Although it had only been half a year, she was able to hear quite a lot of news about Urcheka.
The people here frequently talked about the Emperor, Duke Bernhard, and Raul.
As befitting the Emperor of District 8, Raul held absolute power here, and it was said that even the administrators of other districts could not treat him disrespectfully.
'They say no one knows what he actually does, right?'
There were rumors that he sold people, dealt in illegal drugs, or was actually the leader of an assassination group. Walking down the narrow hallway alone with such a man, she had been feeling a chill down her neck for a while now.
'I wonder if I was too hasty.'
Today, Raul was completely covered in black because he was wearing a black shirt with loose sleeves and tight pants. At the sight, Shioana raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.
'If Martha had seen it, I wonder if she would have told me not to make eye contact again.'
Then, Shioana buried her nose in Raul's back as he suddenly stopped.
"What on earth is that? That stupid look?"
"...Ah."
He opened the door at the end of the hallway. Raul's private space appeared. It was an ordinary, sunlit space, making the gloomy and gruesome scene she had imagined seem completely unfounded.
As she looked at the two desks and the bookshelf, Raul opened his mouth.
"You insisted so much that I’ll give you a chance, but working under me isn’t that easy."
Raul, sitting arrogantly with his legs crossed, slowly scanned Shioana's neat appearance. He handed her two sheets of paper that were on the desk.
"Try organizing this. I'll give you ten minutes."
What Shioana received was a part of a ledger with no date written on it. It wasn't that difficult since she had done it for fun since she was young.
Shioana was able to resolve it immediately from where she was sitting.
“I’m done.”
Raul frowned and checked his pocket watch; only three minutes had passed.
Raul took the paper with a suspicious look and examined it as he walked to the window.
The documents were flawlessly perfect.
Raul Calix clearly remembered the day he first saw this woman before him. She had been sleeping rough in District 8, looking worse than a beggar. On top of that, she was holding a newborn baby.
He didn't know why he felt compassion.
Was it because their appearance wasn't Urcheka's? But District 8 was already overflowing with such foreigners.
In any case, not wanting to see the whole family die, he arranged a job for her and even showed her a place to live.
'I even cut the rent in half.'
He had no intention of making a big deal out of it, but the other party was still excessively wary of him. She hadn't even properly shown her face when paying the rent. He hadn't really been curious about her beyond that, but this incident had piqued Raul's interest a little.
"Alright. I'll hire you."
He was in a predicament because his secretary had just quit due to childbirth, and then Shioana appeared like this.
"Thank you."
At Raul's words, Shioana nodded, unable to hide her joy.
"Your desk is over there. Your job is to cross-reference the stacked documents and check if they are written correctly. Start at 9, leave at 6, and bring a packed lunch. Do you have any more questions?"
As Raul leaned diagonally against the window, Shioana wore a blank expression at the barrage of instructions
Because the Caspian Empire was closest to the Urcheka, nobles learned the Urcheka script from a young age. Shioana also self-taught the Urcheka script along with numbers.
"Boss, my salary is..."
As soon as the hiring was confirmed, Shioana's eyes sparkled at him. Raul liked people who were hardworking to earn money. He smiled and held out his fingers.
"Six days a week, ten silver coins!"
At his words, Shioana just blinked. The pay was incredibly low compared to her previous job.
While she was still bewildered, Raul picked up the jacket and spoke.
"I won't be back today because of outside work. Work on your own and go back."
Raul said only what he wanted to say and left, and Shioana, left all alone, let out a long sigh.
"Let's get to work instead of doing this."
To receive the silver coins from Raul, she had to do her job properly. Shioana sat upright at her desk, neatly organized the documents, and placed them side by side.
Since she had managed the estate herself since childhood, the paperwork was easy. She worked for a long time without even being able to straighten her back properly when the sun set outside the window.
"I didn't realize how much time had passed."
Only then did Shioana stretch, rearrange the documents, and stand up.
Her head was spinning because she skipped lunch and worked even though she hadn't fully recovered yet.
"I wish I had at least some painkillers...."
She missed the medicine bottle on the table next to the soft bed at Duke Bernhard's mansion.
She turned her head this way and that, then went to where Raul had been standing earlier and quietly looked down at the square.
A clock tower and a small fountain were installed in the center of the square.
The fountain was sculpted with a benevolent mother and child, and water poured out from a water bottle held by the child. There was a small child chasing pigeons frolicking leisurely beneath water droplets splashing all around.
"It looks really fiery."
Shioana wondered if someday she, Martha, and Harriet could also become the protagonists of such a scene.
Here, they were nothing but strangers, and in fact, fugitives as well.
