IPBPBD 34

Chapter 34

Emilina froze, her expression stiff with displeasure.

Her father—indebted to Viscount Heather? What nonsense was that?

But what irritated her more was Lady Heather’s one-sided behavior.
From the beginning, she had been dwelling on her personal grudges, dragging the mood down.

“Are you trying to threaten me right now?”

“Of course not. I’m offering advice for your own good, Lady.”

“Anyone overhearing might think you’re the owner of the merchant company.”

“My father, at least, can exert that much influence.”

Lady Heather lifted her lips in a smug smile and went on.

“Well… if you were to beg me sincerely, perhaps I might change my mind.”

In other words, she wanted Emilina to throw away her pride and plead.

That ridiculous provocation made Emilina let out a short laugh.

“I doubt I’d ever beg you. Maybe your father or younger brother, but not you.”

“…So you find my words laughable, Lady?”

“Well, in any case, it was an enjoyable gathering. I hope you invite me again if there’s a chance.”

Emilina cut her off and turned away without hesitation.
Before leaving, she added as though suddenly remembering something:

“By the way, I wonder what makes you so confident about talking of chocolate distribution rights. As far as I know, there will never be any dealings between your Heather company and them.”

Recently, when chocolate—currently all the rage in the capital—was mentioned, Lady Heather had bragged.
She said her father, Viscount Heather, was preparing a contract with Madame Emilie,
that they were working to secure the distribution rights.

She spoke as though the contract had already been sealed,
and Emilina couldn’t suppress her derision.

Dream on. There was no way chocolate would ever be handed over to another’s hands.
And even if it were, it certainly wouldn’t be Viscount Heather.

Lady Heather’s high-pitched voice cried out, demanding what she meant,
but Emilina ignored her lightly.
She no longer felt like entertaining her.

Her face, once turned away, grew somber.
She was beginning to understand why Katie had sent her there—
and her steps toward home felt heavier.

* * *

As soon as she arrived home, Emilina went straight to find Mactron.

She couldn’t simply brush off what Lady Heather had said.
That woman had clearly implied her father was burdened with debts in many places.

If that were true, she needed to know since when.

If he lied about paying everything off…

Her expression darkened as she lightly knocked on the door to her father’s room.

“Father, it’s Millie. May I come in?”

Click. The door opened, and Mactron appeared.

“Oh? Millie? What brings you here? I thought you went to a social gathering.”

“I did, and I’m on my way back. But… could you spare me a little time?”

“Not your mother?”

He looked faintly surprised.
Their relationship wasn’t bad, but it was rare for the two of them to sit down for a private talk.

“Mother’s out, isn’t she? I wanted to talk with you.”

“…Alright. Come in.”

Mactron opened the door wide and let her in.
Father and daughter sat facing each other at the table in his bedroom.

He spoke first.

“So then, what’s this about?”

“Mm…”

Emilina hesitated, carefully choosing her words.
It was a sensitive subject, and bringing it up made her nervous.

“Father… are we, financially, in real trouble?”

Mactron’s face froze in surprise.
His voice trembled as he asked,

“Wh-why do you think that?”

“I have ears, you know. I hear things.”

“…I’m sorry. It seems my inadequacy has brought you distress.”

His voice carried guilt.
The thought that his incompetence had caused his daughter difficulties ached in his heart.

Emilina quickly waved her hands.

“No, no. I’ve never had to worry because of you. And… I already knew we weren’t well off.”

(Though in truth, it was because she had just been confronted with those unpleasant words.)

But Mactron only looked more downcast, as if her words struck deeper.

So she carefully added,

“That’s why I’m asking—can’t I help in some way?”

“My dear, I appreciate the thought, but it’s unnecessary. Things aren’t so bad that I’d need your hand.”

He answered firmly.
He didn’t want his beloved daughter to feel responsible, to be driven to work because of their poverty.
He refused to be such a shameful father.

But Emilina clearly had other ideas.

“Please don’t say such hurtful things. Now’s exactly when family must support each other.”

She let out a soft sigh.

“Father… I know about the debts. Is it perhaps that the debts from that business—
the ones you took on because of me—still aren’t repaid?”

“That is…”

His unease betrayed the truth.

So the claim of having paid everything off had been a lie.

Emilina’s chest tightened with guilt.
It must have been when she’d proposed that East-Continent trade project—over ten years ago.

Ten years meant the interest would have snowballed by now.

She should never have asked so lightly.
The thought of her father carrying such weight on his shoulders all this time crushed her.

Seeing her darkening expression, Mactron quickly spoke.

“Millie, this is not your fault. Your idea was excellent.
It was my lack of ability that failed to make it succeed.”

“But you strained yourself and made things worse because of it.”

“That was my choice. The blame is mine, not yours.
I reached too far, driven by ambition, and borrowed from too many places.”

He shut his eyes tightly, ashamed of the image he kept showing his daughter.

Emilina felt the same.

But leaving things like this wouldn’t solve anything.

She asked cautiously,

“How much is the debt, exactly?”

Mactron pressed his lips together, unwilling to answer.

But Emilina didn’t give up.

“I’m grown now. As part of this family, I need to know the truth.”

Her steady gaze bored into him.
Still, he remained stubbornly silent.

So she decided to push harder.

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll have no choice but to find out on my own.”

She rose from her seat.
Mactron looked at her in disbelief.

“On your own? How would you even do that?”

“I’ll find a way.”

“Millie.”

His voice took on a firmer tone, warning her not to go that far.

“Then please, Father. Tell me yourself.”

“…Must you really know?”

“Yes.”

Her resolute answer made him let out a low groan.
He wavered—should he tell her or not?

But she was just like her mother, once she set her mind.
If he didn’t tell her, she’d dig it out by some means or another.

Better she hear it from him.

Finally, with a sigh, he spoke:

“…About twenty thousand gold.”

“!”

Emilina’s eyes widened like lanterns.

When ten gold was said to be a month’s living expenses for a family of four commoners—
the debt was astronomical.

For the Klein barony, not much better off than commoners, it was utterly crushing.

She sank back into her seat.
Her voice trembled as she asked,

“Then… how much was the principal?”

Mactron answered with a bitter laugh.

“The principal itself wasn’t much—about four hundred gold.”

What the—! Emilina had to bite down on the curse rising to her lips.

“So all of that is just interest piled up?”

“In the end, yes.”

He buried his face in his hands.

Emilina felt like her blood pressure would knock her out on the spot.

Even after ten years, this was absurd.
Surely he must have made payments over time.

A baronial administrator’s salary wasn’t lavish,
but even so, he should have cleared that by now.

No matter how many creditors or differing interest rates,
the sum still made no sense.

Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Mactron continued.

“The situation… became complicated. I thought everything was paid off five years ago.
But then I discovered there was still an outstanding loan. And that one…”

He went on to explain in detail how the debt had grown to twenty thousand gold.
As he spoke, his voice carried nothing but frustration.

And the more Emilina listened, the more utterly stunned she became.