Home/How to Survive in a Good Small Guild/ch 16

Chapter 16

"What are you talking about...!"

At first, Marquess Heindel seemed about to deny my words, but when I silently held his gaze, he quickly changed his attitude.

"How did you find out?"

Of course. It was a secret that Marquess Heindel was the owner of the Red Rose Salon.

I wouldn't have known either if not for the original story's information.

In the original story, the Lady of Kaliad solves a problem that arises at the Red Rose Salon, and later receives an invitation from the salon's owner—only to be surprised to learn it was Marquess Heindel.

After that, the Lady of Kaliad goes on to win over the Four Groups one by one, joining forces with them to purge the Temple.

"This is an information guild. It shouldn't be surprising that I found out."

Even Cedric looked at me with startled eyes, as if he hadn't expected my remark.

When I nudged his side with my elbow, he quickly composed his expression and played along.

"That's right. This is an information guild."

"Is this what information guilds are really like... No one has ever found out before..."

"Yes, information guilds are normally like this."

I replied shamelessly to the skeptical Marquess Heindel.

"Anyway, the important thing is—if you invite us to the Red Rose Salon, we can resolve everything, right?"

"Can you really resolve it?"

"Of course."

By now, I was practically a snake oil salesman.

"I'm an assistant manager at an information guild!"

---

Friday night, I stood at the entrance of an old theater with Cedric.

This theater had been left abandoned for a long time after its owner went bankrupt—but in reality, the Red Rose Salon was secretly held in the basement beneath it.

"Oh, Cedric. That outfit looks very natural on you."

I admired Cedric, who was wearing a suit and a mask that covered his face.

Since we had to look like nobles, I'd had to rent expensive clothes for a day—and even then, they couldn't compare to a noble's attire.

But Cedric's clothes genuinely looked like those of a noble.

"Th-this was a gift from my father."

"Ah, the kind of thing where you need to have at least one expensive suit?"

"Yes, exactly that."

Wearing similarly ornate masks, we entered the old theater.

Immediately, a guard appeared from somewhere.

"How did you get in?"

"We received an invitation."

Showing the invitation we'd received from Marquess Heindel, we were safely allowed into the theater's basement.

Soon, a world entirely unimaginable from the theater's decrepit exterior unfolded before us.

"Wow."

The basement was dimly lit, but adorned with magnificent chandeliers and expensive curtains. Everyone moving about freely inside wore masks, but they were undoubtedly all nobles.

In truth, even with masks, they could recognize each other—so it was merely a game of pretending not to know.

According to the original story, the Red Rose Salon, held every Friday night, was a place where all sorts of noble gossip circulated.

It was a place to share scandals, rumors, and investment talk that couldn't be spoken openly in public.

With that much power beyond what open social gatherings could offer, Count Ashbourne's family would naturally be participating as well.

"The characteristics of the Ashbourne family members are..."

As I recalled their appearance traits and scanned the room, Cedric's gaze fixed on one spot.

"That's the eldest daughter of Count Ashbourne's family."

"Excuse me?"

She was a woman wearing an ornate mask adorned with a purple rose.

"How did you recognize her so quickly? Oh, now that you mention it, she does have blond hair and the rare bob cut we heard about..."

"...I learned it through my previous company."

"That complaint-handling call-center place? They memorized noble information too?"

"If I didn't know it all at once, I wouldn't be able to manage..."

"Ah..."

Somehow, I was starting to get the picture.

"It was a place where you had to instantly recognize anyone who said 'Don't you know who I am?'!"

"Don't you know who I am... Yes, that's exactly it."

So it was a company where he got bullied too. I looked at Cedric with a hint of pity.

"Anyway, that must be Charlotte Ashbourne, the eldest daughter of Count Ashbourne."

We needed to confirm whether it was just the Ashbourne employee blackmailing the Marchioness, or if House Ashbourne itself was involved.

I naturally took a glass of champagne from a server circulating with drinks, then approached Charlotte Ashbourne.

"Hello, your hairstyle is truly lovely."

"Oh, thank you. But..."

