Climbing into the carriage, Shioana gasped for breath as she adjusted her dress. Dealing with the Duke was no easy task. He was a high-ranking nobleman, and he kept confusing Shioana.
'Besides, why did this man come here?'
Just when she thought she had barely managed to cross the mountain called the Duke, she encountered another obstacle.
The man riding in the carriage with him was Raul, who was one of the wealthiest merchants in District 8.
He was involved in such a wide variety of businesses that it was said that it was impossible to do anything in District 8 without going through him.
It was to the point where people even joked that he was the 'Emperor of District 8.'
The house where she lived with Martha was entirely his property, and it was said that the alley itself was Raul's property. The work she brought in every day was also received from Raul's workplace.
So, to Shioana, it was like both a landlord and an employer.
'But that's all there is to it, so why did he bother pretending to be close and coming all the way here?'
Saying things like the baby was crying or that he had come to pick her up was enough to cause a misunderstanding. Raul broke the silence with a displeased look.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"...My clothes were ruined, so I borrowed this one."
Raul's pitch-black eyes, marked with a long knife scar on his face, scanned her from head to toe.
"You look just like a nobleman dressed like that."
“What do you mean!”
Shioana suddenly looked serious.
To raise Harriet safely, she had to stay quiet at all costs. The fact that she was a noble of the Caspian Empire was of no help at all in living in the slums.
"Why are you trembling so much? Are you still afraid of me?"
She cleverly deflected the question from Raul, who was buried deep in the back of the carriage.
"How did you get here?"
"Your mother was begging and pleading."
"...Ah."
Martha must have heard from Cedric that she was injured, but she must have been heartbroken. That is why she must have gone to see the only person she knew in Tabria.
"You were already thin, but now you've become even thinner."
At his muttering with his eyes half-closed, Shioana raised her hand and covered her cheek.
“Thank you anyway.”
If it weren't for Raul, she might still be listening to the Duke's unreasonable demands.
"There is no need to thank me. I’m going to deduct it all from the money you receive, so using my time is very expensive."
She thought so.
Because Raul said he was a man who only cared about money.
"Yes."
However, she had never requested such a luxurious four-wheeled carriage before.
"I will return the cart price."
"...Yes."
Raul, who quickly grasped Shioana's intentions, readily accepted.
"Anyway, why did they go there? Did you even know where you were going?"
Raul expressed curiosity about her going to Duke Bernhard's mansion.
"There was a slight misunderstanding."
"So, is it all resolved now?"
"Yes."
The four-wheeled carriage was so fast and comfortable that it sped to Zone 8 in an instant. As soon as she got out of the carriage, she ran vigorously toward Martha, who was waiting for her.
"... Miss!"
“Martha!”
Shioana, held in Martha's warm embrace, was speechless for a moment. Now, Martha was the only person left in the world she could rely on. Martha reached out and stroked Shioana's cheek.
"Look at your face. Young Lady, you really aren't hurt, are you? You have no idea how worried I was. That strange nobleman came and said you were injured, but he probably doesn't even know where that is, let alone tell us how much pain you are in."
Martha, who had always been a reliable protector of her, seemed smaller than usual today. She seemed to have more wrinkles on her forehead, and come to think of it, she had more white hair.
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
Shioana hugged Martha tighter to soothe her.
Just then, a long shadow fell behind him, and Raul, with his head tilted to the side, spoke.
"What? Was it that you weren't mother and daughter?"
As Shioana's face turned pale in embarrassment, he shrugged his shoulders.
"There's no need to make that face. Just because I know that doesn't mean I'll raise the rent or anything."
However, he clearly had an ulterior motive on his face.
'What should I do?'
Shioana, who stood in front of Martha as if to protect her, was consumed by worry. Her mouth went dry with tension as she was caught having what she had been hiding for months exposed.
'But it might not be a crisis.'
Since Raul, whom she had watched for several months, is likely not very interested in the fact that she is of noble birth, just as he said.
At the thought that suddenly crossed her mind, Shioana tensed her stomach muscles.
"Do you happen to need any more staff in the office?"
"...What?"
It wasn't sudden.
Because it was a thought she harbored every time she stopped by Raul's office to pay the rent.
It was Raul who was taken aback by the sudden announcement of looking for a job.
"Well, an office employee quit, so we are looking for someone... but I'm just an extremely picky person."
"Please help me at least take the test."
"...Test?"
"Yes. As you heard, I am of noble birth and have managed estates. It might sound like bragging, but I am also good with numbers and writing! Please give it a try."
