Clarice did not run, even after hearing that the head of House Elford was coming.
From early morning, she sat at the desk in the office, her golden hair tied back in a single tail. She spent her time lining up the records of old wheat transactions, but her quill was not flying across the page as it usually did.
The records of wheat leaving the Razgrim domain’s storehouses, the stubs of wheat entering merchant warehouses connected to House Elford, and the copies of payment confirmations left among the predecessor’s documents… Simply by overlaying those three, the story was clear. The wheat had gone out, and the money had moved. But the portion that was supposed to return to these storehouses was missing. Furthermore, the period when those supplies vanished overlapped perfectly with the time Clarice had been framed for embezzlement.
"Only my seal was left on them," Clarice said, her voice steady. "There was no name for the person who gave the order. Looking at the paperwork alone, it looked as if I had acted on my own. That’s why no one would listen to me."
Her voice was too calm, which made her words all the more painful to hear. Mylene paused while setting down the tea, but Clarice pretended not to notice, her finger pressing firmly against the edge of a document.
"A flimsy house indeed, if a daughter’s seal alone can move its carriages and merchant warehouses," I remarked.
Clarice gave a small, thin smile. "There was no one in that house who would say that for me."
"Well, I’ll say it today. In my manor, in front of my desk."
Just then, the gate bell rang. Outside the window, a carriage bearing the crest of House Elford had come to a stop. The man who stepped out had hair streaked with white; he was tall, and his clothes and shoes were impeccably maintained. But his eyes were cold. Rather than a father coming to fetch his daughter, he had the face of a merchant coming to reclaim a lost tool.
◇
When Lord Elford was shown into the hall, he did not look at Clarice first.
He looked at me, he looked at the manor, and he looked at the age of the chairs before finally turning his gaze toward his daughter. That sequence alone told me everything I needed to know. This man hadn't come to see to Clarice’s wounds. He had come to assess his family’s losses.
"Clarice, return home," he said. "Your place is not in a manor such as this. As for your departure due to a temporary misunderstanding, we shall settle that matter within the family."
Clarice’s fingers gripped the fabric of her sleeve. "Father… Will the suspicions against me be cleared?"
"That, too, is a matter to be discussed after you return. Making a scene in public will only stain the family name. If you are a daughter of Elford, you should understand what choice to make for the sake of the house."
"I intended to work for the sake of the house all along."
"Then continue to do so until the end. If you return, the ledgers will be settled. Those within the house will be satisfied as well."
There was no apology.
He made no mention of the fact that he had abandoned her at an inn or that he had spread malicious rumors. Return. Work. Shut up for the sake of the family. Even if the words were polite, that was the extent of his message.
I laughed.
Lord Elford’s brow twitched. "What is so amusing, Lord Razgrim?"
"No, I just thought the bond between parent and child is remarkably convenient. A criminal when you cast her out, but a daughter once you realize she’s useful."
"As a young man, you should not overstep into the internal affairs of another house. I have heard that House Razgrim is not currently a family with much room to maneuver. Turning a large house into an enemy can hardly be called a wise choice."
The air in the hall turned cold.
Mylene froze with the tray in her hands, and Clarice caught her breath. I took my fingers off the parchment on the desk and slowly raised my head.
"Did you just look down on me?"
Lord Elford’s mouth snapped shut.
"I had no such intention."
"‘Young man.’ ‘A family without room.’ ‘Don’t make an enemy of a large house.’ You looked down on me in a very easy-to-understand way, Lord Elford."
I grinned. I knew for myself that I was making a rather villainous expression.
"Don’t forget. This is the manor of House Razgrim, and I am the head of this house. I am not here to listen to you discipline your daughter. I am talking about the wheat and money that vanished from my domain. If you thought you could settle this by treating me like a child, I’ll take that attitude straight to the Merchant Guild."
The color drained slightly from Lord Elford’s face.
For the first time, the man looked at me properly. Not as some youngster keeping his daughter, but as the head of another house. He was late to the realization, but at least he’d noticed.
"…My apologies, Lord Razgrim."
"I’ll let the insult to me slide for now. However, the mud you smeared Clarice with and the shortage of wheat in my domain are separate matters."
I lined up three papers on the desk. The records of wheat leaving the Razgrim domain, the records of wheat entering the merchant warehouses on the Elford side, and the copy of the payment confirmation sent from House Elford at the time, which had been tucked away in the predecessor’s documents. On that final sheet, only Clarice’s seal had been pressed as the person in charge.
