Chapter 13
*Yes, that’s the kind of man my uncle is.* Seirena turned her gaze toward the butler to conceal her contempt.
The butler quickly approached Seirena and apologized.
“I am sorry, madam. I tried to stop him.”
“Stop what? I’m her guardian. I need to know the extent of this estate’s assets so I can plan for your and Ezra’s future, don’t I?”
“I see.”
*Future, my foot.* Seirena scoffed inwardly and held out her coat to the butler. The butler took the coat, passed it to a servant, and said,
“The bath and tea are ready. Dinner will also be prepared shortly.”
“Where is Ezra?”
“He is in his room.”
Meaning he still hadn’t come out of his room. She sighed, then suddenly realizing Gale was still standing before her, she asked,
“Uncle, have you had dinner?”
“I haven’t served him yet, as I didn’t have your permission, madam.”
*Oh?* Seirena’s eyes widened. She glanced at the butler, then at her uncle rummaging through the drawing-room. The old butler would have served her uncle his meal before Seirena even had to mention it.
**Things had changed.**
Seirena realized it. The butler’s attitude, the attitudes of everyone working in the mansion—they had all changed. They were watching *her* for direction, not her uncle.
“Seirena, do you happen to have a safe in your room? About this size…”
Gale was still searching for a safe. *Pathetic.* She asked the butler,
“Did my uncle go into my parents’ bedroom?”
“Well…”
Seeing the butler lower his head, looking flustered, Seirena knew her uncle had indeed entered her parents’ bedroom.
Seirena barely swallowed the obscenity that rose to her throat. **Rage** shot to the crown of her head.
“How was the safe in their bedroom? What was inside?”
Fortunately, she managed to feign composure.
In response to Seirena’s question, Gale merely prodded the carpet with his toe and answered dismissively.
“Oh, it was **empty**. There wasn’t even a single one of your mother’s earrings.”
“My, were you looking for my mother’s earrings?”
At Seirena’s words, Gale’s head snapped toward her. Yes, that’s what he was looking for. **Precious metals he could sell.** His eyes glistening, he asked Seirena,
“Yes, those. Your mother’s jewels, that is. Where did you put them? I’ll keep them safe and give them to you when you marry.”
*What a load of rubbish.* One corner of Seirena’s mouth curled up. No, she couldn’t do that. She forcibly raised the other corner of her mouth, manufacturing a smile, and said,
“I **sold all of them**.”
“S-sold them?”
“Yes. To cover the expenses for my parents’ funeral and memorial service.”
“A-all of it?”
“And I paid off the most urgent debt.”
Gale’s eyes grew huge.
*Debt?*
When he gave her a confused look, Seirena played innocent, tilting her head.
“It seems Father had taken out a loan to fund your business, Uncle. I paid that off. I couldn’t leave a debt under Father’s name.”
*It’s a good feeling to see your enemy crumble.* Seirena thought, watching Gale’s face turn pale.
Gale trembled and asked,
“Th-that debt… was any of it mine, by chance?”
“I wouldn’t know. Do you have any debts, Uncle?”
“N-no, that’s not it. I was just wondering.”
“I only paid off the debt in Father’s name. I didn’t check yours. Do you want me to check for you?”
“Ah, no. No, never mind. Ahem. It’s gotten very late. You must be tired, so go and rest.”
The butler and Seirena silently watched as Gale rushed out of the mansion.
*What an idiot.* A look of contempt flashed across Seirena’s face. And that contempt soon turned toward herself.
She had been fooled by such a foolish, base man. Because he was her uncle. Because he said he would look after her like a father.
*Foolish Seirena.* She muttered self-deprecatingly and began to climb the stairs.
“Madam, shall I call a healer?”
The butler asked from behind her.
Ah, a healer. A lot of people had insisted on calling a healer today. Seirena waved her hand without turning around and said,
“I’ve already been treated. Don’t worry.”
Thanks to Moana’s fuss, a healer had not only treated her but had also left medicine. She was tired. She wanted nothing more than to soak in a hot bath right now.
“Madam, welcome back—oh my!”
But people wouldn’t leave her alone. Anna tried her best, but she squeaked in surprise at the stained and torn sleeve smeared with Seirena’s blood.
“A-are you alright? Are you truly alright?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Anna.”
Seirena held up her treated arm and continued,
“Treatment complete, **management complete**.”
The last part, ‘management complete,’ referred to her hair. Anna, who had been shocked by the blood-stained clothes, now stared at Seirena’s hair and gasped.
“Madam, your h-hair, your hair, your hair…”
“Yes, management is complete.”
Moana had taken her home and tidied her hair. A skilled maid had neatly trimmed the mess Seirena had haphazardly chopped off. Seirena smoothed her neatly styled hair and asked,
“Can I take a bath now?”
