Chapter 13 - The Duke's Fief
At the estate, Opal received an unexpectedly warm welcome. She sensed no malice from the butler, Lind, the housekeeper, Debby, or any of the maids. Rather, they seemed delighted to have a master, a mistress, back home after so long. She was, of course, given the mistress's master bedroom. They were clearly unaware of the Duke's debts, and while the meals were not extravagant, they were properly prepared.
Only Omar, the land administrator, betrayed a hint of caution behind his smile. He seemed worried that she might question the disparity between the Royal Capital mansion and the estate. So Opal feigned ignorance and, just as she had told Hubert, brought in her luggage from the Count's fief, which consisted of old dresses and personal belongings.
Afterward, Omar offered to give her a tour of the fief, but Opal declined, saying she was not interested. When she asked where she might go for shopping or socializing nearby, Omar answered with visible relief. He explained that there was no town in the duchy large enough to satisfy the Duchess, but the town of Nobori, in the neighboring marquisate, was a two-day carriage ride away.
"Two days by carriage? My, that is a long way..."
"Yes. The duchy has unfortunately been impoverished by a string of poor harvests these past few years."
"Is that so? How disappointing. Perhaps I should return to the Royal Capital sooner rather than later..."
Opal murmured in a frivolous tone and dismissed Omar with a wave of her hand. With that, her performance as an arrogant duchess interested only in socializing and shopping was complete. As Omar left the room, Nadia said, "I will go gather some information," and followed him out. Left alone, Opal decided to head to the library to pass the time.
When Debby the housekeeper had shown it to her that morning, she had only peeked in briefly. Now, stepping inside, Opal gasped in astonishment. Unlike the Duke's mansion in the Royal Capital, the library here housed a collection of books that rivaled, if not surpassed, the one at her father's manor. A quick glance revealed several volumes she recognized as rare books, which could fetch a fortune if sold to a collector.
There had been nothing of value in the Royal Capital mansion. It was unthinkable that someone who had collected so many fine books would keep so few in their capital residence. Hubert had likely sold them off to raise funds. If he had sold the books here, he could have staved off marriage for at least another year.
If my husband had just come back here and managed things properly, he would not have needed to go into debt, would he?
If that had been the case, he would not have needed to marry her for her dowry, and Opal would have gained her freedom upon turning twenty. The thought made her angry with Hubert.
Then again, Father might have married me off to some greasy, hairy man who would be advantageous to him, so maybe I should be a little grateful to my husband.
The thought that Hubert's softness had saved her future brightened her mood a little. Even if her treatment at the Duke's mansion was awful, it was not as if he was violent or forced kisses upon her. What was more, she was starting to feel a sense of purpose in tackling this challenge.
So as not to arouse suspicion, Opal picked up a few storybooks that women typically enjoyed and left the library. Omar was probably unaware of the books' value. Of course, it was not yet certain that Omar was the culprit.
Two days later, Opal set out for the town of Nobori. Claiming she wanted someone familiar with the area, she had a different footman accompany her instead of Trevor. She wanted Trevor to find the secret ledger in her absence if possible. She had wanted to bring Omar along as well, but he had declined, citing work as an excuse.
On her second day in Nobori, Opal discovered the real reason Omar had not accompanied her. A man named LeBeau came to visit her at the inn where she was staying. Opal was initially wary of the unfamiliar name, but the man had requested a meeting through proper channels, so she agreed to see him.
"A debt, you say?"
"Yes. Here is the IOU."
LeBeau held up an IOU bearing Omar's name, careful not to let it leave his hands. His cunning was palpable.
"...And why are you bringing this to me?"
"For us, information gathering is an important part of doing business. It must be difficult to squeeze any more money out of the Duke's fief. That is why Omar has not been to this town in months. He is afraid of debt collectors. We would have normally come to collect long ago, but we heard the Duke had gotten married, so we decided to wait a while. As long as we get our money back, we do not care who pays it. So, we came to ask the wealthy Duchess."
"...How long has Omar been coming here, to the gambling dens? And are there debts to anyone besides you?"
"It has been over ten years, I would say. At first, his wagers were modest. They gradually got bigger, and now he has to borrow sums like this. But Omar is a cautious fellow. It seems he has never borrowed from anyone but me. I have a reputation in these parts for being the most discreet and trustworthy. I have many gentlemen among my clientele."
