Chapter 376 – Count Dritna -2-

“What on earth is all the fuss about?”

Count Dritna headed downstairs to see the concubines who came to his office and cried.

Eclair, who had a chair piled up next to her and was flipping through the pages with a serious expression, heard a voice and slowly got up.

“Matriarch. Are you here?”

“If you were coming, why didn’t you at least write a letter in advance?”

“All I want to do is return to the territory where I used to live, but I’m too heartless for that.”

“Hmm…! It’s not wrong. But that’s true.”

“Yes.”

As Eclair sat down, with his eyes glued to the ledger, he gave a harsh answer.

The Count twitched his beard and rolled his eyes as he looked around him.

The butler’s face is restless and sweating.

A blue sword stuck on the floor and an expensive piece of work lying around.

“Have you ever had anything bad happen at work? Excessive actions due to emotions are unbecoming of an honorable knight.”

Even if he is the father and head of the count family, even if he has eyes to see.

5 For a knight, this kind of ambiguous behavior, even if it is a reprimand, is the best.

That’s the position she has.

Eclair came in late at night without notice and searched his cash register.

There is no one in this mansion who can strongly criticize that as being impolite.

“Obviously my judgment was rash and lacking.”

“Well, if you know, it’s okay. There are times like that in the process of learning.”

The Count nodded his head in satisfaction at Eclair’s positive attitude, perhaps to save his face.

But.

Eclair’s mood was still twisted and his mood was icy.

The meaning of the sentence she uttered was not the direction the Count wanted.

“If I had known this would happen, I should have managed and been in charge of the finances related to me, even if I was busy.”

“!”

Widely! Eclair closed her ledger noisily and sighed as she looked at the pile of papers piled up next to her.

“Since when has the Dritna family been so obsessed with material greed?”

“Eclair… Now there’s nothing you can’t say in front of your father!! No matter how inside the mansion, there are ears to hear!”

Eclair looked at his father with a pitiful gaze as he raised his voice in anger.

He poured the poison of his own wealth and fame into the mansion.

Even so, as Roman and Chloe said, it was not their fault. Their parents, who showed a solemn and strict attitude as knights, thought that they would be better at running the estate and family than they were due to their lack of experience.

Abundant finances were considered a form of filial piety and a stepping stone to growth. Eclair did not expect that she would abandon her frugality and indulge in luxury.

“If we had bought and supplied training equipment, armor or swords that would increase survival rates on the battlefield, and consumables, the amount would have been ridiculous. It would have been better to provide alcohol or food to boost morale.”

“···.”

Of course, compared to the past, the cost of going there has increased.

It is a luxury item after all. Or, there was a lot more budget wasted on items I had never seen before and had no idea why I bought them.

“I was thinking of tearing down all the statues, paintings, and accessories in the mansion, but after looking at the ledger, I became suspicious, so I decided to ask the head of the house.”

“Doubts?”

“Dontas Merchant, Forbes Merchant, Verin Merchant, Viscount Marness, Count Hilla… These names appear only in the first chapter. How do they afford all these works of art and goods received from nobles and merchants without paying anything? Are you going to do it? Why didn’t you say no?”

“···.”

Eclair calls the Count the head of the family, but the actual power within Dritna is asymmetrical, with one side tilted to the point that it touches the ground.

As the Count began to feel like he was being interrogated and scolded.

The people around him, including Joshua, began to avoid the scene.

“Was the wealth coming directly from me not enough? Please tell them what you promised in exchange for my honor.”

“It’s all for the future of the family.”

“There is no need for such a vague answer.”

“Keuhum…!”

Count Dritna was extremely embarrassed by Eclair’s cold reaction, which was completely different from the previous visit.

“If what the head of the house promised in return is something that I cannot say with pride, I will not force you to listen to it. Please return everything as soon as the sun rises.”

There are elements that make you feel that she has made up her mind.

These things feel intentional because I know what Eclair is sensitive to and avoids.

They even beat up the head of the family in front of employees and family members, or even pushed them around without listening to the answer.

This is something she would never normally do due to her personality.

“There are some unclear parts in the ledger and some parts where the amount does not match. I will call the person in charge to hear about this. Since the amount is a large amount, if it is embezzlement, even a member of Dritna will not be able to overlook it.”

