Ch#63
Chapter 63"Wh-what are you saying? I'm already overwhelmed just managing as head maid, and now suddenly steward too?"
"You said the head maid job is hard because there's no steward, right? So you do it. We'll hire a separate head maid or whatever."
Edel was so flustered her head was spinning.
But unlike her, Laslo felt like a headache of a problem had been solved in one go.
'She must have managed the family's cash flow already, and she's someone who can oversee the entire estate. The issue is whether she'll betray me, but with House Canian always keeping an eye on things...'
Of course, he wasn't oblivious to Edel's flustered state.
"Don't feel too burdened. The house has been a mess anyway, so no matter what you do, it won't get any worse."
"......That's some real comforting advice."
"You even know sarcasm—impressive."
Laslo laughed cheerfully.
His bright smile startled Edel a little.
'He can smile like this too.'
The furrowed brow that always creased so quickly smoothed out, and his sharp, upward-slanting eyebrows softened slightly.
A playful glint entered his previously cold eyes, and his firm lips curved into an arc, revealing white teeth.
It was beautiful. Regrettably so, since it wasn't something she saw often.
Was that why her resolve weakened?
"Anyway, you'll do it, right?"
"Ah, well... it seems like I have no choice at this point..."
Only after agreeing did Edel snap back to her senses.
.
'What have I just done...!'
But the water was already spilled.
The moment Edel agreed, Laslo sprang up and opened the desk floor with a click.
The floor......opened......??
No one normally thinks of opening the floor unless hiding something secretive.
From the rustling spot came the 'click, clack' of dials, followed by the clunk of a metal box door opening.
Edel knew what it was without looking.
"Are you seriously opening the family head's safe in front of me right now?"
"Yeah."
Laslo acted as if it were the most natural thing.
But the family head's safe was supposed to be kept in the estate's most secretive place, its location a closely guarded secret.
Yet Laslo was boldly revealing it right in front of Edel.
"Count! What are you doing opening that in front of me? You should only open the safe when you're alone!"
"You're the steward now anyway, so you need to know."
"Even as steward...!"
"I could die anytime."
Laslo muttered nonchalantly as he pulled out a few items from the safe.
"Someone needs to know in case I drop dead suddenly. I've been worrying about who to entrust it to, but this works out perfectly."
For a moment, Edel's stomach churned.
She was reminded anew that he was someone constantly facing threats of death.
But that didn't help her understand the situation.
Oblivious to Edel's confusion, Laslo began explaining each document he'd taken out one by one.
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"First, this is the title document I received from His Majesty the Emperor. These are estate-related papers. And these... are about this mansion."
These were enormous documents that could make tens or hundreds of thousands of ringtons vanish if damaged.
Edel wanted to grab Laslo by the collar and scream if he was insane. She truly had no desire to see those documents. Not even the edges!
"Th-this kind of thing should go to Miss Linia, not me!"
"That girl's such a blabbermouth. If I told her, she'd blab it everywhere."
"And you think I won't?"
"Got anyone to tell?"
Laslo chuckled again.
Edel was speechless. The man who had looked so beautiful moments ago now seemed like a villain.
"What exactly do you trust about me? If word gets out that I'm the steward of this house, your enemies will try to bribe or threaten me."
"And you won't fall for their bribes or threats. You turned down a blank check—what could they offer?"
Laslo's clear brown eyes looked at the slender yet upright Edel.
"Besides, you don't seem like someone with people or a place worth risking your life for."
If she did, she wouldn't have tried to throw her life away so easily coming here.
"Someone with nothing left turns out to be surprisingly trustworthy. As long as I become their sole support."
"Does that mean you'll be my sole support, Count?"
"Not to your liking?"
Playfulness crept into his smile again. It even felt vaguely seductive.
Something tingled in her chest, but Edel ignored it, convincing herself it was just a chill from the late evening cold.
"You're surprisingly careless, Count. If you're going to trust someone, you shouldn't doubt them—but you trust me too easily."
"I've got a pretty good eye for people."
"And someone with that eye appointed a woman like Marsha as head maid?"
.
"She was so transparent it was easy to manage her. Of course, I didn't know she'd skimmed off that much, but honestly, for me, my peace of mind matters more than a bit of money."
Edel nearly sighed at Laslo casually calling the price of a house 'a bit of money.'
But skimming through the documents he'd shown her, she understood why.
'This much wealth...?'
House Criserus's assets were far more than Edel had imagined. Far more.
And he even owned a mercenary guild personally, making his wealth incomparable to the old House Canian.
Now that she knew, she wanted to shake Laslo by the collar again.
"Having this much wealth and not managing it properly...!"
If word got out that Count Criserus was this asset-rich, his evaluation would change overnight.
As someone who'd discovered the house's strengths upon becoming its steward, it might be gratifying—but as the one who had to unfold each crumpled pile of assets, air them in the sun, shake them out, and make them smell like sweet money, it felt utterly daunting.
Suddenly feeling wronged, Edel grumbled with a sulky face.
"Honestly, Count, you're no good as a family head."
"I know that well. That's why I need someone like you—and I can't believe I only realized it now."
He chuckled again, clearly still amused.
But seeing Edel's gloomy expression, unable to laugh along, he seemed a bit sorry.
"It must feel overwhelming. You probably need someone to advise you too."
"Haa."
A sigh escaped instead of a reply.
To such an Edel, Laslo made a gift-like proposal.
"Dowager Marchioness Barbara Celestine has been wanting to meet you anyway... How about seeking her advice?"
"Head maid—no, steward. The fabric merchant has arrived."
"Ah, has it gotten that late already?"
Since becoming steward, Edel's days had grown even busier than before. She couldn't even catch a breather between guests.
"Tell them to wait in the drawing room. And serve some simple refreshments."
Edel instructed the maid who had informed her of the next visitor, then finished checking the quality of the newly arrived ingredients.
"Is this the best butter and cheese from your shop?"
"Y-yes. That's right. This quality wouldn't draw complaints anywhere."
But that was the merchant's view; to Edel, who had experienced the finest ingredients, it still fell short.
'I can't call shops that dealt with House Canian either. It'd cause unnecessary misunderstandings.'
With a sigh, Edel paid the merchant and had the butter and cheese stored away. But she didn't sign a regular supply contract with them.
As soon as kitchen duties wrapped up, she hurried to the drawing room where the fabric merchant waited.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. No time to chat—let's look at the samples right away."
She took the sample book from the merchant, who hadn't even finished their tea, and examined fabrics for autumn and winter curtains. The current ones screamed cheap.
"Could you make these and this one a bit thicker?"
"I'm sorry. We can't make them thicker than this. But for curtains, this should be plenty."
Edel just smiled.
Sure, some noble houses might settle for curtain fabric like this, as the merchant said.
But a wealthy great noble house aligned with the Emperor wouldn't compromise on this level. Edel knew well that even tiny differences determined a house's dignity.
"Too bad. Contact me if you get better fabrics next time."
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.
Edel gently but firmly dismissed the merchant eager to sell more and returned to her office.
.
