061. Useless Doll
Could it be because of her short hair? The air touching her neck felt quite cold.
Emilia felt the change of seasons and stood still. In late summer, the leaves covering the sky were so deep green that they were almost black.
Emilia, who had been staring at the ridge quietly, suddenly turned around and went into the house.
When she came out again, a thin shawl was draped over her shoulders. Mitch, who was returning from the chicken coop at that moment, noticed his sister like that and paused for a moment.
“Are you going to look for a job again?”
“Yeah, I’m thinking about going downtown today.”
Emilia answered as she pulled her shawl tightly around her neck.
It doesn't end with Hardius saying he'll cancel the debt. The reality she realized through Auntie Rosie's mouth was harsh and bitter.
They needed more money. No matter how much they thought about it, the only thing they could do right away was to pay off the remaining debt.
At first, she wanted to go see His Majesty the King. But it would be difficult to meet him, and even if she did, it would be useless. The King would eventually side with Meyer. Judging from the fact that he gave Hardius a gift, he may have already made arrangements for the royal family.
What if she uses the parliament or the media?
That, too, was no easy task. It meant an all-out war. Not only would she have to deal with Hardius, but also with the Meyer family and the entire noble world. Just as his late father had done.
What would happen if she tampered with the beehive without a plan? Something much more serious would happen than what Hardius did with a few pennies.
It was clear as day that something bad would happen to Mitch and Charlotte, as well as to her stepmother.
The conclusion was utterly hopeless.
The world takes it for granted that a nobleman will demand the body of a commoner woman in exchange for money. Even a magistrate might say, “If that doesn’t work, pay with your body.”
“But, Sister, these days, there are so many unemployed people on every street. Are you going to look for a job in this situation?”
“I have to try.”
“Why are you suddenly like that? If someone saw you, they’d think your family was ruined.”
Emilia hesitated for a moment to tell her stepmother about her debt, but her tongue was stiff and wouldn't move.
Not yet.
It's not too late to find a job and make a plan first, and then be honest.
“I’m an adult too, so I can’t depend on my mother forever. And for Charlotte’s sake, we need more money.”
Mitch looked down at the empty feed container he was holding in his hand.
He nodded reluctantly with a look in his eyes that said, 'Damn, even this has fallen off.'
Even for a twelve-year-old child calling for revolution, ‘money’ is a difficult wall to overcome.
“But is that really okay? You shouldn’t be working, right, Sister?”
“It’ll be okay. As you said, His Majesty the King has long since forgotten about me. Besides, he’s currently in the middle of negotiating a break-up. Earning a little bit of money won’t cause any trouble.”
Even if something big happens, wouldn't it be better than selling your body? Emilia grumbled inwardly.
"Yes..."
Mitch nodded, rubbing his chin and knitting his eyebrows together.
“But where else would you need a bookkeeper?”
Emilia swallowed a bitter smile.
Her lofty ambitions as a 'bookkeeper' were quickly abandoned when she saw Mr. Haspel being taken away.
She briefly considered asking Nathan Malvin for help, but had to give up right away.
If she did, Hardius might actually kill him. The madman who had handed her the pistol was blocking her way and strangling her.
“Oh! How about going to the factory where Mom works? They need a bookkeeper there, too.”
That's right, the crazy Lord Meyer has already taken over. Emilia swallowed her grumbling and smiled bitterly.
“There is no fool who would entrust the bookkeeping to a woman with no education or experience, except Mr. Haspel. What if I am not a bookkeeper? There are so many other things to do in the world, whether it be washing dishes or sewing.”
Mitch, who was washing the feed container with water, stopped again.
“I’m against that. My sister is working as a maid.”
'Maid' was the job she wanted the most. She had seen and learned so much from going in and out of noblemen's mansions for five years.
However, most houses in Erndorf that needed a maid were well acquainted with Cavendish. Since Hardius had recently taken over Cavendish, working as a maid in a rich house was like falling into her hands.
Emilia needed a place where she could make money without hiding the fact that she was the Meyer family's fiancée.
“Where the hell is Mitch Bern, who used to insist that labor is sacred? Your sister really wants to be independent now. I want to save money and go to school.”
Emilia curled the corners of her lips hard.
Digging into a tunnel was not in her nature. As she pondered how to appease her languid younger brother, an idea occurred to her.
“Oh, should we go there tomorrow?”
“Huh? Where?”
“Hilden Farm.”
She thought he would jump for joy, but he was strangely flustered.
“Oh, that’s right... Actually, Sister, I already went alone.”
Emilia's eyes widened.
“But there was nothing there. It was really just a farm. I just smelled shit.”
"...Yes?"
“Yeah, I’ve really been wasting my time.”
Watching a child kicking the ground with his feet, she feels relieved but also finds herself laughing in vain.
“Anyway, that’s fortunate. I was also concerned about it.”
Emilia walked on, not noticing that her brother was smiling stiffly.
“But promise me one thing. You won’t wander around alone like that again. What would have happened if those people were really dangerous?”
