“So, when will you pay the compensation?”
Espin, lounging arrogantly on the sofa, caused the Viscount to lower himself as much as possible. The moment she spread the word that Melchaski’s works were forgeries, he could be dragged to the knights’ order.

“You guaranteed these works, didn’t you? Five times the price.”
Espin mockingly spread out five fingers and held them forward.

Of all times, why did that woman Babin have to show up now and cause such a mess? The Viscount was so furious he felt like he might explode.

“Lady, can you believe what that woman just said was a lie?”
The Viscount asked with a relaxed smile, hoping the clueless Lady would fall for his bait.

“Of course not.”
Espin replied, her expression making it clear how ridiculous she found his question.

“You just showed me proof earlier. Don’t try to tell me some nonsense about all of Melchaski’s works having that kind of signature. I’ll confirm it at the imperial palace before you even try.”

Seeing how unyielding Espin was, the Viscount let out a deep sigh.
It was all over. He felt the world closing in around him.

“You owe me 1.5 million litas.”

“To be honest… I don’t have that kind of money.”
“Then how much do you have?”
“I only have 500,000 litas right now…”
“Oh, I doubt that.”

Espin immediately saw through his lie.

In reality, this scam alone had earned him 750,000 litas. On top of that, he had another 150,000 litas from selling off his family’s liquid assets and artworks.

“You still have this mansion and the Montjas Viscount family’s businesses, don’t you?”
“This mansion was purchased at a bargain. And it was all bought on credit.”

At this point, the Viscount decided he had to choose the option that would leave him with as much money as possible.
He began to act, his voice trembling with feigned emotion. He had to appear as pitiful as possible.

“The truth is, my family has been through some hardships. My father was swindled by a woman. She took the family’s fortune and left, leaving only her child behind. I’ve spent my life raising that child as my sibling.”
“You must have had a hard time.”
“Yes, it’s been difficult. That’s why we don’t have much wealth left.”
“Uh-huh. And?”
“Ah… so I don’t have enough money to pay the compensation.”

Espin, clearly uninterested in hearing anything further, stood up.

“Well then, I have nothing more to say. I’ll report this to the knights’ order and spread the word.”
“W-wait a moment!”

The Viscount had no choice but to say the words he didn’t want to utter.

“I’ll pay you.”
“Really?”

Yes, he would promise to pay and then run away. The most important thing now was to prevent this rumor from spreading before the auction in two days. He needed to hold the auction and then disappear.

If this scandal spread, he wouldn’t even make it out of the empire. He’d be dragged to the knights’ order and thrown in prison immediately.

“Yes, I’ll pay. But I don’t have a large sum right now, so if you give me just one week…”
“Oh no, that won’t work. If you run away without paying, that’s the end of it.”
“T-then… I’ll pay part of it now and the rest in a week.”
“How much will you pay now?”

A relaxed smile appeared on Espin’s lips. She held all the cards in this situation.

Sweat trickled down the Viscount’s back as he felt cornered.

“30,000 litas right now…”

Espin idly fiddled with her nails, showing no interest, as if the amount wasn’t worth her attention.

“50,000 litas…”
“Sigh… 300,000 of that is my money anyway.”
“700,000 litas! I can’t go any higher.”
“Are you sure you don’t have more?”

She was like a ghost. Her gaze seemed to pierce right through him, as if she knew exactly how much was in his vault.

“…900,000 litas.”

The Viscount had no choice but to reveal the full amount he had.

The Viscount had no choice but to reveal the full amount he had.

“If I combine all the jewels and cash I have, it comes to about 900,000 litas. I’ll give you everything.”
“Oh-ho.”

It was the entire contents of his vault. But he had no choice but to hand it all over to silence her.

“In exchange, I have a condition.”
“What condition?”
“Until I pay the remaining 600,000 litas in one week, you must not speak of this to anyone.”
“Why?”
“For the sake of my reputation.”

“Hmm…”

After thinking for a moment, Espin lightly nodded.

With that, at least the next auction could proceed without issue.
Should he have Orson paint another picture right now? Or perhaps hire more shills?
The Viscount’s mind raced.

“In exchange, I’ll pay you 110,000 litas in a week, for a total of 200,000 litas. The more money you have hidden from the Count and Countess, the better, don’t you think?”

The Viscount spoke confidently, knowing the basics of noble society.
The Countess of Leon, whom he had met before, was a greedy person. It was clear she wouldn’t let Espin, who wasn’t her daughter, off easily.

“Hmm, that’s true.”

The Viscount smiled, appearing to have anticipated that answer.

Even if he handed over 900,000 litas to Espin now, he could earn it back through the next auction. That way, he could escape the empire before the knights caught him.

“Just make sure to keep this absolutely secret.”

“Of course. If I’m getting more money, I’ll keep the secret. Don’t worry.”

Espin left the mansion with a sly smile.

The Viscount could only let out a hollow laugh as he stared at his emptied vault.
All of this was because of that woman, Babin.

“She’s locked up, right?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t give her food or water. She’s going to be found as a corpse in this house anyway.”
“Well, that’s…”
The Viscount glared at the butler with sharp eyes.

“Ah, my apologies.”
“And move that painting to the drawing room.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and tell Orson to paint another picture by the day after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow. Just one day.
He had to gather as much money as possible by then.