Chapter 5

5. It was all a lie
 
“I’ve been wronged, Your Grace!”
 
Callion looked down at the kneeling chef, questioning.
 
“The Duchess has dismissed you?”
 
“Yes. She suddenly came to the kitchen, accused me of wrongdoing, and ordered me to leave the castle. This wouldn’t happen in any noble’s house!”
 
Callion nodded silently. Encouraged by his sympathetic response, the chef continued.
 
“This is not something to be taken lightly. She must be trying to take control of the castle by dismissing those loyal to you, like me.”
 
“Are you suggesting the Duchess is trying to drive out my loyal aides and take control of the duchy?”
 
“Yes. If this continues, all the finances of the castle will end up in her pocket. You must not ignore this.”
 
The excited chef rambled on and on about how dangerous Adelaide was.
 
Callion remembered this morning’s breakfast. It wasn’t just a day or two, but for some time, the quality of the meals had deteriorated.
 
Adelaide’s dismissal of this man must have had something to do with it.
 
“Please reconsider your decision. Otherwise, Your Grace might also fall victim to her schemes…”
 
“You seem to have forgotten that she is my wife.”
 
“What?”
 
The chef looked up with a dumbfounded expression.
 
“Isn’t it the rightful privilege of a master to dismiss a servant?”
 
“B-but…”
 
“If the dismissal is unjust, then explain. What reason did the Duchess give for firing you?”
 
“She said there was a problem with the quality of the ingredients…….”
 
“That’s a clear reason for dismissal.”
 
Callion tossed the ledger he’d gotten from Jensen before the chef arrived at his feet.
 
“The budget for the kitchen is 300 cels, but the receipt from the grocery store says 200 cels, so where did the rest of the money go?”
 
“I-I… Your Grace, I’ve served you faithfully for 15 years…”
 
“I know. That’s why you will only be dismissed.”
 
Callion looked down at the cook with a stern face.
 
“The most important thing in war is supply, and you’ve been playing with it. In wartime, that would be a capital offense, but I’ll spare you the punishment for your service.”
 
“Your Grace!”
 
The chef’s face turned blue. Callion spoke coldly.
 
“Leave before you’re forcibly removed.”
 
⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜
 
Adelaide popped the refreshment Margaret had brought her into her mouth and flipped through her ledgers. She was hungry, perhaps because she hadn’t had breakfast.
 
She finished the plate of refreshments in a flash and closed the ledger. Her mind was racing, and the numbers didn’t make sense.
 
It was half a day ago that she heard the news that the fired chef had gone to see Callion.
 
Since then, there has been no further news, indicating that the conversation was prolonged..
 
‘Would he blame me? ’
 
Callion doesn’t like noise. He might not be pleased that she escalated things without consulting him.
 
If Callion were to withdraw her orders and revoke the dismissal, her position in the duchy would greatly diminish.
 
So this was a test to see how much Callion would trust her.
 
“Is the Duchess inside?”
 
A familiar voice called from the doorway. Adelaide rose from her seat as if she had been waiting.
 
“Yes, Your Grace. Please wait a moment, and…”
 
Before Margaret could finish her sentence, the door burst open.
 
“We need to talk.”
 
Before she could say anything else, Callion stormed into the room.
 
Adelaide gestured for Margaret to leave and locked the door. She appeared nonchalant, as if unaffected by the commotion.
 
“The chef has been dismissed.”
 
“You did well.”
 
He seemed to have expected it, giving a terse response, and then he asked bluntly.
 
“Was that man Elkius’s spy?”
 
“No. He’s just a thief.”
 
“Why did you make such a big deal out of the thief?”
 
“To set an example.”
 
Callion laughed bitterly, realizing the implication that the chef wasn’t the only one eating into the duchy’s budget.
 
“Couldn’t you have fired him through me?”
 
“If I had told you, you would have kept it quiet, and that’s why there’s no point in dismissing someone like the chef, who has served you faithfully for 15 years.”
 
At Adelaide’s answer, Callion glared at her.
 
“And you had no faith in me.”
 
“…….”
 
“What were you going to do if I sided with the chef?”
 
“You’re not that undiscerning, My Lord.”
 
“You mean you thought I might be undiscerning.”
 
Adelaide lowered her gaze, mortified.
 
Had she offended him by testing him?
 
After a brief pause, he lightened his tone.
 
“Seeing as how the chef was kicked out, I guess the food was quite tasteless.”
 
“Was it palatable for you?”
 
“My grandfather taught me not to complain about food.”
 
A joke mixed with his response elicited a chuckle. Callion shrugged.
 
“So what are you going to do about meal preparation now?”
 
“I’ve left it to the head cook.”
 
“Well, since the former chef was just a sham, there shouldn’t be a big problem.”
 
“Did you know that?”
 
“The chef’s hands were unusually clean for someone who makes food, so I’m guessing he left the kitchen a long time ago.”
 
