Dante’s heart had been filled with fear and loneliness, but he had to hide even the fact that he was lonely and afraid from the world.

The Leodinas family’s brilliant honor and towering prestige had been preserved that way. Built upon the blood and tears shed by her husband in his childhood.

And to think that these parasites had attached themselves to the results created by Dante grinding away all the soft, tender parts of his youth, sucking him dry to the marrow. The more she thought about it, the more her anger surged back fiercely at the absurdity and outrage.

“…But I have no intention of continuing your employment. I’m not compassionate enough to write you recommendation letters after you’ve swindled us right under our noses. I intend to terminate the employment contracts of the three of you, excluding Administrator Cynthia and Administrator Archibald, effective today. After we finish this conversation, return to your quarters, pack your belongings, and leave the castle by tomorrow at the latest. Be aware that your dishonorable dismissal will be recorded on the servants’ bulletin board.”

“Th-that’s too harsh a measure, isn’t it?!”

Gaston burst out loudly. The Grand Duchess who had looked like a pure angel until just moments ago now seemed as terrifying as an evil demon.

To record years of corruption on the bulletin board! There was a world of difference between engaging in dirty deeds out of sight and having those filthy misdeeds known to everyone.

‘This is social murder!’

As Gaston trembled with rage, Esteller calmly asked:

“Oh, is that so?”

Her tone suggested she truly hadn’t realized.

“Honor is something priceless and invaluable to some, while to others it’s not worth even a few pennies. I apologize for my misunderstanding. I didn’t realize Administrator Gaston valued honor so highly.”

“Of course I…”

“If you wish to keep this matter confidential, you may fill in the missing amounts from the ledgers instead of having your name publicized.”

At this, Gaston’s mouth, which had been vehemently spewing complaints, snapped shut as if by magic. As the conversation took an entirely unexpected turn, his face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot.

How could he possibly repay money that had been skimmed little by little over seven or eight years? Though the amounts seemed small when taken bit by bit, paying back the accumulated sum at once would be an impossibly large amount.

As Gaston was rendered speechless, Esteller smiled with crescent-moon eyes.

“I would accept payment in gold coins. Money is indeed a vulgar thing. Removing one’s name from the bulletin board to preserve personal integrity is truly the more refined action.”

She mocked him with a warm voice.

Gaston clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. The Grand Duchess was someone who could drive a person to the edge of a cliff while wearing a smile that seemed impossibly benevolent.

‘A demon, this woman is a demon!’

“If you want to do it, I won’t stop you.”

“……”

“Tracy, Tucker. What are your thoughts?”

With this sudden bolt from the blue, Tracy and Tucker were thrown into panic.

Having their corruption exposed would certainly be shameful, but if forced to choose between disgorging a heap of gold coins and suffering damage to their reputation, damaging their reputation was far preferable. Moreover, as the Grand Duchess had pointed out, the money they had skimmed hadn’t gone only into their own pockets.

To remain in the comfortable position of Halpenrit Castle administrator, where they could enjoy substantial benefits without working, they had to regularly pay bribes to Lyle. Now that they’d been caught by the Grand Duchess, they couldn’t exactly ask for their previous bribes to be returned. If they tried, Lyle would likely strangle them to death on the spot.

In the midst of this, Tucker even burned with resentment toward Gaston for needlessly provoking the Grand Duchess with his foolish words.

“Urgh… I’ll just have my name listed, since I did do wrong…”

“…Yes, the same for me…”

Seeing his colleagues fleeing as if their tails were on fire, Gaston felt a genuine sense of crisis. If he continued to be stubborn, he would lose everything, and if he tried to return the embezzled money, his family’s financial foundation would collapse—an existential crisis.

Eventually, Gaston’s head bowed submissively.

“…Your Highness the Grand Duchess, I apologize… My hasty temper led me to speak out of turn… Having my name on the bulletin board is already an extremely lenient punishment, yet I didn’t understand…”

As he mumbled his excuses, the corner of Esteller’s mouth turned up ever so slightly.

The feeling of exacting revenge on her husband’s behalf, even in this small way, wasn’t bad at all.

