Chapter 63

When Theodore was twelve, the former Grand Duke and Duchess passed away. In place of the young Theodore, it is said that the retainers took turns overseeing the household. Even aides wouldn’t know the exact market prices of social goods that a mistress would, so they probably assumed the budget reports were correct.

The biggest reason the embezzlement of the Florence Grand Duchy’s funds went unnoticed for so long was likely due to the absence of a mistress. Even if someone knew, there was probably someone who turned a blind eye.

If by any chance Theodore married a woman who wasn’t sharp with accounts, they would continue to fleece him right under his nose.

Perhaps the ‘rats’ might even try to elevate a woman who is in cahoots with them to the position of Grand Duchess.

Thinking about Theodore marrying another woman suddenly made Meia feel frustrated, and she sighed.

It felt like she had finally solved an unsolvable problem, but now she just needed to write the answer on the answer sheet, yet she couldn’t find the quill to write with, leaving her staring at the problem.

“I’m sorry, Lady Meia.”

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Grand Duke Theodore. We just need to find the culprit and hold them accountable.”

“But.”

“No buts. It’s not your fault, Grand Duke.”

“If only I had managed things properly.”

“Do rats living in the sewer disappear just because you manage them?”

“They don’t.”

At Theodore’s response, Meia said in a gentle voice.

“Rats aren’t managed; they’re exterminated, Grand Duke.”

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Hemann entered the office after opening the door.

Hemann placed the documents containing the budget lists from the past two years and the exact market prices of the items Meia had asked to be checked on the desk.

He hadn’t expected to investigate the market prices like this. However, he discovered that the costs listed in the budget were higher than market prices, making him grateful for Meia’s oversight.

“Here are the documents you requested, Lady Meia.”

Despite the many documents piled on the desk, Meia confidently skimmed through them with steady hands, marking them with a ‘V’ and handing them over to Theodore.

“Grand Duke Theodore, did you notice anything strange when stamping approvals?”

“Since they were submitted for approval, I didn’t particularly worry or suspect anything.”

“We’ll also need to verify if the current furniture in the Grand Duchy is truly luxury.”

“Yes.”

Meia couldn’t distinguish furniture like she could fabrics. If collecting furniture had been her hobby, she might have been half an expert, but unfortunately, she couldn’t tell if they were genuine luxury items.

Of course, asking the place where they were purchased wouldn’t work. If they were fake, they would surely lie to make them seem authentic, so they needed to request verification from a trusted furniture artisan.

“Do you know any artisans who can verify the furniture?”

A furniture expert should be able to accurately assess the quality of the wood used to make the furniture and confirm if it’s truly luxury.

“I have a close Dwarf furniture artisan. I’ll send him a letter.”

Since Dwarves generally dislike humans, Hemann was surprised and asked again at Meia’s mention of being ‘close’ to one.

“Did you say a Dwarf?!”

“Yes, all the furniture in the Hatzbellua Ducal House is his work.”

Unlike typical Dwarves, he is more interested in wood than jewels. His specialty is turning wood into something more valuable than jewels. The wood that passes through his hands becomes furniture that shines brighter than jewels.

“Though Dwarves often reject invitations when engrossed in something, if I prepare the wood he desires, he’ll set everything aside and come.”

The Dwarves are not motivated by money. What moves them is either a jewel of immense value or a sense of ‘loyalty.’

“I’ll send a letter asking for help first. If he says he’s busy, we’ll think about it then.”

“Understood, Lady.”

Meia continued to look through the documents and said.

“The entire furniture of the Grand Duchy was changed eight times last year. If they said they changed it four times to match the four seasons, I might have believed it.”

Even assuming they changed frequently used items on average once a year, there are clear signs of significant embezzlement.

“I wonder if all the chairs and tables that have been changed are in storage.”

They should all be in storage. And they should be luxury furniture matching the purchase price.

“Lady Nordic would know the details.”

Meia nodded and spoke to Hemann.

“Could you bring all the budget list documents from seven years ago, including every year since?”

“Understood. It will take some time as there are quite a few.”

After Hemann left the office, only Theodore and Meia were left.

Theodore lowered his head and spoke gloomily.

“Lady Meia, if you hadn’t overseen the household, I might never have known.”

“Grand Duke, isn’t there a department specifically for audits?”

“There is.”

The audit department, Lady Nordic and Lady Jasmine, who were in charge of the household, and perhaps even the shops selling chairs, tables, curtains, and other items might all be in collusion.

“Grand Duke Theodore, the fact that this happened despite having a dedicated auditor in the Florence family means it wasn’t an accident.”

