OIAR - Chapter 69

Unlike Shioana's troubled mind, Tabria's daily life flowed by like clouds. Documents piled up in the office every day, and visitors came to visit.

Sometimes, those who could not repay their debts would cause trouble or cry and plead for help.

'I feel uneasy.'

There were countless stories of people who did not incur debt to gamble, but ended up unable to handle the debt due to rising interest.

There were also people like her who ended up on the streets overnight due to their family's debt.

"Listen carefully. There is no such thing as a good debt."

“I know.”

Raul showed absolutely no mercy to those who did not repay their debts. With a cold gaze, he snarled as he threw the documents onto the desk.

"Money is the same money to an Emperor and to that beggar in the marketplace."

Raul, noticing the wavering in Shioana's eyes, sneered. She, too, agreed that debt is debt.

She just thought that there might be situations where it couldn't be helped.

'Because a debt I didn't even know I had strangled me.'

If it weren't for what Eli had done, she wouldn't have needed to flee all this way to live. However, to the other party, even this would be nothing more than an excuse. After all, Eli is her blood relative.

'...Family.'

Now, the only family left to her were Martha and Harriet. Although the winter in Tabria could not compare to Regbell, the cold wind was harmful to the health of a frail young child.

The house they were living in was flimsy, so even the slightest breeze would seep in through the cracks in the walls. Moreover, perhaps because Martha was getting old, she caught colds frequently.

'But I don't have nearly enough money to move right now.'

It was impossible without borrowing money, but she couldn't bring up the topic of money with Raul, who hated getting into debt like that.

"Did I tell you that working hard doesn't mean you'll get paid more?"

Raul muttered as he watched Shioana furiously flipping through documents. Come to think of it, it felt like his outside schedule had decreased significantly lately. After all, he had been stuck in the office all day for at least two days a week.

'They say the wind blew.'

Shioana, thinking nothing of it, gathered the organized documents together, took the ink bottle cap, and wiped the ink off the desk. Raul, who had been quietly watching her, roughly tossed the documents aside and put on his jacket.

"I will see you tomorrow, boss."

As soon as Raul got off work, Shioana hurriedly stepped outside as well. She gave a brief greeting, as it was important not to make eye contact with Murphy. Otherwise, she might get caught up in the conversation about the company dinner.

"Thank you all for your hard work. See you tomorrow."

Clinging to her bag, Shioana hurried down the stairs without looking back.

It was clear that neither Murphy nor Thompson was a bad person. They seemed to have many questions, but they did not approach her personally to ask.

Besides, they were kind people who always asked if she wanted to go along, even though she had declined company dinners several times.

‘I’m sorry for no reason’

Today, she planned to go straight home without stopping at the market. Harriet had been suffering from a slight fever and coughing a lot in the early morning.

If their condition deteriorates in the meantime, she might have to take him to the vet.

"We have fresh fish!"

Several merchants were selling freshly caught fish at a stall. It was just as Shioana smiled at their booming voices.

"Let's cut it in half."

Shioana stopped walking at the sound of a familiar voice.

As she turned around, she saw Raul haggling with a merchant over the price. He was squatting haphazardly on the street, poking and prodding a fish here and there. Every time he moved his arm, his bulging muscles twitched along his shirt.

"Sir, it is inconvenient if you touch items for sale without permission. Besides, asking half price for something I just caught?

"You can tell just by looking that their eyes are messed up."

"...Ah."

Shioana approached Raul with one hand on her forehead. The boss tended to enjoy picking fights with anyone regardless of who they were.

It would have been different if she had just let it pass without knowing, but it was better to wrap it up before something bigger happened.

'There’s nothing good that could come of it if something happened to the boss.'

Because the employer's peaceful future guarantees her stable weekly wage.

"Boss, the fish is definitely all fresh. I've bought from here a few times myself."

"What a coincidence to meet in a place like this."

Raul, who was rummaging through the fish, replied indifferently to Shioana's voice.

"Because I'm on my way home."

"Ah, I see."

Raul feigned ignorance about where her house was.

"Boss, just say what you have to say."

“Give me some food.”

“...Me?”

Although it was difficult to know the specifics of Raul's wealth, the amount of money exchanged in the documents she handled alone was substantial.

"Don't worry. I'm not a cowardly bastard who would take a flea's liver."

