Chapter 11

"Hello, Trevor. You seem to be doing well."

"It's been a while, Miss. Congratulations on your marriage. I apologize for not being able to welcome you yesterday."

Opal entered the study and greeted Trevor, the land manager who was working, brightly.

Trevor, with his sun-tanned face, looked up and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"It's fine, I suddenly came back. And thank you for the congratulations on the marriage... I wish I could say that."

"Is there a problem?"

"A big one."

"Oh, my."

Without being offered a seat, Opal sat down on the sofa in the study, and Trevor moved to sit opposite her.

Trevor always gave calm and precise advice.

The butler, Alton, and the housekeeper, Marcia, were the same, but they were a little—no, quite partial to Opal, so she couldn't talk about such things.

At that moment, there was a knock, and Marcia brought in the tea.

"Thank you, Marcia. These are my favorite orange peel muffins!"

"Of course. If I didn't bring these, you wouldn't leave the kitchen."

"I'm not a child anymore, you know."

"It was fortunate that the Duke thought so."

With that, Marcia left the study.

Trevor, who had been watching their exchange, sighed.

"If you tell Marcia about the problem, she'll probably lead the servants and even the villagers to storm the Duke's mansion."

"No, don't say such scary things. She really might do it."

Opal pretended to shiver and laughed, drinking her tea and eating a muffin.

Trevor remained silent, drinking his tea while waiting for Opal to start talking.

"Anyway, this marriage was arranged between Father and the Duke of MacLeod."

"Ah, a political marriage, then."

"Yes. I had no room to argue. So, the ceremony was hastily arranged, and I moved into the Duke's mansion... but everyone, including the Duke—my husband, and the servants, treated me like an intruder. And there was another woman in the master bedroom, so I couldn't help but get angry."

"That's terrible. Even without favoritism, I'd be tempted to storm the Duke's mansion myself."

"Trevor?"

Despite his usual calm responses, his words were uncharacteristic, and Opal couldn't help but laugh.

Trevor raised an eyebrow, as if offended.

"I do care deeply for you, Miss."

"...Thank you, Trevor. But the woman in the master bedroom is a distant relative who has lived in the Duke's mansion since childhood, and she doesn't have much time left to live."

"Is that so. Still, it's unusual for the Duke to be married and have another woman in the master bedroom."

"Yes... Anyway, at first, I didn't know and asked, 'Is she your mistress?' which made my husband and everyone else angry. She is very important to the Duke's mansion. But shouldn't they have told me? So, I got stubborn and decided to live in the attic to avoid seeing anyone."

"How is the attic?"

"It's okay."

Although it was a tragic story, Opal's tone didn't reflect it.

Of course, she was hurt, but she didn't want to worry Trevor.

However, Opal wouldn't need Trevor's time just to complain.

So, Trevor asked seriously.

"So, what is the biggest problem for you, Miss?"

"...As I said, this marriage is a political—contractual one. My dowry will help my husband pay off his debts, and the wedding gift from Father will cover our living expenses for now."

When Opal revealed this, Trevor's eyes widened.

It seemed unexpected.

"Does the Duke gamble?"

"I don't think so. Father didn't say anything. He just called the Duke 'soft.'"

"Hmm. That is indeed strange. With the land the Duke of MacLeod owns, he should be a wealthy man, not in debt..."

"There was a major drought a few years ago, right?"

"Yes. It was a significant blow to the entire country. But the Duke's estate should have had enough reserves to recover within a year."

"The next year, there was a flood, and the year after that, a pest infestation."

"In the Duke's territory? I keep track of weather and conditions in other territories as part of my job, but I haven't heard of floods or pest infestations in the Duke's territory."

Trevor refuted Opal's statements one by one.

Opal, thinking it would come to this, placed two record books on the table.

"What are these?"

"Duplicate copies of the estate management records from the Duke's mansion."

"Is it alright to bring such important documents here?"

"My husband said, 'This is like something you bought, so you can take whatever you like.'"

"Oh, my."

Seeing Opal's haughty expression, Trevor smiled.

Her strong-willed nature was unchanged.

Trevor, interested in estate management, picked up the older record book without hesitation and began to skim through it.

He occasionally paused while flipping through the pages but quickly moved on to the second book.

He must have wanted to read them thoroughly, but he was hurrying to avoid keeping Opal waiting.

However, his movements changed halfway through the records.

He furrowed his brow, flipped back a few pages, moved forward again, traced the words with his finger, and occasionally paused in thought.

Opal, wanting to interject, waited patiently, drinking her tea.

Eventually, Trevor put down the record books and sighed deeply.

"There is fraud going on."

"Really?"

"Did you notice this by reading them?"

"No, not at all. I just had a feeling something was off. That's why I wanted to consult you."

"Hmm. To be precise, we need to check the weather records for the past few years. Can I have some time?"

"Of course. I'm sorry, Trevor, for adding to your workload."

"Don't apologize. As I said, I care deeply for you. But if the estate continues to be managed this way, the Duke's family will go bankrupt again. To prevent you from suffering, I will expose this fraud."

"...Thank you. I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, leave it to me."

This was not a time to cry, but to smile.

Telling herself this, Opal suppressed her emotions, smiled, and left the study.