K-Eldest Daughter Possessed a Childcare Novel - Ch. 37

“Are you trying to teach me? How dare you?”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense and sharp.

Everyone, except for Zeppelin, gasped and stiffened.

The second son could only let out a pained groan in response.

“Ugh…”

It seemed he hadn’t fainted, probably because I had held back a little. Observing him, I spoke.

“Yes, Father and Baron Ricken trusted the Dermi family and allowed you to stay in this mansion.”

Through my fingers, I made eye contact with the second son, and I stared into his eyes with a cold gaze.

“But someone like you dares to trample on that honor and embezzle money from this mansion?”

My grip on his face tightened automatically.

Maybe because of the pain, or perhaps from fear of me, tears slowly welled up in the second son’s eyes.

“… Lady Belladi… this is… a misunderstanding.”

As he stuttered his words, I raised an eyebrow.

“I just found the embezzlement ledger under your desk. And you call this a misunderstanding?”

At my words, Rover waved the ledger he was holding. Seeing this, the second son began to tremble all over.

I watched him closely, exuding a menacing aura. He gasped for breath, unable to move, as if paralyzed. Like prey facing a predator.

I ground my teeth as I looked at him.

‘Thinking about it makes me even angrier.’

I had suspected his embezzlement from the start. To make things more certain, I even exaggerated the evidence myself.

‘Even though I might have gone overboard…’

Like it or not, the Alton Duchy was still my family.

And I despised those who dared to meddle with what was mine more than anything.

“You’ve prepared yourself for the price of betraying your master, haven’t you?”

I let my boiling rage spill out unrestrained.

Terrified, the second son spoke with a strained voice.

“… I-I was wrong.”

Once he started, he kept begging me for mercy.

“Greed blinded me. Please… please forgive me.”

Thick tears streamed down from his downcast eyes.

I watched him with a blank expression and spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.

“The House of Alton never forgives traitors.”

With that, I released my grip on his face.

Thud.

The moment I let go, the second son collapsed to his knees on the floor. His face, now free, was completely drained of color.

“Gasp, gasp.”

He crouched on the ground, struggling to catch his breath.

I tilted my head as I looked down at his pitiful state.

‘Does he think this is break time?’

I couldn’t stand the sight of a despicable sinner catching his breath.

I reached out and grabbed the second son roughly by the back of his neck.

“Ugh!”

“The duke is right. Managing the nobility is the responsibility of our father, the head of the house.”

With those words, I headed directly towards the office entrance, dragging the second son along the floor behind me.

“As the duke suggested, I should meet Father. Right now.”

“Please! Lady Belladi…!”

Clearly terrified, the second son couldn’t even bring himself to beg me to release him, only struggling futilely. Ignoring him, I gave an order to the soldiers.

“Bring him along as well.”

I pointed at the man whom Zeppelin had brought as a witness.

Meeting my gaze, the man immediately lowered his eyes, trembling.

“Yes, Lady Belladi!”

The soldiers lifted the kneeling man to his feet.

I quietly gave Zeppelin another command as he approached my side.

“Go to the knights and prepare to ensure the spy doesn’t escape.”

“Are you planning to finish this today?”

“Yes.”

“As you command.”

Without a sound, Zeppelin turned and headed in the opposite direction. Glancing back, I saw Rover, clearly nervous, following behind me in short steps.

After confirming this, I strode purposefully towards my destination. A few soldiers watched with anxiety and approached me.

“Lady Belladi, you might injure yourself this way. Let us handle the prisoner.”

Without even looking at the soldier, I spoke.

“This is something I need to do. Did you prepare the gag I mentioned?”

“Yes.”

“Good. When I give the signal, make sure Act Dermi bites it. You can restrain him more firmly if needed.”

The soldiers nodded respectfully at my command.

“Understood, Lady Belladi!”

All the while, the second son struggled repeatedly to escape my grasp.

Of course, his desperate resistance had no impact on my steps.

‘Now, let’s proceed to today’s highlight.’

The reason I was putting on this dramatic performance was that there was someone who needed to witness this scene. I headed straight for Baron Ricken’s office.

Originally, Baron Ricken, as my father’s closest aide, had his office on the fifth floor. However, the new retainers had set up their offices in the annex, and for convenience, he had recently moved his office there too.

‘Thanks to that, I can move more easily.’

It would have been a hassle to drag him all the way to the fifth floor of the main building like this.

As soon as we arrived at Baron Ricken’s temporary office, the servant, Rover, discreetly opened the door. Beyond the wide-open door, a suitably sized office came into view.

Baron Ricken was seated on a sofa, enjoying tea. Upon noticing me, he rose from his seat.

“Lady Belladi, what brings you here without any prior notice?”

Just as Rover had mentioned, Garedil Brooks was also present beside Baron Ricken.

Garedil, the younger brother of Sir Brooks, Meldor’s mentor, was staying at the estate as a retainer, much like a second son.