Meia stood up from her chair and approached Theodore, cupping his cheeks with both hands.

“Don’t make that face.”

Theodore showed a pained expression with slightly reddened eyes.

“I’ll help you, Grand Duke Theodore.”

Theodore’s expression relaxed a bit at Meia’s words. He smiled at her.

“Indeed, Grand Duke Theodore, you look best when you smile.”

He was probably anxious. The former Grand Duke and Duchess had passed away, and as soon as they entrusted him with the household, this incident occurred, which might make him feel despondent. But it’s not Theodore’s fault. It’s the fault of the culprits who deceived him.

“Lady Meia…”

Theodore turned his head slightly and kissed the palm of Meia’s hand, raising the corners of his lips. Meia’s eyes widened at his sudden kiss on her palm.

The warmth felt through her palm seemed to spread to her face.

“How should we prepare the mousetrap?”

Looking at Theodore’s provocative gaze and smile, a wave of tension surged through Meia’s chest.

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.”

*

That night, Meia had a dream.

In a beautiful flower field, she caught a petal flying in the wind and kissed it.

Then, Theodore, who had approached before she knew it, touched her cheek and gently kissed her, starting to entangle her with a seductive gesture.

<Grand Duke Theodore.>

<Mei.>

The moment he called her by her nickname, her heart sank with a thud.

<What if I like you even more now, Mei?>

She flinched at Theodore’s suggestive gestures.

<I can’t stand it because I want you so much, Mei.>

Just as Theodore, confessing in a tender voice, licked his lips and slowly approached to kiss her, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted, causing Meia to wake up.

“Young Lady, wake up. It’s morning.”

Blinking, Meia realized she was in bed.

“Was it a dream?”

“Hehe, did you have a good dream, Young Lady?”

“No.”

Even in her drowsiness, she thought of Theodore.

‘Why on earth did I have such a dream?’

If Agnita hadn’t woken me, would I have kissed him?

“Agnita, this is reality, right?”

“Young Lady, are you still half-asleep?”

The dream was so vivid that it was hard to distinguish from reality, making her question reality itself.

“Young Lady, I’ve brought wash water.”

“Okay.”

She recalled Theodore smiling while kissing her palm yesterday.

In the dream, she hadn’t rejected Theodore’s approach. She kept thinking about his lips.

<When I turned my head, our lips touched. If you were displeased, I’m sorry.>

Although his behavior that day felt intentional, she couldn’t ask him, ‘Why did you kiss my palm!’ So she impulsively blurted out anything.

<Grand Duke, when you turned your head, our lips touched.>

Meia brought her palm, where Theodore had kissed, to her lips and kissed it with a ‘mwah’ sound.

<I just covered my mouth because I thought I was going to yawn.>

It was an uncharacteristic impulsive act.

Kissing Meia’s palm was an ‘impulse.’

If he hadn’t kissed her palm, which frequently touched his cheek, he felt he wouldn’t have been able to control himself. If his self-control weren’t strong, he might have bitten her palm and fingers, doing as he pleased.

Yet, thinking about her saying comforting words with an incredibly pretty face made him feel very happy.

The soft touch of her palm lingered on his lips, replaying in his mind.

Above all, she had kissed the palm he had kissed with her lips.

No matter how he thought about it, it was his first kiss. Though indirect…

His heavy heart felt like it was scattering like pollen, disappearing into the sky.

Theodore tried to suppress his laughter by lowering the corners of his mouth, but it didn’t work, and he ended up laughing out loud.

“Master, you seem very happy.”

“My heart is so excited that it’s scary, Venable.”

Venable smiled warmly at Theodore’s words.

“The Young Lady is flawless and perfect as the prospective Grand Duchess.”

Venable’s mention of the prospective Grand Duchess made his eyes curve even more beautifully.

“The term ‘prospective Grand Duchess’ suits her well.”

“Now that you’re the head of a family, you can hold a wedding.”

“I haven’t received a reply to my proposal or confession yet, Venable.”

“The more solid someone seems, the more cracks they have. Once a crack shows, the rest is bound to crumble.”

Although he felt like he saw a crack yesterday, he shouldn’t rush ahead.

“When will it crumble?”

“The important thing is, if she disliked it, she would have left the Grand Duchy, but since she hasn’t and is even helping with the work, it means she thinks well of you. At times like this, you need to approach her persistently.”

“Indeed, Venable.”

“And His Highness Sirius III sent that letter again, so I sent a refusal reply.”

“Keep doing that from now on.”