Chapter 112: Checkmate
by rosalie“Count Cornwell, you’ve arrived?”
Albert greeted him, but Cornwell barely acknowledged it as he barged into the Graham mansion. Following behind him, a group of inspectors from the Ministry of Finance stormed in. Some of them, while carrying boxes, even managed to break an expensive vase.
The staff who were busy with their tasks widened their eyes in shock. The maids, who had just finished meticulously cleaning the lobby, frowned at the sight of dozens of muddy shoe prints defiling their work.
But none of this mattered to Cornwell. His sole focus was on the ledgers of the household.
“Uncle! Aunt! Baron Graham, where are you?”
The young man’s voice echoed loudly through the spacious lobby. But there was no response.
“What is this? I came knowing they’d be home today!”
Muttering irritably, Cornwell made his way to the study on the second floor. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the second-floor hallway, only to find it empty, except for the study door, which was wide open.
From the doorway, he could see Douglas Graham, the Baron, seated at his desk. Beside him, Lady Naomi was serving tea.
Cornwell’s lips curled into a crooked grin, and he hurried toward the study.
“Count Cornwell. Halt.”
A cold, low voice stopped him in his tracks.
A tall, imposing man stepped out from behind the open door.
“…Your Grace, Duke Auguste?”
“Ah, I’m glad you recognize me.”
“W-why are you here, Your Grace?”
“I came to play chess with my father-in-law.”
“Yes?”
Indeed, as Cornwell glanced into the study, he saw a chessboard neatly set up on the table.
Cornwell was dumbfounded. He had never imagined Duke Auguste would be at his in-laws’ residence.
What kind of nobleman maintains such close ties with his wife’s family?
For a duke to visit his wife’s family alone, without his wife, was incomprehensible to Cornwell’s sense of propriety.
Just one step.
‘The goal is right there!’
Yet, Cornwell couldn’t cross the threshold.
He tried to catch Baron Graham’s gaze over the duke’s shoulder, standing on tiptoes, but the baron was leisurely chatting with his wife.
‘How can he be smiling at a time like this? I need to confiscate the evidence immediately!’
As Cornwell began to sweat nervously, Xavier turned his gaze to the group of inspectors standing behind Cornwell, each holding a box, and asked,
“So you’ve become an inspector and brought these men all the way here?”
“Yes, I also have an official document.”
Cornwell confidently presented the official document issued by Count Willem, the Minister of Finance, directly to Xavier.
The seal on the document was genuine, but Xavier casually brushed the paper aside with his hand.
“How dare you come to my father-in-law’s house?”
“……”
“Besides, this is the Pins territory.”
A murderous glint flickered in the duke’s otherwise composed face. But despite the fear that crept into Cornwell, he couldn’t let go of the opportunity.
“Y-Your Grace, please step aside. I have an official document.”
“No one tells me to step aside. Not even His Majesty has ever said such a thing to me.”
Least of all, you?
Xavier’s teal eyes seemed to say exactly that. They warned that if Cornwell dared to cause a scene in front of him, his head would roll.
“……”
“Percy Cornwell, wait your turn. My father-in-law and I have a prior engagement.”
“B-but as an inspector, I must carry out my duties according to the law!”
Cornwell’s ambition overcame his fear of Xavier’s aura. Turning his body, he grabbed Xavier’s arm and began shouting loudly.
“Your Grace! There’s a report that Baron Graham has hidden assets and evaded taxes by underreporting revenue! This is a very serious matter that must be investigated!”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Wh-what…?”
Cornwell’s babbling mouth closed automatically. Xavier was holding one of the Graham family’s ledgers in his hand.
“Why… why do you have that, Your Grace?”
“This? I was waiting for someone to arrive and, out of sheer boredom, picked up a random book to read.”
“!”
“And it just so happened to be this ledger?”
Xavier closed the ledger, tucked it under his left arm, and smirked.
“My, I’ve kept my father-in-law waiting too long. Since you’re here, feel free to proceed with your business.”
With that, he swiftly moved to the sofa, crossed his legs, and sat down.
“Ah.”
It seemed Xavier had made up his mind to toy with the impatient Cornwell. He pulled the ledger from under his arm and placed it on his knee.
As Cornwell’s neck turned red with frustration, the Ministry of Finance employees began to murmur.
“Inspector, shouldn’t we retrieve that?”
“I know that!”
But how could he retrieve something sitting on the knee of that terrifying Swordmaster and high-ranking noble?
How on earth?
At that moment, Cornwell became certain that even if the emperor himself were present, he wouldn’t be able to take that ledger easily.
＊
“This can’t be.”
I was too late.
The Graham mansion’s once spotless entrance and lobby, where even the floors reflected your face, were now a mess of black shoe prints.
Documents were scattered everywhere, and shards of broken vases littered the floor. The staff, pale-faced, were cleaning up the chaos.
