Chapter 82

Theodore grabbed Meia’s hand, which was stroking his hair, brought it back to his face, and said,

“If you don’t trust the words of the one you love, then you shouldn’t trust anyone in this world.”

His affectionate voice struck her heart. Every time she heard that sincere voice, Meia’s heart calmed down and settled.

“Trust me this time too. Nothing will happen that would make you worry, Theo.”

He kissed the back of her hand deeply and looked up at her.

“Alright.”

Meia’s red lips curved into a smile.

To punish a noble, one must have solid ‘evidence.’ However, if the noble must be killed, ‘evidence’ alone is not enough. ‘Justification’ is needed. One must consider why they should die and what can be gained from their death.

What will the other party gain by suppressing me? What will I gain if I tear them apart? 

Depending on the ‘justification’ used to kill the other party, one can either become a villain or a hero. If there is sufficient ‘justification’ to kill them, they must be cut down and uprooted so they can never rise again.

The position of a noble comes with responsibility.

The moment one is looked down upon, they lose the ability to protect everything they are responsible for.

What matters is not why you kill, but how you kill.

“Then I will uncover Lady Nordic’s justification.”

***

Lady Nordic was deeply regretting her actions.

If only she had left when Theodore told her to go home.

She wouldn’t have to endure such shame, embarrassment, or the fearful thought that her acts of embezzlement might come to light.

“So, Lady Nordic, are you saying you sold the furniture you replaced? Donated it? Or auctioned it?”

Lady Nordic had confidently gone to Meia’s office under the pretense of handing over household affairs to stay longer at the Grand Ducal residence. However, with just a few words from Meia, her confidence plummeted.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Unable to delay her response any longer, Lady Nordic opened her mouth.

“I threw away the old furniture. And the recently replaced furniture is stored in the warehouse.”

Meia glanced at Lady Nordic and smirked.

‘Throwing away expensive furniture because it’s old? Did she think a young, inexperienced noble lady who hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony wouldn’t know better?’

Currently, Meia was in charge of the household affairs of the Florence Grand Ducal family, holding equal authority to Theodore.

As someone with authority, there was no need to entertain such absurd excuses.

She could criticize and dismiss her as much as she wanted.

“They’re stored in the warehouse, you say.”

Lady Nordic flinched and stiffened as she met Meia’s piercing blue eyes.

“Are you saying the chairs, tables, curtains, and so on were so old that you had to throw them away and constantly replace them?”

“Yes.”

“You have no eye for quality. And your bookkeeping is a mess as well.”

At Meia’s words, Lady Nordic trembled pitifully, her pride deeply wounded.

“Your words are too harsh, Lady Hatzbellua.”

Meia shrugged her shoulders.

“Everything is a mess from beginning to end. What exactly are you trying to hand over to me?”

Lady Nordic’s face turned red. She was being criticized for household affairs by a young lady barely out of her teens.

“I don’t understand why I’m being criticized. I replaced the furniture because it needed replacement.”

Meia slammed the ledger she was reviewing shut with a loud thud and said,

“You paid the amount listed in the ledger to purchase the furniture, but then threw it away because it was worn out? I don’t understand, Lady Nordic.”

“The furniture was of poor quality.”

“Then did you continue dealing with the store that sold you poor-quality furniture?”

“T-That’s…”

Lady Nordic couldn’t answer recklessly in the face of Meia’s pointed questions.

If she wasn’t careful, she knew she’d be caught in a never-ending loop of accusations. Cold sweat ran down her back.

“Lady Nordic, how did you use the household budget? Can you confidently say you managed the household well in front of me?”

The more Meia spoke, the more tense Lady Nordic became, staring only at the ledgers on the desk.

“Yes…”

But then, Meia suddenly changed her tone, smiling warmly and speaking in a soft voice.

“I believe you were repeatedly scammed because you lack professional knowledge about furniture. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to replace furniture so frequently. Isn’t that right, Lady Nordic?”

Why did Meia’s words, though seemingly supportive, make her feel so uneasy and anxious?

“Lady Nordic, I’ll call in a furniture appraiser. And if, by any chance, the furniture shop scammed you…”

Meia lowered her gaze slightly and raised the corner of her lips.

“They will be charged not with the crime of deceiving a noble, but with the crime of deceiving the Grand Ducal family.”

Lady Nordic wasn’t in a position to deny it. Denying it would mean she was trying to shift the blame onto the furniture shop.

“I happened to invite a guest, who is a furniture appraiser, and they’ll be arriving soon.”

Lady Nordic forced an awkward smile.

“There’s such a profession as furniture appraiser?”

“Yes, someone who identifies the type of wood used in furniture. They’ll arrive today via teleportation. So let’s inspect the furniture stored in the warehouse together.”

“Yes…”

“Lady Nordic, don’t worry. I’ll help you. It’s easy to get scammed if you don’t know much about furniture. That’s why our Ducal residence commissions only one person to make our furniture.”

Having realized that embezzlement in the Florence Grand Ducal household was being carried out through furniture, Meia had sent a letter to Albert, a Dwarf furniture craftsman, to secure more concrete evidence.

