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Chapter 5
“No. There are no jobs available for you right now. All maid positions have already been filled, so come back next time.”
The door slammed shut.
Just like that, another place rejected me.
“I told you, Miss. Let’s just go back. That was the last guild.”
We had visited every employment guild in the area.
And the result was simple.
Nothing.
No job that I could take.
In other words—complete failure.
“Ha…”
Even in my previous life, I had struggled with employment.
And now I was experiencing it again in this world.
I let out a hollow laugh and sat down on the edge of a fountain.
“Miss! You can’t just sit anywhere like that, your clothes will get dirty!”
“It’s fine. That’s why I wore old clothes today.”
I sighed again, staring at the empty sky.
Maybe I should use my previous life experience as a corporate psychological counselor?
But…
There’s no concept of mental illness or psychological counseling in this world.
No demand meant no income.
Even my PhD and years of lectures meant nothing here.
I sighed again.
Then Bell’s voice came sharply.
“You really shouldn’t sit in cold places. Your body is still weak. Let’s at least go somewhere warm—”
Since when was Bell this assertive?
Before I could respond, she pulled me up with surprising strength.
“Wah—!”
My balance wavered.
And I collided with someone in front of me.
“Ah.”
I quickly steadied myself and looked up.
Black hair like ink.
Sharp red eyes.
A sharply defined nose, a straight jawline, and a tall, broad-shouldered frame.
A man so striking I had to tilt my head back to see his face properly.
A handsome stranger stood there, frowning.
“I’m very sorry.”
I stepped aside.
But the man didn’t move.
He just stood there, staring.
What is this?
It was clearly my fault for bumping into him, but this reaction felt excessive.
Then his red lips parted.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“Pardon?”
I studied his face carefully.
But I was certain—I had never seen him before.
Before I could respond further, his escort stepped forward.
“Hm.”
Even the escort was good-looking.
I was absolutely sure of it.
If I had ever seen men like these, I would never forget.
I shook my head.
“No, I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Ah!”
Bell suddenly panicked and stepped forward.
She bowed deeply.
“I sincerely apologize for not recognizing you sooner! Thank you so much for helping our young lady the other day!”
…What?
Helping? The other day?
My mind went blank.
Then Bell leaned in and whispered urgently into my ear.
“That’s the Duke who brought you home on the night of the banquet. Red eyes, black hair—there’s no mistake! That’s Duke Lucas Bovertin!”
Lucas Bovertin.
The name hit me like ice water.
That was the man from my most humiliating memory.
The man who carried me home after I mistook him for Ian.
I stiffened.
While I was frozen, Bell continued speaking quickly.
“I’m very sorry for the late greeting! This is Duke Bovertin. He was the one who helped you that night!”
Lucas Bovertin.
The Empire’s iron-blooded duke.
The last person I ever wanted to face again.
I slowly lifted my head.
And there he was—my walking black history.
“…It seems you remember me after all,” Lucas said calmly.
My lips trembled, but I forced them into something resembling a polite smile.
Right.
This was my karma.
There was no escaping it.
“I apologize for not recognizing you sooner, Duke Bovertin. I am Elisha Adrian. Thank you again for your help that night.”
“Are you fully recovered? You looked quite ill then.”
“Yes. I’m fine now. And I truly appreciate your help. I must have caused you great inconvenience.”
At my words, Lucas tilted his head slightly.
He muttered something under his breath.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Then he turned away.
“I’m in a bit of a hurry. Excuse me.”
And just like that—
Clink.
Something fell from his pocket.
It hit the ground.
I quickly picked it up.
A necklace with a small locket.
“Ah?”
But when I looked up, Lucas and his escort had already disappeared into the crowd.
I opened the locket.
Inside was a photograph.
A family portrait.
And on the far left—
A boy who looked unmistakably like Lucas.
“This…”
Bell leaned in.
“What is it?”
“I think… I just picked up something very important.”
“It looks like a family photo.”
“…We should return it.”
If he lost something this precious, he would be distressed.
And more importantly—
I couldn’t ignore something belonging to someone who had helped me.
“I’ll go after him.”
Bell panicked.
“Miss, you don’t even know where he went!”
“Let’s try the main road. He couldn’t have gone far.”
“…Fine. But after that, we’re going straight home!”
Bell followed closely behind me as we pushed into the crowd.
