Estelle Will Not Forgive a Second Time: The Condemned Noble Lady Returns in Elegance to Dance with the Incompetent Prince - Chapter 5

Several days had passed since the Spring Ball.

Since that night, when I exchanged a few words with Prince Leonhardt, I had set aside social engagements and dress fittings, immersing myself instead in the household’s paperwork.

Officially, I was “helping Father with his duties.”
But that was just a convenient pretext.

The real reason was quite different.

By reviewing various nobles’ financial reports and transaction records, I could avoid arousing suspicion while pursuing my true objective.

Father spent much of his time managing the family’s territories and maintaining noble relations, often leaving the finer details of the estate’s finances unattended.

Under the guise of “wanting to support the family,” I had begun actively reviewing the ledgers and reports.

In my previous life, I had been swept up in the glitter of high society, dismissing such work as “tedious” and leaving it untouched.

But now, I understood that this work was a weapon—perhaps my greatest one.

“Estelle, are you really helping with all this? I’m grateful. Honestly, much of this has been left unattended for too long…”

Father expressed his thanks with genuine surprise, encouraging me to ask for help whenever needed.

Of course, I had no intention of leaning on him.
I committed myself to reading the documents thoroughly, cross-referencing anything suspicious with maps and supplemental records.

Outwardly, I was simply “Estelle, the noble daughter learning financial management.”

But in truth, my goal was to track the movements of nobles aligned with Victor’s faction.

It was tedious, exhausting work, combing through noble households’ financial records.

But I had already died once. I had no right to complain.

In fact, this kind of groundwork was essential.

In my past life, I had never once bothered to look at these figures.

As a result, I failed to notice how Victor manipulated funds behind the scenes, preparing to corner me.

“I won’t miss it this time. Whatever money you move, I’ll cut it off and crush you before it can be used.”

Muttering to myself, I continued examining the documents.

Stacked high on my desk were reports detailing tax revenues from various territories, loan and debt arrangements between noble houses, and more.

Patterns began to emerge.
In regions near the capital, Victor’s allies consistently secured profitable contracts and assignments.

I took up my pen, dipping it in ink, and began noting key details in the margins.

Noble names, territorial holdings, faction affiliations—
It was like piecing together a puzzle inside my mind.

One evening, I came across a peculiar financial report.

It was submitted by a ducal house, one believed to be central to Victor’s faction.

Some of the figures contained subtle irregularities—small signs of tampering.

As I suspected… there’s evidence of falsification. But it’s not what I expected.

Twirling the pen between my fingers, I furrowed my brow and studied the report intently.

The numbers hadn’t been manipulated to appear smaller, as would be typical when hiding funds.

Instead, they had been altered to appear slightly larger.

This meant that the funds flowing into Victor’s faction were actually being reduced, little by little.

It was so expertly done that anyone unfamiliar with financial work—or anyone who hadn’t already died once—would never have noticed.

I vaguely recalled hearing rumors in my past life about Victor’s faction facing financial difficulties, but the details had slipped away, lost in the noise.

Could someone be deliberately sabotaging their finances?
Disrupting their revenue streams… misaligning their funds bit by bit?

The theory made sense.

And—

“There are only a handful of people who could pull something like this off…”

I murmured under my breath.

Tampering with a ducal house’s finances—especially one allied with Victor—was no small feat.

If someone outside the faction had done it, they would have been quickly branded a threat, sparking a scandal.

Yet this tampering was subtle, precise—nearly undetectable.

Unless compared directly with standard accounts, no one would notice.

In my previous life, I had been clueless about finance. I would’ve overlooked all of this.

But now…

“It has to be you… Prince Leonhardt.”

I clenched the edge of the document in my hand.

The image of the prince, feigning indifference with those half-lidded eyes, came to mind.

Leonhardt—he was the one behind this…
Well, perhaps not the mastermind, but certainly a key player in obstructing Victor’s funds.

But how?

Perhaps he was using his royal authority, or connections around the king, his father.
Maybe he was moving through alternative networks—merchants, financial officers—the opposite of Victor’s routes.

I didn’t know the method, but to drain Victor’s faction of resources with such subtle manipulations…
That wasn’t the work of an average mind.

“You’re not incompetent at all… In fact, you’re the only other prince capable of standing against Prince Victor head-on.”

I set my pen down and exhaled slowly.

How to bring Prince Leonhardt to my side—that had been the question plaguing me for days.
And now, I felt I might finally have my answer.

If I could show him that I know what he’s doing behind the scenes, perhaps he’d stop seeing me as merely an eccentric noblewoman.

In my past life, such an exchange would’ve been unthinkable.
But in this second life, I have the chance to make it real.

Without hesitation, I picked up my pen again and composed a short letter in my finest handwriting—

There was no reply the day after I sent the letter.
Nor the day after that.

Anxiety began to creep in, but I kept myself busy with paperwork, biding my time.

From the outside, I often heard comments like, “Lady Estelle is truly diligent these days,” and, “Who knew she had such a head for numbers?”
I laughed them off with polite deflections.

Then, several nights later, while I was alone in the family library, organizing documents, a servant approached in a hushed voice.

“Milady, a member of the royal family has arrived… quietly. It seems they wish to avoid attention and have asked specifically to be shown to the library.”

“…A royal?”

“Yes. He introduced himself as Prince Leonhardt. How should I proceed?”

He came—just as I hoped.

I suppressed the grin bubbling in my chest and calmly instructed the servant to admit him discreetly.
I asked for the utmost care so as not to attract attention.

Soon, I heard the soft sound of approaching footsteps.

The door opened gently, and standing there was none other than Prince Leonhardt, his pale golden hair softly catching the candlelight.

As always, his expression seemed weary, but in his eyes I saw something else—curiosity and a piercing sharpness, as if trying to read me down to my very soul.

I gave a graceful curtsy and welcomed him inside.

“Your Highness Leonhardt, welcome. I’m sorry such a plain place as the library must serve as our meeting spot.”

“I don’t mind. …Still, I have to admit, your letter caught me off guard. I was genuinely concerned it might jeopardize my position.”

He lightly closed the door, glanced around to ensure no one else was present, and turned his gaze on me again.

Those gray eyes felt like they could see right through me.
I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of tension.

“I imagine so. I knew what I wrote might rattle you… But look, here you are.”

“Honestly, I never thought I’d be discovered. Like I said—you’re quite bold. So… what’s your demand?”

He found a chair without asking and dropped into it with a sigh, still exuding that air of indifference.

I tapped the edge of the library desk lightly and spoke.

“It’s not a demand, exactly—more of a request. I want you to become my accomplice.”

“…What?”

His eyes narrowed in disbelief, and I heard a faint intake of breath.

This time, I meant it.
I wanted to join forces with him.

To corner Prince Victor—together.

A partnership I couldn’t achieve in my past life— This time, I will make it happen.