Roseblood Estate

Two days had passed since the disaster at the Festival of Lights. Investigations were ongoing, but it had already been reported that over one thousand lives were lost that day, and several people were still missing. Among the deceased was the crown prince. To say that the Emperor was angry was an understatement; heads were rolling.

Words like irresponsibility, lack of security, misdeeds, and the like were spoken. Naturally, the entire blame fell on the heads of the Black Mages and the terrorist group. Despite efforts to cover up information about the real culprits, many witnesses and doubts remained. Even the Pacifists were not spared from the waves triggered by the event and had much to answer for.

However, the whole thing didn't seem to affect the Roseblood estate. Not long after Lady Elizabeth returned with her people, the entire estate became hectic. Lady Elizabeth decided to hasten her departure, supported by her parents who believed it would be better for their children to be away from the tensions of the capital and the rampage of the royal crown. Everyone was preparing for their departure.

Alobela entered her mistress' rooms to continue packing everything she needed. Lady Elizabeth took the carriage and her protectors in the morning, heading to the Capital again to take care of some business.

Alobela glanced at one of the trunks Lady Elizabeth had packed and went to prepare another. From her perspective, her mistress had packed too few things to take with her.

Alobela slowly brought the clothes from her wardrobe and placed them in the trunk before turning her attention to the dressing table.

Thud

Alobela froze when she heard a dull thud. She turned and looked around the room.

Thud Thud

Alobela's eyes then fell on the lone low dresser under one of the windows where they stored pillows and blankets. She walked over to the dresser and looked at it for a moment before reaching over, lifting the lid, and freezing.

Without any change in her expression, she stared at the half-naked man who lay bound in the dresser. The man had cat ears and a tail, all tied up and somewhat scantily clad. His trousers were low; just a bit would have revealed more than was decent, and the top could not be considered clothing, except for the vest.

The cat-man had a gag in his mouth and was staring at Alobel with yellow eyes. "Hmmpf..." He mumbled something and staggered, obviously in a rather uncomfortable position, trying to tell her something.

Alobela, however, after a moment of staring, started to close the lid of the dresser again. "Hmmpff! Hmm!" Alobela paid no attention to his mumbling and closed the lid properly. She stood motionless for a moment before leaving her mistress' room and going to her own room, where she put on her traveling cloak and hat and headed down the hall.

The hall was a sheer bustle, with servants hurrying to and fro and the old butler carefully directing everything. People were still being selected to follow Lady Elizabeth to the Blue Rose estate. Even though the plan was that they would start their journey a few days later than their young lady and young master, it was quite a lengthy process.

"Alobella, where are you going?" the old butler asked her.

Alobela looked at him. "To the city. I have to buy something for the young lady," she explained, and the old butler nodded. "I understand. Have a safe trip," he told her before leaning down again to the list in his hand.

Alobela didn't take a carriage and instead walked out of the estate grounds, then pushed her body through the mana and flew forward like a fired bullet until it was dusty behind her. She herself was faster than the carriage.

Alobela headed for a nearby town, and though her face was still calm, her mind was not. The fact that she had found a bound half-naked man in the young lady's chest of drawers was definitely something to be concerned about.

She arrived in town within the hour and stopped in front of the local pharmacy. She shook the dust from her skirt and stepped inside, looking around the room that smelled of herbs and disinfectant. Alobela stood behind an elderly gentleman who was discussing something with the pharmacist, but she didn't have to wait long.

She approached the counter. "Hello, young lady. What can I do for you?" The older man asked amiably. "I need tea," Alobela replied calmly, but anyone who knew her would know her demeanor was disturbed. She blinked too quickly. "Ah. Yes? And what tea? An upset stomach? Gallbladder? For a good night's sleep?" the pharmacist tried to guess what he needed. Judging by her clothes, she was a maid, so he tried what most women of a certain status buy these days.

"No. That tea."

"That tea?"

Alobela was silent for a moment. "THAT tea. Tea for women. Protection," Alobela tried to explain, but she couldn't say it and her cheeks turned a little red.

The older man hesitated for a moment before it dawned on him. "Ah. Of course. I see now. What quantity?"

Alobela hesitated. "Hm. Enough for six months?" This time the apothecary paused and stared at her for a moment, as someone who also had a daughter though already married, this was rather surprising. He couldn't help but think what in the world did this girl have for a mistress?

"Right away." He said nothing, however, and soon brought her a carefully wrapped package in brown paper. "Here. I gave you a little more, enough for seven months. It's best to have one cup before and another after, just in case." He explained and handed her the package.

Alobela nodded, paid, and walked out with the package in her arms. She sighed and made her way back. Alobela was very considerate. She had noticed that her young mistress had an increased interest in men lately. And now she found a half-naked man locked in a dresser. Alobela didn't much care what the young lady's preferences were, but at least she would be safe with this tea.

