My older sister is a villainous rich girl

The group changed their clothes at the inn, rented a regular small carriage, and traveled along the main road out of the city for about half an hour. After walking for a while, they finally dug out a small wooden box based on the clues left by Horace.

After cleaning off the remaining dust, Wayne used the key Horace had given him to open the wooden box.

Sure enough, there was a list and an account book lying quietly inside.

“This is it.” Wayne casually flipped through a few pages.

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

One of the lines even prominently displayed the name Franz Edgeworth.

Gan!

Father-in-law, aren't you setting your daughter and son-in-law up in trouble?!

The only saving grace is that his name wasn't near the top of the list, indicating he wasn't deeply involved; he was merely someone "who could be bribed" on the list.

Without a second thought, Wayne naturally closed the list again.

It was like just a casual glance.

Chapter 288 Feathers

Wayne simply put the list and ledger back into the wooden box, showing no intention of showing them to Chris and Tasia.

But because his movements were so natural, Chris didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

“Now that we have it, let’s return to the capital as soon as possible,” she said.

If it's delayed for too long, something else might happen.

“That’s right.” Wayne nodded in agreement.

Horace shouldn't be so deranged as to memorize the entire ledger and list, right?

Wayne secretly rejoiced, glad he had thrown him back at his house—

Next door.

After Tasia's treatment, his injuries improved significantly, and his magic power should have recovered considerably.

However, the situation with the severed legs is hard to predict.

However, with his beloved girl by his side, Horace's days of hiding away to recuperate probably won't be too difficult.

At first, Wayne didn't think of anything else; he just wanted to have a place to hide for a while to avoid the possible pursuit that might follow.

After all, he couldn't make contact with him immediately, otherwise it would be hard to explain why he knew his whereabouts.

These kinds of things should be entrusted to reliable people to handle.

...If he's smart enough, he'd better hide for a while longer and come out only after things have settled down on his end.

Thinking this, Wayne took the wooden box back to the carriage and placed it directly under the driver's seat.

Seeing his extremely unladylike behavior, Chris, who had been following behind him, couldn't help but show him a very disgusted expression.

"Ladies, please get in the car!"

Wayne pulled on the reins that had been tied to a tree branch.

As a result, this weekend trip did not achieve its intended purpose and brought back a big problem.

Should I... take action to help Lord Franz cover it up?

He turned around and glanced at the two girls who were currently sitting in the carriage.

--no.

Horace only gave the key to himself.

Furthermore, when they came to retrieve the wooden box, its exterior was still intact.

If someone discovers that a page is missing or that something has been altered, they will easily suspect you.

So, what if the evidence was stolen after the act was staged?

However, this would prevent Horace from being out of danger and would also prevent Alec from being convicted of his crimes, which would be tantamount to condoning evil!

Sigh, I'd better inform Miss Geli privately first, and let Minister Franz find another way to exonerate himself.

Wien thought to himself.

Accepting bribes has become commonplace in the kingdom.

Therefore, the severity of the punishment can vary.

He couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Franz. The Edgeworth family was already so rich, so why were they still so recklessly trying to make money?

……

Of course, even though Wayne secretly cursed Franz all the way back, he wisely swallowed all those disrespectful words in front of Miss Gothel.

After reporting the matter to Duke Elliott in detail, Wayne did not delay and went straight to the Edgeworth family.

Fortunately, Miss Ge Li did not go out, but stayed in the music room to practice the violin diligently.

When she happened to look up, she was caught off guard and saw Wayne climbing in through the half-open window.

Her eyes widened, her expression a mixture of shock and panic.

"Are you crazy? It's daytime!" Ge Li subconsciously lowered his voice.

"What happened during the day?" Wayne asked, puzzled.

But he quickly realized what was going on and said irritably, "I'm here to see you because it's important! And it's urgent!"

Ge Li paused slightly, then put down the zither and bow in his hands.

He stood up again and locked the door to the music room.

"what happened?"

She handed Wayne her own cup, which was placed to the side, and explained, "The maid just brought it in recently, I haven't drunk from it yet."

“It doesn’t matter if we’ve already had some,” Wayne said casually.

He was a little thirsty after traveling non-stop.

After gulping down the food in one go, Wayne finally caught his breath and told Geli that Franz was about to run into trouble.

“Duke Elliott just said to leave everything to him and let us rest,” he said. “Although I don’t know when he will officially expose us, I don’t think it will take too long. I need to get back as soon as possible to avoid being exposed.”

