Chapter 172

Fin seemed to feel uncomfortable asserting himself in front of Iona, so he skillfully redirected the conversation.

Even so, his response was almost a confirmation. After all, Fin had been the one corresponding with Iona all this time, representing her position.

It wasn’t hard for Iona to imagine Daniel sitting politely in front of Fin, looking frightened as he relayed her orders.

Whatever the reason, it was fortunate that Daniel hadn’t entertained any other thoughts and had followed instructions without issue.

“What about Lady Fleur? I heard she left the Modrov estate.”

“Yes, after receiving the message you sent earlier, she relocated nearby for a while… but before I left the estate, I believe she had returned to the capital entirely.”

“The capital?”

“Yes, it seems she found rural life rather dull. And there’s no longer a need for her to lay low.”

After all, with Hayden, Nils, and Yvonne all dead, there was no one left to argue about her return.

Returning to where she originally lived, rather than staying in a strange foreign land, must have been a much more comforting choice.

It seemed that everything had more or less settled into its proper place.

Iona smiled slightly as she spoke. “We might meet again later.”

“She would be delighted if you visited her first. In fact, she was quite upset when she received the letter telling her to leave.”

“I seem to have received more affection from the beauty than I deserved. I don’t recall treating her particularly well.”

“There’s something she asked me to pass along if I ever saw you again, Countess.”

“To me?”

Iona raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her expression.

Fleur had something she wanted Iona to know?

Iona couldn’t quite imagine what it might be. After all, everything they had conspired to do together had been neatly wrapped up.

“Since a certain person who requires careful mention is involved, Lady Fleur suggested I report it directly to you in person… so here I am, finally delivering the message.”

With that, Fin began to summarize the story Fleur had shared with him.

The information Fleur shared was about a suspicious monologue she overheard in Hayden's bedroom.

While it wasn’t a significant clue, Iona couldn’t shake the unease she felt about Hayden’s reaction to Bilfowd territory.

"…Hayden didn’t have any particular ties with Grand Duke Ernst."

Although he was the eldest son of the imperial family, the current emperor hadn't ascended to the throne as quickly as one might expect given his position.

Opinions on the reason for this delay varied, but the most popular theory was that the late emperor favored his second daughter, Princess Teresa, over the current emperor.

However, Iona couldn't be sure if that information was reliable. If it were true, the emperor wouldn't have confined the princess to her own palace.

Considering that one of the first things the current emperor did after his coronation was send his youngest brother, Grand Duke Ernst, to Bilfowd territory, it seemed more likely that the real competitor had been Ernst.

‘It’s more plausible to think there’s something hidden in Bilfowd territory rather than a direct connection with Grand Duke Ernst… But then again, Hayden did serve the empress at one point. The possibility of the former can’t be entirely dismissed.’

The problem was that she couldn’t grasp what exactly it was.

Even though Iona had inherited all the duties of the family head after taking over the house, there had been no mention of Bilfowd territory or Grand Duke Ernst among those responsibilities.

From this, she could infer one thing: it wasn’t a financial issue.

Any kind of secret fund would have left some trace in the ledgers.

And Iona knew precisely where Hayden kept the location of such secret safes.

‘Who knows? Maybe Hayden knew some hidden weakness of the empress related to Grand Duke Ernst.’

But even that was just wild speculation.

Then, what was the reason Hayden suspected Baron Franz?

It wasn’t likely that Hayden would have shared any important information he kept entirely to himself with someone as insignificant as Baron Franz.

As Iona pondered this, she suddenly recalled the last thing Baron Franz had said to her.

"You're not his adopted daughter, you're Count Modrov's illegitimate child! I know everything! I know who your real mother is!"

He claimed that the reason he, as the second son, was trusted enough by the Count to act as his deputy was because he shared a secret that shouldn’t have come to light.

The secret about Bilfowd territory, which Hayden left no trace of, and Baron Franz’s absurd claim.

If she tried to connect the two…

‘Could my real mother be in Bilfowd territory?’

Iona let out a small, bitter laugh.

It was a ridiculous thought.

If the information Fleur provided pointed to not the empress’ weakness but rather the secret of her birth, there was no need to consider it seriously.

After all, unless her real mother was someone of noble status, there was no reason for Count Modrov to react so sensitively.

‘But if my mother really were a noblewoman, they wouldn’t have raised me in such a way. Even if they didn’t want to take responsibility and abandoned me, turning a blind eye to the abuse is another matter entirely.’

The fantasy that she might be of noble birth was something she should have outgrown in her childhood.

With that thought, Iona wiped away the faint smile that had appeared on her lips.

Fin, who had been quietly observing her, asked seriously, "Is there anything that comes to mind?"

"No," Iona replied with a casual shrug.

It was too embarrassing to voice such ridiculous speculations out loud.

She understood why neither Fleur nor Fin had rushed to inform her of this earlier.

At this moment, all she could do was make vague guesses.

"I've overseen the family for quite some time, from the moment I inherited the title until I arrived at the duchy, and I haven't noticed anything particularly suspicious. It’s hard to draw any solid conclusions from such a small clue..."

"The person who could have been a problem is already dead," Fin interjected, completing her thought.

"Exactly. The dead can’t suddenly use that information against me, nor can they be made to speak from the grave. So, for now, there's nothing more to say other than we’ll wait and see."

"If I do find anything suspicious, I’ll inform you right away."

"I appreciate your sense of responsibility. But you'll be busy with other matters for the time being."

With that, Iona smoothly wrapped up the previous topic, clasping her hands together as she did.

Now it was time to reveal the real reason she had called him here.

Since Fin had been the one to express his willingness to come to her, she hadn’t had the chance to explain what she needed him to do.

Normally, she would have first discussed the work details and tried to persuade him to assist her.

Thinking about how the sequence of events had gotten a bit mixed up, Iona felt a slight twinge of awkwardness as she spoke.

"You can decide whether to stay here or listen to what I have to say first."

"What are you planning that you're giving me such a warning?" Fin asked, half-jokingly.

"Well… it’s something similar to what you've done before." 

What had she promised him when she took him away from Baron Franz and made him her own right-hand man?

Hadn’t she said that she would use him well, that he would be valued?

And yet here she was, about to assign him a task similar to the one he’d done under Baron Franz. If he expressed any dissatisfaction, she wouldn’t have a valid excuse.

All she could hope for was that he would understand her situation once she explained the full story.

Iona quickly added, almost as if defending herself, "But it’s different in nature. The goal isn’t to falsify the ledgers but to set a trap. If I explain in more detail..."

"I'll do it," Fin interrupted.

His voice was calm and steady.

Iona hesitated, raising her eyes to look at him.

The speed of his acceptance made her wonder if he had truly understood what she was asking.

She stared at him in silence for a moment before snapping out of her daze and speaking again.

"...I haven’t even finished explaining yet."

"If it’s something you need, that’s reason enough." 

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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