“How else would I do it?”
Robert clasped Espin’s small hand, which she had extended toward him.
A soft, delicate hand that seemed to know nothing of hardship.
The sensation reminded Robert of his mother’s hand from his childhood, and strangely, it brought him a sense of calm.
“If not for you, I wouldn’t have any means of revenge. I have no choice, do I?”
Where on earth had she gotten her information? She had uncovered his existence, which no one knew about, and even the whereabouts of the swindler he himself had been unable to track.
He couldn’t even begin to guess how she knew.
Standing before him now, Espin’s eyes brimmed with confidence.
Her information was true. Robert’s instincts, honed from years in the information trade and his ability to read people, told him so.
“You’ve made the right choice. I’ll make sure you get your revenge.”

Revenge.
Ever since his father passed away, that was all Robert had thought about.
If he could just capture the swindler who had ruined everything for him and his parents, he felt he could finally live a normal life like everyone else.
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”
If the information this young lady possessed turned out to be false, it wouldn’t be too late to deal with her then. For someone like him, who worked in the information business, silencing a rumor-prone young lady like her would be the easiest thing to do.
Getting her expelled from the Count Leon household and confined to some monastery would be simpler than eating cold soup.
For now, it wasn’t a bad idea to pin his hopes on an uncertain possibility.
“Do you have something in mind already?”
And he was curious. What could be going through that small head of hers? Why did she harbor such hatred for a swindler when she had likely never been scammed herself?
There were countless things about her that intrigued him.
For someone like Robert, who always dealt in certainties about people, this was the first time someone had filled his mind with so many question marks.
“Yes, I do have a plan.”
Espin let go of Robert’s hand, which she had been holding.
Unlike Espin, who moved naturally, Robert, unsure of what to do with his now-empty hand, awkwardly rested it on his arm.
“I have to go for now. I’ll contact you later. Thank you so much for helping me.”
Espin bowed politely, glanced around, and then hurried up the stairs.
For some reason, Robert couldn’t take his eyes off her retreating figure and stood frozen in place for a while.

***

“Master!”
The head butler rushed to the front gates of the mansion upon seeing Count Leon suddenly return to his estate in the capital.
The Count, who always acted according to plan, had almost never returned to the mansion without notifying anyone, leaving the butler flustered.
“Where is Espin?”
“The young lady has gone to the temple to attend the prayer meeting on behalf of the Leon family.”
“……”
Without saying a word, the Count headed straight to his office.
The butler followed him into the room.
“Espin fired all the servants?”
“Yes.”
The butler thought to himself that the inevitable had finally come. It was time to face his own failings.
“I’m sorry, Master.”
The butler knelt and pressed his forehead to the floor.
This was undoubtedly his mistake. He had failed to notice the servants’ disrespect toward the young lady. As a butler, this was inexcusable.
Though he had shamelessly stayed on after the young lady asked him to remain, he had always been prepared to leave if the Count dismissed him. Now, he begged for forgiveness.
“The servants disrespected the young lady. Claiming they were unnoticed by me is merely an excuse. It is entirely my fault for failing to manage them properly.”
“How… did they disrespect her?”
The Count’s voice trembled slightly at the end.
Knowing this was a sign of suppressed anger, the butler couldn’t bring himself to raise his head and instead spoke with his face pressed to the floor.
“They mocked her, saying she would never be loved. They stole her belongings, refused to attend to her, and insulted her.”
As the butler continued, his voice began to quiver with emotion.
But his tears were not out of fear or frustration. They stemmed from sorrow over what the young lady must have endured. Why hadn’t she confided in him? The regret weighed heavily on him.
“……”
The Count said nothing, silently suppressing his anger.
After some time, he finally seemed to regain his composure and spoke slowly.
“Where are they now?”
“Some have been fired and found work in other households, while others are still unemployed.”
“I will not let them go unpunished. How dare they.”
“I’m sorry.”
“How could such a thing happen in my household?”
The Count slammed his desk with a loud bang.
“Why didn’t Espin say anything while enduring such treatment?”
“Well… the young lady…”
The butler hesitated to say what was on his mind.
He knew his words would be presumptuous for a mere butler to say to his master. That was why he hadn’t spoken up until now.
But this might be his last chance to speak, and he felt he had to say everything for the sake of both the young lady and the Count.
“The young lady fears not being loved. Since childhood… she has always longed for love because she didn’t receive enough of it.”
“……”
The Count seemed too shocked to respond.
“So whenever the servants said, ‘If you do this, no one will like you,’ she would become flustered and try to please them.”
“That can’t be.”
The Count shook his head in disbelief.
“She was raised without lacking anything.”

Materially, Espin lacked nothing. The Count never reprimanded her no matter what she did. Whether she bought expensive jewels or engaged in extravagant behavior, he never said a word.
The Count believed his actions were for Espin’s benefit, but Espin had interpreted them as indifference.
“She lacked something. What the young lady wanted wasn’t money but warm attention.”
“That’s why I remarried, wasn’t it? So Espin could receive a mother’s love.”
“……”
The butler remained silent, and the Count gazed into the air, seemingly lost in thoughts of the years gone by.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault. If you wish to dismiss me…”
“No, I won’t dismiss you. If anyone should leave, it’s me. For now, leave the room. I need time to think alone.”
“I’m sorry.”
The butler apologized once more before leaving the room.
The Count would likely spend the rest of the day reflecting on his past mistakes, just as the butler had done.

***

“Has Father returned?”
As soon as I came back from the prayer meeting and asked about Count Leon, the butler, whose eyes were slightly red, looked startled and asked back.
“How did you know?”
“I heard. Ha… I suppose I should go greet him?”
The butler nodded.
With a trembling heart, I stepped into the house and found myself face-to-face with Count Leon, standing in the first-floor lobby, appearing to have been waiting for me.
“Ah, Father. It’s been a while.”

I greeted him awkwardly, and Count Leon nodded.
“Yes.”
He responded briefly and stared at me without saying anything else.
‘Does he know I’m not Espin?’ I wondered. But given how little interest the Count had shown in Espin, it was unlikely he would know.
Contrary to my expectation of being scolded, the Count said nothing.
“Then, I’ll head to my room now. Have a good night.”
Thinking this was my chance, I turned to leave.
“Wait…”
The Count trailed off, his words hinting that he had more to say.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

“No, it’s nothing. Have a good night.”
“Yes.”
I heard the sound of the Count sighing behind me, but I hurried to my room.