Yawn~
Francesca felt a heavy, comfortable sleepiness settling over her after the commotion of the day. As Stella helped her change into a silk nightgown, Francesca let out a contented sigh.
“You are truly exhausted today, My Lady,” Stella said, gently brushing her hair. “You should take it easy tomorrow.”
“Of course I will!” Francesca declared, stretching her arms wide. “Now that the biggest thorn in my side is gone, I will officially begin my lazy, shut-in lifestyle tomorrow! Just you watch, Stella. I will do absolutely nothing. I’ll just… laze around.”
Laze around…
Laze around…
Laze around…
“Wh—What is this, Stella?”
The next morning, Francesca stood trembling in the middle of her room with her cane. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating a terrifying, massive stack of parchment piled high on her study table.
“Your responsibilities as the Lady of the House, My Lady!” Stella replied cheerfully.
“I... I get that, but why is it here?!” Francesca cried, pointing a shaky finger at the mountain of paper. “Wasn’t Miller supposed to handle the household affairs until the vassals stopped opposing me?!”
“Well...” Stella put a finger to her chin, her eyes twinkling. “You see...”
She began to recount the events that had taken place in the strategy room after Francesca and Miller returned from the chapel.
“The construction plans for the two new roads have been delayed at every turn due to a ‘lack of funds,’ and now we find out that millions of Shella have been embezzled over the past year?!”
A bald man with a booming voice, slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “Not only that, but they used children as pawns? Tsk... My Lord, they must be given the death penalty!”
“I agree with Lord Edward,” an elderly lady with sharp features and flashy clothing added. “It is a matter of trust. How can the people believe in our leadership if we don't act decisively?”
“I will be issuing the death penalty as you all suggested, Lady Frederica,” Miller replied, his voice cold and stern. “That was a decision I had already reached.” He leaned back, his eyes scanning the room. “Oh, and one more thing. I have decided to officially hand over the authority to manage the household to Francesca.”
Silence fell over the room. The aides and vassals froze, their minds racing for an excuse to object. Seeing this, Miller’s lips curled into a smirk.
“After all,” he added, his voice dropping into a dangerous silkiness, “it’s a matter of trust, right?”
Chills~
Everyone in the room felt the sharp, predatory glare in Miller’s eyes. Frederica gulped, her thoughts frantic. There is no way we can oppose Lady Francesca taking over now. Not after members of our own council were caught deceiving His Lordship. If we object, we’ll look like we have something to hide.
Edward followed the same logic. Opposing it now would make it look like we don't want a family member in the role because we’re afraid of being audited.
“That’s a brilliant idea, My Lord!”
The silence was broken by a young man with jet-black hair and a rough, soldierly way of speaking. He looked about Miller’s age. “After all, Her Ladyship was the one who caught the criminals in the first place!”
The tension snapped, and the rest of the room joined in a chorus of forced agreement.
“Mister Kenny is right!” “Of course, it’s the perfect time!” “It is Her Ladyship’s right, after all!”
Miller smiled. For the first time, a motion had passed with zero opposition. Spending time with Francesca might be making me good at scheming, too, he thought to himself. That went far better than I expected.
“So, that’s what happened,” Stella finished, looking quite proud of herself. “Kenny, my boyfriend and one of the most trusted core members of the mercenary troop. chimed in to support you, My Lady! I asked him to do it!”
Stella’s eyes sparkled, practically begging for praise.
Sigh...
Francesca took a long, slow breath and slumped onto her table, her forehead resting against the cool wood. “You... you did good, Stella. Bye-bye, lazy lifestyle. Rest in peace.”
She looked up at the ceiling, mourning the quiet life that was slipping through her fingers.
“Why do I feel like you aren’t as enthusiastic as I thought you’d be, My Lady?” Stella asked, tilting her head. Francesca waved a limp hand in the air. “It’s just in your head, Stella... all in your head.”
With a grunt of effort, she forced herself to sit straight in her mahogany chair. She muttered under her breath, “There is no point in dwelling on what's already happened. I just need to finish this work at lightning speed so I can get back to doing nothing!”
With a spark of fire in her eyes, Francesca grabbed the first document from the top of the mountain. But as her eyes scanned the ink, her expression shifted from annoyance to total disbelief.
“What the hell is this?” she blurted out. “Is this really how an economically unstable territory has been managed until now?!”
She tore through the papers, one after another, her eyes darting across the columns of figures. The more she read, the more her blood began to boil. These weren't just mistakes; they were blatant, systematic acts of sabotage.
Finally, she threw the ledger onto the desk and yelled toward the ceiling in pure frustration, “If Maria hadn’t been sentenced to death already, I would have her dipped in boiling oil and whipped a hundred times!”
“Please don’t say such frightening things, My Lady,” Stella said calmly, placing a fresh cup of juice on the desk next to her. “Those kinds of barbaric punishments were outlawed a long time ago.”
Francesca ignored the comment, her mind already racing with a dozen different solutions. She looked at Stella, her "lazy" persona completely vanished, replaced by the clinical precision in her eyes.
“Stella,” she barked. “Call the butler, the head maid, the head chef, and Miller to the drawing room immediately!”
Instinctively sensing the change in the air, Stella stood at attention and saluted. “I’m on it, My Lady!”