Chapter 33

An envoy from Duke Walther arrived at the residence of Earl Markwood. While it was not impossible for the head of a country to contact him directly, it was extremely rare. Earl Markwood, who had replied with a nonchalant "Hmph, I'll see him," was actually overjoyed inside. Recently, he had been increasingly ridiculed in noble society. He thought to himself, finally, the wind was blowing in his favor again. However, he never expected the matter to be:

"W-What...!? The Walther Duchy is taking in our maid!?"

The price was 100 million gold. And it was an annual salary, to be paid every year. The elderly man who had come as the envoy did not show any deference, even to an earl, because he was representing the duke.

"Indeed. We would also like you to withdraw the unjust bounty placed on Maid Nina. This makes her seem like a criminal."

"What!? You don't know what that maid has done! She did something far worse than committing a crime!"

The earl glanced at the butler and the head maid in the corner of the room. They avoided his gaze, staring at the opposite wall. The earl, irritated, turned his attention back to the envoy.

"Then, may I ask, has Lady Nina committed a crime against the kingdom's laws and is now living in hiding?"

"Y-Yes... that's right."

"From what I recall, the kingdom's laws stipulate that, except for specific serious crimes such as murder or directly harming a noble, fines can suffice, correct?"

"U-Uh, yes..."

Was that true? The earl didn't know—when he looked at the butler, the butler nodded this time.

"Ah, yes."

"In that case, Duke Walther has offered to pay the fine. Please tell me the details of the crime so we can calculate the amount."

"What!?"

The envoy raised his hand, and a subordinate standing to the side removed the cloth covering a silver tray. There, piled up, were gold coins from the Walther Duchy. The golden light was blinding.

(W-Why!? Why is Duke Walther so concerned about that troublesome maid!?)

Earl Markwood had no idea what Nina and the others had accomplished at the Izumi mine. He didn't even know about the mine accident. Therefore, when he met the envoy, he didn't even mention condolences for the mine, which, unless done intentionally, exposed his lack of information and knowledge as a noble.

(That's it! Lady Twylight!)

The earl knew that the maid Nina had entertained Lady Twylight. He also knew that Lady Twylight had said she wouldn't visit here again without Nina. In other words, if Duke Walther obtained Nina, Lady Twylight would visit the Walther Duchy every year.

(That's where he sees the value of 100 million gold.)

Earl Markwood was capable of such calculations. Otherwise, no matter how excellent a maid was, he wouldn't survive in noble society. The earl put on a show of reluctance.

"However, that maid is one of our household. If I were to let her go just because of a pile of gold coins, my judgment would be questioned."

The envoy stared intently at Earl Markwood.

(W-What...? The look in his eyes. It's as if he's sizing me up. How infuriating!)

The envoy then said,

"So, you are refusing Duke Walther's generous offer?"

"There's no such thing as a generous offer. Supervising servants is also the duty of the head of the household. That's all there is to it."

"—Here, I have a letter from King Crescendo."

"!?"

The sudden mention of King Crescendo, the supreme ruler of the country, was something Earl Markwood could not defy.

"‘It is a fact that the Markwood family has exiled a maid and has placed a bounty on her to bring her back under suspicion of some crime. Such a scandal is intolerable. If you continue to make any further demands regarding the maid, all rights to her employment, jurisdiction, and everything else will be transferred to Duke Walther.’"

"Wh-What...!?"

"By the way, the bounty you deposited will be confiscated by the state treasury. Well, compared to 100 million gold, it's a small amount."

"!?!?!?"

In the Crescendo Kingdom, if you wanted to offer a bounty to search for someone, you had to actually have the money, and you had to deposit it with the state. This was called a deposit. The king was saying that he would not return the deposit to Earl Markwood. For the earl, this meant not only losing Nina but also losing the bounty. The earl's eyes darted around in shock. The envoy stood up, and his subordinate had already covered the gold coins with a cloth. The earl was still in a daze as the envoy bid farewell.

"…Ha!"

The earl snapped back to reality only after the envoys had left the mansion.

"Butler! Head Maid!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"What… is going on here!?"

The earl slammed his fist on the table. When asked what was going on, the two had no idea.

"Find out immediately! What did the maid Nina do!? And also about the Walther Duchy! Hurry! Move now!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Y-Yes, sir!?"

The butler rushed out of the room without even bowing, and the head maid, who had no idea how to gather information, fled to avoid being struck by lightning.