TMWL 10

Chapter 10

“…”

At those words, Owen fell silent for a moment.

He could more or less imagine what had happened.

While he was busy with the endless work and the Emperor’s orders to go to war, the butler must have insisted that, as a count, he needed to maintain the dignity of the castle and improve its appearance.

The story about the blue roses probably came up around then as well.

A situation like this did not happen simply because the head of the household was inattentive.

Regardless of trends or noble etiquette, it was obvious that Owen knew very little about aristocratic society.

It was frustrating to think that the money he had allocated with good intentions had instead lined the pockets of an unscrupulous man.

Before his expression hardened any further, Pesha held out the flower she had plucked.

“This is the blue rose that was in the flower bed.”

The blue rose in Pesha’s hand was in full bloom, its pale-blue petals spreading open in layer after layer.

“What I’m trying to say isn’t that you were mistaken about the latest trend.”

“Then what is it?”

“How much did you pay for this rose?”

“How much?”

“I heard you paid a lot for it.”

“I did allocate a budget, but the butler handles the castle’s finances. I never thought to ask about the exact price.”

“Then what would you do if this rose were fake?”

“Fake?”

Pesha suddenly tore off the head of the blue rose she had shown him and crushed it in her hand.

The blue petals scattered onto the floor.

Owen’s eyes widened slightly at her sudden action.

“The truth is, blue roses don’t exist. So why would the butler go as far as lying to buy fake flowers?”

“Perhaps the butler was simply scammed.”

Even though he probably already knew the answer, Owen seemed to want to believe in his own man.

Pesha let out a soft laugh.

“That’s possible. But I think the butler deliberately made fake roses and embezzled the budget. Isn’t that why he tried so hard to prevent me from seeing the financial records, even going so far as to point out my lack of knowledge?”

“…What did the butler point out about you?”

Owen’s expression had barely changed even when Pesha told him that the butler he had trusted for years had deceived him.

But now, his expression instantly turned cold.

Startled, Pesha quickly opened the hand that had been holding the flower and showed it to him.

The original white color of the petals was visible in the shape left by her fingers.

Meanwhile, blue dye had stained Pesha’s hand, making it obvious to anyone that the flower had been dyed.

“This is a characteristic of plant-based dye. It doesn’t wash off easily or fade quickly, but when it comes into contact with something hot, the color comes off very quickly. That’s probably why he strictly forbade the servants from approaching the flowers. Since you don’t seem interested in flowers, he must have felt safe.”

“…”

“And this isn’t even a rose. It only resembles one. It’s a wildflower that’s much cheaper than a real rose.”

After finishing, Pesha asked,

“What are you going to do? Is a butler who dared to deceive his master with lies and even embezzled money still one of your people?”

Owen’s cold, lowered gaze fixed on Pesha.

Without saying a word, he pulled the bell cord.

A servant appeared shortly afterward.

“Yes, my lord. Did you call for me?”

“Bring the butler here. Immediately.”

The servant was startled by Owen’s unusual expression and hurriedly bowed his head.

While the servant went to fetch the butler, Owen looked down at the flower petals scattered across the floor and asked,

“How did you know this, my wife?”

Pesha had expected him to question her further about the butler, not about herself.

She lightly shrugged and answered casually,

“I’ve always been interested in plants and flowers. Ever since I was young.”

Her father had disliked the fact that Pesha studied herbalism, something that had nothing to do with the education expected of a noblewoman.

Studying abroad, which cost an enormous amount of money, had also been impossible without her father’s support.

That was all there was to it.

Pesha thought a vague answer would be enough for Owen to let the matter go, but even after receiving such an indifferent answer, he asked another question.

“If you were interested in it, did you receive any special education? Perhaps you hired an expert as a tutor…”

That was when the maid who had gone to fetch the butler returned.

“My lord, I have brought the butler.”

The butler, who had been summoned without warning, looked somewhat confused.

He placed a hand over his chest and greeted Owen nervously after sensing the unusual atmosphere.

“I was told you called for me, my lord.”

