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Chapter 7
“Damn it. Nothing’s going right.”
Sebastian was furious that things had turned out completely differently from his original plan as he returned the horse he had borrowed and came back.
“That idiot… if only that baron—Teramis or Tiramisu or whatever—hadn’t noticed me, I’d have skipped town today.”
Sebastian kicked a pebble at his feet in irritation.
At that moment—
Neigh!
Thud-thud-thud.
Hearing the sound of horses approaching, he hurriedly hid himself.
Soon, several knights in the Order’s uniform rushed past.
“Shit. I need to get out of here fast.”
Within the Empire, Sebastian was already a wanted man.
He had been pursued by the Imperial Knights for multiple cases of fraud under the pretense of marriage and impersonating nobility.
Fortunately, since he had never gone around telling people his real identity, all the Imperial Knights had was a composite sketch of him.
Just one last big score, then I’ll run.
It had been a lucky catch. The naive young noble lady had trusted him easily and handed over money.
If he could just secure the 40,000 Ritas Espin had mentioned… an enormous fortune would soon be in his hands.
“Ha…”
Letting out a deep sigh as he looked up at the sky, Sebastian headed quickly toward the shadowy pawnshop in the capital, rumored to buy absolutely anything.
“Convert all of this into cash.”
Sebastian pulled out a heavy pouch from deep inside his clothes and placed it on the pawnshop counter.
See you again soon, my entire fortune—only much bigger next time.
When the pawnshop clerk opened the pouch with an indifferent expression, the jewels inside were revealed.
“So how much is it worth altogether?”
Maybe around 50,000 Ritas?
It was the result of nearly ten years of nonstop fraud.
This would be the foundation for gaining even more money.
I’ll give Espin 40,000 Ritas and use the remaining 10,000 to find a ship to stow away on.
It was a perfect plan.
He had already been promised 300,000 Ritas at the place where he planned to dispose of the count’s seal. Hand over the seal, take the money, board the ship, and it would all be cleanly over. With that much money, he’d never have to watch his back again.
“30,000 Ritas. That’s the best I can do.”
“What? Thirty thousand? Are you kidding me? Do I look like an idiot to you?!”
Sebastian snapped in anger at the amount, which was 20,000 Ritas less than expected.
With this, I’ll be 10,000 Ritas short of what I need to give Espin.
At that moment, the guards watching over the pawnshop stood up. Intimidated by their size, Sebastian suppressed his anger and spoke again.
“Take another look. Do you know how many jewels are in there?”
“The red rubies, sapphires, and diamonds—those are all fake. You don’t even have an eye for gems.”
The clerk mercilessly tossed the fake jewels aside and shook his head.
Like the gems rolling weakly on the floor, the strength drained from Sebastian’s shoulders.
Then I’m short 10,000 Ritas. Damn it—I even used all of Jane’s money.
There was no more place to squeeze money out of.
If he couldn’t get 40,000 Ritas now, all the time he’d invested in Espin would be wasted. He had already given her 10,000 Ritas. No matter what, he had to get the seal.
That was when he noticed a flyer.
[Do you need money? Interest-free, unsecured same-day loans available!
Come anytime when you need cash.]
“Hey. Lend me money too.”
“How much do you want?”
“20,000 Ritas.”
“Collateral?”
“Collateral? You need that? It says unsecured right here.”
“Interest-free, unsecured loans are capped at 200 Ritas.”
“What? I don’t have any collateral.”
“Then we can’t lend to you. That much money requires collateral.”
At the clerk’s words, Sebastian scratched the back of his head furiously.
“This is driving me crazy. I’ll bring back double—no, double—in two days.”
“How am I supposed to trust you?”
“Triple. I’ll bring back triple. I’ve got a sure source of money.”
“Are you certain?”
“Of course. If I don’t, you can take my jewels. I’ve got more back at my lodging.”
As always, Sebastian spun lies effortlessly.
The clerk smacked his lips, tempted by the jewels, and fell into thought. After a moment, he handed Sebastian a sheet of paper.
“A bodily forfeiture agreement? What is this?”
After reading it through, Sebastian stared at the pawnshop clerk in shock.
“Fine. Sign this, and I’ll lend you 10,000 Ritas.”
“I said I need 20,000.”
“Twenty thousand is absolutely not happening.”
Fine. He could find a ship after handing over the seal.
But without this 10,000 Ritas, everything would fall apart.
This is my last chance. If I just get Count Leon’s seal… 300,000 Ritas will be mine.
Blinded by the huge sum dangling just out of reach, Sebastian signed the agreement.
“Our people will be following you from now on. Don’t even think about running.”
Two large men appeared behind the clerk.
