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Chapter 5
Just as Vendia thought she had been caught and was about to flail her arms and bolt—
“P-Please take me with you too!”
“Huh?”
She turned her head and saw Sasha—carrying a packed travel bag, just like her.
“I-I’m really good at laundry and cooking! I can handle all kinds of chores! It’ll be much more convenient to travel with me than alone! I’m useful!”
Sasha looked resolute, clearly determined. Vendia let out a small sigh.
She didn’t know how Sasha had discovered her escape plan, but she was already overwhelmed handling herself—she couldn’t afford to drag around another burden.
“I can’t pay you. And how do you even know where I’m going?”
“I don’t care where! Please, just let me come with you. Please?”
“Look, Sasha. We’ve only just met. You barely know anything about me—what are you even trusting here? Just go back. It’s better for you to stay working at the count’s estate. The conditions and pay are both better.”
Vendia refused firmly—her escape plan had never involved anyone else.
“You didn’t know? The Count’s household is infamous for unpaid wages.”
“…”
She hadn’t known. But thinking about the Count’s usual behavior… yep, that sounded about right. A shady household through and through.
“I’d rather serve someone I can respect than suffer here. When you gave out bread to the hungry at Soho Market, I was honestly moved!”
“That was…”
A distraction tactic to lure out a mad dog… was what she wanted to say, but Sasha’s innocent face and trusting eyes made the words catch in her throat.
Her conscience ached.
“To willingly spend half your fortune like that… I don’t have much myself, but I couldn’t part with half…”
Was that a compliment?
Or was she just confirming Vendia was a broke beggar?
Thanks to that stupid Kalbasa, she now had a reputation for being destitute all over town.
“Still no. You need a salary to survive. And I can’t pay you.”
“How about this, then?”
Sasha threw open her bag, revealing a glittering collection of necklaces and rings.
“You…”
Vendia’s eyes widened in shock.
“I secretly picked up the things you dropped when you were stealing the madam’s jewelry.”
“…So that’s why it felt like some were missing.”
Vendia had stolen her mother’s jewels in preparation for the escape, but had later noticed a few pieces seemed gone. Turns out Sasha had quietly scooped them up.
And instead of reporting her, she’d kept them and followed her. That was… kind of touching.
“If you don’t take me with you, I’ll return all of this to the madam. And when she questions me, I’ll have no choice but to confess that you ran away.”
“You little…”
Any hint of tears she had evaporated instantly.
She’d thought Sasha was on her side, but she’d been negotiating this whole time with stolen goods? This girl wasn’t ordinary.
“But if you take me with you, no one needs to find out, and you get to keep the jewels. I really want to go with you…”
After every kind of threat imaginable, Sasha lowered her shoulders and looked genuinely downcast—and it actually looked real. She really wanted to come.
At that moment, the sound of hooves and rattling wheels broke the silence and pulled up beside them.
“No time to dawdle. Get on.”
The gruff coachman said. It was the same man who had spoken with her at Soho Street two weeks ago about heading south.
“Please…”
“What are you doing? I said get on.”
Vendia looked between the coachman and Sasha, quickly and repeatedly.
Finally, with an annoyed growl and a shake of her head—as if even she couldn’t understand her own decision—she extended her hand to the coachman.
“One more person.”
She paid extra, and both she and Sasha climbed into the cargo wagon.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Sasha bowed repeatedly, eyes full of gratitude.
“If I find out you’re working with the Count’s family, I’ll split your butt into north, south, east, and west.”
“Yes, ma’am! Of course not! I’d never do that!”
Despite the chilling warning, Sasha giggled happily.
“Ugh. Whatever.”
Leaning back against a pile of straw, Vendia slowly closed her eyes.
Even if it was just one clever accomplice, it’d be less lonely than going it alone.
“So… where are we going?”
At Sasha’s question, Vendia touched the old pouch hanging around her neck—the only thing left from her ex-husband.
“Southern Rimse Territory.”
At the time, she had no idea what was waiting for her there.
Some Time Later
“This is the place.”
The man who had introduced himself as a broker finally stopped walking.
He was so fast that Vendia had nearly passed out keeping up. She panted as she looked up.
“Here?”
“Yes. This is your mansion.”
Her mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Oops…”
Sasha muttered, expressing what Vendia was thinking.
“A mansion? This?”
The so-called mansion looked like it could collapse any second. A rickety, three-story wooden building.
It gave off such an eerie vibe, it might as well have been a haunted house.
The wood on the exterior walls was peeling in places, and the fence around the property was missing slats like a toothless smile.
“A tree?”
In the middle of the yard stood a lone, ancient-looking tree that gave off a mystical presence.
The only redeeming feature was the building’s shape. Unlike local mansions, this one resembled the townhouse she used to live in.
“Haha… Of course. That bastard…”
Vendia clenched her teeth and imagined smashing Denros’s pretty face to pieces.
She had hoped, just a little.
He hadn’t given her a single coin in alimony, but the night before she left the ducal house, Denros had handed her a necklace with a worn pouch.
—
“What’s this?”
“It’s so old, no one will try to steal it.”
“What even is it?”
“A settlement for our time married. You’ll find it more useful than money. Use it when you need it.”
—
She hadn’t understood then, but after returning to the Count’s estate, she realized what he meant.
He knew her family would try to take everything from her.
And they did—bank accounts, possessions, luggage—everything except the necklace around her neck.
Thanks to that, Vendia was able to flee to the Rimse Territory in the South.
Inside the pouch had been an ID under the name “Dia” and a map of the territory.
With no time to spare, she chose Rimse as her first destination and carefully switched carriages several times to avoid pursuit.
It wasn’t until she passed through a checkpoint that she realized what Denros meant by “useful.”
The ID had transformed her from Vendia Rose into Dia. Even if her family tried to track her down, they wouldn’t find her.
And now that she was legally a different person, they couldn’t claim any more assets from her either.
When she showed the ID at the border, a broker showed up and brought her unexpected news: a property was registered under her name.
She was thrilled. Her expectations soared.
“Of course! He didn’t leave me with nothing after all!”
But the result?
A dilapidated, unsellable, nearly collapsing house.
“Miss Dia, please sign here.”
The broker, oblivious to her inner turmoil, held out a receipt.
“If I don’t sign, does it not belong to me?”
“It’s already registered under your name. This is just formal paperwork.”
He smiled politely, but there was no room for negotiation.
She didn’t want it. Not at all.
It was going to be a money pit. Maintenance would cost a fortune.
This couldn’t be real. It had to be a mistake.
As despair overwhelmed her, Vendia suddenly grabbed the broker’s hand with desperate eyes.
“Then I’ll sell it right now! Please help me sell it!”
“That’s not possible.”
“Why not?!”
Isn’t that how real estate works?! You buy, then you can sell!
“According to imperial law, a building cannot be resold for three years after purchase. It’s in the fine print on the document.”
Vendia snatched the confirmation slip and read it. Sure enough, it was there—in tiny letters just above the signature line.
“This is way too small! How’s anyone supposed to read this?!”
