Episode 8 - Housekeeping Is No Big Deal
Early in the morning, Edward left for the Imperial Palace. Martha watched from the window as the carriage left the mansion. It was the third day that Edward had commuted from home. It was still awkward. When the two sat facing each other at the breakfast table, they were quiet. Still, they ate together. That was enough. Martha left the window and sat at her desk. She opened the list of creditors again.
Three out of the five places remained. Bernhard and Kruger had been dealt with last time. Today, she was going to Falken Corporation. As for the remaining two, Martha took out the Falken Corporation contract again. Of the three, Falken Corporation was the trickiest. The principal amount was 10,000 gold, the smallest among the creditors. However, the collateral conditions were the problem. The Valois family's imperial supply contract was held as collateral. To think you used an imperial supply contract as collateral—Serena, you crazy fool.
When Martha first discovered this, she couldn't believe her eyes and read the document twice. The contract to supply the Imperial Household was worth more than money. It was also symbolic proof that the Valois family was the Imperial Household's first retainer family. Martha couldn't understand why this had been included just for 10,000 gold. 'How desperate was this idiot?' Martha thought as she folded the contract. It was then that Lucy entered. She came in, greeting Martha in the morning, holding a letter in her hand.
"My Lady, a letter arrived this morning."
Martha looked at the envelope she had received. The crest of the Marquis de Drua was stamped on it. Drua. Drua? Drua!!... Anyway. Martha searched for that name in her mind. Bianca Drua, the queen of society, the very person who had bullied Serena the longest. She opened the envelope. It was a short letter.
[Princess Valois, you made a great impression at the last banquet. Would you like a cup of tea? Bianca Drua.]
Writing just a single word and sending it, acting all high and mighty—it's a waste of paper, man. Lucy stood beside her, craning her neck to watch.
“Who is she?”
"Bianca Drua."
Lucy's expression hardened.
“Why her?”
"Let's have a cup of tea."
"To the Princess?"
“To me.”
Lucy looked at the letter for a moment and then spoke.
"She is the one who tormented the Princess the longest."
"I know."
"By the way, are you going to meet?"
Martha said as she put the letter in the drawer.
"I'll have to meet them. I'll see what they'll be flapping their mouths about again. Set a date and write me a reply. By the end of this week."
As Lucy left, Martha heard her muttering softly.
"Mouth... flap... Why did that person suddenly..."
Martha pretended not to hear.
She went to Falken Trading Company in the morning. Falken Trading Company was located in the commercial district south of the Imperial Palace. Unlike the previous two places, which were on the aristocratic streets, Falken Trading Company was right in the middle of the commercial district. The building wasn't particularly grand. It had a simple and practical atmosphere. 'This person will be different,' Martha thought as she looked at the building. Bernhard was a man driven by numbers, and Kruger was a man driven by face. Just by looking at the atmosphere of the building, the representative of Falken Trading Company, Julius Falken, was different. He must be a man without pretense. A man driven by practicality.
As she stepped out of the carriage, Martha re-evaluated the direction of today's negotiations.
Julius Falken was a gaunt old man nearing sixty. His office was simple. As soon as she sat down, he briefly brushed aside the greeting and got straight to the point.
"Daughter of Valois, I heard that you have been to the previous two places."
"Hey, you're so heartless! At least say hello first! Or ask how I'm doing!"
“...Princess?”
"No. Yes. I went to two places before."
Martha paused for a moment. It was a world where rumors spread quickly.
"Did you come over here to lower the interest rate, too?"
"I have come to release the collateral for the Imperial supply contract."
Julius was silent for a moment.
"That isn't a problem that can be solved by adjusting the interest rate. The principal is small, but the collateral value is high."
"I know."
"Then?"
Martha looked at Julius. He was a man of pragmatism. In exchange for releasing the collateral, he would want something of greater value. Martha thought about this part the longest last night. What the House of Valois could offer. Something other than money, something more valuable to Julius than the imperial supply contract.
"Company Falken wants to supply the Imperial Palace, right?"
Julius narrowed his eyes slightly.
"How do you know that?"
"I looked at the list of supplies handled by Falken Corporation. There were a few items that overlapped with the list of suppliers to the Imperial Palace. But your names weren't on the supplier list."
Julius looked at Martha.