It was a reasonable speculation. It wasn’t about driving out the chef to uphold his dignity; it was about recognizing his negligence.
 
“Let’s cover it up here, Your Grace.”
 
Callion’s eyebrows raised slightly at Adelaide’s suggestion to use this opportunity to root out the pests gnawing at the castle.
 
Adelaide held out the ledger.
 
“As far as I can tell, no one has embezzled as much money as the cook, and they won’t be able to anymore, now that they’ve seen you throw him out.”
 
“Why don’t we take this opportunity to expose the mole Elkius had planted?”
 
“I wanted to do something that would get someone with a clear purpose caught.”
 
A spy for Elkius would go to great lengths to avoid detection, so it is unlikely that he would embezzle money.
 
At the advice that it would be a fruitless search, Callion nods.
 
“And if things escalate, Jensen will have to be punished for his neglect. Without him, who will take care of the castle?”
 
Jensen had served Callion since he was born. He recognized that Adelaide’s advice was also a consideration for him.
 
“I will do as you say.”
 
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
 
Callion watched Adelaide bow her head in a somewhat dignified manner.
 
She seemed so different from the woman he’d known in recent days.
 
Despite their marriage, Callion didn’t know Adelaide well.
 
Partly because she kept herself in her room all day, but also because he was influenced by the rumors surrounding her.
 
The daughter of a lowly merchant, the mistress of Elkius, was the one who would ruin the empire.
 
Adelaide’s name had been labeled countless times. All of them are negative.
 
 ‘I’m just as narrow-minded.’
 
Calion sighed and reached out toward her face.
 
“Your Grace?”
 
“Just a moment.”
 
Adelaide’s shoulders tensed. Callion gently brushed something off the corner of her mouth before retracting his hand.
 
His fingertips were smeared with crumbs of refreshment.
 
“I wanted to tell you earlier, but you were too serious.”
 
“……Ah, go, thank you…….”
 
The nape of Adelaide’s neck turned bright red at his crooked smile.
 
⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜
 
The day after she dismissed the cook, Adelaide took Margaret to the market.
 
It was an excuse to find a new grocery store since they had severed ties with the one supplying the castle after dismissing the chef.
 
Once in the center of the market, Adelaide got out of the carriage and started walking.
 
The bazaar of Tiflis, bordering the Empire of Helenia and the Caucasian Autonomous Region, was bustling with activity.
 
The fact that a city that had recently been at war with neighboring countries could be so lively was a testament to the people’s faith in their lord’s ability to keep the city safe.
 
She could see how much work Callion had put into stabilizing this dangerous territory.
 
“Welcome!”
 
Pushing through the noisy hawkers, they entered a pawnshop, where the owner greeted them loudly.
 
Adelaide handed him a pouch.
 
“I’d like to appraise these.”
 
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
 
As the owner opened the pouch, his eyes widened. It was rare to see such expensive jewels in this part of the city, and a man eyed Adelaide with interest.
 
“Why would you want to sell something so valuable?”
 
“What’s the point of something precious if you don’t use it?”
 
“Well, yes, but…….”
 
The pawnshop owner looked at the jewels.
 
Margaret, who was standing beside her, whispered hesitantly.
 
“The bracelet and necklace were specially made by the Earl for you. The headdress was a debutante gift.”
 
“You remember all the details.”
 
“And those earrings were given to me by him…….”
 
“I have plenty of jewels besides these.”
 
“Still.”
 
Adelaide pretended not to notice Margaret muttering under her breath.
 
She had plenty of money in her budget, but she couldn’t afford to spend money that could be discovered, so she needed to keep an emergency fund.
 
“That’ll be 4600 cels.”
 
“4600 cels?”
 
Adelaide raised her eyebrows in surprise at the amount, which was 400 cells less than expected.
 
The pawnshop owner pointed to each piece of jewelry as he spoke.
 
“The bracelet is 800 cels, the necklace is 1700 cels, and the headdress is 2100 cels.”
 
“And these earrings?”
 
Adelaide asked, pointing to a pair of earrings. Elkius had given them to her for her birthday.
 
“These earrings are practically worthless, so it’s a bit awkward to include them.”
 
“These are worth nothing? That can’t be right…!”
 
“Alright, just calculate the price of those.”
 
“Okay.”
 
While the pawnshop owner went to collect the money, Adelaide fiddled with her earrings in disbelief.
 
It was all a lie.
 
She realized she wasn’t worth a single cel to Elkius.
 
“Could he have gotten it wrong? I don’t think he could give you fake…….”
 
“Forget it, Margaret.”
 
Margaret shut her mouth in frustration.
The pawnshop owner returned with a bag of money.
 
“Here’s 4600 cels.”
 
Adelaide took the money and turned it away.
 
As she left, the pawnshop owner called out to her, noticing the earrings left behind on the counter.
 
“You’re not taking the earrings?”
 
“No. ……You can throw them away.”