Chapter 83

Dwarves value their pride above all else.

To them, the very act of lying about an appraisal result is a deep scar on their pride. They believe it’s better to die than to tarnish their pride. That’s why dwarves who specialize in appraising items are known to never lie. This is one of the main reasons people trust dwarf craftsmen so much.

Inside the spacious warehouse of the Florence Grand Ducal residence, all the furniture stored there was being reduced to firewood.

As the countless pieces of furniture were destroyed, people watched in silence, casting pitiful glances at Lady Nordic while cursing the furniture merchants who had deceived her.

The merchants who sold the furniture, including their representatives and craftsmen, were captured by Commander Versha Isaac and his knights.

“We would never dare deceive the Grand Ducal family! From the beginning, we told it was applewood!”

“Please spare us!”

“This is unfair!”

They had started their day like any other, only to be suddenly bound with ropes by knights who stormed in and forced them into a black carriage. The knights accused them of committing the crime of contempt, but no matter how much they thought about it, they had never cheated any nobles in their business dealings.

“Who would dare recklessly scam the Florence Grand Ducal family?!”

“This is unjust. It’s so unfair.”

“This is a false accusation!”

They shed thick tears, repeatedly insisting on their innocence and begging for their lives. But no one listened to their cries.

“Please tell us who reported us!”

According to Stella’s report, the furniture merchants were innocent. It was Lady Nordic who had falsely accused them. She had specifically requested the merchants to make the furniture using the cheapest wood available.

Though the merchants were unjustly imprisoned, they would be compensated adequately once the matter was resolved.

Furthermore, the nobles who had falsely accused them would be thoroughly punished, clearing the merchants’ names in the process. After all, in trials between nobles and commoners, the commoners almost always lost.

This was why the commoner furniture merchants cried and begged for their lives.

However, the situation would turn in their favor. They would clear their names and receive proper compensation.

By showing that even nobles could face severe punishment, Theodore would earn the admiration of the people for holding guilty nobles accountable, instilling a sense of justice.

Crack.

Every time a piece of furniture in the warehouse was destroyed, Lady Nordic’s expression crumbled like the broken furniture.

Meia spoke to Lady Nordic as if concerned.

“Lady Nordic, you don’t look well.”

After this incident, Lady Nordic would never escape the embezzlement charges.

If she tried to run, it would be tantamount to admitting her guilt, so she wouldn’t dare think of fleeing.

“N-No, I’m fine.”

Albert, who was sorting through the furniture in the warehouse, asked Meia,

“How much did these pieces of furniture cost?”

“Ten thousand gold per chair.

Albert was startled and exclaimed,

“What?! They inflated the price by a hundred times. These furniture merchants sure are bold, scamming the Grand Ducal family… Ahem.”

“Indeed.”

“Those caught will be executed, won’t they?”

“Execution would be far too kind.”

Albert nodded in agreement.

“Hmm, that’s true. Death is very kind. Yes, indeed.”

“For those who lied, we should cut out their tongues, make them wear shoes with nails driven into them, and force them to work in labor camps where they’ll be cursed by others and have to beg for scraps to survive.”

Albert casually replied,

“That’s a pretty good method, but will it suffice?”

Albert glanced sideways at the trembling Lady Nordic, who was paralyzed with fear.

He clicked his tongue.

Even Albert had realized that the furniture merchants weren’t the ones who had embezzled funds by passing off applewood furniture as luxury items. Meia smiled brightly and looked at Lady Nordic as she said,

“The punishment hasn’t been decided yet, but rest assured, Lady Nordic, they will be punished according to the crimes they’ve committed.”

Lady Nordic, her lips pale and trembling, managed to reply with difficulty:

“…Yes.”

Knock, knock.

Hearing a knock, Meia turned her head to see a knight entering the warehouse.

The knight approached Venable and whispered something to him. After hearing the message, Venable informed Meia:

“They’ve captured everyone, My Lady.”

Meia smiled at Lady Nordic and said:

“Shall we go? It seems the fraudsters have been caught, Lady Nordic.”

“…Yes.”

Lady Nordic had no way to escape. There was no way out.

‘Where do I even begin to get out of this mess?’

She couldn’t find any answers to the endless questions she asked herself.

The unexpected situation was driving her mad, but one thing was certain:

She had underestimated Meia. If she had gone home when the Grand Duke told her to leave, she could have fled with the money she had. But now, even that was impossible.

All she could think about was that, no matter what happened to her, she had to ensure Ash and Diana survived.

***

Theodore quietly rose to his feet and drew his sword.

Boom.

The sword he swung split the ground.

As the earth trembled and clouds of dust rose like a storm, Theodore’s face was consumed by a fury that refused to subside, like a raging typhoon. He raised his eyebrow slightly and called out to Commander Versha.

“Versha.”

“Yes.”

