Chapter 35 : Scuffle

“Are you sure you want to do this? Even if you don’t get to keep your share of the profits?”

“Ah.”

Alejandro nodded back to Zacharias with his cheek resting on his hand.

“We don’t want our involvement to be exposed when the diversion is discovered.If all the money we cashed in goes into their pockets, that would be the end of the investigation.”

“Understood. Then I’ll tell him that can spend all the money he cashes in as he pleases.”

Alejandro took one look at the report that Zacharias offered, then threw the paper directly into the fireplace and lit it on fire.

Summer or winter, regardless of the climate or temperature, Alejandro always burns documents related to his backroom work on the spot after he checks them.

And this time, after making sure the ashes were clean, he opened his mouth again.

“I guess the amount of money you stole is substantial. Well, it’s a matter of course, since the purpose is to harass them, isn’t it? Oh, yes. I want you to make secret accounts of the Reinalpha family.”

“Secret accounts, is it?”

“Yes. Keep it in the bottom of the accountant’s desk drawer. If an investigation were to take place and the books were discovered, neither the accountant, the administrator, and of course the head of the Marquise family would be able to explain the books. What kind of decision would the royal family’s tax department make in such a situation? Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

Zacharias put his hand on his chin, pondered for a moment, and then opened his mouth.

“..all right, sir. I’ll create it soon.”

“In that ledger, you should write down the details of the goods on the sunken merchant ship and the robbed cargo wagons. The Reinalpha family was secretly selling them behind their back while claiming to have been victimized. Fufu, vicious, isn’t it?”

Zacharias was about to open his mouth to answer when he noticed the noise outside and looked back behind him.

Alejandro also seemed to have noticed it. A doubtful look appeared on his face.

Zacharias, who hurriedly peeked back through the door, said, “Excuse me. It seems that one of the slaves has been roughly beaten, and I am trying to discipline him,” he reported to Alejandro.

“Ah, slaves. Oh, by the way, you’ve brought in a few new ones recently. I remember one of them used to work at your office.”

“Ah, Leon. He’s a very easy guy to use. He’s not very talkative, so you don’t have to worry about him leaking unnecessary information.”

“You’ve got to take care of it. You have to physically check when they come in and out.”

“Of course.. isn’t Alejandro-sama going to Natalia-sama’s again today?”

As he was about to leave the room, Zacharias, who had his hand on the doorknob, then turned around and asked.

“..I’m not going to go today. Maybe I’ll show up tomorrow or the day after.”

“That’s all right, sir, I’m sure she misses you.”

“..I hope so.”

Then the sound of the door closing rang.

Alejandro, who remained alone in the room, muttered to himself.

“Natalia, I don’t have to be the one to do it.”

In the fireplace, he stared at a bundle of reports that had burned out and turned to white ashes.

“I will, Natalia has to be the one.”

..

“What’s the fuss? You’re still exercising discipline.”

“Ah, Zacharias-sama. No, I’m already done with that one, and now this one.”

One of the servants, who had been spotted by Zacharias, hurriedly pointed at the man lying on the floor.

Nearby was an empty bucket, a rag, and a piece of paper strewn all over the wet floor.

“We were carrying papers to Zacharias-sama’s workroom when we bumped into him, and thanks to him, you see, we’re all drenched.”

“This is terrible.. and it’s a pre-processed document.”

From the looks of it, he was walking with tools in his hands, probably after cleaning, before bumping into her.

“I can’t just destroy it before I report it to Alejandro-sama. So pick up each piece carefully and let them dry.”

After a quick word to the servant, Zacharias’ gaze then turns to the slave crouched on the floor.

“You must be punished for causing all this trouble.”

As he said this, he looked down at him coldly, then he heard a familiar voice from behind.

“What is it, Zacharias-sama? Did your slave do something wrong?”

“..Theseus, huh? No, it’s this one.”

His eyes informed him of the devastation spreading over the floor.

Buckets rolling on the waterlogged floor, and a slave crouching.

The servants carefully peeled off each piece of paper that stuck to the floor.

Theseus nodded his head as if he had guessed what had happened.

“I see. This is not right. I must punish him properly. We must not let this happen again.”

“..can you do it? I have urgent business to attend to.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do.”

Zacharias has the job of forging the secret accounts, which he was assigned to earlier.

Leaving the preservation of the wet documents to the servants and the punishment of the slaves to Theseus, Zacharias returned to his office.

“Come on, get up. Come here.”

Theseus grabbed the hand of the slave, who was soaking wet himself, and roughly helped him to his feet and took him to his room.

He entered the room, locked the door behind him, and approached the slave with the whip in his hand.

Then he swung the whip down in front of the slave, making a loud noise. He swung the whip down two or three more times. The sound was so loud that it could have been heard by anyone outside the room or down the hall.

But the whip never hit the slave.

“That should be enough for the guys outside to hear.”

Then Theseus tossed the whip to the floor and the slave bowed deeply.

“Thank you for coming in. Unukan-dono.”

“Call me Theseus here.. as I suspected, you are a shadow guard sent by the Reinalpha Family.”

The slave, soaking wet all over, nodded in response to Theseus’ words, which came pouring out without questioning anyone.

“My name is Barthe, and I’m here because I needed to stall for some time.”

“I know. If it was him, he had already left the room while Barthe-dono was stalling time.”

“I see. I am glad to hear that. When we received word that an unexpected person was on his way to the room, both Leopoldo and I were in a panic.”

We owe the Strydom family again,?Barthe laughed bitterly.