Chapter 28
The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
Dana spoke once more.
“I will cover the entire compensation amount with my personal funds.”
The vassals seemed speechless. Everyone was so shocked that no one could utter a single word.
Dana spoke as if it were nothing. But those were words that not just anyone could say so easily.
“……Are you serious?”
Viscount Manus asked.
“I am. Provided that the Family Head grants his permission.”
Everyone knew it implicitly—that Danae Winzer was an heiress who had inherited a fortune beyond imagination.
However, they had never truly felt the weight of it until now.
She had never flaunted it before.
Now, for the first time, she revealed its scale by offering to repay an astronomical sum as if it were a trifle.
Dana noticed the look in their eyes change. It was a mixture of surprise, shock, and admiration.
“However, I will only provide compensation to those who apply for it.”
“Apply? What do you mean by that?”
“As you know, the price collapse began when Moonlight Flowers started being sold on the black market. We need to filter those people out, don’t you think?”
Dana’s eyes sparkled.
“I will only compensate those who come forward with an official transaction certificate from a Winzer exchange.”
‘I manipulated the market from the start with the intention of compensating the victims.’
And above all—
The acquaintances who had personally purchased Moonlight Flowers from Alice.
She didn’t even need to accuse them herself.
She only had to lure them out with a sweet scent, and they would come crawling out on their own.
‘This is going to cause quite a stir.’
Dana quietly looked at Karl.
For some reason, Karl looked inwardly moved. He likely thought she was cleaning up Alice’s mess on her behalf.
It was, of course, a massive delusion.
Dana smiled softly to lead him further into his misunderstanding.
‘Wake up, Karl.’
You are the final destination of this row of falling dominoes.
Everything went exactly as Dana had planned.
The acquaintances who had purchased Moonlight Flowers through Alice all demanded compensation, but they could not produce the certificates issued by the official Winzer exchange.
However, the compensation amount was far too large to simply give up on. And so.
“I bought them directly from Alice Winzer.”
They had no choice but to confess.
“I don’t have a certificate because I didn’t buy them at the Winzer exchange, but I paid a fair price for them.”
“Is there a problem? Alice is the head of the project, and I simply bought the flowers from the person in charge.”
As expected, the vassals were completely up in arms at the next meeting.
“It is true that Lady Alice Winzer engaged in black market dealings!”
“Juan Rolland’s testimony was the truth!”
“How could she do such a thing!”
“The collapse of the Moonlight Flower price began in the black market. As it turns out, Lady Alice Winzer was the one who started the black market in the first place!”
“Did the Vice Family Head know about this?”
“Did you defend her even while knowing?”
“It is also a problem if you didn’t know. Wasn’t Lady Alice Winzer the person you put in charge, Vice Family Head!”
“Vice Family Head!”
“Alice. You must attend the next vassal meeting.”
The following day, Karl gave Alice a stern warning.
Despite his confident assurances that it wasn’t true, evidence that Alice had engaged in black market trading had finally surfaced.
Now that the evidence was out, there was no other way.
“Do you understand, Alice?”
“B-but…”
Alice sobbed, clutching her rabbit plushie.
“I have a terrible headache. I think I have a fever, too……”
Sandra quickly chimed in.
“She’s right. Alice hasn’t been feeling well lately. So please, let her rest for a few more days, Karl.”
Finally, Karl decided he could no longer tolerate this. He stared coldly at Alice and spoke.
“Stop with that nonsense.”
“D-Dad?”
“I am truly disappointed in you, Alice. How can you be so irresponsible?”
“Why… why are you being so angry?”
Alice’s eyes welled with tears, but Karl’s attitude remained icy.
“I won’t listen to any more excuses. Attend the meeting tomorrow, Alice.”
“But!”
Alice eventually burst into loud wails.
“They’re going to criticize me! Everyone is going to be mad at me!”
“Yes. That is the burden you must bear.”
Karl gripped Alice’s shoulders firmly and met her eyes.
“Every action has consequences. Did you take charge of the Moonlight Flower business without even that much resolve?”
“Dear! But Alice is—!”
As Sandra tried to intervene, Karl let out a long sigh.
“Sandra, you must also take responsibility for what you’ve done.”
“Pardon?”
“You were the one who asked to involve Alice in the Moonlight Flower business.”
“…….”
“You were also the one who insisted on bringing Juan into this house.”
“…….”
“Sandra. Please, do not disappoint me any further.”
Ultimately, Sandra slumped her shoulders as if giving up.
The final shield protecting Alice had vanished.