If Eliz knew what Alobela was thinking, she'd probably bang her head against the wall.

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Viscount Hadfield mansion

Eliz arrived in the capital at that time, specifically alighting in front of the Viscount Hadfield mansion, located in the residential part of the city. A lone guard went to announce their arrival, and then they were let in.

Eliz looked around as she walked and saw that the small garden needed tending; the lawn was starting to overgrow, and weeds were clearly visible among the flowers. Eliz didn't criticize it in any way; she suspected that the Hadfield family had to get rid of the servants and keep only the essentials. The garden may have been smaller, but only compared to what she had seen at the Roseblood estate. If Viscount Hadfield kept only one gardener, he couldn't manage.

The Viscount's residence was a handsome, three-story building in a modern Victorian style with a bit of a Gothic feel. She couldn't help but notice the stone gargoyles at the top of the roof; they looked a little gloomy and deserted.

The door of the mansion opened, and Eliz saw Miel waiting for them. Eliz wasn't sure if he was waiting for them, or if they didn't even have a butler to greet them anymore.

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Miel smiled brightly at her. "Eliz, it is a pleasure to welcome you to my humble home. And the Boulder team as well. It's good to see you all in good health. Ah, and who is this?" He glanced at the unknown man in a suit who followed Eliz.

Eliz smiled and pointed at the man, who was in his mid-thirties and had a receding forehead. "That's Sir Obemar. He's from the Treasury, and I've hired him to go over your accounts."

Miel looked puzzled when he heard that. "Ah... all right?" Miel invited them all in. Eliz looked around the hall, but it was quiet and empty. She decided to just ignore it; after all, she knew what kind of trouble the Viscount's family was in.

"Please show me all your records for the last six months," Sir Obemar spoke. Miel, though confused, did as he asked and led them into the study, where he began to pull out all the ledgers and place them on the table. Sir Obemar took a seat at the desk, pulled his glasses out of his pocket, put them on, and began going through the books.

Miel turned to Eliz. "What does this mean? I thought you said you were going to help me with... the problem."

Eliz smiled and nodded her head towards Obemar. "I'm doing that too. The first step to fixing it, after all, is to find the root of the problem."

Miel glared at Eliz before raising a hand and rubbing the back of his neck. "So it's bad accounting? That's the problem?"

Eliz stopped smiling and shook her head. "Bad bookkeeping wouldn't nearly put you into bankruptcy, Mieli. This is about fraud."

Miel froze when he heard that. Fraud? That was something he'd never thought of. No, because their accountant had been with the family for years and years and was also a friend of his father's. He would never have thought that he could embezzle their money!

Miel thought about it and turned pale. Miel handled all financial matters with their accountant. Miel took after his father in this and he didn't know how to handle money. So whenever he received any financial support, he handed everything over to the accountant to keep the family afloat. The thought of most of the money he had so laboriously earned going into the accountant's pocket made him sick and then he felt angry.

"That treacherous rat!" He shouted furiously that frightened Mr. Obemar, who was concentrating on the books.

Eliz touched Miel's shoulder. "Let's go somewhere else and let Sir Obemar work in peace. We'll have results soon." She told him, and Miel, pale with rage, led them to the tea room. An elderly maid soon appeared and served them tea. The Boulder team split up. Holm stayed with Sir Obemar, and the rest went with them to the parlour.

Miel sipped his tea in silence for a moment to calm himself, but after a while, he glanced at Eliz. "I thought you said you were going to contact me through the crystal." He said, and his face was grim.

Eliz nodded. "I was originally going to do that, but then I realized that you probably wouldn't have the money to hire a proper accountant to find the reprimands. It was easier this way. And also..." Eliz paused and reached into her spatial ring from where she pulled out a prepared bag.

She placed it in front of Miel, and there was a jingle of coins. Miel blinked and peered inside. "Are you out of your mind?" he quickly glared at her. Miel saw a large amount of gold coins in the sack. He estimated it to be about ten thousand.

Eliz shrugged her shoulders. "We had an agreement that I would help you out of your financial problems. This money will help you back on your feet, and you also have to pay a lawyer with something. When you have evidence of embezzlement, you need to hire a good lawyer to beat the money out of the crook. I won't handle those formalities for you."

Miel closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded. "I'll pay you back." He promised.

Eliz sighed in relief. She had been worried that Miel might argue with her. So instead she waved her hand as if it was no big deal. "Sure. No rush. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, so there's really no need to rush. You can pay me back when your family is okay." Eliz was happy with how things were going now and took a sip of her tea.

Miel lowered his head as he bowed to her. "Thank you." He sounded sincere. Eliz was a little taken aback by the sincerity, clearing her throat and scratching her cheek with a finger. "No problem. Don't worry about it."

