IHDOE Ch 85

Satina left Laura's shop and headed straight to the information guild.

Hedzel spoke the moment she entered the room.

[Hedzel] "I figured you would look for me, so I investigated in advance."

[Satina] "Did you catch her?"

[Hedzel] "Of course! It was a piece of cake. Missing someone who fled in the dead of night without a plan or backing would ruin our reputation as an information guild."

He continued.

[Hedzel] "We captured her alive while she was fleeing. Under questioning, she admitted to secretly copying several designs from Laura's sketchbooks and handing them over. The buyer paid her on the spot in cash."

[Satina] "Then no evidence remains."

[Hedzel] "Right."

[Satina] "A contract?"

[Hedzel] "She says there is no such thing."

[Satina] "That's troublesome."

She frowned.

That meant they still had no concrete proof that Madrin had stolen Laura's designs.

Laura's Wardrobe funneled valuable high-society gossip directly to the information guild. Hedzel couldn't afford to lose such a vital asset.

[Hedzel] "Should we force the traitor to confess her lies publicly?"

[Satina] "No, forget it. Without hard evidence, Madrin will just claim Laura bribed her to frame her again. For now, our priority is proving Laura didn't steal the design."

[Hedzel] "Is that possible?"

She smiled.

[Satina] "We have to make it possible. Start by investigating fabric suppliers and material shops. You might find a lead there."

[Hedzel] "Got it. I'll set my crew on it."

[Satina] "And having an insider whistleblower would be ideal."

[Hedzel] "Madrin holds immense influence over the capital's tailors. Would anyone really turn on her? You said yourself that no one defended Laura when she was ousted."

She smiled playfully.

[Satina] "If an insider doesn't exist, we'll create one. If she can bribe someone, so can we."

[Hedzel] "Should we target an employee struggling with money?"

[Satina] "No need for that. I already have the perfect target in mind."

[Hedzel] "Who?"

[Satina] "The employee Madrin framed and ousted."

To make it look like Laura stole the design, Madrin needed a scapegoat to claim someone had leaked it from her shop to Laura.

Madrin blamed Zendel, a tailor in her shop, citing Zendel's friendship with Laura and simple greed as the motive. She took the fall and was cast out of the shop.

[Satina] "She wouldn't have gone quietly without an incentive. Madrin likely bribed her to take the blame, promising money or a full reinstatement once the scandal blew over."

[Hedzel] "Then won't bribing her be useless?"

[Satina] "Don't measure her by your standards or your crew's loyalty, Hedzel. Put yourself in her shoes. If someone forced you to take the fall, could you trust them?"

He scowled.

[Hedzel] "Never. How could anyone trust a snake like that?"

[Satina] "Zendel is likely terrified right now. And as luck would have it, I dropped a hint earlier."

[Hedzel] "A hint?"

[Satina] "I made Madrin believe Zendel was already cooperating with us. Right now, she is panicking, terrified that her crime will be exposed."

Hedzel looked puzzled.

[Hedzel] "Would she really panic? You said she acts completely confident that Laura was the thief."

[Satina] "Then why did she bother coming to Laura's shop to demand she leave the capital?"

[Hedzel] "Because Laura is a thorn in her side? Because staying in the capital threatens her business?"

Satina clapped her hands lightly and smiled.

[Satina] "Correct. No matter how much she hated Laura, this situation got out of hand. Madrin intended to finish and showcase the dress before Laura ever could, not wanting two noblewomen to wear identical gowns to the same party. Even if society believes Laura stole the design, the scandal makes Madrin look incompetent."

To conservative noblewomen, allowing such a disaster to happen at a high-society event reflected poorly on Madrin's management.

[Satina] "I heard the count's daughter who bought her dress from Madrin was furious about the whole ordeal."

He nodded.

[Hedzel] "Yeah, she swore she'd never set foot in Mattrans again."

[Satina] "Laura finished the dress faster than Madrin anticipated, or the party schedules overlapped."

[Hedzel] "So that's why she tried to force Laura out of the capital. She wanted to shift all the blame onto her and prevent this from ever happening again."

[Satina] "Yes."

His brow furrowed in outrage.

[Hedzel] "Alright, I see why Madrin is panicked. But what was that hint you mentioned?"

[Satina] "I ran into Madrin at Laura's shop earlier and provoked her by telling her to keep a close eye on Zendel."

