Chapter 37 Tormented By The Pangs Of Conscience
When Sara returned to the main residence, she was informed that today's dinner would be attended by Marquis Grandchester, Robert, Rebecca, James, and Benjamin. It seemed to be the Marquis's intention. Moreover, they would be dining in the formal dining room, which was not usually used.
After finishing her preparations, Sara headed towards the formal dining room with Maria as her guide. Along the way, she met Robert and the bureaucrats. All 3 of them looked gloomy.
"Uncle, are you all right? You seem quite exhausted."
"Sara... I've never been so glad you're here today, and I've never thought it would be better if you were a boy."
For some reason, all 3 of them slumped their shoulders.
"Did you get scolded by Grandfather?"
"No, that's not it. The new ledger is easy to understand, and even Father's close associates have acknowledged it. The progress of our work is also better than expected, and we received praise."
"Isn't that good?"
"That's not our achievement, though."
"Well, I wwas just given the freedom to work under Uncle's discretion, so it's not my credit too. It's all thanks to Uncle's leadership."
"Sara, I'm not so shameless as to think that way..."
"The important thing is that the Grandchester territory is overcoming its crisis. Achievements don't matter at this point. What's more important is that the double-entry ledger was recognized. Without it, it's difficult to grasp the current situation accurately."
The presence or absence of a double-entry ledger makes a huge difference in understanding the current situation. It was the double-entry ledger that revealed the critical financial state of the Grandchester territory.
"There's a problem with that, too..."
"Weren't he acknowledged for it?"
"It was highly praised..."
"What's the problem, then?"
"It's because he asked who proposed it..."
"Ah, I see."
Then, James, who was walking behind them, started talking in a dark tone, "Sir Robert is trying to take credit for my work as the accountant..."
"Huh?"
"When explaining the management state of the territory, Sir Robert presented the balance sheet and income statement up to the second quarter to His Excellency the Marquis and his attendants. This is a document that Sara hastily prepared the other day to grasp the current situation of the Grandchester territory."
"Ah, I did make it, didn't I?"
The data clearly showed in numbers that there was a shortage of cash on hand and received bills compared to the issued bills. Sara didn't forget that either. Although it was still in the middle stage, she was thinking of creating data for the end of the third quarter soon. By the way, it was Sara who divided the year into 4 quarters.
"But Sir Robert said that I created that data."
"Well, we can't say that Sara made it, can we!"
James had tears in his eyes.
"So, is that causing trouble for Uncle?"
"It's not just that," Benjamin started to say.
"Is there something else?"
"His Excellency the Marquis also take pleasure in having the guild bear the cost of subjugating monsters near the magic stone mine?"
'I can see how this is going to unfold...'
"Uh, so it's like Mr. Ben's plan, right?"
"That's correct!"
Benjamin had already cried, his shoulders shaking.
"So, are you saying I threatened the guild members?"
"Please don't say something that sounds bad. We just acknowledged that there's a benefit for them too."
Currently, Sara understood the situation, but in the end, the 3 of them felt guilty for taking credit for someone else's work. It was evidence that they had a clear conscience.
"And, I feel sorry for the maids too. I didn't think Father would be so stubborn. Maria, I'm sorry, but can you tell the other maids that I apologized? I did tell them to deliver some sweets and flowers, but... I'm sure they're angry."
"It's okay, don't worry about it. As long as we're with Milady Sara, it's fun!"
"That's good."
"Honestly, today's work efficiency was the worst. Ben probably thinks so too, right?"
"Yeah, that's true. Preparing the necessary documents for report creation takes time, and we have to exchange pens and refill ink ourselves. Plus, we can't even get tea. We only got half the work done today. I bet other bureaucrats are saying the same thing."
'Ah, we're really relying on the maids, aren't we?'
"But unless we can convince Grandfather, we can't have the maids return to the office while he's staying here."
"That's true. Sara, sorry to ask, but can I have your some time after dinner?"
"That's fine, but is it okay to leave Grandfather unattended?"
"He must be tired, so I think he'll go to bed early today."
"I understand. Will the other bureaucrats be joining us too?"
""Please do.""
"Where will we meet?"
"Not the playroom in the office building, absolutely not!" A voice called out from behind. It seems Rebecca has joined us too.
"Or rather, what if His Excellency the Marquis or his attendants overhear us talking like this?"
"I just couldn't help it when I saw Sara's face."
"I understand how you feel, but we need to be careful, Rob. Your voices were pretty loud in the hallway."
"That's not good. I'll be more careful."
Rebecca, who had lowered her voice, replied, "My recommendation is the study room."
"The study room?"
"Yes, it's the room where I taught Rob and Arthur. It's connected to the library in the main house, but it's a room surrounded by bookshelves, so the sound doesn't leak out."
"Ah, that's a nostalgic place. Let's meet up later then. I'll bring the bureaucrats with me."
"Got it. Oh, and Maria, since we're at it, please call Eliza too. It's better if we have her talk to the office maids directly from Uncle."
"Understood, milady."
And with that, they all headed towards the dining room.
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