Ge Li's expression was somewhat solemn, but he did not appear particularly flustered.

At least, he was clearly not as panicked as when he first saw Wayne.

Are you sure there are only those few records?

"determine."

On the way back, while sitting in the front driver's seat, Wayne carefully reviewed the evidence.

Chris and her companion were sitting inside the carriage, their view obstructed, making it difficult for them to notice Wayne's subtle movements unless they peeked out.

"Singing ceremonies..."

He finally couldn't help but persuade him, "I think there are so many ways to make money in this world, how about we try to acquire wealth in other ways in the future?"

Wayne felt a little uneasy thinking about how Alec had gotten all that money.

Ge Li glanced at him expressionlessly.

"You think I'm the only one taking bribes?" she sneered. "Hasn't that thick list woken you up?"

"no……"

Wayne didn't know how to describe the feeling, "I just know this isn't good."

It's not because I'm a saint or want to be a morally perfect person.

Rather... he still felt compassion for ordinary people who were being exploited.

Even though he had been in this world for more than five years, he still couldn't do what some nobles did: expel the common people from the human race and humiliate them at will.

"Since your Edgeworth family is not short of money, why don't you cherish your reputation?" he wondered.

Just like the Winchester family.

Despite being from a prominent noble family and possessing immense wealth, Duke Elliott was never involved in any scandals related to corruption or bribery.

In every respect, Elliott Winch lived up to the true aristocratic demeanor and his widely admired reputation.

—If I had to find a flaw in this person, it would probably be that he gave birth to such a disappointing daughter as Chris.

However, Ge Li gave a dismissive "tsk".

“In a group, animals with different fur colors are ostracized…” she said. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Wayne was speechless.

“But wasn’t Duke Elliott not ostracized either?” he said dryly.

When the Winchester family was mentioned, Ge Li's attitude became somewhat impatient: "That's because he doesn't need to fit in!"

She turned her head to one side, praising him very reluctantly.

"The Winchester family has reached the pinnacle of power since the previous Duke's great victory in the Battle of Brumaire. Among the common people, even the King's prestige is slightly inferior to theirs."

Chapter 289 Girls are such a hassle

However, Ge Li's tone quickly turned sarcastic.

"Besides, the only direct descendant of the Winchester family is that magical idiot Chris... There's no way to count on her to protect the family's interests."

She gave an example: "In this situation, if our Edgeworth family has to keep adding to grow and expand, then what the Wincher family needs now is to subtract."

Wayne's expression was somewhat peculiar.

...Did Duke Elliott shrink his influence for Chris's sake?

It seems there were signs, after all.

At least, it's clear from how the two parents raised Chris that they never intended for her to handle any practical matters.

My greatest wish is simply to help her grow into an elegant and graceful lady.

"To become a lady" is, in a sense, no different from becoming a pretty vase.

That's why Ashville strictly demands Chris manage her image every day and is always worried that no noble young man will like her...

—After all, if you can't rely on yourself, you can only rely on others.

"Therefore, her family's situation is completely different from mine."

After saying this, Ge Li coldly dismissed him, saying, "If there's nothing else, you can go back now. My family will handle it; you don't need to worry about it."

Wayne was speechless.

"Hey, I rushed over here because I was worried about you. Instead of saying something nice, why are you getting angry with me?"

...Girls' unpredictable emotions are really troublesome.

"I'm not angry."

His tone was completely flat; you could tell he was lying immediately.

Wayne let out a long breath and explained, "I didn't mean anything by it... I only started to consider the Edgeworth family as my own because of you, and I don't want to see the Edgeworth family's honor tarnished by something like this."

“Some things may not seem harmful in the short term, but they can be extremely detrimental in the long run,” he said. “This is just a suggestion; whether or not to adopt it is entirely up to you.”

—At worst, let Minister Franz fall into a few more pits; he'll learn his lesson sooner or later.

All I need to do is ensure Ge Li's safety.

Thinking this, he looked up and glanced at Ge Li.

"I'm heading back now. Remember to contact me immediately if there's any emergency. Generally speaking, it will be much more helpful than any resources you can mobilize on your own."

Ge Li simply bit her lower lip and did not respond.

With another sigh, Wayne turned around and climbed out the way he came.

He was risking his secret being discovered, and before Chris could even comfort him, he rushed anxiously to the Edgeworth house.