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CHAPTER 01
“Hmm.”
“What is it?”
“Viscount Stein sent a letter saying we must repay the money we borrowed within this month.”
“What?!”
Viscount Louis, who had been reading a letter in his study-cum-reception room, scratched his chin with a troubled expression. Though his clothes were worn, they were neat, and the viscount had black hair and black eyes. His face, which had weathered the passage of time gently, carried a deep but soft smile.
He had always allowed them to repay after winter passed, but this time the letter had arrived early in the morning, stating that due to urgent matters in his own domain, he needed the debt repaid quickly. There was worry in his eyes as he read it, but no sign of panic or irritation.
“There isn’t even enough food for the estate’s people right now… I don’t know where we’re supposed to find money.”
The viscount muttered in a troubled tone. That evening, four members of the House of Louis gathered in a small reception room.
“What about the kids?”
“Minors are not allowed to participate.”
At the question from the third daughter, Ilena, the eldest, Jane, said with a gentle smile. From her sister’s knowing expression, Ilena quickly realized that if there was any problem in the quiet rural estate of Louis, it was most likely a financial one.
“So what’s going on?”
The viscountess asked her husband while holding a warm herbal tea. The room felt chilly. They needed more firewood, but their stock was running low, and they would have to wait a bit longer before they could cut more wood.
“Viscount Stein’s house has sent word demanding immediate repayment of the money we borrowed last winter.”
“This is serious.”
The viscountess replied in a tone that didn’t sound particularly worried at all as she sipped her tea. She believed problems could always be solved somehow, and began thinking about the estate’s finances and debts.
This is a bit difficult.
She took another sip and considered going to a larger nearby estate to work as a private tutor. Nobles always wanted the best possible instructors for their children. Having moved from the capital to Louis, the viscountess was a highly sought-after etiquette instructor among local noblewomen.
It wouldn’t be bad to even take a job at the countess’s household—the one who always picked fights with her whenever they met, claiming she should do something to contribute to their poor household finances. Perhaps if her troublesome son endured strict etiquette lessons, he might finally come to his senses. The viscountess let out a small laugh at the thought.
“Derek keeps sending his knight’s salary, but it’s only enough to barely get through winter after adding it to our debt payments. There’s nowhere else to get money. The fastest solution is for me to marry.”
“Dear, marriage is not a joke. I can’t marry you off for money.”
“Contract marriages between noble houses are quite common, you know.”
“I’d rather not see that happen in my lifetime.”
The viscountess gently stopped her eldest daughter’s ambitious plan. Even if they were poor, she didn’t want to sell her daughter off for money. The viscount agreed with this.
“There won’t be any young lord willing to become a son-in-law for a family with fewer than fifty households in its domain.”
“Still, someone who loves me might want the Louis estate.”
Jane was momentarily speechless at her mother’s carefree words. She knew her parents had married for love and got along well, but also understood that wasn’t the norm.
The Louis estate was a basin surrounded by mountains. Because of that, winters were brutally cold. Moreover, there was no way to earn money during winter, which was why they had to borrow from Viscount Stein’s house every year just to survive.
“Realistically, there’s no way for us to suddenly come up with 100 gold. Even from spring to autumn, we barely make enough to keep the estate running.”
“So that’s why we’re gathered here—to think of a solution, isn’t it? Jane, I want you to live a happy marriage like ours.”
The viscount looked at his daughter with deep affection. Jane finally realized that her idea of finding a wealthy noble or merchant to solve everything would not be accepted.
“Then I guess I’ll have to step in.”
“Ilena, didn’t you say you didn’t want anyone to know you’re a Sword Master?”
It wasn’t a given, but hearing that the Stein household—who had always helped them every winter—was suddenly in urgent need made her speechless. Of course, Louis wanted to repay the debt, but they simply didn’t have the money saved up.
Ilena thought of the fastest possible solution.
“In that case, there’s no helping it. Shouldn’t we just inform the Imperial Capital and receive a title to get state support?”
“We don’t have the power to protect you right now. Revealing that you are a Sword Master so suddenly may not be the right choice either.”
