"Please lend me some money."
"So you didn't come here to pay me back, but to borrow money?"
A few days later, Judith, who had visited the loan shark, nodded with a calm face.
Smith, who was silent for a moment, blinked his dark eyes with greed as he looked at his subordinate.
"Is the Countess finally out of her mind? She came not to pay me back, but to borrow money?"
"You misspoke, didn't you? Surely you wouldn't be so unscrupulous as to ask for another loan when you can't even pay the interest."
Judith really didn't want to do this.
"I'm trying to start a business, but I don't have a good place to borrow money."
Not only was there no money for business, but even living expenses were at rock bottom. So she went around borrowing money here and there, but when she told them she owed money to the moneylender Smith, they all waved her off. She guesses Smith must be a really evil guy.
So, she had no choice but to come to Smith to borrow more money.
"I already owe you 200 million gold, so what's the big deal if I add a little more to that?"
"...I don't think that's something a borrower should say, right? Yes? Did you leave your conscience at home, Ma'am?"
"This is all done to pay back Mr. Smith's money. If you sell me out, can you get 200 million gold?"
Although she was not decorated and looked dull, Judith was a pretty woman. She was also a noblewoman, so she would have been worth a lot of money, but it was still far from 200 million gold.
"Then Mr. Smith will end up losing money. But if you lend me business money, I will pay it back with interest. Isn't that a loss for Mr. Smith?"
So, why is it that you, the Madam., decide on the damage?
Smith was dumbfounded. On the other hand, he was impressed by the Countess's swollen liver.
No one in this town, especially not someone who owed him money, could have been as bold as Judith in demanding more money.
No, is that shameless? Smith was slightly confused after exclaiming in admiration.
"No matter what, it can't be done without collateral."
"Then the mansion..."
"Where did you get such a story?"
Tch, it won't go through. Judith didn't even try to hide her disappointment. That's shameless, Smith nodded to himself...
"Then I will bet the title."
"A title? That can't be used as collateral"
"I can't pledge it, but I can make it an inheritance. If Mr. Smith has a child, he can be brought into the Rhineland family, or else."
Judith stared at Smith.
"There is a way to adopt Mr. Smith."
"..."
She might have an older son who plays with money.
Judith smiled kindly at Smith, like a mother. Smith now looked at Judith as if he were looking at someone with flowers in their hair.
"Isn't this a fair deal, exchanging 200 million gold for a countship?"
Smith tapped the table with his thick fingers. Fortunately, his troubles did not last long. Whether Judith was in her right mind or not, this was a business he had left to do.
"Bring me the money."
Smith's men placed a pen and ink and two sheets of paper in front of Judith.
One was a memorandum of understanding promising to transfer the title in any way possible if the debt could not be repaid, and the other was...
"Body waiver?"
"A document stating that if you fail to repay your debts or hand over your title, you will hand over your body."
It's unnecessarily thorough. Judith pouted and picked up her pen. After all, there was no going back since she had come this far.
"But you don't ask me what kind of business I'm going to do?"
A few days ago, Judith was sitting quietly in her mansion, thinking about how to make money, when she realized one thing.
There are only white candles in this world. And Judith made and sold scented candles as a side job in her past life.
That is, she was the only one who knew how to make colored and scented candles. What a brilliant business idea in this world of no electricity and frequent parties. This is a sure thing.
"As long as you pay your debts on time, it doesn't matter to me whether Madam steals or begs."
Smith glanced over the papers Judith had signed. When he nodded as if it was all right, his subordinate placed a purse of money in front of Judith.
"Interest is due at the end of every month. Please don't delay, Ma'a m."
***
I, who borrowed money for the business, went straight into making colored candles. Since I didn't have a silicone mold, I used glass bottles as a second choice, which wasn't bad. I used dyes that people used for dyeing fabric.
In my previous life, I couldn't use just any dye because I had to get KC certification to sell the candles, but here...
"After all, people are technology."
A red candle flickered in my hand. When it cooled, it would turn a pretty pink.
And a few days later, the candles were selling like hotcakes from the start.
I had sent some sample candles to my few noble connections, and word got around. If things continued that way, next month's interest would be no problem.
I continued to use the surname Harrington, fearing that the candles made in the cursed Rhineland mansion would not sell. This was possible because my marriage to Erne was secret.
Thud, thud.
I, who was making a candle with my excited hands, stopped when I heard the door rattle.
"Who is it? There's no one coming."
Is it Mr. Smith? It's not yet time to pay the interest.
I got up from my seat, wondering if it was Cliff, the lawyer. But it was neither.
At the gate stood a neatly dressed man holding a large bouquet of flowers. He noticed me and greeted me with an exaggerated gesture.
