# 4
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'But Devrin didn't say anything like that...'
This person… well, he definitely wasn't nice.
Evelin stared intently at Differin's closed door and asked:
“What about my husband? Is he in his room now?”
“Mr. Dyfrin has already left for the Imperial Palace.”
She exhaled silently, no longer needing to feel disappointed.
But…
Evelyn looked at Rykal, who was standing in front of her.
“Rekal, you are Dayfrin’s assistant, so why didn’t you go to work with him?”
“Ah, I have been given permission to stay in the palace for a while to help you adjust.”
Help me adapt? What a joke. Just like in the original story, he will look down on me and torture me.
Although Evelin was grumbling inside, she knew that it was inevitable, so she put on an indifferent expression.
“Okay, I'll change my clothes and go out.”
Rykal nodded.
“I will send maids to help you get ready.”
***
After dressing herf with the help of the maids, Evelyn stood before Rykal once again. His shirt collar was always perfectly arranged.
Surely he was trying to make it as tidy as he was. It seems that she has a tiring day ahead of her.
At that moment, Rikal spoke first.
“First, I will guide you through the palace. Now that you are the master of this palace, you should know it well.”
"Yes, of course."
“Then let me guide you starting from the current floor.”
Rykal turned elegantly and walked away.
The destination was the last room in the second floor corridor. When he opened the door, dust flew into the air.
“This is the guest room.”
"… here?"
There was a bed, but you would naturally think it was a storage room because the room was completely neglected.
From the slightly creaking wooden floor to the window that could barely see outside, the neglected curtains, and the old furniture, everything looked abandoned.
It would be lucky if the ghosts didn't appear from here.
“Surely… there are no guests staying in this room, right?”
“No, Mr. Devrin does not like to invite guests to the palace.”
That was at least reassuring.
But Evelyn quickly realized that this was only the beginning.
Most of the unused rooms in the palace were neglected beyond belief.
Even the corridor she was walking on now… was making a slight creaking sound with every step she took.
'Were mine and Dyffryn's room the only decent rooms?'
No, the entrance and the central hall connected to it were also in good condition.
But everything else was not taken care of, just like an abandoned palace.
In other words, all places that were not used frequently were neglected.
In the original story, there was mention of an “unkept mansion,” but she never imagined it would be this bad.
It seemed that the name “Snow Vale Palace” only applied to the external appearance.
In the end, Evelin couldn't help but speak.
“Why is the palace in this state?”
Rykal, who was heading toward the kitchen, stopped and turned.
“What do you mean?”
“It is in a terrible condition. There are many places that have not been cleaned, the furniture and lighting are very old.”
As one of the ducal families in the empire, they should not be short of funds.
“Mr. Devrin was too busy to take care of palace matters.”
“But the Duchess…doesn’t she sometimes visit the palace?”
“The Duchess is not inclined to interfere in the management of the palace.”
Evelyn sighed.
When she thought, she realized that Amelia didn't have much love for Devrin.
She might seem like she cared for him on the surface, but she probably didn't care what happened inside the palace as long as he wasn't her real son.
'Ah, this complicated family.'
As she thought about the hero Dyfrin who had a complicated background, Evelin rubbed her forehead.
“If you don’t mind, can I continue the palace tour?”
Evelin snapped back to her attention when she heard Rekal's voice.
'Okay, let's finish this tutorial first.'
Rekal guided her through the remaining corners of the house, then introduced her to the maids.
His gaze stopped at a maid standing at the end of the line.
“This maid is Patricia, the head butler. If you have any questions, ask Patricia. She knows most things.”
Patricia was a thin, middle-aged woman, with curly brown hair and prominent cheeks.
As one of the minor characters who ignored Evelyn in the original story, she knew very well who Patricia was.
Rykal motioned for Patricia and the maids to move away.
Now that Evelyn was alone, Rykal spoke to her.
“I should mention to you that Patricia also manages the house accounts at this mansion.”
“Don't you have a dedicated servant?”
"Mr. Defrin does not seem to feel the urgent need for such a person. Appointing someone to such an important position is also disturbing."
Evelyn understood what Rykal meant. Devrin was a person who did not trust others easily.
He was supposed to share important matters with his closest aides, and since the hero would be more involved in the running of the palace than the head maid, Dyffryn seemed to think it best to leave things as they were unless Patricia became completely unhelpful.
