Chapter 26
Before dawn could break, the entire household was thrown into chaos.
“Bring Milles here this instant!”
Grandfather thundered, clutching the ledger in his hand.
Elliot stepped up beside me, where I stood—thankfully unharmed—before Grandfather.
In a low voice, I asked him, “Are you hurt?”
“Not at all. I was more worried about you, my lady—but once again, you didn’t let me down.”
“You’re welcome to suggest something a bit more refined next time.”
This incident had made it perfectly clear to me—this body had its limits.
For the time being, I’d have to abandon the idea of working as I had before.
Elliot and I exchanged a small, satisfied smile.
“Summon everyone immediately!”
Ah… Grandfather’s angry roar sounded almost like a beautiful aria to my ears.
Maybe I’ve finally gone mad.
“Still, this is a bit much for the middle of the night,” Elliot murmured.
“You should’ve stayed discreet, then.”
The shadows under Elliot’s eyes looked even darker than usual.
“A full assembly at this hour?”
“What in the world is going on?”
Hic!
The summoned retainers were a mess—some barely able to open their eyes, others still drunk from late-night drinking.
Yet somehow, I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
This chaos… it was Mergen’s true face.
“This was your doing, wasn’t it?”
Chloe’s sharp voice cut through the noise as she looked straight at me.
“Where is Lord Roosevelt?” I asked calmly.
Her expression cracked ever so slightly.
“He’s arriving late. I was starting to worry.”
Just as I finished speaking, one of her close aides stepped up and whispered something into her ear.
Right then, a servant handed me a glass of water.
I took a cool sip and watched Chloe’s face shift, moment by moment.
I used to think she never showed emotion, but it turned out Chloe had a far more expressive face than I’d ever given her credit for.
As her aide continued whispering, her eyes flicked to me.
I met her gaze with a pleasant smile.
Chloe turned to give her aide a quiet order.
“Think you can clean this up?” I asked, voice light.
Chloe gave a dry chuckle. “Who’s pulling your strings?”
“…Oh dear.”
How far off the mark she was.
It seemed she truly believed someone else was behind all this—that I was being manipulated.
I could only accept, with some disappointment, just how little she thought of Irene.
“Is everyone here?”
Grandfather returned, straightening his robes as he entered.
Now, the real show could begin.
Bang!
A loud slam echoed through the hall as he tossed the ledgers onto the round table.
Loose papers that hadn’t been properly sorted flew into the air, scattering like confetti.
“How dare someone create forged ledgers?!”
The room fell into complete silence.
Even the retainers who had been drunk moments ago suddenly sobered.
“If anyone here is involved in this matter, speak now.”
“What in the world is this…?”
One of the more sluggish retainers stretched his neck to take a look, only to be elbowed in the side by the man next to him.
“Ahem! I have no knowledge of this, none at all.”
“Forged ledgers? That’s outrageous…”
“Where did these come from?”
Some of them, shameless as ever, raised their voices in outrage.
I had remained quiet until then—but now, I spoke.
“These were recovered from Uncle Milles’s estate. Along with the fake copies.”
“Milles did such a thing…?”
“Are you implying… embezzlement?”
The retainers began exchanging uneasy glances, scanning the room and the empty seats.
“It’s unfortunate,” I said calmly. “But this disgraceful incident has already occurred.”
As soon as I finished, Grandfather sat down, expression hard.
“To deceive the family in this way… I can’t simply overlook it. What say the rest of you?”
There was no need to ask.
Anyone who objected now would only be aligning themselves with Milles—practically admitting guilt.
“F-forgive me! I was in such a deep sleep—I only just arrived!”
The doors burst open, and Roosevelt came rushing in, clearly flustered.
His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, as if he had dressed in a hurry.
But notably, Milles was not with him.
“Let the punishment be carried out according to the laws of the family,” I said.
Not a single retainer voiced opposition.
“Milles will be expelled from the Mergen family. And he will answer for his crimes.”
The room remained still.
“This is exactly what happens when a business is divided into too many hands. The idea of mutual oversight may have been noble, but in reality, it’s only made everything harder to manage.”
At my words, the retainers turned their sharp gazes on me like a wall of thorns.
“Which is why I suggest the mining operation be entrusted to one person—completely. Lord Mergen.”
