Chapter 51

“In my opinion, you could have been even bigger.”

Marsha replied with a shrug.

Then at that moment, a knock was heard from beyond the door.

“My lady, this is the butler. I have something to tell you?”

Iona turned her gaze to Marsha.

When asked if she had any guesses, Marsha just shook her head in response.

Iona said, clearing her voice.

"Come in."

As soon as permission was granted, the butler politely walked in.

Standing in front of Iona, he bowed his head and brought up a business.

"I beg your pardon. I have received word that you will be in charge of this estate's audit. I have compiled a list of personnel who can assist you during your travels."

Saying that, the butler handed over a stiff file folder. Inside, the names and specialties of various people were organized in an easy-to-see format.

The butler continued.

"These are the volunteers who have expressed their desire to serve you. If it is too much trouble to review them, I can select suitable candidates for you."

“Volunteers?”

Iona looked at the butler with a surprised expression.

Iona was an unpopular figure within this mansion.

After working at the count's house for a few days, it was known that Iona was the family's ugly duckling, so most of the servants avoided her. It was because they were afraid of the glare of the real authority who controls this mansion.

Yvonne and Nils, who have bad personalities, hate Iona extremely, and the head of the family also tolerates it.

Unless one had a strong sense of justice like Marsha, there was no reason to approach Iona.

'Was it because of Hayden's change in attitude?.'

Iona smiled as if she found it amusing.

"There's a lot going on."

“… …”

“Thank you, but I will decline all of them. Even if I'm gone, the manor's workload won't be greatly reduced, so there's no need to recruit useless manpower.”

Saying that, Iona returned the list to the butler.

The butler persuaded Iona with a puzzled expression.

“But miss, you need people to help with the gratitude tasks, and you can't travel without an escort or coachman.”

“I have already hired the people I need.”

“What? You're entrusting your safety to outsiders... Is there any case where that makes sense?”

“You seem to have forgotten what my job is.”

Iona easily dismissed the butler's unnecessary meddling.

In the first place, bringing a lot of people along would only attract unnecessary attention.

It was not acceptable to take those who could become Hayden's eyes and work against her. For Iona, the danger lurked inside, not outside.

Iona said, picking up the book again as if her business was finished.

“That's it, go.”

In the end, the butler turned away with a puzzled face.

The Count was belatedly trying to restore the estranged relationship with his daughter, but the reaction from this side was only cold. There must have been a lot of concerns in the middle of the situation.

Although Iona didn't care what trouble Hayden's compliance might bring.

Marsha, who confirmed that the butler had left, said as if to refresh the atmosphere.

“Still, it'll be quiet for a while once we leave the capital.”

“Well, is that so?”

Marsha made a puzzled expression at Iona's poignant question. It was because she didn't know what else her lady was plotting on the inside.

Marsha knew that Iona intended to take possession of Count Modrov, but she wasn't privy to all the details of her schemes.

'Whatever you're thinking, I have a feeling it will all work out in the end..'

With this optimistic thought, Marsha recalled the stark change in the Count's demeanor that had taken place.

Nils and Yvonne couldn't treat Iona carelessly like before, and the head of household began to take notice of the daughter he had abandoned.

The servants could sense the shift in the air and were now vying for a chance to stand by Iona's side.

It was a sight that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

This change hadn't come about by chance. It was the result of Iona's actions.

Marsha didn't know how difficult it would be to take control of a family, but she had a strange conviction that Iona would be able to pull it off.

"It will all work out, I'm sure of it."

Iona smiled in agreement with Marsha's sudden declaration, as if to say she thought the same.

***

As noon approached, Iona quietly left the mansion and hired a carriage to take her to Palais Street.

She was dressed in casual clothes usually worn by commoners and even wore a wide-brimmed hat, which made her look like a woman from the outside.

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of a small house.

Iona paid the driver and got out onto the street.

She rang the doorbell and waited for a moment before a maid came to greet her.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to meet a guest."

The maid was taken aback by Iona's plain response. It was only then that she seemed to recognize who Iona was.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't recognize you with your hat on. Please come in."

Saying that, the maid hurriedly moved out of the way.

As Iona entered the room, the maid closed the door and said.

“The Duke is waiting inside. I will guide you right away.”

Iona followed the maid slowly into the room.

It was the house of a distant relative of Yulia where Yulia herself was staying.

Due to Richard's order to refrain from private meetings with Leroy, it was impossible to use the mansion owned by the duke or the count's residence as the meeting place.

When Iona asked for a secret meeting, Leroy told her the address through Jonas.

The owner of the house, Mrs. Benzel, was an elderly woman who was quietly spending the rest of her life without any contact with the outside world. Iona agreed with the explanation that there was no safer link than her.

“Where is Mrs. Benzel?”

Seeing the stairs leading to the second floor, Iona stopped and asked.

Even though she was there to meet someone else, she thought she should greet the landlady.

The maid replied with a troubled expression.

“Mrs. Benzel is sleeping on the second floor. She hasn't been feeling well lately, so she said she couldn't entertain you separately.”

Despite that, the house didn't feel like a place where a sick person was being cared for. Any space where someone was sick usually had signs of illness, but there were none in this house.

'Is this consideration to make it easier for us?'

Iona thought that as she wished for her speedy recovery, and put her curiosity behind.

“You can go in here.”

“Thank you.”

Iona entered the door the maid had pointed to.

Two men were sitting facing each other in a small living room. It seemed that everyone else had already arrived except for her.

Iona said, taking off her hat.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

“No, you came just in time.”

Answering that, Leroy glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

The man on the other side of Leroy quickly stood up in the meantime and bowed toward Iona.

“Hello, Dame Iona. My name is Jerome.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Iona went to sit next to Leroy and offered Jerome a handshake.

At that, Jerome carefully stretched out his arm and took Iona's hand.

After a brief handshake, he sat down again and Leroy introduced his background.

"He's the son of the person responsible for managing the Duke's gold mine. He learned about mining operations under his father from a young age and has confidence in managing it."

"I may still lack skills compared to my father, but if you trust me, I will manage it faithfully."

He was perhaps in his early thirties.

The young man's face was flushed with the expectation of independence from his father and building his own career.

Sensing something, Iona spoke up in a composed manner.

"Have you heard which mine you'll be in charge of?"

"Oh, no. But no matter where it is, I'll do my best not to disappoint..."

"I plan to send you to the silver mine in Siam."

Jerome, who had been expressing his passion, suddenly fell silent.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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