. Her gaze unconsciously drifted to the curtain, which remained still despite the wind circulating in the room.

Feeling something was off, Kristin was about to get up and approach the curtain when her father continued.

“I’ve been trying to borrow as much money as I can, using our mansion as collateral, but the thing is, the bank won’t lend me any money at all.”

“Why not?”

Kristin sat back down, burying her face in her hands with a look of disappointment. She hadn’t expected too much, but the reality of things not going as planned left her feeling hopeless and despondent.

“I’ve checked out all the mines in the Oakley region, just in case, and it doesn’t look like it’s worth the investment. I don’t know what it is that’s so valuable, but if there’s anything expensive to be found there, it must be iron ore or something.”

Viscount Vernon was already convinced.

He considered buying the mine, but he couldn’t trust his daughter’s information completely. He didn’t want to risk taking out a loan only to find it was just iron ore.

‘It would be better to gamble the money I have and try to make more.’ The Viscount had this thought but refrained from saying it out loud.

Kristin realized she could no longer rely on her father. She had to find a way to secure the funds herself.

Trying to mask her disappointment, Kristin forced a smile and said, “I understand, Father.”

“Kristin.”

As if he had more to say, Viscount Vernon pulled something from his jacket pocket and was about to hand it to Kristin.

BANG!

A loud noise echoed through the study as if something had been knocked over.

“What was that noise?”

Viscount Vernon looked around, quite startled.

At that moment, Cindy, who had been hiding behind the curtain, scrambled up from the floor in a panic and answered.

“I’m so sorry, My Lord, My Lady.”

“Cindy?”

Kristin asked, confused as she saw Cindy prostrate on the floor, repeatedly apologizing.

Seeing this, the Viscount put whatever he was about to give Kristin back into his jacket pocket and shouted at Cindy.

“You! Cindy. What are you doing coming out from there? I thought the morning cleaning was already done.”

“Uh, well, um.”

With her green hair and tanned face, Cindy tried to answer the angry Viscount, but Kristin spoke to her again.

“Cindy, why are you here? Did someone send you here to listen to what we’re talking about?”

Kristin spoke in a gentle tone, but Cindy couldn’t bring herself to answer.

Seeing this, the Viscount turned to his daughter and spoke again.

“Did someone tell her to do it? In this estate? Surely you’re not suspecting your mother, are you? I know you don’t follow her, but that’s no way to treat your mother!”

Kristin didn’t appreciate her father’s words.