Back in her room, Xiliya sat alone by the window, gazing at the scenery outside while pondering her situation.
So far, she had deftly resolved all the traps Masha had set for her.
But that wasn’t enough. Xiliya knew full well that her goal wasn’t just to avoid being bullied by Masha—she wanted to claim the position of family head openly and thoroughly topple Masha in the process.
Smuggling and colluding with beastmen—Xiliya was well aware of Masha’s crimes. She just lacked any evidence for now. With Masha’s offensive at a pause, it was time for her to strike back, wasn’t it?
Now, she needed to gather evidence of Masha’s guilt… Xiliya mulled over how to proceed. Since the City Guard’s files on the beastmen were useless, she would have to start with Masha herself.
“Master, your black tea.”
Following Xiliya’s instructions, Ximo brought over the black tea and added the right amount of cubed sugar to suit Xiliya’s taste, stirring it gently.
“Not bad. You’re improving.”
Xiliya took a light sip and offered her appraisal.
Ximo quietly smiled bitterly. Over this period, she had gradually grown accustomed to handling all sorts of maid duties—not to mention having the strict head maid Annaer around. Whenever Ximo wasn’t attending to Xiliya, she was basically undergoing Annaer’s rigorous training.
As Annaer had put it, since she was the young lady’s personal maid, she had to excel at everything and not bring shame to her lady.
“Over the next couple of days, there’s one more thing I need you to do. It’s time to make our move on Masha.”
Xiliya beckoned with a hooked finger, and Ximo obediently sat down beside her, watching as Xiliya pulled out the necklace she always wore close to her chest.
“You just need to keep Masha occupied for me,” Xiliya said in a gentle tone. “But make sure to protect yourself. If Masha bullies you, tell me about it afterward.”
“Okay, Master…”
Xiliya’s gentleness actually made Ximo a bit unaccustomed to it. The young lady, who was so focused on revenge, had been far too kind these past couple of days.
But on second thought… she was the one disguising herself as Xiliya to interact with Masha. Maybe Xiliya didn’t want her walking around in her likeness only to get bullied by Masha.
From the incident with Charles, Ximo had already seen that Xiliya was someone who didn’t hold grudges lightly.
—
The next day, Ximo—disguised as Xiliya—intercepted Masha in the corridor as she headed toward the study.
“Masha Au… Aunt, could we chat for a bit? There are some things about taking over the City Guard that I still don’t understand.”
“Sure,” Masha glanced at Ximo. “Let’s go. I’m heading to the study anyway.”
“How about the rear garden instead, Aunt Masha? I had Annaer prepare tea ahead of time.”
“That works too.”
Masha didn’t seem suspicious, so the two turned around and left the mansion’s top floor, one leading the other.
Not long after they departed, Xiliya slipped into the study silently and swiftly.
She closed the door behind her and locked it, letting out a small breath of relief. Entering the study in Camberlan Mansion wasn’t difficult for her—she was, after all, the Camberlan family’s young lady. The challenge was avoiding Masha’s eyes and ears while searching for something here.
Xiliya had to admit that, compared to her father Dos Camberlan, Masha was far more diligent when it came to managing the household. She spent most of her day in this room… Of course, that didn’t rule out the possibility that the study hid some of Masha’s unspeakable secrets.
Xiliya glanced around. The study’s furnishings hadn’t changed since Dos Camberlan’s time: rows of bookshelves lined with books that had never been touched—a facade for a “scholarly family.” Besides that, there was only the heavy solid-wood desk and the large recliner beside it.
The desk was covered in various files and papers. Xiliya approached calmly and began flipping through them. Most were minor trivial matters. Apart from the occasional beastman disturbances, Camberlan City was fairly peaceful on ordinary days.
Xiliya carefully restored the files, but her gaze was drawn to a thick ledger—Masha’s account book.
The Camberlan family oversaw two crucial aspects of city management: one was the City Guard, and the other was overseeing the import and export of goods from the major merchant guilds.
Every time a guild’s goods entered or left the city, they had to be inspected. The Camberlan family ensured no contraband slipped through, and they received copies of the transport ledgers to verify the accounts matched up. In theory, they held records of all merchant imports and exports in the city.
Of course, the City Guard handled the actual enforcement, but Masha still reviewed these matters. Any tricks she pulled would start from here.
The “City Guard Captain” position Masha had given her was essentially a sinecure; otherwise, Xiliya wouldn’t have bothered going to the City Guard to secure Sifuke’s promise to obey her orders at key moments.
Xiliya quickly skimmed the ledger, but as expected, there were no useful clues. All the entries showed legitimate, compliant shipments—smuggled goods wouldn’t be recorded here, naturally.
Xiliya frowned slightly. As she thought, dragging out Masha’s fox tail was no easy task. Masha wouldn’t hide incriminating evidence somewhere so easily accessible. Maybe such things weren’t even in the study.
But she still had time before her rendezvous with Ximo, so Xiliya settled in to search more thoroughly. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Mommy—” a childish voice called from outside. “Play with me!”
It was Malisi. Xiliya froze, eyeing the door warily as Malisi kept knocking.
Xiliya wasn’t worried about being spotted by Malisi. She had locked the door immediately upon entering. All she needed to do was wait quietly, make no sound, and Malisi would leave on her own.
“Mommy?”
But to Xiliya’s surprise, after the knocking failed, a clattering sound came from outside, followed by the jingle of a key sliding into the lock.
Oh no! Xiliya’s pupils contracted. Malisi had a key to the study? Something so important should have been kept on Masha’s person—why would she give it to a child?
No time to dwell on that now. Xiliya’s eyes swept the room frantically; she had to hide before the girl came in!
With a creak, the door swung open. Malisi, clutching a little bear plush, poked her head in curiously. The study was deathly quiet, with no sign of anyone.
Xiliya was curled up under the desk. The room’s simple layout and the urgency of the moment had left her no better option for hiding.
She didn’t dare breathe. The large desk enclosed her on three sides; Malisi wouldn’t spot her unless she came right up to it.
Malisi was looking for her mom. As long as Xiliya waited patiently, the little brat should leave once she saw Masha wasn’t there.
That was Xiliya’s thought—until the sound of Malisi’s pattering footsteps running into the study reached her ears the next second.
