Previously
Emma successfully intimidates Baker Mill into confessing his fraud regarding the non-existent bandits and vigilante funds. She imposes heavy financial penalties and future oversight on the Merchants' Association, securing the Barony's finances.
‘His presence alone is overwhelming.’
The charisma radiating from his golden eyes, sharp features, and unwavering posture wasn't the kind of thing one simply got used to. Just being in the same space as him forced all my senses to focus on him.
Had someone said his mother was a famous actress? While his physical features took after his father, that captivating aura was undoubtedly inherited from his maternal side.
I gritted my teeth to steady my nerves and offered a kind smile.
I gestured for him to take a seat and instructed a maid to bring tea.
Just get to the point already.
How twisted does a person have to be to never give a straight answer to anything?
But then, as if he had been waiting for me to let my guard down, he suddenly went for the throat.
It was strange. I couldn't tell if he knew something or if he was just making conversation.
Wait. Something felt off.
Every single word felt like he was mocking me.
I didn't know much about noble rhetoric, but my instincts were screaming at me to stay sharp.
When I confessed first, he looked up as if surprised. Then, without denying it, he spoke.
Thank you for the useful information—which includes the confession that you've been investigating me.
He nodded slowly.
Just then, the maid brought in tea and simple refreshments. Seeing them, I let out a faint sigh.
Having lived at the Brow estate for two months, I knew. The cookies the maid brought out were not the kind of thing this man would find palatable.
Ash, who must have grown up eating high-end cookies made with as much butter and sugar as flour, wouldn't even touch them.
Hmph! If he leaves them, I'll just eat them myself. Those who don't appreciate food shall fall into a starving hell.
Anyway, since he had likely heard me speaking bluntly in front of the others, there was no point in pretending to be demure and submissive anymore.
Thinking it was for the best, I began to speak more comfortably.
It felt like he had deliberately left out one person he wanted to look into: ‘Rosaline Tesis.’
However, I didn't bother pointing that out.
Right. If I were a policeman, I would have investigated the servants of the Baron's castle too.
I gave a bright smile instead of an answer and called for Glenn, who had just returned from an errand. In the meantime, I saw Ash take a sip of tea and put a piece of cookie into his mouth.
As he chewed and swallowed the cookie silently, he didn't furrow his brow or show a look of disapproval for even a single moment.
Coming from the wealthy MacCallan family, he probably wouldn't have discriminated against people based on food, even if he had never tasted something like this before.
He didn't seem to be as rude a person as I had thought.
Glenn, who found himself sitting in front of Ash without knowing why, looked nervous but answered the questions calmly.
It wasn't intentional, but as he answered, the main takeaway became that Baron Tesis hadn't been a particularly wise lord.
Ash quickly wrote down Glenn's answers.
Glenn, who had been answering without hesitation when asked about the Baron and his wife, trailed off with a troubled expression.
Ash judged that there was something there.
Startled by the appropriate mix of persuasion and threat, Glenn opened his mouth.
It was hard to start, but once he did, the accusations against Rosaline poured out. Still, Glenn seemed to be trying his best to put a positive spin on it.
Ash felt that the Rosaline he had seen so far and the Rosaline Glenn was describing were somehow at odds.
Suddenly losing one's parents and becoming the head of a family was certainly a life-changing event, but…
‘Based on the butler's story, she sounds like a hopeless brat, but I've never sensed anything like that from the Rosaline Tesis I've met.’
No matter how much such people pretended to be refined ladies, their true character usually revealed itself in small habits.
Suddenly, a conversation he had with Lewis came to mind.
‘How can you be sure that woman is Rosaline Tesis?’
‘When I took her to the scene of the fire, the coachman, who was still conscious, clearly addressed her as “Lady Rosaline.” He must have been a servant who had been with her for a long time, as she stayed by his side until the end.’
‘In what way?’
‘The coachman was blackened with soot, but she sat beside him without caring about her clothes getting dirty and wept for him as he died. She even promised to take good care of his family.’
And yet, that same person supposedly punished her servants personally and viewed them as mere disposables. Was this the behavior of the same person?
‘But there's no way a servant who worked here for a long time wouldn't recognize his own master…’
He wrote down the unresolved question in his notebook and continued his questioning.
Unlike when he was describing Rosaline, Glenn spoke with a face full of sorrow.