Thankfully, he had agreed to come.

Unlike other Dwarves, Albert was more interested in wood than gems and enjoyed making furniture with it. All the furniture in the Hatzbellua Ducal residence was crafted by Albert.

“Welcome! The flower of the Dwarf world, Sir Albert.”

His short stature, thick muscles, rough beard and hair, and skin tanned by the sun were the epitome of Dwarven beauty.

“Hahaha! I’m tired of hearing compliments about my appearance. Lady Meia, how many years has it been! You’ve grown so much.”

Albert had heard the tragic news about David and Violet.

“I’m sorry to hear about David and Lady Violet.”

“It’s alright.”

“But why are you suddenly in Florence, at the Grand Ducal residence no less?”

“I’ll explain the details later. For now, there’s something you need to do.”

Albert recalled the contents of the letter she had sent. It was a request to appraise furniture.

“I, Albert, am looking forward to seeing some fine furniture.”

“But it might not be fine furniture.”

“Hahaha! Either way, examining furniture is a joy for me, Milady.”

He was sincere. Even if a fake appeared to be a masterpiece, figuring out why was a joy for this true craftsman.

“Hannah.”

The capable Head Maid, Hannah, knew exactly what Meia wanted.

“I’ll bring Lady Nordic to the warehouse, My Lady.”

Meia arrived in front of the warehouse with the Dwarf craftsman Albert and Butler Venable.

As soon as Venable opened the warehouse door, a wave of dust greeted them.

“Venable.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Has no one cleaned the warehouse? Even though it’s full of fine furniture?”

“Yes, Lady Nordic instructed us not to touch the warehouse. At the time, the household authority belonged to her, so we had no choice but to comply.”

“From now on, make sure it’s cleaned.”

“Understood, My Lady.”

Albert began wandering around the warehouse.

He touched everything made of wood, including chairs and dressing tables.

The more he touched, the more disappointment filled his face.

“Albert, you don’t look pleased.”

“You know exactly what my expression means.”

Head Maid Hannah brought Lady Nordic to the warehouse entrance.

“My Lady, I’ve brought her.”

“Lady Nordic.”

Pointing at Albert, who was wandering inside the warehouse, Meia said,

“Lady Nordic, this is Albert, a Dwarf furniture craftsman. He’s an acquaintance of mine.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lady Nordic had planned to bribe any appraiser who came, but she hadn’t expected this.

A Dwarf craftsman! A race that could never be bribed!

What’s more, if they were acquaintances, bribery was impossible.

Lady Nordic’s mind went blank. It felt as if all the blood in her body was draining into the ground.

“Albert, how is the furniture? Lady Nordic claimed it was fine furniture, and the ledger lists prices befitting fine furniture.”

Albert sighed and began dismantling the furniture one by one. No one stopped him.

He opened his magical subspace, placed the dismantled furniture inside, and cheerfully said,

“Furniture made of applewood! Hahaha! May I chop all of this up and take it as firewood?”

Albert, who had come to appraise fine furniture, laughed heartily, saying he had unexpectedly gained a lot of firewood.

“Did you say applewood?”

“Whoever made this furniture, hahaha.”

As Albert spoke, Lady Nordic, who had been stepping back, was stopped by Venable, who was standing by the warehouse door. He handed her a handkerchief and said,

“Lady Nordic, my, why are you sweating so much?”

Despite Venable’s gentle smile and kind words, Lady Nordic couldn’t stop her body from trembling.

Meia spoke calmly.

“Hannah, send knights to the furniture shop immediately and bring back all the furniture dealers.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Lady Nordic.”

Meia approached her casually, as if nothing had happened, and called out sweetly.

Lady Nordic hid her trembling hands within the folds of her dress.

“Yes, M-My Lady.”

Lady Nordic desperately wanted to escape this uncomfortable situation, fearing it could expose her embezzlement.

“I-I-.”

But her body trembled, and her words stuttered endlessly.

“A Dwarf craftsman does not speak lies.”

Who wouldn’t know that?

“So it was the shop that sold the furniture that was the problem.”

Lady Nordic turned as red as a strawberry and stammered:

“Y-Yes. W-W-What a w-w-wretched place.”

“Oh dear, you’re so startled that you’re stuttering. How unfortunate. You must feel terribly upset after being deceived for five years.”

Meia spoke with genuine concern for Lady Nordic.

“I’ve sent the knights, so they’ll be caught soon. And the fraudsters who scammed you with the furniture will be punished accordingly.”

Meia continued speaking.

“They deceived you, Lady Nordic, so we won’t let it slide. Thinking about how upset you must have been because of the furniture makes my heart ache.”

Meia smiled brightly and patted Lady Nordic’s hand as if comforting her.

“It’s over now. Don’t worry anymore, Lady Nordic.”

Standing behind the warehouse, Venable clapped and nodded at Meia’s words.

“Didn’t I say before? They won’t just be charged with the crime of deceiving a noble, but with defrauding the Florence Grand Ducal family, and they’ll receive the punishment they deserve.”

Meia smiled brightly, but Lady Nordic couldn’t bring herself to smile.