"The Valois family holds the right to recommend suppliers to the Imperial Household. If the quality of the materials meets or exceeds the standards, a recommendation is possible. If there is a recommendation, the application for the Imperial Palace supply review is accepted; without one, the application cannot be accepted at all."
Julius rested his hands on the table and remained still. It was time to settle the accounts. Martha waited. Holding onto the collateral for the Imperial supply contract versus releasing the collateral in exchange for the right to recommend for the Imperial Palace supply screening—which was the more advantageous option? The collateral was difficult to exercise in practice unless the Valois family went completely bankrupt. However, the right to recommend for the Imperial Palace supply screening was something that could be used immediately. Julius spoke.
"If you grant me the right of recommendation, I will release the collateral."
"You only get one recommendation. Whether you pass the screening depends on the quality of Falken Corporation's materials."
"It is difficult with just one time."
"Not twice. Instead, let's extend the maturity by one year."
Julius tapped his finger once.
"One-time recommendation, one-year maturity extension, release of collateral."
"Yes."
Julius looked at Martha for a long time.
"Princess, how old are you?"
“I’m nineteen.”
Julius let out a short snort. It wasn't a dismissive snort. It was a snort of fascination.
"I've never seen a nineteen-year-old negotiate like this."
"You’ll end up doing it as you go through life."
Julius looked at Martha again. And he reached out his hand.
"The contract has been changed. Next time, I will greet you respectfully first, Princess Serena Valois."
Martha shook hands. As they left Falken's office, Lucy followed beside her and spoke.
“Princess.”
"Why."
"CEO Falken looked at you strangely at the end."
“With what eyes?”
"Looks like they were fascinated."
Martha said as she got into the carriage.
“You probably just saw it.”
“No, obviously...”
"It's okay."
The carriage started moving. Lucy took out her notebook and began summarizing today's negotiation details. Martha looked out the window and spoke.
"Do you know what an imperial supply contract is?"
Lucy raised her head.
“I don’t know.”
"It is a contract allowing the Valois family to supply goods to the Imperial Household. With this, they can access the Imperial Palace's supply market, which is worth a fortune that is difficult to quantify in monetary terms."
"Was that held as collateral?"
"Yes."
Lucy was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Did you get that back?"
"Yes."
"What about the other two places?"
"I have to get this all sorted out this week. It's my karma."
Lucy asked while taking notes.
"What kind of places are the two?"
Martha pulled the list out of her head.
"One is Bank Villen; since their interest rates are the lowest, the goal is to extend the maturity rather than negotiate. The other is Merkel Chamber, but this one is a bit complicated."
"Why?"
"Miss Serenity... I didn't actually borrow the money myself; I acted as a guarantor. It's a case where I guaranteed someone else's debt, and since that person couldn't repay it, the Valois family ended up taking responsibility."
Lucy opened her eyes wide.
“There was something like that?”
"Yeah. This is the biggest headache. The principal is 20,000 gold, but since it's a guarantee contract, it can't be canceled. We either have to find the original debtor and have them pay it back, or the Valois family has to repay it directly."
"Who is the original debtor?"
Martha paused for a moment. There was a name written on the contract.
"He's a noble, so I need to look into it a bit more. Let's talk about that later."
Lucy nodded and took notes. The carriage was pulling into the mansion. Martha looked out the window and spoke.
"I need to review the estate documents this afternoon. Please ask Butler Maxim to prepare the study."
"Yes."
"And did Edward say he's coming home early this evening?"
"Yes, that is what he said yesterday."
"We're going to watch it together after dinner."
Lucy nodded and wrote something more in her notebook. Martha watched her and spoke.
“Have you eaten?”
Lucy lifted her head from the notebook.
"I ate before leaving."
"Yes."
When they returned to the mansion, Maxim was waiting at the entrance.
"My Lady, the contractor for the storage room ventilation system has visited. He says they can start the work tomorrow morning."
“What about the cost?”
"It is called twenty gold."
"That's appropriate. Let's proceed."
"Yes, and I received word from the estate."
Martha stopped.
"Is it related to Felix Holm?"
Maxim's expression stiffened for a moment and then relaxed.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I guessed. What did he say?"
"They sent this month's income statement, and it is lower than last month again."
Martha received the documents from Maxim. She scanned them. They were down twenty percent compared to the same month last year. The crop yield itself was similar, but the income had decreased. There was a leak somewhere.