“Albert.”

At Owen’s ominous call, the butler’s eyes darted around anxiously.

“Yes, yes…”

“Your help was instrumental in bringing the Battle of Toriya Plains to a successful end several years ago. You were a civilian who was supposed to be protected, yet you overcame your fear and came to tell us the location of the enemy forces lying in ambush.”

“Th-that’s right. Just thinking about it still makes my knees weak…”

Why was he suddenly bringing that up?

Cold sweat began to bead on the butler’s forehead.

Even though Owen clearly knew how nervous the butler was, his voice remained calm.

“Because of you, we were able to prevent many soldiers from being killed or wounded. As the man leading them, I believed it was only right that I repay you. I could have simply given you money as a one-time reward, but instead, I deliberately hired you at the Namois castle because I believed you were someone I could trust.”

“…My lord, I…”

“But looking back now, perhaps I made that decision impulsively, overwhelmed by the joy of victory.”

The butler squeezed his eyes shut and tried to say something, whether it was an excuse or a confession, but Owen did not wait any longer.

“I don’t have time to waste listening to pointless excuses, so answer me simply. How much did you embezzle through the blue roses?”

“I-I-I…”

The butler’s hands began trembling violently.

“Answer me.”

The butler seemed desperate to somehow get himself out of the situation, but there was no way he could withstand Owen’s sharp gaze.

“About… fifteen hundred gold coins…”

Pesha’s eyes widened as she listened from the side.

‘With that much money, he could have bought the Namois castle a huge amount of fresh food, filled the wine cellar, and still had enough left to hire two gardeners!’

Having confessed the amount himself, the frightened butler hurriedly began babbling.

“B-but the flowers really are a rare variety! I only did it to preserve your dignity, my lord…”

Pesha looked at him with pity as he began lying in an attempt to reduce his punishment.

“Stop saying ridiculous things. Anyone can see that these are fake roses dyed blue. And that nonsense about blue being fashionable in the capital. There’s no way I wouldn’t realize that you embezzled the money, so why are you still lying?”

“How could Your Ladyship know that? No, could it be…”

The butler met Pesha’s eyes, and his face instantly turned bright red with anger.

“Y-you’re lying!”

“What?”

Pesha could not help being startled when he pointed at her and shouted.

“These flowers really are blue roses! Please believe me, my lord!”

Pesha stared incredulously at the butler, who had thrown himself onto the floor and was desperately pleading with Owen.

“What do you take me for…?”

“I know you’re doing this because you hold a grudge against me for not handing over the ledgers!”

“This is absurd. Who wouldn’t know that you deliberately avoided hiring a gardener to hide those fake blue roses?”

As Pesha’s temper began to rise, she shot back at him.

The butler, having completely lost his reason, turned red with rage and lashed out at her.

“What would a sheltered young lady like you know? You’re accusing me based on some half-baked knowledge you happened to pick up!”

“What?”

“My lord. I’ll bring in a new expert. We can ask that person and determine who is telling the truth!”

His performance of looking wronged was truly impressive.

Pesha wanted to agree, but if they brought in a new person, there was no telling what tricks the butler might pull.

Who knew if he would bribe someone and bring them in to turn the situation against her?

She was just about to insist that they absolutely could not do that when—

A low voice echoed through the study.

“No.”

It was Owen.

Pesha and the butler, who had been arguing, both turned toward him.

With a cold expression, Owen rose from his seat and walked slowly toward the butler.

Then, while the butler was still kneeling with his hands on the floor, Owen stepped mercilessly on the back of his hand.

“AAAGH!”

“We’ll find out who is telling the truth once we conduct a thorough investigation. But…”

He continued grinding his foot down without mercy, making Pesha’s face tighten as if her own hand hurt just watching.

“Regardless of whether you are innocent or not, I cannot understand your attitude toward the lady of the house, whom you should be loyal to, or the fact that you ignored her orders.”

“My, my lord, please, wait…”

“If your story is proven to be a lie, you will also be held responsible for the way you spoke to my wife today.”