Leora did not press further.
She placed her medicine cup back on the table and said to the old butler,
“Gather the debt documents for the North Gate warehouse, the account books from the past few years, and the takeover notice sent by the Castros.”
She paused, then looked at Celine. “And prepare a guest room for this young lady to stay in.”
The old butler quickly understood her intention, bowing in agreement.
Celine did not refuse either.
The three-day limit had already begun ticking down, and staying at the Rosalind estate to review the records would be much more convenient.
Whether she was being put up as a guest or kept under surveillance did not matter.
If she were in their shoes, she wouldn't feel comfortable letting someone of unknown identity, who also held vital family heirlooms, leave as they pleased either.
The old butler first led her to the west side of the first floor.
The guest room was small, containing only a narrow bed, a set of a table and chair, and an empty wardrobe.
The sheets and curtains were clean, and the air still carried a faint scent of soap.
The window looked directly out onto the front courtyard, unobstructed by trees or eaves. Diagonally opposite her door was the room where the old butler managed the account books.
No matter which way she entered or exited, it would be difficult to avoid his gaze.
The arrangement was polite, yet sufficiently cautious.
Celine took in the details of the room, her expression remaining unchanged.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“The estate has not had guests for a very long time, so please forgive the simple accommodations.”
The old butler spoke politely, pushing the door open a bit wider.
“Please wait a moment. Once the relevant documents are organized, I will bring them over myself.”
With that, he turned and left, his footsteps gradually fading down the corridor.
This is great. Staying here will even save me some accommodation expenses.
Celine unfastened her cloak and sat down at the table.
Before long, another knock sounded at the door.
The old butler walked in, carrying a thick stack of documents.
“These are all the records we could find for now.” He placed the documents on the table and let out a soft sigh. “These documents cannot be taken out of the estate. If you need to make notes, you may use the paper and pen on the table.”
“I understand.”
The old butler did not leave immediately. He glanced at Celine, looking as though he had more to say.
“The North Gate warehouse is extremely important to the Rosalinds,” he finally said.
“You don't trust me?” Celine addressed his concern directly.
“I have never doubted the Family Head's decisions.” The old butler avoided the question, his gaze falling on her face. “I only hope you understand that this is not a game you can play around with.”
Celine's gaze drifted to the blackened bronze key. She could understand his worry, but she was also clear about her own capabilities.
“I never joke when it comes to my own interests.”
The old butler fell silent for a moment before finally withdrawing his hand from the documents.
“If you need anything, you can find me in the room opposite yours.”
The door gently clicked shut, leaving only the faint rustle of pages stirred by a light breeze.
Celine wasted no time. She spread out several documents in order and began reading from the first page of the debt contract.
The debt itself was not complicated.
Eight years ago, in order to maintain their few remaining caravans, the Rosalinds had borrowed a sum of money from the Castros, with the North Gate warehouse listed as collateral.
The loan amount, interest, and repayment deadline were all clearly written.
In the years that followed, the Rosalinds had gradually repaid a portion of it. However, as funds grew tighter, their last few caravans were disbanded one after another, and the remaining debt had been dragged out until now.
Celine noticed that every repayment was stamped with the seals of the representatives from both parties.
The numbers matched perfectly, and the account books showed no obvious signs of alteration.
She flipped all the way to the last page.
According to the terms of the contract, three days from now, the Castros indeed had the legal right to officially take possession of the North Gate warehouse.
The debt amount, repayment deadline, and transfer procedures were all completely flawless.
Celine leaned back in her chair, refusing to give up as she flipped through the pages from the beginning once more.
No way, is there really not a single issue?
She had originally hoped that the Castros would have fudged the books—adding extra interest, changing a couple of dates, or at the very least, sneakily inserting an overbearing clause at the end.
But as it turned out, these people were more law-abiding than anyone when it came to their accounting.
Celine even felt a bit of regret now. Why couldn't the Castros have been just a little greedier?
With the books kept so clean, she had to find another way to cause trouble.
Tsk, this is trickier than I anticipated.
Since she couldn't find any flaws on the surface, she could only look into the places that no one wanted to examine closely.
She reached up to touch her collar, and a prompt quickly popped up before her eyes.
【Do you wish to use special equipment: Secret-Peeking Button?】
【Target for retrieval: North Gate warehouse debt contract】
“Use.”
【Secret-Peeking activated.】
【Scanning contract...】
The clauses flashed rapidly before Celine's eyes, page after page.
Most of the text lit up only to dim just as quickly.
It wasn't until the contract neared its end that a dark red glow slowly emerged from one of the supplementary clauses.
【Supplementary Clause 9: Prior to the official transfer of the collateralized asset, the custodian party shall maintain the asset's original purpose and internal structure.】
【Without the written permission of the original owner, the custodian party shall not privately sublease, reconstruct, or store unregistered goods on behalf of unrelated third parties.】
【If there is any unauthorized use during the custody period, the original owner has the right to request a review from the Golden Scale Merchant Guild. The transfer of the asset shall be temporarily suspended until the investigation is complete.】
Celine's gaze lingered on the words “unregistered goods.”
This was indeed a loophole that could stall the Castros.
But that was on the premise that the Castros had actually used the North Gate warehouse in violation of the rules.
If only properly registered goods were stored inside, or if the warehouse had remained empty the entire time, this clause would be completely useless.
【No other exploitable loopholes detected.】
The glow on the contract gradually faded away.
Celine refastened the 【Secret-Peeking Button】 back onto her collar and picked up the takeover notice.
Since the Castros hadn't left any flaws in the debt documents, her only option to save the warehouse was to start with the warehouse itself.
But right now, she didn't even know what was stored inside.
Celine pondered for a moment, then flipped through a few more old account books.
The usage records for the warehouse over the past two years were extremely simple. Most of the pages were blank, with only occasional entries for fodder, old carriage frames, and wagons waiting to be repaired.
After the Castros took over custody, the Rosalinds had gradually lost control over the actual state of the warehouse.
The account book records stopped six months ago. As for whether anything else had been stored inside since then, even the old butler likely had no idea.
The setting sun outside the window fell upon the pages, and Celine only then noticed that the sky outside had already grown dark.
She suddenly remembered that Nolani had asked to meet at the Broken Wing Tavern before she left. Perhaps she could gather some information there.
Celine reorganized the documents, made a mental note of the supplementary clause's location, and then stood up to open the door.
The old butler was still sitting in the accounting room opposite hers.
A lamp had been lit on his table, its dim yellow light casting soft shadows across his gray hair.
He seemed to have been organizing old accounts the entire time, only looking up when he heard the noise.
“My lady, are you heading out?”
“I have an appointment with someone at the Broken Wing Tavern.”
Celine did not hide it. Since they were going to monitor her anyway, it was better to be completely upfront.
The old butler thought for a moment and asked, “Would you like me to prepare a carriage for you?”
“No need, I'll walk.” Celine took a step forward, then asked, “After the North Gate warehouse was taken into custody by the Castros, were you still able to enter at any time?”
The old butler shook his head. “We kept the key to the main gate of the warehouse, but the Castros changed the locks on the internal storage areas. Without their permission, even the Rosalinds cannot enter at will.”
Celine glanced at the bronze key in her hand. It seemed Leora had only given it to her as a symbolic gesture.
While this key could open the main gate of the warehouse, it wouldn't necessarily allow her to see what was stored inside.
“I understand.” She pocketed the key. “I will be back after nightfall.”
The old butler did not pry into who she was meeting. He simply guided her and escorted her to the door.
“Please watch your step on the road.”
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