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Chapter 14
Vendia still couldn’t grasp the situation, so she remained where she was, observing them.
“Hahaha. I was talking about the matter you mentioned before.”
“What… oh, the disposal project?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right. If this goes well, you’ll really vote for our family, won’t you…?”
“Hey. Are you doubting me right now?”
The marquis, Baldini, looked visibly annoyed.
The officer panicked and immediately bowed deeply.
“No, sir! I’m sorry! How could I possibly doubt you, my lord!”
His bowing posture nearly touched the ground, and seemingly satisfied by the attitude, Baldini let out a dry chuckle and patted the officer’s back.
“It’s no big deal. If you’re taking the lead on waste disposal and the job gets done properly, then yes, I’ll vote for your Gregori family’s Hexadion.”
“Thank you, Marquis! I will never forget this grace!”
“Do well. Only then will you get what you want.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best.”
“But I had no idea there was a building here. How did I never notice before?”
“I know, right? I’ve passed this street many times, but it was always covered in heavy fog…”
Disposal, voting, waste… None of it made any sense to her.
Deciding it had nothing to do with the House of Count Rose, Vendia stepped toward them as they continued talking.
Sensing her presence, the marquis and the officer looked her up and down quickly.
The look in their eyes was so unpleasant that Vendia instinctively frowned.
“Hey! Why are you just standing there like that? This is Marquis Baldini Heden! Show proper manners at once!”
The marquis remained silent, but the officer jumped in, overreacting.
“Tsk tsk! Don’t be alarmed.”
Rebuking the officer, Baldini winked at Vendia with an overly greasy look in his eyes.
It was as if he were saying, “Impressed, aren’t you?” It almost made her vomit.
“I’m Baldini Heden. I’ve heard the owner of this mansion lives here. Lead me to your master.”
“That’s me.”
“…What?”
The marquis, who had been speaking in a soft, condescending tone, faltered.
“I’m the owner,” she repeated.
“You’re the owner of this building?”
Unable to believe it, Baldini’s slimy eyes scanned Vendia from head to toe.
She was wearing a plain summer dress. Her face was bare of makeup, and she wasn’t wearing any jewelry, thinking it cumbersome.
“Ha, hahaha!”
“And you’re lying in front of whom?”
Baldini suddenly burst into laughter while the officer exploded with anger.
They must’ve mistaken her for a servant working at the mansion because of her simple attire.
“You know what happens if you lie in front of me. And you claim you’re really the owner?”
“If you’re just going to keep checking, then leave. I have no business with you.”
“Oh? Turning your back before me?”
As she turned away, wanting no part of this, Baldini grabbed her shoulder and forcibly turned her around.
Disgusted as if touched by a bug, she smacked his hand away, propped one hip out, and crossed her arms.
There was no need to show courtesy to such people with not a shred of decency.
“How dare you…!”
“Whose daughter are you?”
The officer tried to lunge at Vendia, but Baldini raised his hand to stop him and asked.
She didn’t want to engage, but she wanted them gone quickly, so she answered.
“I don’t have one.”
With just that one sentence, both Baldini and the officer’s expressions changed.
They now looked down on her even more blatantly, clearly seeing her as easy prey.
“No need for long talk. Sell me this mansion.”
Now that he knew she had no noble family, he didn’t even bother hiding his condescending tone, speaking to her like a servant.
Was this how someone buying a property should act?
Vendia was dumbfounded, but decided to at least hear him out.
Because, after all, the mansion had long been abandoned. There were laws in place, too.
“There’s an imperial law that says you can’t sell a building for three years after purchase, isn’t there?”
“Puhahaha!”
What was so funny? Baldini burst out laughing again.
“How stupid. Do you really think there’s something Marquis Heden can’t do…!”
“You can stop talking.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m the owner, and he’s the one who wants to buy it. Why is a third party butting in?”
Seeing the unpleasant expression on her face, the officer—Gregori—turned red and blue.
“She’s right. You step aside.”
Even Baldini agreed, nodding his head. The officer could only tremble in frustration and bite his lip.
“I know someone in the Imperial Land Department. Getting a document approved is nothing.”
He raised his chin smugly.
So yes, there’s a law, but he planned to bypass it with connections. Apparently, power and money could still get you anything in this world.
If it didn’t cause legal trouble, it wasn’t a bad offer. She had wanted to sell the place, but the imperial law had stopped her.
Now that someone had come to her, she thought she might get a good price. She was about to ask how much he would offer when Baldini beat her to it.
“Don’t bother thinking. Just sell it. I doubt you even got this mansion honestly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know.”
The way he looked at her made her skin crawl.
“A young woman with no family wouldn’t have been able to buy this mansion so easily. It’s obvious.”
“What are you implying?”
“You must’ve really fooled some old fool or idiot with that pretty face of yours.”
“As expected. You’re sharp, Marquis.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing—but apparently, people do live exactly as they look. The phrase “physiognomy is science” was no joke.
Gregori, who’d been stewing in frustration, finally chimed in with a greasy smirk.
A public servant, no less.
So they really believed a young woman, not even a noble, couldn’t possibly own a building through her own means?
“Disgusting. You only see filth because that’s all that’s in your eyes.”
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Why pretend you didn’t? Are your ears bad too?”
Baldini’s face twisted as she mocked him. He was clearly offended.
To think he was already this upset—ridiculous.
He had insulted her for being a young woman, assumed her success was illegitimate, and now he was acting like the victim.
“M-Milady, who are these people?”
Just then, Chris strode over, having finished his patrol. He was carrying a broom for some reason, and his mood was visibly hostile.
“Miss Dia!”
Now Sasha was rushing over too, likely having seen the scene through the kitchen window.
With Chris on her left and Sasha on her right, Vendia felt like a boss flanked by her crew. It made her smirk.
Honestly, they were being overly dramatic, but thanks to them, she felt reassured.
“Birds of a feather, huh. I’ll let this go just this once. So watch your mouth. For now, lead your guests inside. Don’t act uncultured.”
He pretended to be generous while still mocking her. Pathetic.
“How much will you pay?”
“I’ll offer more than the market price.”
Baldini responded to her question with a smug grin, as if to say “of course.”
He must have assumed that if he threw some money at her, she’d drop her pride and cave.
“How much, exactly?”
“I’ll add ten thousand krangs. That should satisfy you.”
“Are you joking?”
Vendia ran her hand through her hair in disbelief. Baldini’s smirk twitched.
“Just ten thousand krangs, and you thought you could strut around like this? Pathetic.”
“Ten thousand,” “strut,” “pathetic”—each emphasized word hit Baldini like a hammer. His face contorted into a furious snarl.
Gregori stood in silence, nervously watching to avoid further upsetting the marquis.
“To someone like you, ten thousand krangs is a blessing.”
Baldini spat out the words like poison.
