JustPeachyNovels

The Role of the Lady (4)

“How do you know about Vail, my Lady?” the head maid asked in surprise, and Duha smiled.

“I overheard what the people here were saying earlier.”

She remembered everything the stable hands had said. Specifically, “Vail, that man would never approve of spending money.”

Among many words, Duha had the ability to pick out the most important ones.

“So, who is Vail?”

“He is the manager responsible for the stables. He oversees the maintenance of the facilities and supervises the stable men’s.”

Duha looked around, puzzled.

“It seems Vail isn’t here. It’s strange for a manager not to show up when one of his subordinates is injured.”

“That’s because…”

Before the head maid could explain, one of the stable men’s raised his voice in frustration.

“That’s because Vail doesn’t care about this place!”

“How dare you speak so rudely in front of the Duchess…”

“Move aside! I must speak my mind!”

The man who stepped forward pushed aside his peers and stood before Duha, seemingly trusting in the kindness she had shown by helping the injured stable hand.

“Duchess, please listen to me! Vail, that man gambles every day with Lord Nate’s backing, doesn’t pay for repairs, and withholds our wages!”

The man’s face contorted in anger.

“If something like today happens, we can’t even get medicine, let alone a physician! That man never spends a penny of his own money!”

“I see.”

Duha, who had been listening quietly, turned to the head maid.

“Sylvia, I want to meet Vail.”

The head maid’s face turned awkward at the Duchess’s request.

“Why do you want to meet him, my Lady?”

“From what they’ve said, it sounds like Vail is quite problematic.”

“But Vail is Lord Nate’s man. It would be best not to interfere with him…”

Lord Nate. Duha frowned at the name that kept coming up.

“Who is Lord Nate?”

“He is the Duke’s uncle, the only elder left in the Esbaden family.”

Since the previous Duke and Duchess had died in a mysterious carriage accident, Lord Nate, the Duke’s uncle, was the only elder in the Esbaden family.

“And?”

“He cherishes Vail the most among the stable hands. Vail got his position as manager thanks to Lord Nate’s trust…”

“Then it’s an even bigger problem.”

A worker who relies solely on his master’s power without doing his job properly harms the workplace.

“Problems need to be fixed. That’s the role of the lady of the house, isn’t it?”

“But Lord Nate…”

“Bring Vail here immediately.”

Duha’s firm order made not only the head maid but also the gathered stable hands pale.

“What are you all doing? Hurry and bring him here!”

Only her maid, Leila, prodded the stable hands with a carefree expression.

*** *** *** *** ***

Vail, the head stable men of the duchy.

He was a longtime worker at the Duke’s household and Lord Nate’s most trusted servant.

Despite his lowly status and skills disproportionate to his experience, Vail became the stable manager for one reason.

He had an uncanny ability to gauge people’s moods.

In a positive light, he had excellent people skills; negatively, he was a sycophant.

A useful skill for surviving in a harsh world, but it only worked on those above him in status or strength.

“You called for me?”

That same behavior was evident even in front of the Duchess from a so-called barbarian nation.

“I’m surprised the Duchess came to such a humble place, but it’s even more surprising that you personally sought me out.”

Vail, a large middle-aged man with a prominent belly, stood before Duha.

He looked nothing like a stable hand who did hard labor, causing Duha to frown instinctively.

Meanwhile, Vail’s eyes roved over her, appraisingly.

‘Hmm, I thought the duchy’s reputation had fallen since they sent a plain woman from a barbarian country…’

Contrary to the widespread rumors, Duha was far from plain. She was stunning.

Her abundant silver hair cascaded down to her waist, her bright skin glowed with health, and her beautiful, elegant features and slender, fit body were captivating.

In the Empire, she was a rare beauty.

Vail, taken aback by her unexpected beauty, internally scoffed.

‘What does it matter? She’s just a barbarian woman scorned by the Duke. A mere figurehead.’

He mentally labeled her as worthless and smiled pleasantly.

“So, why did you call for me?”

“I have a few questions for you.”

Duha smiled back, extending her hand into the air.

“Leila.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Leila handed her a document, and the head maid raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

“Vail, this is your budget report for the stable this year.”

Duha shook the document handed to her by her maid.

“You requested funds for maintenance, wages for workers, and the cost of purchasing horses.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Is there a problem? I’m not very good at budgeting…”

Vail scratched his head and tilted it, looking like a simple, honest servant, which made the stable hands around him grimace.

They were disgusted by the miser’s act.

“Problem or mistake, I’m not sure.”

Duha looked at him kindly.

“Actually, I thought the expenses were too high, so I felt it necessary to review them.”

She glanced around at the stable hands before smiling.

“But it seems the budget was correct.”

“Ha ha ha, isn’t it?”

“Assuming last year’s records were accurate.”

“…What?”

Vail flinched, his face hardening at her insinuating words.

Duha had stopped smiling and now looked at him sharply.

“Last year, you took 20 gold for repairs under the guise of maintaining outdated facilities.”

Twenty gold was more than enough to cover two years of the stable man’s wages.

“What? Twenty gold?”

“He said there was only 10 gold for repairs!”

“He took money from our wages saying it wasn’t enough! Damn it!”

Vail frowned amid the outcry from the stable hands.

“Are you accusing me of embezzling money? Even if I did…”

He looked down at the Duchess, who appeared much smaller than him, with a feigned look of regret.

“The budget was approved by the Duke himself last year. I don’t understand why you’re questioning it.”

Vail’s brazen attitude infuriated not Duha, but the head maid and Leila.

“How dare he speak to our princess, I mean the Duchess, like that?”

“……”

While Leila ground her teeth openly, the head maid kept silent, staring at the ground.

“The Duke is a busy man; he doesn’t have time to oversee the stables closely.”

Duha, ignoring his condescending gaze, continued.

“But when a mistake is found, it should be corrected, don’t you think? Turning a blind eye isn’t right…”

“I doubt it’s a mistake you can correct, my lady.”

“…What did you say?”

“Well, what would someone from a country where all they know is archery understand? I get it.”

His deliberate and over-the-line mockery finally cracked Duha’s calm demeanor.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing…”

“So, either I misheard, or you have no sense. It’s one of the two.”

“What do you mean no sense?”

“But since I couldn’t have misheard, it must be that you have no sense.”

“You’re speaking quite rudely…”

Thud-

“Ahhh!”

With a dull thud, Vail screamed and collapsed forward.

The Duchess had kicked the insolent stable manager between the legs.

Episode 8 – Episode 10