Anna nodded, her face tear-streaked. The sight of her mistress, who had once been the most elegant lady, returning looking like this **tomboy** made her feel like fainting on the spot.
“W-what happened to your hair, madam?”
Beside Seirena, who was soaking in the tub, Anna was touching her hair, her face full of woe. Every morning, it had been a happy routine to decide how to tie up that beautiful golden hair.
But Seirena herself felt relieved. Now, there was no way the King would take a liking to her. She slicked back her wet hair with a hand and said playfully,
“Well, you could say **the Commander cut it off**.”
***
## 3. The Contract
“Yo. **Hair Robber**.”
Early in the morning, Dennis greeted Ash, who was heading to the training grounds, by casually slinging an arm over his shoulder.
*What?* Ash raised an eyebrow and turned to face him.
“Robbed what?”
“The hair, I mean.”
“Robbed hair? Who?”
Dennis let out a displeased “Hmph,” and offered an unsettling smirk.
*What is it?* A sense of foreboding narrowed Ash’s eyes.
Dennis continued to walk with his arm draped over Ash’s shoulder.
“Duke Ash Greywind, **unable to control his perversion**, cuts off his subordinate’s hair.”
“You’re insane.”
At the nonsensical remark, Ash brushed Dennis’s hand off.
*I figured.* Dennis put his arm back over Ash’s shoulder as if glued there and said again,
“Or how about this? **Duke Greywind was actually behind the death of the Hunter Count and Countess**.”
*Now what is this nonsense?* Ash seriously began to wonder if his subordinate and friend had lost his mind. That would be a problem. He’d have to recruit a new Vice-Commander. And perhaps replace his friend, too.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Dennis quickly backed away slightly and said,
“Ah, no. No, I mean, that’s what people are saying.”
“Saying what?”
Dennis scratched his head. How was he supposed to explain this? He had found the rumors funny just a moment ago, but explaining them was complicated.
He folded his arms and began to explain methodically.
“A few rumors have spread within the palace, and **you’re the main character**.”
Ash’s eyes narrowed. There were many rumors featuring him. Anyone who becomes a Duke before they turn thirty would be the subject of many rumors. Furthermore, he was the King’s nephew. Although it was a purely nominal position, given that there were two healthy princes, he was also third in line for the throne.
And that wasn’t all. His height and commanding posture stood out even in a crowd. His handsome face, which caused every woman to take a second look, was enough to make the rumors surrounding him all the more exciting.
Thus, Ash was used to being the subject of rumors. Since he turned twenty-one, he could count more than ten instances of women reportedly pining away with lovesickness for him.
Some of those women were even married, which said it all.
“It’s about **your relationship with Sir Hunter**.”
The familiar name made Ash turn to look at Dennis involuntarily.
*Ah, so that name gets a reaction, does it?* Dennis grinned and added,
“Let me say this in advance: she’s the prettier one, okay?”
Once again, Ash gave him a *‘Are you crazy?’* look.
Dennis ignored him and continued.
“Number one. That **you were involved in the deaths of the Hunter Count and Countess**, and Sir Hunter considers you her enemy.”
*What?* Ash gaped in disbelief. As he was about to say something, Dennis held up an index finger and cut him off.
“Ah, wait. Number two. That **you’re a pervert who goes wild at the sight of blonde hair**, and since Sir Hunter’s blonde hair caught your eye…”
“Stop.”
It was ridiculous nonsense. Ash debated whether he should hit his friend over the head to fix him for bringing up such rubbish, even if he found it amusing, or if he should just ignore him as he usually did.
“Hold on, hold on. There’s one more.”
*There’s more?* Ash looked at Dennis incredulously.
“This one is the most entertaining rumor.” Dennis looked around, confirmed they were alone, and whispered,
“That Sir Hunter realized **Duke Ash Greywind was the killer of the Hunter Count and Countess**, and to conceal the crime, Duke Greywind tried to kill Sir Hunter, but only managed to cut her hair and failed.”
“Madness.”
Ash put his hand on his forehead. He sighed and asked Dennis,
“Where did you hear these rumors are spreading?”
“In the palace.”
“Who did you hear them from?”
Dennis’s eyes shifted sideways. Ash sighed again and asked,
“You didn’t hit on a palace maid, did you?”
“I did not.”
“Don’t hit on palace maids.”
“Oh, do I hit on them?”
*They hit on me.*
Ash started walking toward the training grounds again, finding the comment unworthy of a response.
“Hey, hey!” Dennis followed him and asked,
“Are you just going to leave it alone?”
“What if I don’t?”
“Dude, the rumor is that you’re the killer of the Hunter Count!”
“It was an **accident**, wasn’t it?”
“But that’s not how the rumor goes.”
*So what do you want me to do?*
Ash narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t the kind of rumor he could control. He had experienced all sorts of rumors in his life. People who looked at him fell into two categories.
***
