Chapter 15
“She was an outsider who had come here from another region two years ago, and since she said she had worked as a maid before, we hired her as Miss Rosalyn’s maid immediately.”
“Did she bring a letter of recommendation or an introduction from anyone?”
“She had neither. She said she hadn’t taken a recommendation letter because she had no intention of working as a maid anymore….”
Ash stopped writing with his pen.
“So her background wasn’t properly verified? It’s rather strange that someone like that was taken in as the young lady’s personal maid.”
“We had no choice! Miss Rosalyn changed maids so often that there was no one left in Tessis worth hiring!”
Thinking he himself was under suspicion, he hurriedly added an explanation.
“She didn’t have a recommendation letter, but she showed us an entry pass from the place where she had worked before. I don’t remember exactly where it was, but it was definitely an entry pass used by maids.”
“There’s no way to verify that now. Let’s move on. What was her personality like?”
“She was polite and quick-witted. She was a kind girl.”
Glen told him about Emma, who had been so good at pleasing Rosalyn that even the head maid had been wary of her.
He also added a few stories about how she had tried to comfort him on several occasions.
“Do you remember what she looked like?”
“She was plain and modest. I think she had brown hair and green eyes, and standing beside the young lady made her seem rather ordinary. Her height and build weren’t much different from other girls her age.”
“Did she ever have a violent temper or display any aggressive behavior?”
“No! Never.”
Ash carefully recorded every statement regarding Emma as well.
In truth, he did not attach much importance to that last question.
If someone had been forced to shoulder an unbearable debt because of a false accusation, even a normally calm person could resort to something extreme.
After asking about the deceased coachman as well, Ash told Glen he could leave.
Before questioning the others, he took a moment to think.
‘It seems Rosalyn Tessis becomes a different person depending on the time and place.’
She had apparently remained the little devil of this place until before the fire.
Just remembering her clash with Heather Dartmouth was enough to support that.
But after losing her parents in the accident, she had changed completely.
In front of Count and Countess Brough, she became an obedient and composed young lady.
Back in Tessis, she became a calculating ruler.
And in front of him, she became an arrogant opponent who never backed down, not even for a single word.
‘Can losing one’s parents really change a person that much?’
As someone who hated both of his own parents, he found it difficult to understand.
Especially to the extent that even one’s intelligence seemed to improve.
Although the fake bandit suppression operation had been somewhat clumsy, it was still a remarkably successful plan that made the best possible use of the resources available to her.
Even he would not have realized it was staged immediately if he had not already uncovered information while investigating in Herona.
‘She hired forty mercenaries, yet the suppression team numbered thirty, and there were exactly ten captured “bandits” loaded onto the wagons. It fit together so perfectly that it was almost refreshing.’
Conversely, it also meant that she had been operating on such a tight budget that she could not afford to waste even a single person.
The Merchant Association had suffered quite a bit without understanding what was happening, but he could not say Rosalyn had done anything wrong.
On the contrary, she had resolved the problem without allowing a single resident of the territory to get hurt.
‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve met someone this interesting.’
With a faint chuckle, he turned another page in his notebook, now filled with notes, and gestured for the next servant to come in.
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The Gottfried Viscount family had two sons.
The eldest was Noel Gottfried.
Perhaps because their late grandfather had doted on him excessively as the heir, he had grown into someone selfish and authoritarian.
On the other hand, the younger son, Arthur Gottfried, was handsome with a warm smile and had such a gentle personality that he had never once caused his parents any trouble while growing up.
People say every child is equally dear, but Viscount Gottfried secretly held more affection for his younger son, Arthur.
‘If only Arthur had been born first.’
Unlike Noel, whose pride was far too strong, Arthur would surely get along well with both the collateral branches of the family and the members of the Citizens’ Council.
But birth order could not be changed.
Since Viscount Gottfried had little confidence in his eldest son, he decided to make Arthur into a strong pillar of the family through the collateral line.
That was why he had approached Count Will Brough, despite their usual political differences, pretending to be friendly.