"This… why is this at House Razgrim?"
"It’s a copy sent from House Elford. It was sandwiched in my predecessor’s transaction records. For this to be the fault of a daughter alone, too many carriages, warehouses, and merchants were involved. If she were an embezzler, why would you beg for her return? And if she were innocent, why have you not apologized? If this can be settled as a ‘misunderstanding,’ did the missing wheat also vanish as a misunderstanding?"
Lord Elford remained silent.
Since he’s silent, that means this is working.
"…What do you want?" he finally asked in a low voice.
"First, issue a document clearing Clarice Elford of the embezzlement suspicions. Second, return the missing portion from the wheat transactions with the Razgrim domain. Third, from now on, our wheat will not pass through House Elford. Fourth, give me the name of the person who framed Clarice."
"Is that a threat?"
"It’s a transaction. If you don't like it, I’ll submit these copies to the Merchant Guild. Let’s see who feels safe doing business with a house whose numbers don't add up."
Lord Elford’s fingers trembled. The man who was unmoved by his daughter’s tears was moved by his credit as a merchant. Simple. I don’t dislike simple villains. It makes it easy to see where to crush them.
At that point, the father looked at Clarice.
"Clarice. Are you satisfied with this? Are you going to abandon your house?"
It was a cowardly way of putting it. The ones who abandoned her first were them. However, Clarice’s expression wavered. The desire to be recognized by her father likely hadn't vanished yet. If it could be cut off so easily, it wouldn't have been such a deep wound.
Even so, Clarice took a breath and looked up.
"Father. I will not return. In that house, my work became someone else’s achievement, and only the failures became mine. If I return, it will be the same again. I will work here. It makes me angry, but Vain looks at the work before he uses the person. Even if there are bad rumors, even if my status has fallen, he uses me because I am useful. That is why I am staying here."
Lord Elford’s eyes clouded with rage.
I pushed the parchment toward him.
"You said you wanted your daughter back. Far from returning her, you’ve ended up having to buy back the mud you threw at her. That was a bad trade, Lord Elford."
The man remained silent for a while, but eventually took an insignia from his breast pocket.
First, he pressed his seal on a document stating that the embezzlement suspicions against Clarice were temporarily withdrawn and would be reinvestigated within the house. It wasn't a complete apology, but the path to claiming Clarice was solely responsible had been broken. Next, he pressed his seal on a document promising the repayment of the missing wheat. He hesitated quite a bit on that one, but he must have judged it better than having the evidence submitted to the Merchant Guild.
"…Is this sufficient for today?"
"It’s not enough, but I’ll let you go home with that for today. Next time, bring the missing wheat and the name of the one who framed her."
Lord Elford looked at Clarice one last time. "You will regret this."
Clarice gripped her own fingers and looked him in the eye. "I already have. That’s why I won’t return to the same place."
That was the end of it.
The carriage made a heavier sound than when it arrived as it disappeared beyond the gate.
◇
Remaining in the hall, Clarice stared intently at the pressed seals.
She didn't cry. She didn't laugh, either. She simply placed her finger on the edge of the parchment and let out a long breath. Mylene said nothing as she set down some warm tea. Clarice wrapped her hands around the teacup and gave a small word of thanks.
"With this, they can’t treat you like an embezzler anymore," I said. "If they do, the wheat fraud will come to light along with it."
"You really use people’s wounds in a terrible way, don't you?"
"It’s not a wound, it’s evidence. I use what can be used. You’re already being used by me, so it’s a bit late for that."
Clarice looked at me with exasperation, but she smiled just a little.
"You’re the worst. But… today, maybe that was for the best."
She didn't look at the door. Her eyes weren't chasing her father’s carriage. Instead, she looked toward the office. The place where her desk was. The place where her work remained.
I gathered the papers left on the table.
"This will damage House Elford’s credit. The merchants will probably keep their distance for a while to see how things go."
"Do you really intend to ruin that house?" Clarice asked.
"They siphoned off my wheat and threw mud at my aide. If it ends with them merely being ruined, they’re getting off cheap."
Clarice drank her tea, her shoulders finally relaxing. "You say things like a villainous noble."
"It’s not ‘like’ one."
I grinned with a wicked expression.
"I am a villainous noble. I’ll make any house that lays a hand on what’s mine pay a high price."