“That’s… That’s impossible!”
Roosevelt jumped in quickly, trying to stop it.
“Seeing the state we’re in now, I’m inclined to think Irene may be right,” Grandfather said.
Roosevelt could no longer hide his shock.
“You’ve already given me responsibilities. So I ask that you give me full authority over the mines as well.”
“But—but such a massive operation… entrusted to Irene alone?”
“She’s never even been officially trained for this!”
“Surely someone else would be more—”
“Silence!”
Grandfather’s voice boomed across the hall, cutting the dissent short.
“This decision cannot be made based on emotion.”
I hadn’t expected them to surrender easily.
But I didn’t need them to.
“Still,” I said, raising my voice just enough, “not one of you here has managed this operation with true transparency.”
I placed the documents I had prepared down on the table in front of me.
All eyes turned to my hand.
“Which is why I propose we put it to a vote.”
“A vote?”
“Yes, Lord Mergen. I propose that the retainers here vote on whether they support entrusting the mining operation to me.”
“A vote…” Grandfather murmured, stroking his beard as he studied me.
“Well then. What say the rest of you?”
I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of each retainer one by one—calmly, confidently.
All while gently brushing my fingers across the stack of papers in front of me, like they were something precious.
“Are you sure you can handle this?” Grandfather asked afterward, once the vote had concluded.
“If this is the will of the group, I should at least do my part,” I answered quietly.
The vote had passed—by an overwhelming majority.
I had claimed exactly what I’d set out to seize.
Now, Grandfather had dismissed everyone but me. Only we remained in the chamber.
“Do you understand what you’ve done tonight?” he asked.
“Hard to say. Was it… a righteous act?”
“You’ve made enemies of the retainers.”
“I expected praise, not criticism—especially with how well you played along.”
“You may have gotten what you wanted for now. But what happens next? Do you really think your bluff will work a second time?”
Grandfather glanced down at the documents in front of me.
I smiled and tapped the top sheet lightly.
“These?” I said, lifting the papers in my hand and letting them fall to the floor beside the round table.
Rustle.
They scattered like fallen leaves—blank.
There wasn’t a single word written on them.
I had tricked the retainers with empty pages, letting them believe their secrets were exposed. Fear made them vote in my favor.
Grandfather didn’t look surprised. He simply shook his head.
“They’re not as easily fooled as you think. You caught them off guard this time, but if you try another shallow trick like that, they’ll turn on you.”
“Then next time, I’ll use a stronger move.”
“You can’t win by turning the family against you. Especially if you ever intend to become the head.”
Of course.
No one becomes the family head without the support—or at least the leash—of the retainers.
“You think I should’ve turned a blind eye to them, like my sister did?”
“Controlling others by exploiting their weaknesses is the easy path.”
“Then you’ve played a part in Mergen’s slow ruin.”
And I had too, hadn’t I?
We polished over the decay, wrapped it in gold, and pretended it was still something beautiful.
Just like you taught me to.
“What is it that you want to do?” Grandfather asked.
“I’ll figure that out after I take Mergen.”
“Mergen isn’t something to ‘take.’ That attitude won’t do you any favors.”
So he thought I was arrogant.
“I always make sure to watch where I step before stretching my legs, Grandfather.”
“…What did you say?”
“Do you have any other options besides me?”
His expression shifted ever so slightly.
“Don’t take it personally. At the very least, I don’t plan to hand you another failure.”
“Are you calling Deborah a failure?”
“If what you want is another puppet that moves exactly as it’s told, then go ahead. But by now, you must know that won’t give you the results you’re hoping for.”
No matter how hard I tried back then, he was never satisfied.
Simply copying his methods wasn’t enough to change anything.
To him, everything I did must’ve looked like a desperate attempt to catch up to a shadow I could never reach.
Not once had Grandfather ever looked at me as a successor with genuine approval.
“Put your bet on me. If I’m just a piece to discard, then at least let me be the one to flip the board over first.”
He said nothing.
This was my gamble.
If I’d misread his heart even slightly, everything could fall apart.
But I was sure of one thing—if I kept living like I did before, I would never be satisfied.
I was done twisting myself into someone I wasn’t, just to be seen.