“If you marry the young lady under Count Brough’s protection, you’ll obtain a title before your older brother does.”
If Arthur married before his brother and acquired a title, Viscount Gottfried could distribute the family property much more comfortably.
In his opinion, there could be no more peaceful way to divide the inheritance.
However, Arthur’s expression showed little enthusiasm upon hearing that.
“I’ve heard rumors about that young lady as well. Most of them weren’t very flattering.”
People said all she possessed was her title.
They also said she was fairly attractive, but that was something no one could know for certain without seeing her in person.
Naturally, Viscount Gottfried dismissed it all as nothing more than his son’s childish complaints.
“You simply don’t understand. Right now, there isn’t a single household in Herona that isn’t after that young lady. So what if she’s poor and comes from the countryside? She has a title.”
Poor finances?
The Gottfried family could simply pour money into it.
A rural territory?
They could appoint a steward and never bother living there.
Problems involving wealth and territory could always be solved somehow.
But a noble title was not something that could simply be picked up from somewhere.
That was why everyone was trying to outmaneuver one another to win over that insignificant country young lady.
Furthermore, the fact that Count Brough was acting as her guardian was another extremely important factor.
Connections like that were not easy to obtain.
“The Count Brough family has responded positively. They’ll arrange a meeting soon, so do your best to win that young lady’s heart. I trust you won’t start talking about childish things like love, Arthur.”
Viscount Gottfried patted his son’s shoulder before leaving the room.
But Arthur, left alone, found his thoughts in complete disarray because of the marriage proposal that had come so suddenly.
He still believed in love and destiny.
‘Political marriages may have been normal in my parents’ generation. But times have changed….’
Arthur had always dreamed of “a family built solely on love and trust,” so he was anything but pleased about this.
Still, he could not reject outright the opportunity his father had worked so hard to arrange for him.
To clear his troubled mind, he went to visit his childhood friend, Briana.
She was a year younger than him, but she had always solved problems wisely and had long been someone he could rely on.
“Why do you look so miserable, Arthur?”
At her innocent question, Arthur let out a deep sigh before answering.
“My father told me to get married. To some woman from the countryside.”
“What? What are you talking about? Why would he make you marry a country girl?”
“Rosalyn Tessis. You’ve heard the name before, haven’t you?”
The moment the name of the woman left her longtime friend’s lips, Briana’s brows twitched.
“Don’t tell me… the one whose parents died in the fire…?”
“That’s right. Apparently every family with more than one son has their eyes on her these days.”
Arthur fully understood why.
Without a title, merely being “a collateral member of the Gottfried Viscount family” was hardly enough to be treated as nobility.
After another generation, they would probably be regarded as commoners.
But the Tessis Barony possessed a hereditary title, even if its territory was rural and not particularly wealthy.
“They also say it’s an advantage that her political stance isn’t clearly aligned. Father wants me to become the Baron of Tessis and secure a place among the Citizens’ faction.”
“That’s what the Viscount wants! But what about you? Can you really be satisfied living as nothing more than an accessory to your family?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I want to rebel, but then I think about how our untitled relatives live, and I start wondering if Father is right after all….”
Across from Arthur, who could not stop sighing, Briana tightly clenched the hem of her skirt while barely managing to keep her expression under control.
‘Arthur is getting married? To someone other than me?’
He had never confessed to her or promised her a future together.
Even so, she had always believed that she would naturally become Arthur’s wife.
Their families were close.
She also got along well with Viscount and Viscountess Gottfried.
And she and Arthur had shared a long friendship, confiding their deepest thoughts to each other.
Briana had endured difficult times because of Arthur.
Arthur, in turn, had found strength because of her.
Wasn’t that the ideal relationship between husband and wife?
‘And yet he has to marry some country girl just because of a title? This is absurd!’
But no matter how much she thought about it, she could not come up with any excuse that would break off the marriage proposal.
At the same time, she felt miserable over the fact that she had nothing she could offer Arthur.
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