“Father, Mother!”
Panicking, I ran around the mansion, searching for my parents.
They weren’t in the first-floor drawing room, so I hurriedly climbed the stairs to the study on the second floor.
“My lady, please slow down! You might trip!”
Maya’s voice calling after me was drowned out by my worry for my parents.
I imagined the brutish Cornwell intimidating them, and a chill ran down my spine.
My mother, who had lived her life tending flowers as a noble, and my father, though seasoned from his business ventures, were both kind-hearted people.
‘Mother might be crying. Father too.’
As I finally reached the top of the stairs, I saw that the study door was wide open, just as I had feared.
“Mother, Father…!”
I burst into the study, only to freeze in place.
The scene before me was overwhelming.
The study floor was covered in documents. Books were scattered haphazardly on the carpet, and even one of the bookshelves was tilted precariously.
My father looked distressed.
It seemed serious, but… something felt off.
“Father-in-law, checkmate.”
“Oh, I lost again. Let’s play another round.”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
What?
Xavier, arms crossed, and my father were staring intently at the chessboard.
Why is Xavier here?
“Douglas, you need to read the flow of the entire board!”
My mother, sitting beside my father, was offering advice.
“I know that, but what can I do when my son-in-law plays so well?”
My s-son-in-law?
“Let’s stop now. This is already the fifth game. Our Duke Xavier must be hungry!”
Our Duke?
I was so stunned by how close the three of them seemed that I couldn’t even make my presence known.
“Oh, Yuria!”
It was my mother who first noticed me. She stood up from my father’s side and rushed to the door.
“Mother, why is Xavier here? No, more importantly, are you okay?”
“Of course. Thanks to our Duke Xavier, I feel completely relieved. Hohoho.”
“My daughter’s here!”
My father, who had been playing chess, greeted me with a bright smile. Even Xavier, upon noticing me, gave a sheepish grin.
Why is everyone so cheerful?
And why is Xavier suddenly at my family home?
My anxiety turned into confusion.
“Why is Xavier here? Aren’t you busy?”
“I didn’t expect you to come here today.”
Xavier avoided my gaze, looking uncomfortable. The more he avoided eye contact, the more suspicious he seemed.
“I went to the trading company to meet Joseph and ran into Count Cornwell. Realizing something was wrong, I rushed here…”
“You went to the trading company? I didn’t think of that.”
“What?”
As I waited for Xavier’s explanation, my mother gently took my arm and guided me to the sofa.
“Yuria, sit down. We’ll explain everything.”
“Alright.”
“Yes, take a seat. It’s understandable that you’re surprised.”
Even my father offered me a seat, so I reluctantly sat next to Xavier. The identical smiles on all three of their faces were almost eerie.
“Why are you all smiling? Are you in shock because the inspector barged in?”
“Quite the opposite, actually.”
“The opposite?”
As I asked, all three of them nodded in unison.
My mother placed her hand on mine and began to speak.
“Several days ago, Xavier came to us late at night. He brought a box of macarons.”
“A box of macarons?”
He came to see my parents with macarons a few days ago? That was the day I was sick.
I glanced at Xavier, who was sitting beside me, but he kept his eyes fixed on the chessboard.
“Xavier told us he had received information from his sources that an inspector would raid the trading company and our home.”
“Thanks to our son-in-law, we were able to prepare.”
My father casually referred to him as ‘son-in-law,’ which made me feel embarrassed as I asked,
“But Father, if you were prepared, why was the trading company in such chaos? Joseph was even pushed by Count Cornwell. The employees were bruised from being hit by the Ministry of Finance people.”
“Joseph and the employees must have acted well.”
“Acted?”
“Yes. We had to make it look convincing so Cornwell wouldn’t suspect anything. They’re determined to tarnish the Graham name, so we couldn’t just sit back and take it.”
So that’s why Joseph seemed like he wanted to tell me something.
“I see.”
Nodding in agreement with my father’s words, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘Then, is that why I haven’t been able to see Xavier lately…?’
As my gaze narrowed, Xavier cleared his throat awkwardly and began to explain.
“You weren’t feeling well at first, and after you recovered, you were busy researching with Dr. Daniel and preparing for your business. I didn’t want you to worry, so I planned to tell you after everything was resolved. I didn’t expect you to go to the trading company first.”
“Are you apologizing right now?”
“In a way, yes.”
Xavier awkwardly looked up at the ceiling, then exchanged glances with my parents. My mother, catching his affectionate gaze, immediately sided with him.
“Yuria, don’t be too hard on him. Xavier worked tirelessly for days, organizing the trading company’s documents and our household’s records to prepare for the inspection.”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for our son-in-law, all our confidential documents and know-how would have ended up in Cornwell’s hands. We would’ve been falsely accused of tax evasion, too.”
“…Oh.”
So he was coming here every day, even with his busy schedule?