"Did you tell Edward to bring any relevant materials from the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes, as you mentioned last time, the young master said he would bring it today."
"I'll watch it with him after dinner."
Martha went up to the study. She spent the entire afternoon examining the estate records. They were the income records for the past two years of the Valois estate that Maxim had brought. Martha organized them by month. As she laid the numbers side by side, a pattern became visible. Income had begun to decline since Felix Holm took office. At first, the decrease was slight. Then, the margin gradually widened. He had adapted. He had been cautious at first, but once he wasn't caught, he became increasingly bold.
'This pattern is an old trick,' Martha thought to herself. She had seen people siphoning off money this way even at the Imperial Palace. There were quite a few cases where officials from prominent families were caught siphoning off income little by little.
The problem was the possibility that he was not alone. To manipulate things on this scale, there had to be a ball hat at the estate site. Martha took out the estate personnel roster. She looked at the name of the site supervisor. There was someone who had come in with Felix Holm when he took office. It was a man named Ern Muller, who had joined as the site supervisor's assistant. Here it is. Martha marked that name.
After finishing dinner, they gathered in the study. There were three of them: Martha, Edward, and Maxim. The documents Edward had brought from the Imperial Palace were spread out on the table. They were Imperial Palace administrative records. Records of complaints regarding stewards of noble estates, cases of income disputes, and the stewards' histories. Martha scanned through them, searching for the name Felix Holm. It was there. Edward spoke from beside her.
"This man served in two families before Valois. Both followed a similar pattern. Their income started to decline between six and eight months after taking office, and he left before completing a year."
"He won't be alone."
Edward saw Martha.
“He's not alone?”
"To embezzle on this scale, there must be a conspirator at the estate site. When I checked the register this afternoon, I found an assistant to the site supervisor who came in with Felix Holm. His name is Ern Muller."
Edward looked at the data again.
"I guess I'll have to go check it out myself."
“My brother?”
"The territory is Valois land, after all. It is only right that I go there myself to check the ledger."
Martha thought for a moment. It was a good idea for Edward to go in person. The heir's visit to the estate was a signal in itself. It became difficult to hide or manipulate the ledgers.
"When can you go?"
"I can take time off next week. Two days should be enough."
“Can I come with you?”
Edward saw Martha.
"Together?"
"I need to see the estate run with my own eyes to know. The same goes for our butlers."
Edward looked at Martha for a moment and nodded.
“Then.”
Maxim quietly took notes. Martha looked at Maxim and spoke.
“Butler Maxim.”
"Yes."
“You worked hard today too.”
Maxim stopped. Martha was already organizing the materials. Maxim looked at Martha for a moment, then quietly began taking notes again. The meeting ended at nine o'clock at night. Edward stopped as he left.
“Serena.”
Martha saw it. Edward chose his words for a moment and spoke briefly.
"I heard from Maxim today that Falken Trading Company regained the Imperial supply contract."
"Yes."
"Good job."
And then he left. Martha watched the door Edward had exited through, then lowered her gaze back to the documents. Awkwardly, briefly. Still, she had done it.
As she organized the materials, Martha reflected on the day. Dealing with one creditor, releasing the collateral on the Imperial supply contract, identifying the outline of income leakage in the estate, formulating a plan for a visit to the estate, and two creditors still remaining. She also had to meet Bianca Drua. There was also a visit to the estate. Oh dear, the work is overwhelming. 'I should have disciplined the young lady, even if it meant using a rod. To think they would return to me as such lumps of shit.' Martha muttered as she turned off the study light. Then she closed the door.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal - Episode 8]
Today I visited one of Falken Corporation's locations.
Shock No. 1: CEO Falken released the collateral on the Imperial supply contract. The Princess negotiated using the right to recommend candidates for the Imperial Palace supply review. I didn't even know what that was, but the Princess knew.
Shock No. 2: CEO Falken said, "This is the first time I've seen a nineteen-year-old negotiate like this."
She did. The young lady said, "You’ll get used to it as you live."
As you live today, the number of times: 2.
Shock No. 3: While reviewing the estate documents alone this afternoon, she already identified the conspirator. How.
Shock No. 4: The Young Master said to the Princess, "You did well." The Young Master.
There are still two creditors remaining. There is also a meeting with Miss Bianca Drua. There is also a visit to the estate.
The Princess said, "There is a mountain of work to do."
I think so too.
But strangely, I'm not worried.
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