Trevor has decided that, based on Hubert’s attitude, it’s better to speak while standing.

At that time, Romit appeared with tea.

Despite Romit’s mockery expression at seeing Trevor standing, he silently prepares tea for three on the table.

Originally, it was Opal, who should have made tea, but no one knew that.

Eventually, Romit leaves the study, and Hubert reopens the conversation as if he was impatient.

“So, what do you have to say? Did you bring this person here on purpose? Are you dissatisfied with the Duke’s house treatment? Apparently you complained to your father about the Duke not prospering, and so went to the city of Novoli to get yourself a new husband. No?”

“… Who did you hear it from?”

“Omar. He wrote me a letter as soon as you left for Novoli. He probably thought he had the duty to report on you too, because he’s really serious about taking care of his masters, and you’re his madam now, so he was desperately trying to contact you and when he couldn’t, he contacted me.”

Opal almost laughed at Hubert’s words.

Did he always thought that everyone under him was worthy of trust because they contacted him often?

If so, Hubert is too pure and immature.

Trevor’s coughing seems to hide Opal’s laughter.

“So, let me be honest: Omar is unreliable. There have been no disasters in the Duke’s territory in the recent years, and I suspect that Omar is embezzling– “

“It’s ridiculous! No need to say more!”

“But we actually found the evidence. Omar put the embezzled money into betting and even borrowed.”

“Is that what you came with to make me believe in you? If you found yourself a man there, you would have been able to forge plausible evidence without problem! Omar is a man whom my late father trusted and hired. I can’t believe you’re now trying to fool me! “

Who really couldn’t believe what was happening was Opal.

He does not listen to her at all. She looks astray at Hubert, who yells and shouts silly words one after another.

Apparently Trevor is also unusually surprised.

On the contrary, Hubert seems to be more and more excited about his righteousness.

“Sure, this land has been saved with your money. But the name is mine, and only mine! I will decide who to hire! I’m not going to let you change anythig! The story is over, get out of here!”

“… I see. I’m sorry.”

Surely Hubert was in a bad mood.

Opal thought that maybe something happened to Stella and that’s why he’s so foolish today.

After a while, Hubert calmed and started thinking what the next steps would be.

Opal continued walking, but soon, she was able to verify that her thoughts were wrong about the cause of Hubert’s bad mood. She saw Stella and Mrs. Northam across the hallway.

Stella had a very nasty smile on her face, and Mrs. Northam was extremely happy as they were indiscreetly hiding to hear Hubert’s yell.

“Oh, that’s the rumored lover…?”

“Yes, yes, but I’m sorry. I can’t introduce you to her. My husband told me not to meet her.”

“It’s a pretty nasty angel. It may be unscrupulous of me to say this, but is her life really at stake?”

“why?”

“I don’t see that. Isn’t the same old-fashioned physician who has been called for quite a while? You may want to see another doctor for once.”

“… Yeah, I’ll make the suggestion when my husband is in a good mood. Rather than that, I’m really sorry. Even though I had you come to the royal capital, it all turned like this.”

Opal and Trevor spoke in whispers while heading to the entrance.

Opal is also angry that the butler never showed up to send out the guests.

“Don’t mind it. It’s been a holidays trip to the royal capital. Recently, the Count’s territory has been too boring and quiet. So, how do you plan to convince the Duke? You can bring people from the Duke’s territory to testify… I wonder if you could let Lind testify too?”

Trevor came to the door and stopped

Opal smiled.

“… No, that’s okay, but I’ll go back to the Count’s territory again in a while. Hopefully, by then, I’d like to see if there are any new managers for the position of the Duke’s territory manager.”

“–Okay, young lady. I’m supporting your battle.”

“Thank you, Trevor. Be careful on the way back.”

She doesn’t know how much the servant has heard about it, but Opal spoke anyway.

Trevor leaves the mansion, leaving clear words of encouragement to her.

Opal saw him off at the front door and kept waiting there until Trevor’s carriage turned the corner. Then, she immediately went into the attic.

Not the butler, servant or Hubert has ever appeared after the conversation in the study.

Opal, sitting in front of the poor desk of the attic, regretted not thinking about choosing the time before speaking.