"Good morning, Countess of Rhineland."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Henry Spencer. Sir Erne served in the same order as me."
My brow furrowed when I heard that name.
***
Henry Spencer.
He works for the Capital Police Force and is one of Erne's few close friends.
One day, he headed to the forest after receiving a tip that there was a corpse abandoned in the forest. And there, Henry found a body. The body of Erne Rhineland, whom he had thought was alive and well.
Henry first met Erne on the battlefield a few years ago. As rumored, Erne was a cold-hearted person. He was cruel to his enemies and cold to his comrades.
He is unlucky, has no manners, is arrogant, and there have been more than one or two times when he wanted to crush him...
Although his personality was not very good, Henry owed Erne his life several times.
'He always looked precarious, but he turned out like this.'
Whenever Henry watched Erne fight, he always felt uneasy. It had nothing to do with his inaction. Erne always fought as if he was giving up his life. No, he seemed like a guy who was desperate to give up his life.
Erne was always an anxious person as if he was on the edge of a knife, so Henry thought it wouldn't be strange if he heard bad news at any time.
After the war ended, they would meet up occasionally and have a drink, but after Henry was transferred to the Capital Police Force, they didn't see each other very often.
Henry thought Erne was doing well though.
'But what on earth is this?'
Where did you leave your clothes, and why did you collapse in the forest?
Once the body was recovered, Henry went to report Erne's death to bury him in a public cemetery in the capital.
And there, Henry saw Erne's death certificate. Beneath the document was the signature of a woman named Judith Rhineland, who was Erne's wife.
'Erne is getting married? That Erne Rhineland?'
The Erne that Henry knew had no interest in women. So much so that it was questionable whether he liked men.
Moreover, the marriage registration and death registration were only one day apart. He had a feeling that this woman was definitely connected to Erne's death.
Since the day he learned of Erne's marriage and death, Henry has been hanging around Judith.
There were more than one or two suspicious things about that woman.
'Her actions seem ordinary, but they are suspicious.'
In the morning, she would come out carrying a large basket and visit other families' mansions or buy various things at the market.
Then, she returned home around 9 noon and stayed locked up in the mansion all day. The lights were always on in the room where Judith stayed until late at night.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Henry had no idea. Now, he has no choice but to go into the mansion and check it out himself.
Suddenly, a story he heard from a psychic a few days ago flashed through his mind.
"They said this would be the year when forgotten debts would come back."
Is this what it meant? First, Henry planned to meet Judith, lower her guard with his handsomeness, and gently seduce her. Then, when they had a chance to be alone together, he would make her tell the truth by putting a drug in her tea or drink.
"I knew that one day I would have to use the beauty trap."
It's just that he loses some of his shine when he's next to Erne, but Henry is also handsome.
As soon as he gets the testimony, he'll take her to the police.
This was the situation that led Henry to knock on the door of the mansion.
"I came to pay my respects."
Henry, who had hidden his feelings, showed off a wonderful smile.
***
"How heartbroken you must have been."
Henry Spencer. I recalled Henry from my memories of the original.
He is Erne's colleague and a knight who almost got into trouble for hitting on the female protagonist at the beginning of the original story.
"You must be very upset, having to go through a funeral before even enjoying your honeymoon."
Henry winked at Judith as he said those words.
Hey, your words and expressions are very different. It looks like you're glad Erne is dead. Am I misunderstanding this?
I, taken aback by Henry's wink, accepted the bouquet he offered with a bewildered hand.
It's not unusual for people who come to pay their respects to bring white flowers, but...
'You bought lilies?'
It's not even a chrysanthemum. Is it okay if it's just a white flower? No, and why are you giving me the flower? He should put it in front of Erne's grave. It looks fine, but isn't it a little lacking?
Anyway, since he had come to pay his respects, I opened the door and took a step forward. As the Countess of Rhineland, I could not just turn away the mourner.
Fortunately, in the original, Henry was not a bad character, although he was somewhat attracted to women.
"I should have come sooner, but I heard the news late. How lonely you must have been in that big mansion."
"I'm not that lonely..."
"You can rely on me from now on."
So, why to you?
I was momentarily speechless at the sight of Henry's refreshing smile, showing off his white teeth.
What are you trying to say?
"You don't have to feel burdened."
Henry seemed to have misunderstood my expression as one of burden. He bent down slightly and whispered in my ear.
"If your husband's friend is your husband, isn't I just like your husband? Think about it comfortably."
Excuse me, Sir Henry, does that make sense? If I treat my husband's friend as if he were my husband, it's an affair.
Perhaps because it is a 19+ novel, even the characters that appear briefly seem to have serious moral lapses.
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