The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 112

The next day, Jerry followed Fred again, then returned slightly earlier to Fred’s house and slipped inside the hut.

There was nothing to gain by sticking to Fred’s side, so he intended to search the house while Fred was gone.

Originally, Jerry’s role was only to observe him from a distance….

But in any case, Jerry needed some kind of clue, and he had no other choice.

The inside of the hut where Fred lived was filled with all kinds of trash.

“Ugh, this piece of trash….”

Jerry’s own room wasn’t exactly clean either, but Fred was the trash. That was what mattered.

Since he found nothing significant in the room, Jerry remained in the hut for quite a while.

After struggling for a long time in the filthy hut, he finally discovered a large bundle of money in what appeared to be a secret space Fred had carefully hidden.

Banknotes issued by a civilian bank weren’t something commoners could casually possess. And what was this enormous amount…?

Jerry counted the banknotes first. One untouched bundle contained fifty notes. There were two bundles, totaling an astonishing 1,000 solids!

Of course, one bundle was slightly loose, as Fred had taken a few notes from it.

As Jerry held the large bundles of money and tried to guess their origin, the sound of someone approaching came from afar.

He quickly returned the money to its place and calculated his escape route while peering outside through a gap in the window.

A man who looked like a friend stood beside Fred.

“Hey. What do you mean by that? You’re saying you won’t send her to Baron Hayek? You think you can just pretend it never happened now?”

Their heated conversation reached Jerry’s ears clearly, as if they were speaking right beside him.

***

Half a month earlier.

After visiting the Calley mansion and meeting his younger sister, Fred cursed as he looked at the money he’d taken from Sheila.

“That rat-like bitch.”

At first, he’d been blinded by the money and didn’t think deeply, but the more he thought about it, the more it irritated him.

If she truly didn’t want him to take the money, she would have hidden the pouch inside the mansion. There was no reason to bring it out.

She’d deliberately provoked him with small change and then intentionally dropped the pouch of gold coins.

As if telling him to take that and get lost.

Still, Fred’s expression wasn’t bad. In fact, a strange smile formed on his lips.

He’d already squeezed enough money from her to enjoy himself for several days, and once Sheila returned home before getting married, all the money she’d saved would eventually belong to him anyway.

Without even distinguishing between indoor and outdoor clothes, Fred brushed off the clothes he’d slept in and ran his fingers through his hair before leaving the house to head to the casino.

Because of his habit of sleeping late, it was already nearly noon.

“So, did you have a good time meeting your sister?”

That was when Ernest came looking for Fred.

“Oh! Ernie!”

Fred greeted him warmly.

Judging by his clothes, he seemed to have stepped out briefly during his lunch break.

Remembering the ten denises he’d borrowed the day before yesterday, Fred handed him a coin.

“Well spent.”

He’d almost forgotten, so it was fortunate.

Ernest was well-connected and the village’s main source of information, so it was important to stay on his good side.

“Your sister… is she doing well?”

After pocketing the money, Ernest casually asked about Sheila.

“Of course. She grew up very well,” Fred replied.

Seeing her after several years, her face and body had both matured beautifully. There seemed no risk her value would be lowered.

“She said she’ll settle things within a month and return here.”

“That’s good.”

Ernest showed a friendly smile.

“How are things on your side?”

Fred asked about the situation with the Hayek family.

“Not yet.”

Ernest shook his head. There hadn’t been any real progress in just two days.

“By the way, where are you going now? Don’t tell me the casino? You lost everything last time.”

Fred, who had been left penniless two days earlier as Ernest said, spoke with smug pride, “Sheila handed over some money she’d saved up since her brother came from far away.”

In reality, Fred lived more comfortably on the money Sheila gave him than the miners who worked to support their families. Yet Ernest, merely a laborer in the mine, often pricked Fred’s fragile pride.

“At most, it’s only four or five solids, isn’t it? Forget it. You’ll just lose money playing with that kind of small change. Use it for living expenses, and when the deal goes through, we’ll hit something big. Anyway, I’m going.”

As Ernest turned away, Fred’s face twisted, clutching the three solids in his hand.

“That bastard…!”

Normally, he would’ve brushed it off, but knowing he would soon sell Sheila and get a large sum, Fred already felt like he was someone important.

“Once I hit it big, I should leave this place….”