Omar was the custodian hired by Hubert’s father, and her words were as good as tarnishing the reputation of the former duke.

If the predecessor was still alive, it would have been another matter. Because she would have spoken to him, and Omar wouldn’t have had chance to utter such lies to cover his fraud.

Opal wrote a letter, again feeling sympathetic to Hubert.

The reply arrived the next morning, and she was surprised at the speed of the reply. Then, she immediately started reading after opening the seal.

“I’m going out this afternoon, so please get everything ready.”

“Where are you going?”

“… I wonder why I must tell you where I will go. Eh, Beth?”

“Well, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

The usual Opal wouldn’t speak like this to anyone, but to the sullen look at Beth’s face, even her patience has a limit.

She doesn’t know if Beth can read, but if she can, she may have noticed that the sender was a man.

So she wonders why would she ask such a question, when she didn’t care where she go to before.

If it were Romit, he surely should be aware that the sender is male and would report it to Hubert. But for Beth… she’s not sure if she does know or not.

Her worry seemed to be correct. As soon as she tried to go out, Opal was stopped by Hubert.

“Where are you going?”

“… You’ve never been interested in my actions, so why ask such a question now?”

“Because it will put me in a difficult situation if you go see a man in a carriage with the duke’s crest.”

“I’m sorry I can’t meet your expectations, but I’m going to my uncle’s mansion. He said he would return to the royal city after a long absence and would like to see my face.”

“If it’s your uncle ?? you can go!”

“I will.”

(I was invited by my uncle who he knew was married, but I did not mention it.

I was refused anyway and it’s already troublesome as it is.)

Hubert does not seem to be interested in Opal in the first place.

It doesn’t look like a daytime visit, she carries a heavy bag of papers, but he didn’t even notice it.

Opal then visited her uncle’s house and was pleased to see him for the first time in a year.

However, after a while, her uncle was surprised about her current circumstances and opposed that Opal should cut off her relations with the Duke.

Convinced of it, he appealed for the status quo between them and vowed to protect her in the future.

He also promised to help her with all matters related to the current case and then, they departed to the Count’s territory, returning first to the Duke’s mansion to ask permission from Hubert.

When Opal returned from his uncle’s residence, she asked for permission to go to the Count’s territory, but Hubert simply said he wasn’t interested in her itinerary and said, “No need to inform me ever again. Do as you like, go where you want.”

The only thing that has changed is the attitude of Cave, the dukes’ carriage driver. He has changed considerably towards Opal, and treats her with respect and admiration, but sometimes a little pity.

Cave takes care of Opal properly as his Duchess.

Despite this irony, Opal felt that her hurt heart was being healed little by little.

Translated by Djurasico (dot) home (dot) blog

Among the carriages going back to Opal’s territory, standing there was her, who briefly confirmed her plans with Trevor.

Have Omar monitored in her territory and engaged in labor until he completely repays his debt.

“Of course it’s not easy to escape from this, but nothing can’t be done about it, because we don’t intend to keep you roped all day so you lazily rest. Seriously, I’m taking you to my territory and I intend to receive a report everyday about your hard work. I’ll ask my husband to reduce your sins, so that it won’t be a shackle for your future of the future of your family or make your family suffer with you spending your whole life in jail. It’s better to make you work and come clean with your debts.”

Continue reading “[The duchess of the attic] Ch 14 – Putting an end to the fraud” →

In the duke’s territory, Opal was unexpectedly welcomed.

There is no malice emanated from anyone towards Opal. The housekeeper Debbie or the maids, including the butler, Lind were very happy of her arrival.

It was rather the feeling of someone who hasn’t seen for a long time their masters and now they have returned. That kind of anticipation and happiness.

The room is, of course, the master bedroom for the duchess.

They didn’t even know about the Duke’s debt.

The food was fine but not luxurious, but of course, something worth of a duchess.

Only Omar, the territory manager, was in alert, and that could be seen even behind his smile.

Apparently, he is worried that Opal could question the difference in luxury between the royal residence and the consulate.

So, Opal pretended to know nothing about it, and instructed Hubert to carry the luggage she had brought from her territory to her new appointed room.

Later, Omar offered to her guide around the territory, but Opal refused.

Later she asked where to shop and socialize around here and Omar replied reassuringly which places would be best to visit.

