Chapter 40: George’s secret
“What do you mean George can’t read?”
The interrogated head chef sighed before speaking.
“It’s just that. . .he seems to have trouble with keeping the books and writing contracts. He can do simple mental calculations, but he can’t write things down on paper.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can manipulate the numbers. Show me that ledger, please.”
Reluctantly, the head chef took out the ledger from the cupboard.
Diana scanned the ledger from top to bottom. According to the records, the price of wheat was set surprisingly higher than the market price. The same amount was written in the contracts as well.
“So, in other words, you’re saying that George verbally communicated a lower amount and paid that. And that he received the official amount reflected in the ledger from the innkeeper. Is that correct?”
The head chef nodded resignedly. George had been swindled by this man.
“This is. . .terrible.”
Leon was also furious beside her. The head chef cleared his throat and started again.
“Leon, can you read?”
“Of course. We have teachers coming to Pabst village during the off-season.”
“Then George should be able to read too, right?”
“. . .I think so. But since we have a significant age gap and never studied together, I can’t say for sure.”
“I see. He doesn’t have any visual impairment, does he?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him wearing glasses. . .”
“Then why can’t he read?”
[Shut up. . .What business is it of yours to worry about someone else’s illness.]
Diana pondered.
“Illness that prevents reading. . .?”
“I’ve never heard of such an illness.”
“Well. . .I heard about it a long time ago. The former king of the Eisenstadt Kingdom had that illness.”
“Huh? Such an illness exists?!”
Leon was not so much surprised as he was exasperated.
“Yes. That’s why the ancient king had high-ranking officials write documents on his behalf. It led to tampering with the documents necessary for the succession to the throne, causing a temporary split in the royal family. Don’t you remember this history?”
“I don’t know. I only learned reading, writing, and arithmetic. I never bothered with the history of neighboring countries.”
“I see. . .That’s why there’s a possibility that George has that illness.”
Diana turned forward with determination.
“That’s why, Head Chef, what you’ve been doing is fraud. We need to talk to George and get to the bottom of this. If we leave this head chef as he is, George will become a victim of another scam.”
Leon didn’t seem to harbor the same deep hatred for his older brother as before.
“. . .Yeah, you’re right. We owe him a little now.”
“Let’s go to George’s house. Oh. . .but maybe we should arrange a meeting first.”
“Bad timing. We missed each other.”
“Should we send a letter?”
“Hold on. Diana just mentioned an illness that prevents reading.”
“Oh, right. . .That’s true.”
Leon pondered.
“I see. So, all the brothers communicated verbally.”
“Do you have any idea about this?”
“He had a habit of ignoring letters and documents. I thought he was just looking down on us and ignoring them, but if that’s the case, the situation changes. . .”
“I see. There were some signs, huh?”
“That’s why we, the younger brothers, had to meet George directly whenever something happened. He wasn’t just playing pretend as king.”
Leon’s mind cleared up as he unraveled the mystery from the past. Diana thought hard, her mind spinning faster than usual.
Suddenly, the memory of the wedding came to her mind.
――Laura lost her hearing. . .
“Oh.”
Diana couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What’s wrong, Diana?”
“That means George couldn’t communicate with Laura-san, who lost her hearing, at all.”
Leon’s eyes widened.
“N-No way. . .Is that what happened?”
“Yes. That’s why George had no choice but to break up with Laura-san, I’m sure.”
“I can’t believe something like that. . .”
“It’s all just speculation, but. . .if this is true, they had a very unfortunate way of parting.”
Diana looked at the red rose syrup in front of her.
“. . .Roses, huh.”
Diana picked up the bottle.
“Laura-san, do you think she’ll like this?”
Leon was momentarily stunned, but he finally noticed something and nodded.
“. . .Should we take it with us?”
“Yes, let’s. Maybe we should ask George to give it to Laura-san.”
“I wonder if she’ll accept it willingly. From that grumpy older brother of mine.”
“If Laura-san still likes him, I’m sure she’ll accept it despite any complaints.”
“. . .Sigh. It’s embarrassing to imagine something like that.”
“Oh, really? It’s for our future. If no sisters-in-law come, it’ll be troublesome for us, not them.”
“Diana. . .I thought you were a romantic, but you’re surprisingly practical.”
“Fufufu. Either way, it’s also helping someone. . .Oh?”
From a distance, the sound of horses’ swift footsteps could be heard. Diana peeked out from the kitchen.
“Gustav and Onee-sama are coming on Regina! They’re back quite early.”
“Ah. . .So it didn’t work out after all. . .”
Leon scratched his head, looking troubled. Diana hurriedly rushed out to the inn’s entrance.
“Onii-sama! Onee-sama!”
With the determination to avoid a potentially chaotic situation, the younger sister went out.
And there. . .
Ilsa, dismounting from the horse, arrived with Gustav supporting her. It wasn’t the usual pasted-on smile on her face.
Diana and Leon were dumbfounded.
The couple, as if oblivious to their surroundings, gazed at each other, whispering secret words and laughing together. Diana and Leon exchanged glances.
“This. . .?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s. . .a great success, isn’t it. . .?”
The couple elegantly walked towards them and, upon spotting their younger sister, chuckled and said:
“Oh, Diana. I finally became Gustav’s wife.”
Diana nodded repeatedly and rubbed her eyes.
“Oh my, why are you crying, dear?”
Ilsa also smiled with a face that seemed about to burst into tears.
“I realized something. I wanted a husband who would act, not just give me things. Gustav responded to that properly. It seems that not having that situation before was the greatest misfortune for us as a couple.”
Ilsa gently held both of Diana’s hands, which still faintly smelled of roses.
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