Evelyn also realized that if Patricia had been unable to perform this task from the beginning, Devrin would not have brought her to the palace in the capital. Perhaps Dyffrin simply did not care, and was gradually becoming careless.
She suppressed a sigh and asked the next question.
“Does Devrin regularly check the books of accounts kept by Patricia?”
“Yes, he inspects her, but he does not look at her carefully. Mr. Dyffryn is very busy with imperial matters, as you know.”
'That makes sense... but for the house to be in such a mess...'
“That being said, there is something I would like to ask you, Evelyn.”
"What is it?"
For a moment, Rikal's eyes seemed to shine with hidden meaning.
“It's about managing the house accounts.”
'...Oh no.'
As soon as Rikal finished speaking, the contents of the original story that she had almost forgotten came back to Evelyn's mind.
'That's right, Rikal threw this kind of heavy duty on Evelin.'
The current ledgers were a mess, but Devrin hardly cared.
Rykal was the same way.
Knowing that the person who brought up the topic had to take responsibility, he was waiting to pass this heavy task to the new lady of the palace.
“When I quickly looked at the books of accounts, the expenses seemed high compared to the amount of household supplies purchased. So I think it is necessary to check them one by one.”
“...How much are your monthly household expenses?”
“One million Dalians.”
Evelin quickly thought in her mind.
'What does one million Dalian mean?'
Since the ordinary people of the empire said their annual expenses amounted to 100,000 Dalians…
A million a month is a huge amount!
Of course, the number of servants attached to this palace exceeds ten, but one million Dalians is still not a small amount.
However, parts of the palace are neglected as if monsters could emerge from them at any moment.
“There certainly seems to be some unnecessary expenses… If you can manage that, Madam Evelyn, it will be a great help to the family.”
Evelyn sighed and looked around.
She wanted to refuse, but this was a test from Rekal to Evelin.
'Okay… let's do this.'
If she fails this task, like in the original story, Rykal will look at her with pity and tell Dyffryn that she knows nothing.
Most importantly… she didn't want to live in a messy house like this.
For two years, she had to stay in this palace no matter what.
With determination, Evelin said with a firm look.
"Okay. I'll check the house accounts."
For the first time, Rykal smiled slightly, raising the corners of his mouth.
“Then I will trust you, Lady Evelyn, and wait for the house accounts.”
* * *
Rikaal said he would continue with the next teaching session tomorrow and disappeared.
While she was alone again, Evelyn called out to Patricia.
The idea of checking the house accounts immediately without wasting time seemed better.
Patricia entered the room nervous.
“Did you ask for me, ma'am?”
“Would you mind sitting down for a moment?”
Patricia wiped her hands on her apron and sat down across from Evelyn.
“Patricia, I heard from Lord Leonc that you manage the house's accounts. Is that true?”
"Yes, this is correct."
“I'd like to take a look at the accounts you've been managing.”
Patricia's eyes widened.
“W-What does this suddenly mean?”
“I think it needs to be checked.”
Patricia seemed troubled by Evelin's words, but she quickly answered firmly.
“You mean you don't trust me, Madam…! As you may have heard from Lord Lyonk, I have run this palace for over a decade!”
Evelin was already feeling tired. However, she answered calmly.
“How does asking to see accounts mean I don't trust you?”
“Okay...”
“My husband is busy, so I will take care of his work for him.”
“But still...”
In the original work, Evelyn was in trouble because Patricia refused to show her the account books.
In the end, Evelyn tearfully told Devrin, and he sighed and ordered Patricia to show the account books.
“If you don’t show me your ledgers, I might start to suspect you.”
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“Of course not!”
Evelyn ran her hand through her hair.
“Then bring her to me immediately.”
At Evelyn's firm command, Patricia reluctantly got up from the chair. She quickly brought a torn account book.
“You can leave now.”
"What…?"
“I will examine the ledger carefully and call you back later.”
Patricia seemed reluctant to put down the ledger and reluctantly left the room.
While she was alone, Evelin began slowly turning the pages of the account book. Monthly food expenses, labor costs, and maintenance fees were carefully written out.
At first glance, there was nothing suspicious, but as Evelyn continued to flip through the pages, she soon noticed something strange.
There was something abnormal in the ledger.