There was an awkward silence as neither knew what to say. They sipped their tea slowly, but eventually, Miel pulled himself together and asked.

"How are you feeling?" he wanted to know.

Eliz blinked. Why was he asking such a question? "Um. Okay? I feel great," she replied.

Miel, however, was thinking about the strange ability she had acquired. Regarding the Dark Mana, he observed Eliz a bit, but he didn't really see anything wrong with her body or her behavior. "So you don't feel... any discomfort? Regarding what happened." He didn't want to speak too clearly about it. There might not be many servants in their mansion, but he still didn't want to take any chances.

Eliz understood quickly what he meant. "I'm perfectly fine, I can assure you. Believe me when I tell you that if something was wrong, I would have dealt with it immediately. I like myself too much to take any chances." She laughed briefly.

Miel was glad, but he had his doubts. Dark mana, Dark Mages, he knew about them, but at the same time, he knew nothing. Did the Dark Mages even know that they were insane? What if Eliz undergoes changes that he just doesn't notice? He glanced briefly at Alarr, who was standing behind him, seeking reassurance with his gaze.

Alarr returned the look firmly, then nodded his head briefly as he silently acknowledged Eliz's words. Nothing out of the ordinary. Miel sighed and then didn't return to the matter. Instead, he asked, "So you're going to the Blue Rose estate?" He asked.

Eliz tensed a little and looked at him. "Yes," she replied.

Miel returned to his demeanor of a young frivolous gentleman. A smile appeared on his face, and his eyes lit up. "I'll come see you when I've sorted things out at home," he announced.

Eliz twitched a muscle in her cheek and glared at him. That again? She set down her teacup and rubbed her forehead. "Do you have to?" she asked.

Miel wasn't offended by her response and chuckled. "Yes. I must."

Eliz already suspected that, but she hoped Miel wouldn't come back to it. It wasn't that she was bothered by his presence; it was more about his courting, which had obviously gone from pretend to real.

Eliz, however, hadn't heard a single hesitation from Miel when he answered her, so she assumed he'd already made up his mind. Miel wasn't a Male Lead she necessarily needed to keep at arm's length, after all, so that shouldn't be a problem.

So she squinted at him and pulled another bulky package from her ring again, tossing it on the table next to the first. Miel stared at it in confusion. "Okay. If you want to come, though, you'll have to get stronger. If you can't carry your own weight, then don't even show up," she said sternly.

Everyone in the room looked at her with a similar thought. She can't fight herself, and she says something like that? Eliz proudly raised her head and snorted. "What are you looking at?" The corners of Miel's lips twitched. "Nothing. Nothing at all," he replied.

Eliz decided not to dwell on it; let them think what they wanted and tapped the coffee table with the knuckle of her finger. "I suggest you reach out to Mr. Wildborne and get his advice on what direction to take. I'm sure he can find you a suitable teacher for that amount of money," she said.

Miel stiffened again. "Hm. I'd rather not get involved with that man." He was quite reluctant to deal with this dangerous man.

Eliz rolled her eyes. "You'll go to him for business. There's nothing to be afraid of. He's solid at this. And you need to evolve in the direction of where your talents lie," Eliz explained patiently.

"Doesn't my talent lie in fluffing ladies' dresses?" Miel laughed, berating himself.

Eliz raised an eyebrow and briefly activated her ability to take another look at his Potential.

Miel Hadfield Trait: Scammer, Seducer, Gold Digger Potential: Puppet Master, Legendary Assassin

Eliz shook her head and gave him a serious look. "That's not your talent. You have great potential, Miel. I don't want you to waste it." Eliz naturally wanted Miel to unlock the best potential. Assassin was good; but she was more interested in Puppet Master. Eliz had no idea what that meant, but it sounded pretty powerful. She had no idea how to guide him in that regard, though. So she wanted to at least steer him towards the next best thing.

If Miel was going to follow her eventually, he should at least be as helpful as possible.

Miel had no idea what her thoughts were, so he felt touched that Eliz saw something in him and trusted him. It was a feeling he didn't have very often. Only occasionally when he saw the look of his little brother seeing Miel as his hero. "I had no idea you thought that of me... I... I don't know what to say," he said, genuinely at a loss for words of encouragement.

Eliz blinked and glared at him. Eh? What should you have said? Just do what I told you!

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Sir Obemar, who had a gloomy face. They both looked at him, and Mr Obemar spoke. "Such indecency! Whoever is doing your finances is a bloody rogue! The only thing that puzzles me at the moment is how it is possible that you haven't figured it out. I'm sorry, but are you blind?!"

Eliz laughed and stood up. "I think that settles it. Good luck, Miel. And I'll see you at the Blue Rose estate." She was leaving because Miel was going to have a lot to do from now on.

And she needed to get ready. In two days, she would be on her way. She was looking forward to finally getting out of this stifling place.