“Hmm…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Count Stein has sent a letter demanding repayment of the money we borrowed from him this month.”
“What?!”
In the library, which doubled as a reception room, Count Lewis sat reading the letter, his brow furrowed as he scratched his chin. Despite his simple appearance and old yet elegantly worn clothes, the count had jet-black hair and deep, dark eyes. His face, weathered by the patient endurance of time’s vicissitudes, bore a smile—profound yet gentle.
He always waited until the end of winter for such matters, but this time the letter arrived early in the morning, informing him of urgent affairs in Count Stein’s fief and demanding swift repayment. Though his eyes brimmed with worry, he betrayed no haste or nervousness.
“Even the food is barely enough for the people of the fief now,” he murmured, his voice heavy with frustration. “I don’t know where we’ll find the money…”
That evening, the four members of the Lewis family gathered in the small reception room.
“Where are the children?”
“Minors aren’t allowed to join,” answered Jane, the eldest daughter, with a gentle smile in response to Elena, the third daughter’s question. From the expression on her sister’s face, which hinted at knowing something more, Elena sensed that the only thing likely to disturb the quiet Lewis fief was, as expected, a matter of money.
“So, what’s the issue?”
Countess Lewis asked her husband, clutching a cup of warm herbal tea. The room was chilly. They ought to have added more firewood to the hearth, but their stock was running low, and they’d have to wait a little longer before cutting more trees.
“We’ve received word from Count Stein’s family, demanding immediate repayment of the money we borrowed last winter,” the count explained.
“That’s a serious problem,” the countess replied, her tone surprisingly unperturbed as she sipped her tea. She believed the issue would resolve itself somehow, but then she recalled the state of the Lewis family’s finances and their debts.
*This will be a bit tricky,* she thought, taking another sip of her tea. The countess considered traveling to a nearby large fief to work as a private tutor. Noble families were always eager to secure the best tutors for their children. Having lived in the capital before moving to the Lewis fief, the countess had been a sought-after etiquette instructor among the surrounding ladies.
*If I want to improve our modest living situation, I’ll have to work as a tutor,* she reasoned. *Even if it means going to the house of that troublesome countess who stirs up problems at every gathering. Perhaps if that mischievous boy received some strict etiquette lessons, he might improve a little.* A small smile curved her lips at the thought.
“Derrick is still sending his salary from the knights’ brigade,” Jane said, “but it’s barely enough to cover the debt and the costs of winter. We have no other source of income. The quickest solution remains my marriage.”
“My dear, marriage is not a game,” the countess said gently. “We can’t marry you off just to solve our financial troubles.”
“Plenty of people enter contractual marriages between families,” Jane countered. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Not on my watch,” the countess said with a tender tone, trying to dissuade her eldest daughter from her ambitious plan. Despite their poverty, she had no desire to “sell” her daughter for money. She knew her husband would agree with her on this matter.
“There’s no noble son out there who’d want to marry into a family that doesn’t even have fifty households in its fief,” the count added, his voice firm but tinged with resignation.
“And yet, someone who loves you might want to claim the Lewis fief,” the countess said optimistically.
Jane fell silent for a moment at her mother’s hopeful words. She knew her parents had married for love and shared a strong bond, but she also understood that such a thing was far from common.
The Lewis fief lay in a plain encircled by mountains, which made its winters bitterly cold. Not only that, but there was no way to generate income during the winter months in the fief. As a result, they had no choice but to borrow money from Count Stein’s family every winter.
“It’s only logical that we can’t come up with a hundred gold pieces so quickly,” Jane said. “Even from spring to autumn, we barely manage to cover the fief’s expenses.”
“That’s why we’ve gathered to think of a solution, isn’t it?” the count replied. “Jane, I want you to have a happy married life, like ours.”
His eyes brimmed with a father’s love for his daughter. Jane finally realized that her idea—to marry a wealthy noble or merchant—would not be accepted.
“Then I’ll step in,” Elena declared.
“Elena, didn’t you say you didn’t want to reveal that you’re a sword lady?” Jane asked.
It wasn’t surprising. But with the Stein family, who had always helped them through the winters, now urgently demanding repayment, there was little to say. Of course, the Lewis family wanted to settle their debts, but they lacked sufficient savings.
Elena considered the fastest way to resolve the issue. “Under these circumstances, we have no choice. Perhaps the best option is to announce to the emperor and secure an official title to receive financial support.”
“It’s not wise to suddenly reveal you’re a sword lady when we don’t have the strength to protect you,” the count said, chuckling as he gently dissuaded his second daughter from her bold idea.
“If you don’t want marriage or for me to reveal I’m a sword lady, then what’s the solution?” Elena asked.