“Yeah, sure.”
Surprised by Shioana's assertive demeanor, Raum fled the alley.
***
The banquet was splendid and boisterous, as always.
Duke Bernhard and Cedric danced with the accompanying young lady three or four times and exchanged meaningless conversations with the nobles.
"Where did His Excellency disappear to?"
Cedric, who had been talking for quite a while, realized that the Duke had disappeared. It was only after wandering around for a long time that he was able to find the Duke drinking alone on a secluded balcony.
"Your Excellency, are you playing hide-and-seek?"
"The indoor air is a bit stuffy, you see."
"You haven't forgotten the partners you came here with today, have you?"
"...Ah."
In fact, the Duke could not remember the face of the person he had danced with.
It was always like that when he returned here. The round face wearing the sparkling dress looked like a sin.
Cedric glanced at the Duke's expression and shook his head lightly.
"It is disrespectful to His Excellency the Duke's partner to eat."
"It looks like the old man Alfredo followed along, leaving the Viscount behind."
The Duke's profile, with his pearl-studded cravat slightly loosened, looked very lonely. Just as the Duke was about to bring his glass to his lips again, Cedric suddenly held out a glass.
"I'd like a drink, too."
The two of them drank while silently looking up at the night sky, and after a moment, Cedric cautiously asked.
"Do you have any worries?"
"Surely not. Nothing could happen to me. I am Duke Bernhard, after all."
Seeing the Duke's faint smile, Cedric fell silent. He had many questions he wanted to ask his old friend.
'Where on earth have you been and what have you been doing for the past six years?'
While the Duke was missing from Urcheka, all sorts of rumors circulated. The family claimed he had left temporarily to study abroad, but few believed them. Some said he had died in an accident. More weight was given to the rumor that he had lost his life during a journey.
'But he came back.'
Although it exuded a different vibe than before.
The Duke who had returned was kind, but strangely uncommunicative. He chased after every single banquet and behaved dissolutely, yet he didn't seem to be particularly enjoying it. Cedric was at a loss for the Duke's completely unpredictable behavior.
'Take this one, for example.'
He had expected a legendary romance straight out of a love novel when he heard that a poor woman from District 8 had been brought. However, the romance came to a short end as the Duke simply sent the woman back.
"Cedric, is something bothering you? Let's go back."
The Duke took the lead, and Cedric quickly followed behind him.
***
Shioana felt a heavy weight on her shoulders as she headed toward the place in Tabria lined with the neatest buildings.
Although she had decided to do it for the money, actually stepping out into a crowded place was not easy.
Even though no one would recognize her, she kept lowering her head.
'This isn't the time for this.'
Even after sewing all night, she barely earned 5 sieges. With that, it was hard to even get proper food ingredients.
'They said I would receive silver coins if I worked in the office.'
Standing in front of the building where Raul's office was located, she looked up with her hands on her hips. She had been there a few times to pay the rent, so it wasn't that difficult to find.
At that moment, the clock tower in the square struck nine o'clock in the morning.
'I wonder if Harriet has woken up by now.'
You have no idea how much she missed Harriet during the past few days she was in District 1. Strengthened by the baby's smile, she bravely climbed the stairs.
“I can do it!”
The moment she was about to turn the office doorknob, the door burst open. Shioana stepped back, and her eyes widened. Someone came out shouting at the top of their lungs.
"I will pour every curse I know upon you, you bastard! Raul!"
"..."
When Shioana flinched at the harsh profanity, the man spoke roughly.
"You better get a grip, young lady! You'd be better off selling your soul to hell than borrowing money from Raul! Do you know how much the interest is here?"
“Ah. I have money..."
Just as she was about to say that she hadn't come to borrow it, Raul suddenly poked his head out.
"Even if you mortgaged your soul to hell, you wouldn't get a single sicle."
After spewing a vicious curse, Raul grabbed her wrist and dragged her.
"Come in and close the door."
"... Yes."
Her heart pounded as if she had heard something incredible on the very first day. As she stood with jer back to the door, the office came into view at a glance.
It wasn't a particularly luxurious scene, but the desk and packed files proved that it was definitely an office.
"Say hello. This is the accountant Thompson, the assistant Murphy, and this is Shioana, here for the secretary interview."
"Hello."
"That’s enough of the greetings. You follow me this way."
Raul led the way into the narrow, dark hallway, and a nervous Shioana swallowed hard.
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