No matter what, being oppressed like this hurts even the count’s pride.

“Eclair-!!”

“I am listening, so please speak.”

The Count, who was about to raise his voice, made eye contact with Eclair’s red eyes.

Cold sweat was flowing from her entire body, and at the same time, her lips were not opening as if they had been sewn.

“···.”

A moment of silence with an atmosphere that is difficult to describe.

Eclair’s head turned towards her stairs.

A woman and a driver who had been popular earlier came down the stairs.

“Five Knights of the Empire. It’s been a while since I saw you. It was a pity that I couldn’t meet you the last time you visited the mansion.”

Isabel Pedro, the fourth concubine of Count Dritna. She is Eclair’s younger concubine.

“Long time no see.”

It is difficult to call her concubines mothers because their relationship is ambiguous and the difference in position is overwhelming.

Therefore, with the Count’s permission, Eclair respects her concubines and treats them like the concubines of other noble families.

“Isabel. We’re talking about something important, so get out of her way.”

Even though the Count twitched his moustache and said,

Instead of backing down, she approached and opened her mouth with a smile.

“I took steps to quell the discord caused by the unintentionally raised voice. May I say something to you, Eclair?”

“I will listen.”

Eclair nodded her head in approval.

The count took a step back, drooling with a dissatisfied expression.

“5 Knight, you probably don’t know that the power of culture is strong in aristocratic society to expand your network.”

“I know.”

“From the past to the present, the Counts of Dritna have shown a closed attitude as a knightly family, so they have faced limits to their growth. If things continue like this, it will only lead to downfall over time, so special measures were needed to build relationships with other nobles. .”

“Please continue.”

Kugugu ㅡ

The windows of the mansion trembled as Eclair’s presence grew louder.

The illusion of sticking a knife into her mouth, telling her to keep whispering until the end.

Eclair’s voice, which clearly expressed low pressure unlike usual, almost made Isabel take a step back without realizing it.

“It is true that the Dritna family has made a great leap forward thanks to Eclair Dritna…”

For the first time, Isabel Pedro encountered Eclair, who did not hide her distorted state of mind.

‘Is this the same human being made of blood and flesh…?’

Isabel inherited her self-assured talent as much as it was her upper blood, as well as her naturally strong heart that allowed her to move her mouth smoothly in front of the strong.

But now, that talent is meaningless.

Seeing it as an opportunity, I excitedly went out, but when I encountered the real, carefree energy that was different from before, my legs under the loose dress began to shake.

“Knight. Isabel Pedro is an ordinary citizen of the Empire with no experience handling a sword. Please stop pressuring her.”

The escort knight that Isabel had attached to her from above stood in front of her and blocked her momentum with his body.

A painting that manages to hold on by blocking the energy even though its complexion looks as if it is about to die due to the pressure.

From Eclair’s perspective, the appearance of those two is not pretty.

‘She is a guard knight and a high-class woman who was voluntarily sold to a noble family. It would have been better if the two of them had held hands and run away.’

Even though he voluntarily entrusted himself to the knight family for the future, he is selfish and greedy, taking care of his personal love and using the honor of the Dritna family for his own benefit.

Even though she knew about their secret relationship from the past, she tolerated it according to her mother’s wishes.

Her mother had a child from her concubine whose bloodline she did not know. She thought that if she captured her weaknesses, she would become a useful puppet when needed.

Eclair’s thoughts are different after deciding to organize her, and she now decides and carries out her actions of her own volition.

“Move over. We’re having a conversation.”

“I will accept the punishment for my rudeness later. However, I believe you will understand my position as the young lady’s bodyguard.”

“This is your final warning. Get out of the way.”

“If I were to convey the opinion that the young lady wanted to convey, her action of returning the items she received would be a factor that makes the honor of the Dritna family appear light.”

The count was taken aback by the crazy behavior of his concubine’s guard and was about to take action.

Eclair reached out her hand and picked up a piece of paper.

Sarah.

“I guess I’ve lost my presence because I’ve been away from the mansion for so long. A person has appeared who is throwing up even though I didn’t ask for permission.”

The paper, which had been fluttering around helplessly, stood stiffly the moment she held it in her hand.

Eclair snapped her fingers and the paper flew through the sky.

Peeing -!

A solid red line is drawn around the escort’s neck.

Her neck dropped.