The debt could have been barely repaid with the Regbell estate and remaining assets, but since that was not what Count Noah wanted, Shioana had no choice but to run away.
'What if I had about ten sons?'
Even thinking about it again, she got goosebumps at Count Noah's thought of her not as a wife, but as something like livestock in a barn.
Thinking of the Regbell she had left behind, Etienne automatically came to mind.
"You're having useless thoughts."
Shioana wiped her damp eyes and hurried outside. If she was even a little late, Martha would worry a lot again.
“Are you leaving work?”
As soon as Thompson and Murphy saw Shioana, they pretended to be glad to see her. Since they had to work in the same place, it wouldn't be good to have a bad relationship, but making friends was certainly not easy.
"Yes. I'm going home. Thank you for your hard work."
"Today is the first day, are you really going to do it like this?"
"... Yes?"
"We should hold a welcome party. We shouldn't be so heartless. Besides, aren't we the elite corps serving Lord Raul?"
Thompson, with his long neck and bloodshot eyes, worshipped Raul like a god, while Murphy, who was small but cute, nodded vigorously.
He didn't look like a bad person, but as expected, a welcome party was out of the question.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to tell my family. Let's do it next time if the opportunity arises."
Shioana, having declined as politely as possible, was about to step forward when Murphy started talking about the amazing fish dish at the pub at the intersection.
"You also have no idea how delicious the beer is there."
Even as he locked the office door, Murphy kept rambling on about other shops without a break.
"If you want to have a meal as well, the one near the harbor is probably better."
Murphy suddenly trailed off, and the three of them could see a carriage completely blocking the entrance.
"No! Who parked like this in front of Raul's office?"
Thompson rolled up his sleeves and acted as if he were about to tell them to fight.
Just then, the carriage door opened, and a man leaning back in the seat spoke leisurely.
"Did I make you uncomfortable?"
At the sudden appearance of Duke Bernhard and the pointing finger, Thompson hung his head low with his hands clasped. Murphy also feigned indifference, pretending not to be part of the group.
"Your Excellency, what brings you to such a humble place?"
Thompson muttered in a low voice, and the Duke opened his mouth.
"Get on."
"What? You mean me? I am actually quite good at handling various miscellaneous tasks."
Startled, Murphy suddenly straightened his clothes. Duke Bernhard, frowning at Murphy's attitude, stared intently at Shioana.
"If you just keep standing there, it will make other people uncomfortable, won't it?"
'It has already become uncomfortable enough.'
Shioana muttered to herself, clenching her fist tightly. It’s not like she's only been working for a few days; today is the first day. At this rate, far from getting close, things are only going to get more awkward.
"See you tomorrow."
As she climbed into the carriage, leaving Murphy and Thompson's curious eyes behind, the Duke's four-wheeled carriage hurriedly set off.
Shioana felt like she was going crazy, wondering why Duke Bernhard had come here and how he had found out about it.
"What brings you here?"
Unable to bear it any longer, she asked, and the Duke answered curtly.
"I was just passing by."
How shameless you are.
You were just passing by, so why did you have to stand blocking the path I was coming down?
"Just how many men do you have?"
She was startled by the Duke's cold voice.
"... Yes?"
It was a voice that sounded like someone interrogating a wife who was having an affair.
'That's absolutely ridiculous.'
Thompson, Murphy, and Raul had nothing to do with her.
"Why are you curious about that? Besides, I don't see any reason why I should tell you."
"Well, I am more than qualified."
"Please tell me why you came here."
"Don't you remember the debt you owe me?"
"What is this debt all of a sudden?"
"...Treatment costs.”
She was so flustered that she briefly forgot she had been receiving treatment at the Bernhard family's house for a few days.
"Sir, I will pay for that, so I don't think you need to come looking for me like this."
Shioana found it terrible to be entangled with him in this way. She hated herself for constantly mistaking the Duke for someone else, despite their vastly different hair color and social status.
However, if she closed her eyes and listened to his voice, it was very similar to Etienne's. There were some slight differences due to the subtle difference in accent between Caspian and Urcheka, though.
"Who said I would accept money?"
"... Yes?"
"Why are you deciding the method on your own?"
As he spoke roughly and leaned forward, Shioana stepped back tightly. Whenever she met the Duke, she felt dizzy, and her mouth felt as though it were completely dry.
"Anyway, do you like that style?"
"I don't know what you're saying."
"I'm talking about a rough, sailor-like style."
It seemed like he was talking about Raul, who had come to pick her up.
"Well."
She didn't specifically understand what a rough, sailor-like style was like. After all, she had only liked one person until now.
Shioana just liked Etienne.
As she still feigned ignorance, he asked seriously.
"I guess my face isn't your type?"
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