⁕⁕⁕

“This is herbal tea that’s good for calming the mind and body. If you like sweetness, add some of the honey beside you.”

An awkward silence filled the room. Cynthia and Archibald remained stiffly frozen, with Archibald so terrified that his expression made him look like he might have fainted while sitting.

Sensing their need for psychological comfort, Esteller had Meary bring in herbal tea. Warm steam rose softly above the teacups. Esteller gazed at it while slowly relaxing her posture and leaning back in her chair.

“With three positions now vacant, we’ll need to work busily for a while. I’ll provide additional staff next month, so please bear with the extra work until then.”

“Yes…”

“Y-yes…”

The two answered in hushed voices.

Unlike Archibald, who still couldn’t collect himself, Cynthia couldn’t hide her curiosity as she kept glancing at Esteller from behind her thick glasses. Her face showed she had many questions but couldn’t bring herself to ask them.

Since Esteller had no desire to torment Cynthia, she voluntarily addressed what she thought might be concerning the woman.

“One of the new staff will be someone who gained experience in Count Bendervalt’s household. Their work is neat and reliable. As for the other two… I’ll have recommendation letters collected and sent to you by next week, Administrator Cynthia, so you can review them carefully and make selections. They’ll be fresh graduates from the academy, so they may lack experience, but their backgrounds are clean.”

To handle this matter, Esteller had used the Tilrut Employment Agency run by the Bendervalt family. After hearing the conditions of Esteller’s request, the Countess had sent matching recommendation letters and personally recommended one capable administrator.

This person had originally worked under Count Bendervalt and was both competent and extremely diligent. However, his wife had been suffering from severe arthritis since giving birth to their second child, and the doctor had said the bitterly cold climate of the county was worsening her condition, causing great concern.

The Leodinas territory, despite some variations within it, had a much milder climate than the north, and there were even hot springs in the mountainous areas near Halpenrit. When Esteller asked if the administrator would be willing to relocate to Leodinas territory, he agreed without hesitation.

He would arrive with his family next month and would be a good assistant to Cynthia.

“Administrator Cynthia, you will need to select and train people, so I’ll elevate your position to Chief Administrator and increase your salary by thirty percent.”

“You… you’re making me the Chief Administrator rather than the new person coming in…?”

“He is certainly good at his job, but in terms of competence, you’re no less capable. Besides, someone who’s just arriving couldn’t possibly know more about Halpenrit than you, who has handled its affairs for years.”

Cynthia was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t as if she had enjoyed taking on everyone else’s work. She had endured out of a sense of responsibility, but handling tasks dumped by others was neither pleasant nor welcome. However, she had nowhere to appeal her grievances. Unable to escape, she had inwardly resigned herself to the situation, believing acceptance was her only option.

Then overnight, the world seemed to turn upside down. The slackers had been cut away, and she had received a promotion she hadn’t even dreamed of.

Afraid that pinching herself might not hurt, revealing all this to be a dream, Cynthia didn’t dare try. If it was a dream, she wanted to stay in it a little longer.

Her expression showed both joy and fear. Esteller could see right through Cynthia’s feelings. She laughed heartily and said:

“Congratulations, Chief Administrator Cynthia. This is definitely not a dream, and as soon as you leave this room, you’ll need to start working diligently, so please relax now.”

With the coldness completely gone from her expression as she smiled, Esteller looked like a leisurely cat basking in the sun on a warm day—without worries or concerns, simply lovable.

Truly so lovable that… she seemed nothing like the person who, just minutes ago, had performed a fierce sword dance that instantly swept away three people who had occupied administrative positions for six or seven years while committing corruption.

Cynthia hesitated, then finally added a spoonful of honey to her teacup and took a sip.

Her mouth filled with sweetness and refreshment, as if she had entered a forest path. Never having tasted such high-quality tea before, Cynthia opened her eyes wide in surprise.

A taste that came so vividly to her senses.

Goodness, something this vivid couldn’t possibly be a dream.

⁕⁕⁕

At the same time, at the training ground.

First, Dante confirmed that training had proceeded smoothly during his absence. After receiving several routine reports and organizing the area, he summoned Gideon and Rachel.