“Arrest Viscount Nordic immediately.”

“Understood.”

“If they ask what the charges are, tell them the guilty have no right to question.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The knights standing by felt tense as they observed Theodore’s demeanor.

They were reminded once again of how terrifying a quiet man could be when he was angry.

After swinging his sword, Theodore sat back in his chair without a single change in expression.

The cold, piercing atmosphere lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Following Theodore’s orders, Versha and the knights set out for the Viscount’s residence.

After some time, the knights returned with the furniture merchants bound and kneeling before Theodore. They wept and repeatedly claimed their innocence.

“We’ve brought the criminals.”

The merchants insisted they had never scammed the Grand Ducal family and were terrified at the prospect of being executed for contempt against the Grand Duke.

“This is unfair.”

“We’ve never defrauded the Grand Ducal family.”

“We didn’t deceive anyone!”

They had simply spent their days making and selling furniture, only to suddenly be labeled as fraudsters and thrown into prison. The furniture merchants, bowing their heads, raised their voices to Theodore.

“Your Grace, we are innocent.”

“Innocent…”

“Yes, we are innocent. We’ve never sold anything under false pretenses.”

“Lady Nordic claims you deceived her.”

“That’s impossible! We sold everything at fair prices!”

“So, one of you or Lady Nordic is lying.”

The representative of the merchants, Liu, spoke to Theodore.

“Lady Nordic is lying. We even provided receipts.”

“Receipts?”

“Yes, we issued receipts for everything purchased by the Florence Grand Ducal family. I wrote them myself, so please ask Lady Nordic to present them.”

Theodore ordered Venable to retrieve all the receipts in storage. Then, Theodore nodded and summoned Lady Nordic. Liu and the other captured merchants glared at Lady Nordic with anger.

“Why are you blaming us for your embezzlement, Lady Nordic?!”

“Embezzlement?! How dare you accuse a noble like me of such a thing after selling me furniture under false pretenses!”

It didn’t matter; there was no evidence. No matter what they said, the nobles would have the upper hand.

“How shameless!”

“I hope you face proper punishment for deceiving the Florence Grand Ducal family!”

“You demanded we use the cheapest wood to make the furniture!”

“Your Grace! It’s unfair for us to be falsely accused and punished just because we’re commoners.”

Theodore sat in his chair with a calm expression, listening to their words. Lady Nordic, unable to hide her unease, bit her lower lip and avoided the merchants’ angry gazes, continuing to call them fraudsters.

“Then we can compare the handwriting on the receipts Lady Nordic has with that of the writer.”

“What?”

On the desk were the receipts Lady Nordic had submitted to the accountants. The moment she saw them, Lady Nordic panicked. Those were fake receipts she had fabricated.

“Untie Liu and have him write something.”

Liu confidently glanced at the receipts on the desk and smirked.

“I don’t know when this handwriting became mine.”

The handwriting on Liu’s writing and the receipts did not match.

Lady Nordic pressed her trembling lips together to keep them from quivering. 

Should I claim I lost the receipts? Would they believe me? 

She felt as though she was being dragged into a bottomless swamp, her body and mind consumed, leaving her gasping for air. She desperately wanted to escape the swamp, but there was no way out.

“The writer must have deliberately changed their handwriting. This is unfair, Your Grace.”

Lady Nordic continued to deny the accusations, insisting that Liu and the furniture merchants were lying. Unable to bear it any longer, Liu shouted:

“I can show you all the ledgers and documents I’ve written so far. Your Grace! I’ve been in this business for 20 years. My son is learning the trade, and soon my grandchildren will be born. I have never once deceived anyone in the furniture I’ve made and sold.”

Liu bowed his head to the ground, tears streaming down his face. Theodore ordered the knights to retrieve all the ledgers from Liu’s shop and compare the handwriting.

“Lady Nordic.”

“…Yes.”

“You’ll need to explain yourself.”

The handwriting in Liu’s ledgers and other receipts perfectly matched, while the handwriting on the receipts Lady Nordic had provided was completely different.

“T-That…”

Lady Nordic’s face turned ashen. Theodore, watching her, spoke coldly.

“Lady Nordic.”

The corners of Theodore’s eyes twitched with rage, but he maintained a composed expression as he sat, suppressing his trembling anger.

“Release Liu and the other furniture merchants from their bonds.”

“Thank you, Your Grace! Hic…”

The released merchants embraced one another, crying. Grateful to Theodore for believing in them, they knelt and bowed deeply.

Lady Nordic slumped to the ground, trembling. She had never imagined a single receipt would become evidence against her.

“Y-Your Grace…”

“Lady Nordic, you should have left when I told you to.”

“…!”

Bound by the knights, Lady Nordic realized her fate as she was dragged to the underground prison. Her only concern now was for Ash and Diana. She thought only of her children as she was taken away.