One week later, amid a heavy snowfall like goose feathers, the Camberlan Family finally set the date for this year’s winter hunt.
The winter hunt was a tradition in Camberlan City. Every year at this time, the Camberlan Family led people out of the city to hunt. It was said that this tradition commemorated the family’s ancestors who had opened up the land and settled here, but nowadays, no one really cared about that anymore.
On the day of the winter hunt, Xiliya hid in her room and watched through the window as teams of carriages rumbled grandly from the courtyard toward the north of the city. Only then did she relax and withdraw her gaze.
With Ximo’s help, it was much easier for her to move around the residence during such opportunities. Moreover, all the servants in the residence had gone out today as well—this was the perfect chance for her to act.
She just hoped that the idiot maid Ximo wouldn’t get bullied by Malisi… Xiliya still remembered that in her previous life, nothing pleasant had happened during the winter hunt. That brat Malisi had caused her no small amount of trouble.
At that moment, Ximo sat in the carriage heading out of the city. After listening to the system’s introduction to this mission’s plot, she smiled amiably at Malisi sitting across from her. This time, her mission depended on this brat to succeed.
Once the carriages disappeared from sight, Xiliya returned to the study on the top floor of the residence. After the previous incident, Masha had started carrying the study’s key with her—but Xiliya had secretly made a copy when she took it last time.
The study was no different from before. Xiliya checked it carefully, just like last time. Although she had found Masha’s smuggling ledger here previously, this time she was looking for something else.
Xiliya couldn’t help but recall her mother’s smile and the pair of jasmine flower earrings that had dangled beside her mother’s ear.
Xiliya had once asked her mother why she always wore those earrings. Her mother had gently replied, “These are very important to Mama. Perhaps one day you’ll have the chance to know what they represent.”
Thus, Xiliya knew how important those earrings were to her mother. Later, when sorting through her belongings after her death, Xiliya discovered the earrings were missing and grew extremely anxious, but she could never figure out where they had gone.
As for why she was certain Masha had taken them—because while studying at the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, Xiliya had received a package from the Camberlan Family.
The package contained her mother’s most precious keepsake, those earrings. But by the time it reached Xiliya, the earrings had been deliberately damaged.
That was the most direct time Xiliya had felt Masha’s malice. So in this life, she decided to retrieve her mother’s belonging before reporting Masha, lest Masha tamper with it again.
The most likely places Masha would hide things were the study or her own bedroom. Xiliya searched the study thoroughly, paying special attention to the bookshelves and other spots she hadn’t checked last time, but she found nothing.
It seemed they weren’t here… Before leaving, Xiliya went back and took the smuggling ledger from the hidden compartment, planning to check it once more.
The ledger still lay intact in the hidden compartment, so Masha clearly didn’t know she had discovered it. Xiliya flipped through it casually. The latest entry was from the Textile Merchant Guild’s previous smuggling operation—Masha had been keeping records all along.
Xiliya finished flipping through the ledger and was about to put it back when her gaze was drawn to the very last entry.
The ledger recorded the time and quantity of every smuggling operation, but the most recent one…
Xiliya frowned. According to Masha’s notes, the Textile Merchant Guild’s last smuggling shipment had been at ten in the morning a week ago, with three crates of expensive silk transported out… But that didn’t match up, did it?
Xiliya recalled Sifuke’s report. She clearly remembered Sifuke saying it was three in the afternoon, with five extra crates on the Textile Merchant Guild’s carriages. This didn’t align with what Masha had recorded.
Xiliya froze, suddenly realizing something. A chill ran down her spine.
She trusted that Sifuke hadn’t lied to her, and Masha wasn’t the type to make accounting errors… That left only one explanation: Masha had deliberately falsified the records. All the entries in this ledger might be fake!
Masha truly lived up to her reputation as an old fox. Who would have thought the ledger hidden in her study would be a fake one? Xiliya felt a lingering fear. Fortunately, in this life, she had unexpectedly gained Sifuke’s trust and learned about the Textile Merchant Guild’s smuggling from her.
She could already imagine what would happen if she presented this ledger as evidence of Masha’s smuggling when the imperial envoy arrived.
Even if Masha insisted it was just something she wrote for fun, Xiliya would have no way to counter her—since all the records were fake anyway. Masha had deliberately hidden this fake ledger in the compartment as a trap for anyone who might investigate her!
Xiliya calmly put the ledger back. She hadn’t expected Masha to be so cautious, even fabricating a fake ledger to guard against potential investigators who might not even exist. This meant all her previous efforts were back to square one.
Leaving the study, Xiliya put the matter out of her mind. Her main goal today wasn’t to catch Masha’s little tail. Since the study had no trace of her mother’s keepsake, she would check Masha’s bedroom next.
But just as she descended from the top floor, Xiliya heard footsteps from around the corner of the corridor. With quick reflexes, she pulled open a nearby door and slipped inside.
There were still people in the residence? Xiliya was puzzled. Logically, Masha should have taken all the servants for the winter hunt. Why was anyone still here?
Xiliya cracked the door open slightly and saw the maid Annaer talking to another maid.
“You lot always forget to clean the windows at the end of the corridor. Go call a couple more people and wipe all the windows in the residence’s corridors right now.”
“Madam specially left half the servants here so we could do a thorough cleaning of the residence during the winter hunt. Make sure you work carefully. Understood?”
“Yes, Lady Annaer.”
As the two walked away, Xiliya frowned in confusion.
Left half the servants behind? For a big cleanup? Masha hadn’t mentioned this to her.
What surprised Xiliya was that in her previous life, Masha hadn’t left half the servants at home for a cleanup. Had she decided this on a whim this time?
No, Xiliya didn’t think it was that simple. Masha wouldn’t make a decision different from her previous life’s without reason. Leaving so many servants here definitely served some purpose.
After thinking for a moment, a conversation between Masha and Samuer from that night flashed in Xiliya’s mind.
Oh no—Ximo might be in danger!
