Should I raise you too?

The housekeeper was in charge of purchasing, and bacon was one of the supplies to be purchased.

Her expression immediately turned serious.

Simon's statement about "having anticipated this" refers to the butler's procurement? Did he know all along that the bacon would be problematic? Because the butler was using inferior ingredients?

Did the housekeeper embezzle funds?

This is no small matter; the butler controls the entire estate's expenditures, which involve hundreds of pounds!

I need to call Simon over and ask him... No, there's no reason or excuse.

After careful consideration, Elisa decided to start with the head maid. The butler and the head maid were servants she had recruited separately, so they shouldn't be connected.

She waved for the maids to leave, leaving only the head maid Maria.

“Tell me about Sheldon.” Alyssa’s face was expressionless, her voice deep, as if she already knew everything.

Maria was indeed frightened by her; her body trembled, and she immediately knelt on the ground.

“Miss Elisa, I was not involved!” Maria defended herself.

That butler was definitely suspicious!

I wonder how many shillings he's embezzled from me... No, it can't be shillings, the unit must be pounds!

After feeling a pang of heartache, Elisa was also relieved that it was discovered early.

She took a sip of her black tea, preparing herself: "Go ahead and speak."

The head maid's next words made her realize that all her preparations were in vain.

"...The Baron dismissed Sheldon as a result. Everyone in the aristocratic circles knew that Sheldon was dishonest, and no one would hire him..."

Why are you bringing up barons now?!

No, not just the baron, but the entire elite circle!

After telling her everything she knew, Maria cautiously observed the young lady's reaction and flattered her, saying, "Sheldon thought you couldn't possibly know this, but it turns out you already knew all along."

No, I don't know anything. I just wanted to find out why my manservant Simon wasn't happy with his breakfast.

I really just wanted to reorganize the kitchen and ensure that the male servant Simon would consistently generate intimacy points! I thought it would only involve the first-class male servant Charles, and I didn't even plan to fire Charles!

But now, haha, not just Charles, not just the butler Sheldon, but all the servants associated with the butler Sheldon, I must dismiss immediately, or I will become a laughing stock in high society!

The ladies of high society would say, "Look at that nouveau riche from the suburbs, he hired a lousy housekeeper. What a foolish country bumpkin! We must never associate with her."

The ladies discovered this at the literary salon I was about to host, after they had seen and recognized Sheldon.

Even if they don't know Sheldon, their servants will!

The literary salon became a place where they would secretly cricket at me!

My plan to infiltrate the elite circles almost encountered a major setback right at the start!

Elisa felt a wave of fear wash over her.

Thankfully, she did inquire about Simon's meals.

Wow, a manservant's complaint about breakfast led to massive layoffs—it's like the legendary butterfly effect!

Chapter 7 The Young Lady is Terrifying!

After drinking half a cup of black tea to calm her nerves, Elisa remembered another detail.

The etiquette instructor told me to pay attention to the servants' behavior, which was actually a reminder that there was a problem with the butler. After all, I hired professional servants who couldn't possibly make mistakes in their behavior!

The etiquette teacher's role is somewhere between servant and master, so she has to be mindful of her reputation among the servants. Therefore, she couldn't tell me directly, but could only hint at it subtly, which I completely missed!

Elisa, Elisa, you are still too naive.

If it weren't for "Simon's Journal," you would have become a laughing stock without even realizing it, and your revenge plan would have suffered a major setback!

Thinking about it this way, "Simon's Log" is quite useful. It was mentioned in the previous function description that there is a chance to obtain mysterious information.

Yes, I'm not wasting my time by spending so much time on "Simon's Log" every day; I'm browsing information! I'm actually working hard!

I really put myself through a lot of hardship.

Elisa looked at the light screen and felt that her image had become more imposing.

She also thought that with the "Simon's Log," the male servant Simon was essentially her eyes and ears. If she wanted to gather information, she could simply send the male servant over.