The town is not large enough for the Duchess to be satisfied, and it is said that the best places are in the next city in the marquis territory, which takes two days by carriage.

“Two days in a carriage? Well, it takes so much …”

“Yes. The Duke’s territory is unfortunate and has been poor for the last couple of years.”

“That’s right. I’m disappointed. I wonder if I’ll return to the capital soon.”

Opal murmured in a frivolous tone, while looking at her hands as if not interested in the Duke’s territory. That was the plan to stop Omar from being alert about her.

The result is an arrogant Duchess who is only interested in socializing and shopping.

When Omar left the room, Nadja said, “I’ll gather information.”

Opal, alone in the room, decided to go to the library, bored.

When she was guided by a housekeeper, Debbie, in the morning, she could only look at the library through the door, but now that Opal walked in, she was surprised.

Unlike the Duke’s mansion in the royal capital, this library had as many books as her house in the capital.

There are also a number of things that can be rarely seen such as a rare book that can be noticed as special from a simple quick glance from Opal, and selling it to collectors could bring a fortune.

There was no value for the special things in the royal Duke’s residence.

It is unlikely that such a rare and precious collection of books would be left alone at the hands of a stranger, if it were the library of the royal residence. And it’s also plenty strange that Hubert would have let go of this immeasurable amount of cash.

If he had sold any of these books, he should have paid all his debts and maintained the territory and his state for at least one year. And that would have mean, not having to get married, that he has so much hated.

(If he would have come to the territory even one time, he would not have had any debt, right?)

Opal would have gained freedom at the age of twenty without having to marry him and without having to pay a dowry to some ingrates.

She was starting to get seriously angry with Hubert.

(But maybe I could have been married to a greasy hairy old man who could possibly benefit father, right? So I might have to thank my husband a bit for being so stupid…)

It seemed that those thoughts subdued a little her anger.

Even if she was treated poorly in the Duke’s mansion, she would not suffer violence or kissed against her will.

Opal left the library with a few books of her favorite stories to avoid being suspicious.

It seems that Omar is also unaware of the value of the books.

Of course, the culprit has not yet been determined to be Omar.

Two days later, Opal went to the city of Novoli, in the next marquis state.

Opal said as excuse that someone who knows the land is a good master, and so, accompanied by a servant chosen by Omar, she went there.

In the meantime, she asked Trevor to find the back book as soon as possible.

She wanted to bring Omar so Trevor could look without worries, but she was turned down by Omar because of work.

Opal arrived in the city of Novoli and learnt on the second day of her stay why Omar did not accompany her.

A man named Lebow visited Opal who was staying at an inn.

Opal was initially wary of someone she had never heard of, but decided to meet him for the time being, as the man had sought a regular visit.

“Do you want information?”

“What? About the debt?”

“Here is the letter of petition for money.”

Lebow raised a letter with Omar’s name on it.

You can understand how cunning the man, when you see the place where he signs.

“… why give it to me?”

“Our intelligence is also an important part of doing business. It’s hard to get any more money out of the Duke. That’s why Omar hasn’t come to this city in the recent months. I’m afraid I would have collected it long ago if not because I heard that the Duke was married and decided to wait for a while. That’s why I came to ask the rich duchess to pay. “

“… How long did Omar go to the gambling ground? And what about other debt collectors other than you?”

“Is it going to be more than a decade that this started? At first, the stakes were low. It grew bigger and he had to borrow this amount. Omar is still a cautious guy, he doesn’t seem to have borrowed money from anyone except me, because I have a reputation for being the most trustworthy in this area, and my services are used by many gentlemen as well. “

“I see…”

In short, Omar had been gambling since the duke’s death.

And, as is often the case with addicts, they used to bet on the bet, taking advantage of the fact that they were in charge of managing the territory.

And to keep the debts in check, he only borrowed from Lebow, who was the most credible lender, so Hubert doesn’t know.

Omar in this city may have been easily identifiable.

For the money lender Lebow, Omar was an embarrassing gambler and debtor, but a client as long as he returned the debt.

Lebow has asked Opal to take over the debt, perhaps because he knows exactly what the Duke is doing and doesn’t miss this opportunity.

