At the Earl of Markwood's estate...
The Earl of Markwood has received a messenger from the Duke of Walther.
The Count replied, "Well, I'll see him," but inwardly he was overjoyed.
Recently, he was being made fun of more and more in the aristocratic society.
At last, the wind was blowing for me again--that's what I thought.
But...
I don't think that's what this is about,
"What the...? The Duchy of Wolter welcomes my maid?"
Its price is 100 million gold.
And it's an annual salary. You pay it every year.
The old man who came as a messenger was not humble, even though he was a count. He is the duke's representative.
"Well. I'd like you to drop the unfair bounty on Nina-dono. This makes her look like a criminal."
"What? You don't know what that maid has done, so you can't say that! She's done a lot more than commit a crime!"
The Count glances at the head butler and head maid in the corner of the room.
They did not look at the Count, but stared at the opposite wall.
At least agree to it," the Count said irritably, turning his gaze back to the messenger.
"So, let me ask you this, Nina, you've committed a crime against the laws of the kingdom and you're living on the run?"
"Oh, yeah... that's what I meant."
"Kingdom law, as I recall, allows for fines for all but certain serious crimes, such as murder and direct harm to nobles?"
"Yeah, um."
Was that so? I don't know - the Count looked at the head butler, who nodded "yes" this time.
"Well, yes."
"Then the Duke of Walther is willing to shoulder the fine. Give me the details of the crime. I'll calculate the amount."
"What the hell?"
When the messenger raises his hand, a subordinate standing beside him takes the cloth from the silver tray.
There was a pile of gold coins from the Duchy of Walther.
It was truly a dazzling golden light.
(What, why? Why does Duke Walther care so much about that annoying maid?)
The Earl of Markwood doesn't know what Nina and the others have done in the Izumi Mine.
In fact, I don't even know about the mining accident.
Therefore, even when he met the messenger, he did not express his condolences about the mine in his initial greeting - unless he did it on purpose, as a nobleman, it was like exposing his "lack of information and study".
(Oh, yeah! Tweed-sama!)
The Count knows that Nina, the maid, has been entertaining Tweed.
And that Tweed said he wouldn't come here anymore without Nina.
On the flip side, if the Duke of Walther gets Nina, the Twi'leeds will come to the Duchy of Walther every year.
(That's where I see the value of 100 million gold.)
Even the Earl of Markwood can do that kind of calculation.
Otherwise, no matter how good the maids are, they won't be able to survive in aristocratic society.
The Count was too proud.
"...but that maid belongs to my family. If she gives up the gold, she'll question my insight."
The messenger stared at the Earl of Markwood.
(What the...? His eyes. Like he's judging me. That's annoying!)
And the messenger said,
"So you're saying you're going to throw away Duke Walther-sama's kindness?"
"It's not a favor. It's my duty as head of the family to supervise the servants. That's all."
"Here, I have a letter from King Crescente."
"!?"
The name of King Crescente came out of nowhere - in other words, the name of the top of the country that Count Markwood can't go against no matter what.
"It is true that the Earl of Markwood has abandoned the maid, and it is also true that a bounty has been placed on her head to bring her back under some suspicion. I cannot bear to see such an abomination, and if you make any further comments about the maid, I will give the Duke of Walther the right to employ her, jurisdiction over her, and everything else."
"Wha...?"
"I probably don't need to tell you this, but the bounty you deposited will be deposited in the treasury. Well, it's a small price to pay compared to the 100 million gold."
"!!!?!?"
The rule in the Kingdom of Crescente is that if you put a bounty on someone in order to get them to search widely, the money must actually exist, so the bounty must be deposited in the country once.
This is called a deposit.
The king would not return the deposit to the Earl of Markwood, he said.
For the Count, this means that Nina has not been found and the bounty has been taken away.
The Earl of Markwood's eyes were black and white, but the messenger stood up. His men have already covered the gold coins with cloth.
The Count was stunned when he said goodbye.
"...Ha!"
The Count came to his senses only after the messengers had left the house.
"Head butler! Chief maid!"
"Ha, ha."
"What the hell is this?"
The Count slammed his fist into the table with a thud.
They have no idea what it means.
"Find out right now! What did this Nina maid do? And what about the Duchy of Walther! Now! Move now!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Yes?"
The head butler ran out of the room without a word of thanks, and the maidservant, who had no way of gathering information, ran away because staying here would only bring lightning.