“Huh? Oh... Yeah, you’re right, Sister. I’ll never do that again. I’ll stop doing useless things and just help with the housework. Mom seems really tired these days.”
Hearing that, her heart becomes heavy again.
She went to Ramsco and personally confirmed that her stepmother had paid off all her debts herself. She also had no doubt that Hardius had taken care of the rest of the debts.
However, perhaps due to the extreme stress she had been under, her stepmother's complexion still looked very bad.
She needs to relieve her of her heavy burden as soon as possible. So, finding a job comes first.
***
'DRAM General Store'
Emilia clenched her fists under the sign. After walking around all day until her heels were sore, she finally came here.
The resoluteness she had shown in front of her younger brother in the morning had completely disappeared.
After being treated like a useless child and being treated with contempt, she gradually lost the courage to knock on the door.
She knew it wouldn't be easy. Don't give up. She can't back down just like this.
Emilia steeled herself and pushed the heavy door open. A gentle-looking clerk greeted her kindly.
“Hello, is there any chance I could get a job?”
Emilia waited for the other person's reaction, repeating the same words she had said dozens of times in the past few days. She didn't think she would be disappointed even if she was laughed at or immediately kicked out.
But surprisingly, the clerk told her to wait a moment and went behind the curtain. Emilia's heart began to beat with anticipation.
A moment later, a man who appeared to be the owner appeared. A short, plump man with a pipe in his mouth, he introduced himself as Samuel Dram and looked her up and down.
“You’re looking for a job?”
A strange hope rose before her curious eyes. Emilia swallowed dry saliva and began to explain earnestly what she could do.
While she was doing promotions, displays, and cleaning... She also subtly added that she knew how to read ledgers. Unlike other people, he didn’t cut off her words or look indifferent.
Emilia's voice grew more and more confident.
“It may seem strange to suddenly show up and say this, but please let me work for a few days. You can hire me for three days without pay, and then if you decide I’m no longer needed, you can fire me. Mr. Dram has nothing to lose.”
Emilia tried to convince him with a bright face. The man, who had been thinking about something with his mouth tightly shut, suddenly smacked his lips.
“In a world where there are so many unemployed people because of those terrible machines, do you think there is more than one or two children like you who ask to be given work without any reason?”
Fortunately, the eye-opening words followed immediately.
“Do you really need a place to work?”
“Yes? ...Ah, yes!”
“How about this? I have another place I run, and I think there might be something for you to do there...”
Emilia's face swelled with hope.
“I will try my best if you just tell me to do it.”
“Follow me.”
He led Emilia out of the store.
As she walked after him, Emilia felt her heart pounding uncontrollably.
It was good that she didn't give up. She did it in the end.
Oh, you're going to ask me my name. What should I say?
Emilia thinks it would be better to use a pseudonym. It can't hurt to be careful.
What would you like? Elaine? Sedna?
She's walking around excitedly, feeling a little strange.
'Dram General Store' was not in a busy area, but it was still in a place where many people passed by.
But the man walking ahead kept walking towards the back alley. She started to feel a little uneasy.
"Excuse me..."
Just as Emilia was about to stop walking, the general store owner also stopped walking.
"Here."
The tip of the spit-stained pipe pointed to a shabby building. It was a place where the smell of alcohol and garbage mixed together.
Only then did Emilia realize.
It's a tavern. The atmosphere is completely different from the tavern that she went to with Hardius...
“Don’t worry. It’s not a brothel. I would never do such dirty business.”
The store owner continued to speak reassuringly.
“Well, drunkards might grope your butt sometimes, but you’ll get a big tip. I’ll tell you again, my waitresses never sell their bodies. I don’t like syphilitic, stinking women. There might be some drunken customers who try to take your clothes off, but don’t worry about that. I’ve got big guys who’ll stop you when the time is right.”
Dram, who had sucked deeply into the pipe, looked intently into Emilia’s face once more. The tip of the pipe, covered in saliva, touched her short hair. Emilia’s face turned pale.
“I don’t know how you ended up like that, but I’ll lend you a wig. You could probably fix your fortune with a tip. I have a conscience, too. Of course, I’ll pay you your wages.”
Perhaps it was because she had been so full of anticipation up until just before. Emilia felt nauseous and as if she was rolling around in the mud.
“No, I would never do something like that. I’d rather just wash the dishes or do the cleaning.”
The man's two eyes wandered over her white, pretty face and slender body.
Perhaps a greedy gaze would have been better. Dram's gaze seemed to be looking at a useless doll.
It was the same expression on the face of all the shop owners whom she knocked on the door today.
Unlike ordinary children like Hayley, who had already entered the front lines of business long ago, Emilia was closer to a noble lady. The result of being involved in the world of nobles for the past five years was coming back to her like a boomerang.
“I've even fired kitchen staff who’ve worked with me for over a decade, so why would I hire someone like you to work in a place like that?”
An irritated and twisted sneer appeared on the man's face.
“Well, you’re not thinking of suddenly raising the price, are you? Huh?”
“...Excuse me, Mr. Dram. I’ll be going now.”
"Ha!"
Dram transformed and stood in front of Emilia.
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