Suppressing his anger, Fred headed toward the casino.

Thinking it might be good to leave here and move to the region where Baron Hayek lived….

Emboldened by the thought of gaining a large sum soon, Fred lost all three solids in a single day.

“Forget it. You’ll just lose money playing with that kind of small change.”

Ironically, Ernest’s words came to mind as he left the casino.

As Ernest said, you needed capital to win money.

It was all because he was born into a poor family.

Turning away from the busy street, Fred kicked a stone lying on the roadside.

Having eaten only one meal and spent the rest gambling, Fred didn’t even have money for alcohol and headed home.

Still, he had about five denises left at home, enough to survive for a few days.

“No… maybe I should go to the tavern and try doubling it?”

He didn’t have enough money for the casino, but playing cards casually with old men at his usual tavern might work.

As Fred wondered how and where he’d spend the next day, a heavy blow struck the side of his head with a thud, and he collapsed.

***

Splash!

A bucket of cold water was poured over Fred’s head as he sat tied to a chair.

“Ghk! Ugh!”

Fred sputtered wildly as he regained consciousness.

With his vision blurred by water, Fred began to beg.

“W-who are you? Why are you doing this to me? You’ve got the wrong person… please spare me… spare me….”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of dirtying my hands with your filthy blood.”

An arrogant voice echoed from in front of him.

“Who are you to do this to me…!”

As the water dripped away and his vision cleared, a tall man came into view.

He was strikingly handsome, enough to intimidate other men, and exuded an aristocratic, arrogant aura.

‘No way…?’

Among the nobles Fred had heard about through rumors, there was only one with such an arrogant aura and strikingly handsome appearance.

“My name is Cedric Calley.”

Cedric revealed his name without hesitation.

Once he came to his senses, Fred realized he was tied up inside his own hut.

“Y-you… Y-young Count, why are you doing this…!”

Even after confirming the identity of the man before him, Fred couldn’t calm himself.

It was because of the murderous aura Cedric radiated.

“Two days ago, you laid hands on my maid.”

“C-could it be… you mean my sister, Sheila?”

Smack!

With just one slap, stars exploded in his vision, and his body tied to the chair toppled to the right.

“Aaagh! My arm! My arm! Aaaagh!”

As the chair fell with him, crushing his right arm, Fred screamed.

“You’re noisy.”

At Cedric’s signal, Rufus cut the ropes binding Fred with a knife.

While Rufus righted the chair, Fred rolled on the floor clutching his crushed arm.

“Move aside.”

Cedric gave the brief order to his secretary, then kicked Fred’s abdomen as he lay on the floor.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

“Listen carefully. There’s only one reason I untied you. You need to sign the document I brought.”

There had been no report that Fred was left-handed, so he must be right-handed. To prevent any excuses later, Cedric needed a proper signature with an uninjured hand.

After explaining why he untied him, Cedric kicked Fred’s stomach again.

“Ghk! Urgh!”

“This is a warning. Sheila’s name must never leave that filthy mouth again. Get up.”

After delivering the warning, Cedric ordered Rufus, and Rufus forced Fred to kneel.

Clutching his injured arm against his stomach, Fred curled his body and raised his head.

“Just because you’re a noble, does that mean you can break into someone else’s home and beat them?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

As Fred was left speechless by Cedric’s matter-of-fact reply, Cedric struck his head with his foot.

“Ugh!”

“But trash like you seems fine.”

Fred sobbed while lying face down on the floor.

“Please spare me… please… why… sob….”

“Are you crying already?”

Cedric remembered Sheila brushing off her clothes and returning to the mansion as if nothing happened after Fred hit her.

He had only struck the same places she’d been hit, yet this man cried.

Of course, the spot Cedric kicked was coincidentally where the men tailing him had struck him with a brick to knock him unconscious.

“I don’t intend to kill you, so answer my questions. What did you say to Sheila when you came to my mansion the day before yesterday?” Cedric asked again.

“Oh dear, that must hurt. He already knows most of it, so you’d better tell the truth. Unless you want to be beaten more.”

Rufus forced Fred to kneel again and offered his own advice.

“I just….”

Taking the advice to heart, Fred spoke carefully, “I told her she’d done enough as a maid and should quit and return home. She’s also old enough to marry.”

“Marry…?”

A murderous glint returned to Cedric’s eyes.