At his daughters’ aggressive suggestions, the viscount smiled and gently stopped his second daughter.
“So what will you do if you don’t want marriage or revealing your Sword Master identity?”
“We should think it over slowly. It’s not like Viscount Stein can do anything to our estate just because we can’t pay immediately.”
Since neither the eldest nor the second daughter’s suggestions were acceptable, Ilena sighed. And the younger twins were too young to earn money.
“I just didn’t want to reveal it because I didn’t want the attention. But if the estate is struggling, we should accept that much.”
“Oh my, you. Since when did we ever force you to suffer for something you dislike?”
The viscountess lightly smacked Ilena’s arm, calling her dramatic. Ilena didn’t avoid her mother’s affectionate touch.
“You’re right, dear. Even if you reveal that you’re a Sword Master, it will take time to prove it. And we don’t know what kind of title the Emperor would grant. If it’s a mediocre title and estate, it would only add more burden. And you wouldn’t want to deal with paperwork.”
“There’s a saying that a Sword Master is worth a hundred men. Wouldn’t defeating 100 imperial knights be enough proof?”
“The imperial court won’t test you so crudely. And even if they grant you a new estate, it might not help much.”
Her sister was right. If she received a new title, she would have to manage two estates at once, increasing her workload. Ilena finally realized she had to take action herself.
“Then I’ll go to a nearby estate—”
“I’ll also find work in the capital like Derek.”
Ilena quickly interrupted at the mention of her mother working. She couldn’t let her aging mother take on labor.
“Do you even have a job in mind?”
“I saw in the newspaper that the Duke Beckman household is hiring.”
“You mean as a servant?”
“Yes. The listing said the benefits are excellent.”
Ilena explained what she knew about the Duke Beckman household. They even provided basic education for servants and taught swordsmanship.
She judged that if she was careful, her identity as a Sword Master wouldn’t be revealed. She wasn’t joining the knight order, and the salary would likely be high enough to repay their debt within a few months.
“How much does a maid in the capital earn?”
“If you’re accepted as a maid, even a probationary salary is 2 gold per month. That’s enough to live on for several months for commoners.”
“Only 2 gold? It would take five years to repay Viscount Stein’s debt at that rate. It’d be faster to marry and take money from a husband.”
“The ducal household is quite generous to its staff. They raise salaries every year, and they even offer loans if you’re short on money.”
At Ilena’s confident words, the family fell silent. Something felt off. It didn’t seem likely that a newspaper would include such detailed information.
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
Everyone except Ilena thought the same. They worried whether she could really work as a maid properly.
“So you plan to live in the capital to keep repaying loans?”
“Yes. I can earn money while working and also send money home, so it seems like the fastest solution.”
The viscountess gave an awkward smile at her daughter’s words. No one in the capital would dare bite off her daughter’s nose, but she worried whether Ilena could adapt well. Jane felt the same.
“Ilena. What if—just what if—”
“Yes?”
“What if, just hypothetically…”
“Why do you keep hesitating?”
“What if someone in the capital keeps picking fights with you, or you run into thugs in an alley?”
“Do they want to die? Or are they just very unhappy with the world?”
Jane let out a deep sigh at her answer. Not everyone who picks a fight is trying to die.
In the capital, you can’t just kill people. Actually, you can’t do that even in the Louis estate. At Jane’s “Did you kill people before?” look, Ilena shook her head innocently.
“You can’t act the same way you do in the Louis estate. I understand that much. I’ll only restrain myself halfway.”
No. That’s still wrong. Jane shook her head.
The viscount and viscountess exchanged glances. Ilena was calm and composed, but she had a bold tendency to not back down from any fight that came her way. They silently lifted their teacups and resolved to stop their daughter from going to the capital.
“Then another hypothetical.”
“I can read the situation if I become a maid, sister.”
“You probably can. But what if your superior orders you to do something unfair?”
“I heard the ducal household is strict about that kind of thing. That shouldn’t happen.”
“Just in case. Just in case!”
“Then I guess I’ll try to persuade them.”
Ilena smiled and casually waved her fist in the air in front of her.