As it is now, Omar can suddenly disappear, from one day to another.

“… There are conditions for me to repay that money in his stead.”

“What is it?”

“Of course, you must give me the letter where he borrows the money, and a signed certificate of no more debt. Finally, I need a record of the money you’ve lent to Omar, and the books of guarantee of payment, that are from the territory. ”

“Obviously, the loan petition letters and certificates are fine, but when it comes to the territory books…”

“You’ll never lend money to Omar again, because it’s unlikely he will have money to repay you in the future, and you shouldn’t need those books for anything not? “

“… I’m not asking what you’ll do with the books, but if you go whispering this to the legendary king who is said to have turned everything he touched into gold… I might lose this job… You’re the daughter of the legendary king of the merchants, Count Holloway.”

“I don’t care about my father.”

Opal, who made a clear statement, finished all procedures the next day and returned to the Duchy.

(My money is gone anyway, and I don’t have any problems to get evidence so to get more flexibility and power to negotiate my conditions.)

Opal grinned, however, she might be opposed as that’s a bold move and she’s being reckless about it.

“Lady, was there anything interesting?”

“Yes … I’ll tell Nadja about my plans for the future. I’m sure there will be some turmoil when I return to the consulate.”

Opal told Nadja about what she discovered in her travel, on the way back to the Duke’s territory, but in fact it was already an uproar.

Apparently, while Opal was away, Omar was trying to escape the territory with some gold from the mansion.

Trevor found out and caught him.

“It seems it’s too late to run away, Omar.”

“If you didn’t come, I could have done better!”

“Is it? Without me, wouldn’t you have been worse off by Lebow? So you must thank me instead.”

Opal raised the letter from Lebow.

Then, Omar falls off immediately to the ground.

“Trevor, did you find the back book?”

“Yes, it was easy, because Omar had it when he tried to flee.”

“Oh… so he thought of taking it with him as commemoration… I see…”

Opal looked down at Omar, who was still tied with a rope, thinking about what more she needed to see and what more evidence could she get.

Omar, sitting on the floor, gave up any hope of escaping.

“… I guess I want to throw you into prison right now, but my husband, the lord here, will need to hear your testimony, until then… Let’s go “

Opal’s decision was heard by the butler, Lind, who had been standing by with a pale expression.

He must have been shocked to know the true nature of Omar whom he trusted and worked together with, for so many years.

Of course, Opal couldn’t abandon the possibility of Lind being an accomplice, but she’ll look into it later.

“Trevor, how many people have learned of Omar’s injustice?”

“Not many. There’s only Lind and the housekeeper Debbie, and the two servants from your territory lady… for now.”

“… Lind, is that correct?”

“Yes, yes …. we didn’t realize that Omar was guilty of this kind of crime. It was midnight, and rather than us, it was Trevor that noticed. That was … “

Opal and Trevor smiled at Lind’s answer.

Trevor noticed because of the night.

Perhaps he caught Omar trying to escape, trying to find the location of his back book.

Trevor seems to have benefited from improving his farming skills with the folks.

Unusual for a land manager, Trevor is quite strong.

“My husband absolutely dislikes this leaking out, so Lind and Debbie I don’t want you to tell this to anyone.”

“Understood”

“Yes, yes!”

Opal’s words reminded them to keep it secret, and Debbie, the housekeeper who was standing pale, like Lind, replied with an inverted voice.

These two are reliable.

This was just intuition, but Opal decided to leave Omar’s lookout over to his two servants and consult with Trevor.

Translated by Djurasico (dot) home (dot) blog

A few days later, Trevor had already checked and confirmed that a fraud was being committed.

It’s been a long time since the previous Duke’s death, but apparently they’ve been quite bold since Lord Northam’s death.

A few years ago the drought seemed to have spurred.

Continue reading “[The duchess of the attic] Ch 12 – To the Duke’s territory” →

“Hi, Trevor. “

“It’s been a long time, young lady. Congratulations on your marriage. I wasn’t able to pick you up yesterday. For that, I’m sorry.”

Opal entered the study and greeted the land manager Trevor, who was working.

He raised his sunburned face and laughed until wrinkles formed around his eyes.

Continue reading “[The duchess of the attic] Ch 11- Suspicion” →