The Earl of Markwood has received a messenger from the Duke of Walther.
The Count replied, "Well, I'll see him," but inwardly he was overjoyed.
Recently, he was being made fun of more and more in the aristocratic society.
At last, the wind was blowing for me again--that's what I thought.
But...
I don't think that's what this is about,
"What the...? The Duchy of Wolter welcomes my maid?"
Its price is 100 million gold.
And it's an annual salary. You pay it every year.
The old man who came as a messenger was not humble, even though he was a count. He is the duke's representative.
"Well. I'd like you to drop the unfair bounty on Nina-dono. This makes her look like a criminal."
"What? You don't know what that maid has done, so you can't say that! She's done a lot more than commit a crime!"
The Count glances at the head butler and head maid in the corner of the room.
They did not look at the Count, but stared at the opposite wall.
At least agree to it," the Count said irritably, turning his gaze back to the messenger.
"So, let me ask you this, Nina, you've committed a crime against the laws of the kingdom and you're living on the run?"
"Oh, yeah... that's what I meant."
"Kingdom law, as I recall, allows for fines for all but certain serious crimes, such as murder and direct harm to nobles?"
"Yeah, um."
Was that so? I don't know - the Count looked at the head butler, who nodded "yes" this time.
"Well, yes."
"Then the Duke of Walther is willing to shoulder the fine. Give me the details of the crime. I'll calculate the amount."
"What the hell?"
When the messenger raises his hand, a subordinate standing beside him takes the cloth from the silver tray.
There was a pile of gold coins from the Duchy of Walther.
It was truly a dazzling golden light.
(What, why? Why does Duke Walther care so much about that annoying maid?)
The Earl of Markwood doesn't know what Nina and the others have done in the Izumi Mine.
In fact, I don't even know about the mining accident.
Therefore, even when he met the messenger, he did not express his condolences about the mine in his initial greeting - unless he did it on purpose, as a nobleman, it was like exposing his "lack of information and study".
(Oh, yeah! Tweed-sama!)
The Count knows that Nina, the maid, has been entertaining Tweed.
And that Tweed said he wouldn't come here anymore without Nina.
On the flip side, if the Duke of Walther gets Nina, the Twi'leeds will come to the Duchy of Walther every year.
(That's where I see the value of 100 million gold.)
Even the Earl of Markwood can do that kind of calculation.
Otherwise, no matter how good the maids are, they won't be able to survive in aristocratic society.
The Count was too proud.
"...but that maid belongs to my family. If she gives up the gold, she'll question my insight."
The messenger stared at the Earl of Markwood.
(What the...? His eyes. Like he's judging me. That's annoying!)
And the messenger said,
"So you're saying you're going to throw away Duke Walther-sama's kindness?"
"It's not a favor. It's my duty as head of the family to supervise the servants. That's all."
"Here, I have a letter from King Crescente."
"!?"
The name of King Crescente came out of nowhere - in other words, the name of the top of the country that Count Markwood can't go against no matter what.
"It is true that the Earl of Markwood has abandoned the maid, and it is also true that a bounty has been placed on her head to bring her back under some suspicion. I cannot bear to see such an abomination, and if you make any further comments about the maid, I will give the Duke of Walther the right to employ her, jurisdiction over her, and everything else."
"Wha...?"
"I probably don't need to tell you this, but the bounty you deposited will be deposited in the treasury. Well, it's a small price to pay compared to the 100 million gold."
"!!!?!?"
The rule in the Kingdom of Crescente is that if you put a bounty on someone in order to get them to search widely, the money must actually exist, so the bounty must be deposited in the country once.
This is called a deposit.
The king would not return the deposit to the Earl of Markwood, he said.
For the Count, this means that Nina has not been found and the bounty has been taken away.
The Earl of Markwood's eyes were black and white, but the messenger stood up. His men have already covered the gold coins with cloth.
The Count was stunned when he said goodbye.
"...Ha!"
The Count came to his senses only after the messengers had left the house.
"Head butler! Chief maid!"
"Ha, ha."
"What the hell is this?"
The Count slammed his fist into the table with a thud.
They have no idea what it means.
"Find out right now! What did this Nina maid do? And what about the Duchy of Walther! Now! Move now!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Yes?"
The head butler ran out of the room without a word of thanks, and the maidservant, who had no way of gathering information, ran away because staying here would only bring lightning.