Ch#61
That very night, Laslo summoned his subordinates. Including Vice Captain Nathan, one skilled in accounts, cash handling, and calculations, three who could dig up market floor intel and shop information, and three other informants.
“Nathan, dig into businesses connected to our household. Find out how much they’ve been paying the head maid too. The rest of you, check her assets.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Pete, you sort through and verify our household ledgers and receipts.”
“Me alone, all of this?”
“Pull in whoever you need. Start with the last year for now.”
The mercenaries moved swiftly at his command.
The shop owners who had been keeping double books with Marsha already half-knew the truth and couldn’t hold out long against Count Criserus’s men who came storming in. They confessed their crimes.
The scale of embezzlement from their mouths was larger than Laslo had imagined.
The household ledgers were the same. Pete, called ’s number one in finances, tsked after skimming a few books.
*Spoils of war*
“It’s a total mess. Not sure sorting this even makes sense.”
“Even though I’ve patched it up here and there?”
“.........Clearly no talent for this side of things.”
*Duchess*
After returning from the palace utterly drained in body and mind, he’d only glanced at the ledgers briefly before bed and couldn’t properly organize the count’s books. Plus, all the receipts and delivery notes from Marsha were fakes anyway.
Truly written by Lemon Frog
Laslo knew he was sloppy himself, but being directly called out by a subordinate embarrassed him into a fake cough.
“Everything from one to ten is wrong. Nothing adds up. How can someone mess up basic addition and subtraction…!”
“That wasn’t me. The head maid submitted them.”
“Does that excuse it? If had ledgers like this, would the boss have kept me alive?”
Pete eventually threw down the ledger. Matching it up was impossible and pointless, he said.
That alone was ample reason to punish Marsha.
A week after Edel was accused in the theft incident, Laslo assembled all the servants again.
The servants were on edge—not only because Laslo, not Linia, had called them, but because his mercenaries were positioned around.
- 2 -
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“I’ve gathered you today to punish the culprit behind the unpleasant incident from recently.”
At those words, hope flickered across Marsha’s face.
Daisy nodded vigorously.
But Marsha waved her hands in denial this time too.
“This is pure slander! Recruit me? I only gave poor Daisy a bit of advice out of pity!”
Linia must have told the count too. Good—perfect even!
Watching silently, Laslo indifferently raised a hand to quiet the commotion.
Originally, they’d planned to start with small accessories and gradually steal larger ones to hide in rooms of maids close to Edel. Extremely expensive jewels that would warrant severe punishment, no less.
But they’d been caught far too early, leaving her flustered. She’d worried the pearl pins and thin gold necklaces weren’t worth much, so the matter might fizzle out.
But Laslo stepping in himself meant Linia took the theft seriously.
“That doesn’t matter. It’s trivial anyway. Far bigger is the massive embezzlement you’ve been doing all this time.”
Marsha’s face paled instantly.
They’d gathered all the servants, so it couldn’t pass lightly. That wench Edel’s done for this time.
She could only gape helplessly without retort.
Laslo ignored Marsha entirely and nodded to a subordinate standing outside.
No hard evidence, but circumstantial and physical proof already ruled out anyone but Edel as culprit—or so Marsha was convinced a heavy punishment would fall on her now.
Several people were then dragged in by mercenaries from outside.
Laslo continued languidly, looking down at everyone.
“Pl-please forgive us, my lord!”
“There was a small theft recently, right? Turns out it was to cover up something far larger.”
“We only followed Mrs. Bohen’s orders! What choice did we have when she threatened to cut off trade? Euuugh!”
“We’ll return every coin we took—in double! Please forgive us just once!”
The servants buzzed. Theft by servants in a noble house was common yet punishable severely.
But two thefts? Shocking and frightening.
They wailed desperately like headed for slaughter. They were merchants who had supplied meat, vegetables, grains, and flour to the count’s house.
“The items that vanished from Linia’s drawer were one pearl pin, four pairs of small jeweled earrings, four gold necklaces. But Edel’s been using those quite often since becoming her exclusive maid.”
“Quiet your sniveling and confess your crimes.”
Linia added by way of explanation.
At Nathan’s command in Laslo’s stead, the merchants sniffled and confessed their deeds.
“So Edel wouldn’t have stolen them. She knew they’d be noticed right away. But the maid before her who was in charge of me……… wouldn’t have known that.”
“Sniff, sob, on delivery notes we listed premium meat but supplied lower quality. Sniff, for signing the receipts, we got 30% of the difference.”
“To whom?”
Silence fell over the lobby as all eyes turned to Marsha.
“To Mrs. Bohen.”
Marsha panicked and waved her hands frantically.
The vegetable and grain merchants said much the same.
“Wh-wh-what are you saying, miss! Why drag me into this suddenly…!”
“You tried recruiting Daisy recently, right? Told her to ditch Edel and follow you.”
“Who first suggested this scheme? Better to be honest.”
“Mrs. Bohen! How could we dare propose it first?”
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