"I see..."
So Omar had been gambling since around the time the previous Duke died. And, like many addicts, he had fallen deeper and deeper, using his position as land administrator to embezzle money for his habit. To keep his debts a secret, he had only ever borrowed from LeBeau, who was supposedly the most trustworthy moneylender, when he lost. That was likely why Hubert had never found out.
Perhaps Omar had even used a false identity in town with everyone but LeBeau. And for a moneylender like LeBeau, it did not matter if Omar was a liar or an embezzler, as long as the debt was repaid. LeBeau had approached Opal to cover the debt because he had an accurate grasp of the duchy's situation and did not want to miss this opportunity. As things stood, Omar might just vanish into thin air.
"...If I am to repay that debt for him, I have conditions."
"And what might those be?"
"Naturally, you will give me that IOU. You will also provide a signed certificate stating that Omar has no other debts with you. Finally, I want the records of all the money you have lent him, your lending ledger."
"The IOU and the certificate are no problem, of course. But the ledger..."
"You will not be lending Omar any more money, will you? He has no prospect of repaying you. In that case, you should not need it."
"...I will not ask what you intend to do with the ledger. But you are truly the daughter of Count Holloway, the man rumored to be the reincarnation of the legendary king who turned everything he touched to gold."
"My father has nothing to do with this."
Having stated her terms firmly, Opal concluded all the arrangements the next day and returned to the Duke's fief. Her ready cash was completely gone, but she could simply ask the steward of her estate to arrange for more funds. That would not be a problem. She chuckled to herself, thinking he might object to what she was about to do, calling it reckless.
"My lady, did something amusing happen?"
"You could say that... Nadia, I will tell you about the plan. I am sure there will be quite a commotion when we get back to the estate."
Opal had said this to Nadia on the way back to the duchy, but a commotion had, in fact, already occurred. It seemed that while Opal was away, Omar had attempted to flee with valuables. Trevor had discovered and captured him.
"You were a little too late in your escape, Omar."
"If you had not shown up, this would have gone much more smoothly!"
"Do you think so? If it were not for me, would LeBeau not have treated you much more harshly? You should be grateful to me."
With that, Opal held up the IOU she had purchased from LeBeau. Omar immediately fell silent.
"Trevor, did you find the secret ledger?"
"Yes. It was easy. This man, Omar, had it on him when he tried to flee."
"Oh, my..."
He should have just burned it or something, Opal thought, looking down at Omar, who was still bound by ropes. He sat slumped on the floor, head bowed in defeat.
"...Ordinarily, I would have you thrown in a cell right now, but the lord of this fief, my husband, will be the one to pass judgment. Until then... we will hold you in custody at the Count's fief."
The butler, Lind, who had been standing nearby with a pale face, looked up with a start at Opal's decision. He must have been shocked to learn the true nature of Omar, a man he had trusted and worked with for many years. Of course, the possibility that Lind was also an accomplice could not be dismissed, but that could be investigated later.
"Trevor, how many people know about this, about Omar's fraud?"
"Not many. Lind-san and the housekeeper, Debby-san, over there, and the two footmen we brought from the Count's household. ...For now."
"...Lind, is that correct?"
"Y-yes... We had no idea that Omar was committing such... such a crime. This all happened in the middle of the night. We were more surprised that Trevor-san even noticed..."
Opal and Trevor shared a wry smile at Lind's answer. It was precisely because it was the middle of the night that Trevor had noticed. He had likely been secretly searching for the ledger's location and happened to catch Omar as he was trying to escape. It seemed that Trevor's habit of frequently working alongside the tenants on the farm had paid off. For a land administrator, Trevor was unusually well-built.
"My husband will absolutely want to prevent this from leaking out. So, Lind, and you too, Debby, I want you to keep this to yourselves. Understood?"
"As you wish."
"Y-yes!"
Debby, the housekeeper, who had been standing there just as pale as Lind, answered in a strained voice to Opal's emphatic order to maintain secrecy. These two could be trusted. It was only a gut feeling, but based on that judgment, Opal left the two footmen to guard Omar and went to discuss the next steps with Trevor.