“We need to think carefully,” the count replied. “Count Stein can’t do anything to our fief just because we can’t repay the money immediately.”
Elena let out a sigh as both her parents rejected the only two viable solutions: her intervention or her sister’s. The younger twins were certainly in no position to earn money.
“I only hated the fuss, which is why I didn’t want to reveal it,” Elena said. “But if the fief is in crisis, I have to bear it.”
“Oh, my child!” the countess exclaimed, gently swatting Elena’s arm in playful reproach. “When have we ever forced you to endure something you hate?”
Elena didn’t move to avoid her mother’s affectionate touch.
“Your mother’s right,” the count added. “Even if you announced now that you’re a sword lady, it would take time to prove it. Besides, we don’t know what title His Majesty the Emperor might grant. If it’s an unsuitable title or fief, it would only add to our burdens. And you don’t like dealing with official paperwork.”
“They say a sword lady is worth a hundred men,” Jane interjected. “Wouldn’t it be enough to defeat a hundred of the palace knights to gain recognition?”
“Let’s hope the palace doesn’t verify it in such a crude way,” the count said with a wry smile. “And if they grant you a new castle, it wouldn’t be much help.”
Her sister was right. If Elena received a new title, she’d have to manage two households at once, which would only increase her responsibilities. Elena finally realized that the time had come for her to take action.
“First, I’ll go to the nearby fief…”
“I’ll look for work in the capital, like Derrick,” the countess said.
Elena quickly cut in when her mother mentioned working. She wouldn’t allow her aging mother to take on such a burden.
“Is there suitable work?” the countess asked.
“A while ago, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper saying that Duke Beckman’s family is looking for people,” Elena replied.
“To be a maid?”
“Yes. From the job posting, it seems the benefits are quite excellent.”
Elena explained what she knew about the Beckman ducal family. They provided basic education and training in martial arts for their servants. She felt confident she could conceal her identity as a sword lady without being discovered. After all, she wouldn’t be joining a knightly order, and the salary would be high enough to settle the count’s family debt within a few months.
“How much does a palace maid in the capital earn monthly?” Jane asked.
“If you’re accepted as a maid, you’ll earn a training wage of two gold pieces a month,” Elena replied. “That’s enough for several months of common living expenses.”
“Only two gold pieces?” Jane exclaimed. “It would take five years to pay off Count Stein’s debt. Marriage and getting money from a husband would be faster.”
“But the duke’s family is generous with their servants,” Elena countered. “In addition to annual salary increases, if you tell them you urgently need money, they offer loans.”
The family froze at Elena’s confident words. A strange feeling settled over the room. It wasn’t common for such precise details to be printed in a newspaper advertisement.
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” everyone in the room thought, except for Elena. They were worried she might not be suited to working as a maid.
“If you take out a loan, do you plan to stay in the capital to repay it?” the count asked.
“Yes,” Elena replied. “I can work, pay off the loan, and send money home too. I think it’s the fastest solution.”
Countess Lewis gave an awkward smile at her daughter’s words. There wasn’t a soul bold enough in the capital to dare exploit her daughter, but she worried whether Elena could adapt to life there. Jane felt the same.
“Elena, what if… what if…” Jane hesitated.
“Yes?”
“What if… really, what if…”
“What’s with all the stalling? What are you trying to say?”
“What would you do if you got into a fight with someone in the capital, or ran into a group of troublemakers in an alley?”
“Do they want to die? Are they the kind of people who hold a grudge against the world?”
The question was merely precautionary, but Elena’s response made Jane sigh deeply. Not everyone who stirs up trouble is prepared to die.
In the capital, killing people was forbidden, just as it was in the Lewis fief—killing without cause was strictly prohibited. Under Jane’s piercing gaze, which seemed to ask, *You haven’t killed anyone, have you?*, Elena shook her head with an innocent expression.
“Since it’s not the Lewis fief, I can’t act the way I do here,” Elena said. “I have at least a basic sense of restraint. I’d only give them minor injuries.”
No! That was wrong too. Jane shook her head vigorously.
The count and countess exchanged a glance. Elena was generally calm and composed, but she had an adventurous streak that never shied away from a fight that came knocking. The couple raised their teacups in unison, silently vowing to prevent their daughter from going to the capital at all costs.
“Alright, another hypothetical question…” Jane began.
“Sister, even if I start as a maid, I have enough sense to act reasonably,” Elena interrupted.
“You’ll… be fine,” Jane said cautiously. “But what if your boss at work gives you an unfair order?”
“I’ve heard the duke’s family is very strict about such things,” Elena replied. “I don’t think that would happen.”
“Hypothetical! Just hypothetical!”
“I’d try to persuade the boss politely!”
Elena nodded with a smile, lightly waving her clenched fist in the air before them.