Should we train some male servants and then send them into the palace?

No, there are too many servants in the palace; knowing some ordinary information wouldn't be of much use.

Pausing her thoughts on Simon, Alyssa turned to the head maid: "How much did Sheldon embezzle in total?"

“According to my estimate,” Maria whispered, “it’s around 53 pounds.”

£53! And I've only employed him for a little over a month!

Elisa paused for a moment, then continued, "Give me the list of servants connected to Sheldon."

Maria recited the list with trembling hands; it included all the first and second-class male servants, as well as two maids.

Elisa then asked, "Were there no ordinary male servants involved?"

“No, we don’t trust ordinary male servants.” Maria lowered her head fearfully.

"You don't trust ordinary male servants?" Elisa was taken aback.

"So you mean, the ordinary male servants don't know about this?" she asked.

“Yes, I only discovered it recently.” Maria recounted in detail how she discovered the clues and earnestly confessed her act of concealing the truth. She had no evidence and dared not easily offend Sheldon.

Elisa didn't pay attention to what happened next, but wondered how Simon knew something that even ordinary servants didn't.

She suddenly remembered something, turned on the light screen, and watched the "Best Employee" effect again.

There is a line of explanation after "Ability 1".

"I can notice subtle shifts in the workplace," Elisa thought to herself.

She had initially thought this ability would only allow Simon to slack off more easily, but now it seemed to be a spy's divine skill!

Just throw Simon in, and you can get secret information. This is simply a natural spy god body!

Should we actually pull some strings and throw him into the palace? Elisa was somewhat tempted.

After careful consideration, she abandoned the plan.

"Simon's Journal" is just a new feature at level 10 intimacy; there are many more new features waiting for you to unlock, so don't rush.

I wonder when the next new feature will be released. Elisa checked her intimacy level.

"Intimacy Level: 17"

I was already 18 and was going to reach 20 today, but because of that wretched butler, my +2 is gone, and I've even lost 1!

Damn it!

“Miss Elisa,” Maria asked, mustering her courage, “what do you intend to do with Sheldon?”

Elisa thought for a moment: "Let him leave 53 pounds and take his companions away from the manor."

I can't take him to the police station; that would make me seem too harsh. As a member of high society, I have to be considerate. This is the most I can do. Tsk, the nobles are so hypocritical.

“You are so kind,” Maria complimented.

On the surface, it was all very kind. Elisa took a bite of her cake and thought to herself, "I'll visit that butler's bedroom one dark and stormy night and take all his savings as payment for almost ruining my revenge plan."

It's been a long time since I've done my old job, and I'm still a little excited.

“Should we recruit new butlers and male servants for you, and… a head maid?” Maria continued.

She was anxious, not wanting to be fired.

“Recruit some maids to fill in the essential positions,” Elisa replied. “The housekeeper position will remain vacant for now; you will handle the duties.”

It's already quite good that the head maid didn't collude with the butler.

Maria was completely relieved and agreed. Then she thought of something else and said with difficulty, "Miss, the manor must have a first-class male servant to manage the ordinary male servants."

Men and women are different after all, and she was unable to manage the remaining male servants completely.

That's exactly what Elisa wanted to hear.

She pretended to think, feigning that she couldn't remember the name: "What was the name of the male servant who delivered the letter that day?"

Maria replied, "His name is Simon."

“Let Simon become a first-class male servant and manage the male servants. His annual salary will be increased to the standard of a first-class male servant from now on,” Elisa said, having prepared this statement beforehand.

This can be considered a reward, after all, we owe a lot to "Simon's Log" this time.

“Oh, right,” Elisa suddenly remembered something else, “do you know about Charles’s harassment of Nora?”

The head maid took a while to sort out her memories, and said with shame, "I don't know anything about this."

She couldn't even find a trace of it in her memory.

Sure enough, this was a secret matter, and only Simon discovered it.

That's a bit scary; nothing can be hidden from that male servant.