She tilted her head as she looked at us. Probably because neither of us matched any noble she knew.

"It's my first time seeing you here."

"We were personally invited by the salon's owner. Today is our first time."

"Oh my, you were personally invited by that person? I'm curious what kind of person they are. As rumored, perhaps an elderly lady who's retired from social circles and searching for new entertainment..."

"Well, I can't say anything about the salon's owner, but I do have plenty of other interesting information."

To probe her, I spoke up.

"I hear Marquess Heindel has come up to the capital lately."

"Ah, yes. It's actually one of the hottest topics right now. Since arriving in the capital, he hasn't met with anyone..."

"Shall we talk about that? It'll be quite interesting."

I swirled my glass and took a sip of champagne. Ugh, why was it so bitter?

"Have you heard the rumors about trouble between Marquess Heindel and his wife?"

"Of course, I've already heard that. Outside, there are rumors that Marquess Heindel keeps his distance from his arranged marriage wife, but in truth, they're said to get along quite well."

Hmm, Charlotte Ashbourne already knew up to that point. But she didn't seem particularly agitated when talking about Marquess Heindel.

"That's right. They say his coming to the capital this time is also because of his wife—that something happened with her, so he rushed up to resolve it."

"I wonder what kind of problem it could be?"

To probe one more time here...

"I heard that House Meraunde found leverage over the Marchioness and blackmailed her, which is why she left. So the Marquess is furious at House Meraunde."

"Ah, the Marchioness's family home. That house has always been full of problems."

Sure enough, the blackmail had nothing to do with House Ashbourne. It was highly likely the employee acted alone.

How could I tell? It was a very simple principle.

If I said something false and they knew the truth, Charlotte Ashbourne would have shown it—out of a sense of superiority from being the only one who knew the truth.

When someone says something wrong, people naturally open their mouths to correct it.

Using this method, I'd been able to discern Mr. Park Geo-seong's political leanings when he launched workplace political attacks, and dodge them.

"So, who's everyone voting for in this election?"

"Any sane person would've made the same choice, haha. Oh, by the way, isn't Candidate 〇〇 leading in the polls right now?"

"What are you talking about? Candidate □□ is ahead. Everyone must be out of their minds!"

"I agree. For now, I'm leaning toward 〇〇."

"Haha, what a sensible choice! I'm glad our company employees have their heads screwed on straight!"

That's how it went...

Recalling those gloomy memories, I decided to ask something else this time.

"Right, there's actually something I'd like advice on. I'm not very skilled at dealing with employees. Could you give me some advice on how to handle them?"

"Ah... Of course."

Charlotte Ashbourne nodded, apparently taking me for some nouveau riche.

"One of my household servants keeps trying to get close to noble information and seems to want to know things—what should I do in a case like that?"

"Naturally, you need to be strict. That's a sign of lax discipline. You have to keep them firmly in check so they don't get any ideas."

Thinking she could teach me something, the words flowed smoothly from her mouth.

"In our family's case, we periodically conduct silencing education for the servants. Sort of like mental training, hoho."

Mental training? Damn, that brought back trauma from Mr. Park Geo-seong...

"The most important quality for our family's employees is the ability to keep their mouths shut. Anyone caught selling information they've gathered from the family will never be hired by any other family again."

At that moment, a lightbulb went off in my head.

Yes, there was a way to find out exactly which employee from Count Ashbourne's household had blackmailed the Marchioness.

"Thank you for the advice."

After naturally taking my leave from Charlotte Ashbourne, I pulled Cedric aside and slipped away.

"There's a record I need to check as soon as we get back."

"What is it?"

"The culprit is an employee who's planning to leave their job soon."

Otherwise, they wouldn't risk losing their livelihood forever by blackmailing the Marchioness with the information they'd obtained.

"An employee planning to leave... should we check their interview records with other households?"

"That's one way. And one more thing."

I said with gravity.

"Look for someone who's been smiling at work lately."

"Excuse me?"

"The only people who smile at work are those who are quitting or leaving."

That was a universal truth that applied to every workplace.

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