“Do not make any excuses at the meeting tomorrow. Just apologize, Alice,” Karl told her firmly.
“Fortunately, Dana has agreed to take responsibility for the losses incurred by the Moonlight Flowers.”
“……Dana unnie did?”
“Yes. Dana decided to settle everything. If she hadn’t, this wouldn’t have been settled so easily.”
“…….”
“So you must simply beg for forgiveness. Especially regarding the matter of bringing Juan Rolland into the house, you must apologize deeply to Dana.”
That night, Alice could not sleep. She sobbed into her plushie.
How did things end up like this? She couldn’t tell when everything had started to go wrong.
‘I only had good intentions.’
She could swear to God that she didn’t have a speck of malice. Her actions were filled with nothing but goodwill.
She didn’t have a single bad intention, so why was the world giving her such harsh results?
“Don’t cry, Alice.”
“Miona, hic, uugh.”
“Stop crying and pull yourself together. This is a trap set by Danae.”
“A trap?”
“Yes. Danae is planning to smear your name without getting her own hands dirty.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If she offers compensation, the people who bought Moonlight Flowers from you privately are bound to come forward! She definitely set this trap on purpose to lure them out!”
Alice was profoundly shocked. Her tears stopped instantly.
‘Unnie is… attacking me?’
To take away what I have? To make me miserable? To ruin me?
Why?
Just why?
Her sadness subsided.
In its place, a new spark of anger began to bloom.
‘Unnie. I really wanted us to get along…….’
Why on earth was she tormenting her like this?
Why……?
The next day, Alice eventually had to attend the vassal meeting.
And as expected, accusations were hurled at her.
“What were you thinking, engaging in black market deals?”
Eric looked at her with eyes full of disappointment and contempt. Alice took a deep breath.
“It can’t be helped, Alice. You won’t be able to handle any business in the Winzer family anymore.”
She recalled what Miona had told her yesterday.
“So, you might as well push the angle that you did it because you’re ignorant of the world. Let’s make it the thoughtless action of an innocent noble lady.”
Yes. I understand, Miona.
“Then you’ll be a failed businesswoman, but at least you’ll remain a pure noble lady.”
“I only did it with good intentions.”
“What did you say?”
“My friends said they really needed them, and I did it out of a desire to help them. I’m truly sorry.”
“I’m sure I told you that private sales were not allowed!”
“You’re right. I should have stopped then…… but I had already made the promise.”
Alice spoke in a trembling voice, tears streaming down her face.
“I just wanted to keep my promise. I’m truly sorry.”
Silence fell over the room. Only the sound of Alice’s sobbing echoed through the hall.
“……Why did you bring Juan Rolland into the mansion?”
As if he didn’t even want to talk about the Moonlight Flowers anymore, Viscount Manus asked in an exhausted voice.
“I’m certain Lord Karl issued a ban on his entry.”
“It was for the sake of reconciliation.”
Alice pleaded with eyes more innocent than ever.
“If your family members were fighting and turned their backs on each other, would you just leave them be? My maternal uncle fought with my father and was kicked out of the house; how could I just stand by and watch?”
“…….”
“So I wanted them to make up. I did it with a good heart…… I feel truly sorry toward Dana unnie.”
“…….”
“But please understand. I had no malice. I did it with good intentions.”
In that moment, all the vassals realized something.
There was no point in criticizing her further.
Alice Winzer was someone who shouldn’t be in this meeting room.
She was someone who should never have been entrusted with such a task.
Therefore, after they sent Alice out, they poured all their criticism onto Karl Winzer.
“I am greatly disappointed in Lady Alice Winzer, Vice Family Head.”
“Why did you entrust the position of Moonlight Flower sales manager to someone so ignorant of the ways of the world?”
“Did the Moonlight Flower business seem that trivial to you?”
“It was also you, Vice Family Head, who entrusted the business to Juan Rolland!”
“Vice Family Head!”
Karl had nothing to say.
For the first time since ascending to the position of Vice Family Head, he bowed his head while being pelted by a rain of criticism.
“It is all my fault. I am sorry.”
Then, the Family Head, who had remained silent until now and encouraged the vassals’ criticism, raised his hand.
At that, the vassals’ shouting ceased instantly.
“The Vice Family Head must take responsibility for this matter.”
It was a sentence Karl had been expecting.
Karl swallowed a sigh and lowered his head.
Looking at Karl’s darkened face, Viego made a calm declaration.
“Karl Winzer. I am hereby temporarily stripping you of your authority as Vice Family Head.”