“It’s been a while, Lady Belladi. But the one behind you is…?”

At Garedil’s words, I unceremoniously threw the second son I had dragged along to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Good heavens, Lord Dermi!”

“What in the world is going on here?”

The two startled men quickly rushed toward the second son sprawled on the floor.

I watched the scene with indifference and spoke up.

“Both of you, step away from that shameless man.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shameless, you say?”

I looked down at the second son of the Dermi family. Pale with fear, he crouched, protecting the back of his neck.

Their expressions grew more puzzled as they awaited my explanation.

“He embezzled funds from the mansion’s budget.”

“Lord Dermi, embezzlement?”

The two widened their eyes in shock.

I nodded and turned to Rover.

“Show them the ledger.”

“Yes, Lady Belladi!”

Rover, who had been standing behind me, quickly approached Baron Ricken and Garedil. He then handed over the embezzlement ledger he had been holding onto.

The two bent down to check the book, scrutinizing its contents. The entries were so detailed that further explanation seemed unnecessary.

“My word… is this true?”

“Haa, to betray the duke’s trust like this, Act.”

At their lamentations, the second son’s face turned beet red. It seemed he lacked the brazenness needed for situations like this, as he kept his mouth tightly shut and couldn’t even lift his head.

Then, Garedil spoke to me cautiously.

“Embezzlement is certainly a serious crime, but with the duke absent… I’m concerned whether such a drastic arrest is justified for an amount like this.”

I looked at Garedil and offered a cool smile.

“You have a point.”

With that, I extended my hand toward Rover, who promptly placed a pearl box onto it. I handed the box to the two men without hesitation.

“Please take a look at this as well.”

Baron Ricken adjusted his glasses and accepted the box.

He carefully examined its contents.

“This is…”

It was clear from their expressions that Baron Ricken and Garedil immediately recognized who the pearls belonged to.

Garedil quickly unfolded a folded loan promissory note that was inside. The appearance of the note seemed so shocking that his face immediately stiffened.

“Is this true?!”

Baron Ricken, now showing a markedly different reaction, also examined the loan promissory note. He seemed to stagger briefly, as if struck by the revelation.

“This, this…! Act Dermi! You ungrateful scoundrel!”

For the first time, a hint of anger appeared on Baron Ricken’s usually calm face.

Sensing something amiss, the second son cautiously raised his head. Baron Ricken then hurled the loan promissory note straight at his face.

“How could you! How could a person do such a thing!”

With Baron Ricken’s outburst and the promissory note hitting the floor, the second son’s face turned deathly pale.

“No, it’s not true!”

He leaped up, full of indignation.

“I know nothing about this! The loan promissory note and the pearls are all fake!”

The second son crawled on his hands and knees, weeping at my feet.

“Lady Belladi! Lady Belladi, this is all a mistake! I’m being framed! Someone is trying to set me up!”

Oh, I was sure someone did set you up.

‘Who? Me.’

I hid my dark thoughts behind a slow, deliberate smile.

“That would be hard to believe, considering how much evidence there is.”

Act Dermi embezzled funds while overseeing renovations of the annex where the jewels were stored. It was hard for him to claim he had no connection to the jewels.

And I knew using a memento of the deceased would have more impact than using my own jewels, so I had specifically chosen my mother’s most cherished pearl.

Since I had no intention of wearing it myself, it was destined to remain in a corner of the jewel vault anyway…

‘So, it might as well be put to good use, wouldn’t you agree?’

Seeing no chance of convincing me, the second son turned desperately to Garedil and Baron Ricken, pleading his case.

“Baron Ricken! Lord Brooks! I didn’t even know the duchess owned pearls! Please! Please, just give me one more chance!”

It was time to silence him before he said anything unnecessary.

I gave a slight nod to the waiting soldiers.

‘Take him away.’

Understanding my signal, the soldiers swiftly moved toward the second son.

“I did plan to embezzle!”

But just as he was about to spill everything, the soldiers gagged him and tightly bound him with restraints.

I gave the soldiers a satisfied smile. They seemed to sense my approval and beamed with pride.

“Mmph!”

Baron Ricken and Garedil flinched at the rough handling.

Watching them, I smiled sweetly.

“He was far too noisy for a sinner.”

At my words, Baron Ricken closed the pearl box with a trembling hand and placed it neatly on the desk. He rubbed his forehead as he muttered to himself.

“To think Act would do such a thing…”

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

The second son shook his head frantically in desperation at Baron Ricken’s lament, his pitiful struggle tugging at their hearts. His tear-filled, innocent eyes seemed to evoke a strange sense of sympathy.

Garedil, slightly softened, suggested in a gentle tone.

“Since he’s denying it so strongly, should we at least hear what he has to say?”

To this, I responded with a leisurely smile.

“Then let’s use some magic to get to the truth, shall we?”