Sebastian wasn’t afraid at all. He could pay back this paltry sum easily.
“I have something to say, Head Butler.”
“Yes. Please speak freely.”
“You know that I’m being ignored in this family, right?”
“Miss, that’s not because the Count is ignoring you—”
The butler’s eyes widened in panic.
“You don’t have to make excuses. I’m fine. But even the maids are ignoring me.”
“Is that truly the case?”
The butler fell silent, clearly shocked.
He must not have known. In the novel, he apologized over this matter and left the house with Espin, so this was reliable.
The servants had probably acted properly in front of the butler out of fear, only to ignore Espin behind his back.
After a long silence, the butler’s eyes reddened, and he suddenly knelt before me.
“I’m sorry. I failed to properly manage the staff. To think they would dare to ignore you… This is my fault for not realizing it sooner.”
I patted his shoulder in response to his apology.
“I know it’s not your fault. Please stand up.”
The servants’ disrespect was clearly the result of seeing the Count and Countess disregard her and thinking it was acceptable to do the same. And because Espin was naive and starved for affection, she couldn’t speak up, afraid the maids would hate her, allowing the mistreatment to grow worse.
Ironically, that worked to my advantage now.
“So, Head Butler, I want you to replace all the servants in this estate in two days. All at once.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The butler accepted the request far too easily.
“Is that really okay? This is a pretty big deal.”
“Yes. It’s not the social season, so we’re not employing many servants, and the Leon household pays higher wages than most families, so it won’t be difficult to find replacements.”
“Won’t Father scold you?”
“If he knows the reason, the Count will understand.”
Oh. I was ready to throw a tantrum if needed. And it seems the Count doesn’t concern himself too deeply with things like this.
Pleased that things were going more smoothly than expected, I nodded.
“Thank you. Oh, but leave just one girl.”
“Whom do you mean?”
“A maid named Jane. And… there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
I took out a small earring I had hidden in my sleeve.
A small flower-shaped earring set with an emerald gem, the same color as Espin’s eyes.
The butler looked at it with a puzzled expression.
“I want you to hide this deep inside Jane’s room.”
This will sow discord between Jane and Sebastian.
I gazed at the earring with a satisfied smile.
The day Sebastian was to visit finally arrived.
When I heard that the long-awaited Sebastian had come, I hummed to myself and headed to the drawing room where he was waiting.
“Sebastian!”
That face I couldn’t stand to look at felt unusually welcome today.
Unlike me, Sebastian looked a bit gaunt, as though he’d been through a lot recently.
“Espin…”
“I missed you, Sebastian.”
He forced the corners of his mouth up.
“Please, sit down, Sebastian.”
“First, here are the 40,000 Ritas you mentioned.”
“To give me such a large sum…”
“For the future we’ll share together, this much is only right.”
“Sebastian, hearing you say that suddenly lifts my gloomy mood. I’ll be sure to bring the seal tomorrow morning.”
“Yes…”
“Sebastian, aren’t you curious why I was feeling depressed?”
“Ah—no, I am curious. I’m curious about everything regarding you, Espin.”
He’s like a machine.
He spat out prepared lines like an automated response.
“Do you remember the earrings I was wearing the last time we met?”
“The earrings?”
Sebastian nodded as if he remembered.
“Yes. They were very beautiful. Of course, not as beautiful as you, Espin.”
“Really? They were my favorite earrings. You know how much I love emerald green, right?”
“Yes, I do. You like them because they’re the same color as your eyes. But why the earrings?”
“They disappeared.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“I think they were stolen. I clearly remember putting them away carefully that day.”
“Oh my. A thief inside the house? You should catch them quickly.”
“I already asked the butler to do so.”
“You did well. Thieves like that deserve a harsh lesson.”
Sebastian answered soullessly, then looked at me with an earnest gaze.
“But, miss… this time, you really must bring the seal—”
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the drawing room door.
“Who is it? Come in.”
The door opened, and the butler rushed in.
“Miss, we have caught the thief who stole your earrings.”
“Really? Who is it?”
Soon the door opened again, and Jane entered, her arms bound, dragged in by two maids.
“I swear it wasn’t me. This is unfair.”
Jane cried out in a trembling voice.
“Stop talking and move. We’ve brought the thief.”
The two maids practically threw Jane down in front of me.
“Miss, it really wasn’t me.”
Jane, who had been hanging her head, looked up.
“Seba—”
“…”
Jane’s and Sebastian’s eyes met.
Perhaps thinking he would save her, a smile formed on Jane’s lips. But Sebastian, as if he were seeing a ghost, turned his head away, his face deathly pale.
“So it was you. The thief who stole my earrings.”
I stood before Jane with a triumphant smile.