However, since he had just found fault with the item and insisted so strongly on a price discount, no one around him seemed to believe Raul's words.

"My house is a bit shabby, so it’s a bit of a problem..."

"This is a matter of employee welfare, so stop complaining and take the lead."

He said it was Thompson and Murphy's turn next week, so it was hard to refuse.

Martha was frozen for a long time because of Raul, who had appeared so suddenly. It seemed she was afraid of Raul, who had an enormous solar plexus.

"Martha, the boss bought this for me. Could I ask you to cook it?"

Only when Shioana showed the large fish and various ingredients did Martha's expression relax a little.

"Please, both of you be seated, and I will set the table right away."

Raul sat at a table tilted to one side and looked around every corner of the house. At the end of his gaze was a child lying in bed, babbling.

"Isn't the house a bit cold?"

"It will be fine if you heat it a little more."

The house, which was already small, felt even smaller because of Raul.

Shortly after, Martha, who had just made steamed fish and soup, set the table.

"I'm not very good at cooking, but please enjoy."

Martha, who could not speak Urcheka, stammered a greeting in Caspian.

"It looks delicious."

Raul, scanning the dish, answered Martha in Caspian.

"Boss. Do you know how to speak Caspian?"

"Is there anything I can't do? Do you think I got Sector 8 for free?"

"Ah. No, I'm not. Please eat quickly."

Come to think of it, when they met Duke Bernhard at the restaurant the other day, the boss had admitted himself that he was an illegitimate child.

'He must be the illegitimate son of an Urcheka noble.'

It is impossible to become a famous figure in the Empire simply by doing business in Sector 8.

"Whoever bought this fish, it is very fresh and delicious."

Shioana smiled faintly as she watched Raul furiously digging into the fish flesh with a fork.

***

Shioana was dragged here again today on her way home from work.

As she entered Duke Bernhard's office, the Duke, who was standing by the window drinking, did not even look back. Shioana was not offended by this blatant disregard.

"Why did you call me?"

"Cedric, bring in the documents."

The Duke called Cedric without answering her.

Cedric appeared with a broad smile on his face, completely out of place in the tense atmosphere of the office.

"Why are you standing? Please sit over here."

He seated Shioana in the chair in front of the desk and handed her a document.

"What kind of document is this?"

"You just need to sign."

Cedric, still smiling, urged her to sign. However, Shioana had no intention of signing until she had carefully scanned the contents of the document.

'What's this?'

Unexpected content was written in elegant handwriting on expensive paper.

'You must be faithful to each other while acting as lovers.'

It was a ridiculous item.

The Duke stopped by the dining room with Diana Vale and was surrounded by numerous women in the banquet hall.

'And yet, all you did was spout the sophistry that you were sincere.'

As Shioana continued reading, her gaze stopped at the part regarding the penalty clause.

'If the terms of the contract are not properly fulfilled, a penalty of one hundredfold will be incurred.'

If it is a hundred times ten gold coins, just how much gold coin would be needed?

It was an amount that could not be covered even by handing over the dilapidated house in Zone 8.

"Is it really necessary to fill out this document?"

When Shioana asked, feeling uneasy for no reason, Cedric answered kindly.

"Wouldn't it be better for both of us to make this clear? After all, His Excellency could just wash his hands of it and demand that the money be paid back immediately."

However, that tremendous light itself made no sense from the start. As Shioana hesitated, the Duke slowly opened his mouth.

"Because I've already signed."

He even told her to sign quickly in such a sophisticated way.

After hesitating for a moment, Shioana picked up a pen and wrote her name on the document.

"Your Excellency. Please continue your conversation. I will take my leave now."

As Cedric left after neatly packing up the documents, a heavy silence fell over the office.

"Really, you're actually going around looking for a house?"

"... Yes?"

She was carried in a carriage as if she had been dragged away right after work, and his first words were truly rude. If he hadn't been a powerful nobleman, she would have slapped him.

'I endure it not because I'm scared, but because it's disgusting.'

"Are you going to start a life with Raul?"

Shioana did go look at a house with the boss.

He suddenly took her to the residential area of District 8 and showed her house after house. She had dismissed it as Raul's pointless display of wealth, but somehow it turned into setting up a household.

"I have no idea where on earth you heard this story. Even if that were the case, what does that have to do with Your Excellency?"

Deep anger filled Shioana's blue eyes.

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