[Hedzel] "You told her you were going after Zendel? Wasn't that dangerous to admit?"

[Satina] "I provoked her on purpose. Madrin is terrified. Put yourself in her position, Hedzel. Could you trust Zendel to stay quiet?"

[Hedzel] "No!"

He finally understood her strategy.

[Hedzel] "You're incredible! You figured all that out from a brief encounter and manipulated her response? Your mind works insanely fast!"

He gave Satina an enthusiastic thumbs-up, then sat back down, embarrassed by her knowing smile.

[Hedzel] "Ahem. Well... you know what I mean."

[Satina] "Good. Then you know what to do next, right?"

[Hedzel] "Watch Zendel closely and wait for the right moment to rescue her."

[Satina] "Correct."

---

Just as Satina predicted, Madrin walked with hurried steps after leaving Laura's Wardrobe.

Satina's words echoed in her mind.

To leak designs from the shop where one works, that person must love money immensely, wouldn't you say?

It sounded like an open threat to buy Zendel's silence or her confession.

Hmph, what could she possibly do?

Just as Satina backed Laura, a powerful noble backed Madrin. No matter her status as a duke's daughter, Satina held little real influence in high society.

Still, Madrin couldn't ignore the weight of House Bersabet.

What if she uses House Bersabet's wealth to bribe Zendel? That gullible fool will crumble instantly.

Madrin was not one to trust others easily. That was why she had taken extreme care to leave no paper trail when stealing Laura's designs.

Having orchestrated such schemes before, she knew exactly how to deal with liability.

I need to kill her.

Madrin turned away from her shop and headed in a different direction.

---

Zendel was a tailor at Mattrans, the premier shop in the Empire.

Like every tailor, she dreamed of working hard and opening a shop under her own name one day.

Madrin presented a gentle, charming persona to her noble patrons, but she ruled the shop's staff like a tyrant.

The day Laura stormed into the shop accusing Madrin of theft, Madrin gathered the entire tailoring staff.

[Madrin] "Laura has been spouting nonsense, but surely none of you believe her lies? You know how small this industry is."

Madrin maintained deep connections with high society. Crossing her meant career suicide, as no other shop would hire them.

Yet none of the tailors possessed the extraordinary talent required to launch an independent shop like Laura. So, despite knowing she had stolen Laura's design, they kept silent.

Madrin used the exact same tactic when she framed Zendel.

[Madrin] "I'll give you money. Just leave the capital for a while."

She issued the blunt order without explanation, and Zendel offered a weak protest.

[Zendel] "But Master, if word spreads that I stole your design and sold it to Laura, no one will ever hire me as a tailor again."

[Madrin] "I can hire you back later, so why worry? Once a year passes and Laura leaves, the scandal will fade. Then I'll announce you were framed by Laura and welcome you back."

[Zendel] "But Master..."

[Madrin] "Or would you prefer to be thrown out like Laura?"

Her threat left Zendel with no choice. She quietly relocated to a modest house on the outskirts of the capital that Madrin had arranged.

When will I be able to return to the capital?

She adjusted the bag of groceries in her arms and unlocked her front door. Several unfamiliar men waited inside.

[Zendel] "...!"

She spun around to flee, but a man guarding the doorway grabbed her arm and dragged her into the living room.

With practiced efficiency, the men gagged her to smother her screams and bound her wrists tightly with rope.

[Thug] "Boss, how should we handle this one?"

[Boss] "The client paid us to dispose of her quietly. We'll kill her and bury the body."

Zendel trembled violently as she listened to them discuss her execution.

Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? Don't tell me...!

Realization struck, and her eyes widened in terror. She had never fully trusted Madrin, but she hadn't imagined the woman would go this far.

Please, someone, save me! I'll live honestly from now on!

She prayed desperately as one of the men drew a blade and stepped closer.

At that moment, the window shattered into a shower of glass, and several masked figures burst into the room.

A violent brawl erupted between the two groups, with Zendel trapped in the crossfire.

Realizing they were outmatched, Madrin's hired thugs abandoned the job and fled through the broken door.

Once the thugs had scattered, one of the masked rescuers approached her.

[Man] "Someone wishes to speak with you, Miss Zendel. Let us go."

The masked men guided her into a carriage waiting near the house.

When the carriage finally came to a halt, Zendel looked out the window to find herself standing before the grand gates of House Bersabet.

---

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