Chapter 5

Yvette did not know at all what Baron Larishi had done.

She simply thought that, given his personality, there was a high probability he had done so.

“……!”

At those words, Baron Larishi visibly panicked and shut his mouth.

Seeing his wavering gaze, Yvette let out a silent, hollow laugh.

‘So it’s true.’

Baron Larishi was merely her ‘guardian,’ not the lord of Blanche.

He had no authority whatsoever to touch the Blanche fortune.

‘No wonder. There’s no way they could live like this on the subsidies from the territory alone.’

Baron Larishi received monthly subsidies from Blanche under the pretext of being her guardian.

It would have been enough for a family of three to live on.

But when the servants’ wages were factored in, it was far from sufficient.

‘Besides, this household is quietly extravagant.’

The mansion itself was small, but look closely and there were many pieces of furniture that seemed quite expensive.

Not only that, but Baron Larishi’s wife bought new dresses and jewelry every day, and the baron drank expensive liquor like water.

A noble without a proper territory could not possibly live like this on subsidies alone.

“……Out of consideration for the years we’ve lived together, I won’t hold you responsible.”

Yvette slowly swept back her bangs.

If she had her way, years of living together or not, she would have loved to throw him in prison for embezzlement.

‘If I did that, I’d draw people’s attention.’

She wanted to live as quietly and inconspicuously as possible.

To do that, it was better to close her eyes and let this slide.

“I’m saying this for your sake, Uncle.”

Yvette, who had come right up to Baron Larishi’s face before he knew it, smiled brightly, eyes crinkling.

“Don’t ever lay a hand on me again. I’m the kind of person who bites when touched.”

With those words, Yvette walked past Baron Larishi without a trace of regret.

“What in the world is going on?”

“Well, Miss Yvette……!”

“Gasp. Is that really true?”

The servants, who had belatedly grasped the situation, gathered in clusters and whispered among themselves.

Yvette ignored them and made her way to the front door.

Just before she opened the door and stepped out—

“Ah, right.”

As if something had occurred to her, Yvette turned back one last time.

There, she saw Baron Larishi come running, out of breath.

“S-stop right there!”

Baron Larishi was huffing and puffing, his face bright red.

Yvette stared at him with a look of contempt and spoke.

“I won’t bother thanking you for raising me. Even without saying it, you’ve been compensated enough.”

Hearing that, Baron Larishi’s face twisted savagely.

“You, you insolent wench……! After all the grace we showed you, raising you all this time!”

She heard him raging behind her, but Yvette paid it no mind and stepped out the front door.

Her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of finding a new home.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same hour.

“Did the young lady of Blanche make it home safely?”

“Yes. I confirmed she left by carriage.”

“Good. Then you may go.”

“Yes.”

The knight answered respectfully, bowed, and left the room.

After confirming that he had gone, Noel leaned deeply back in his chair.

Yvette had told him they were strangers, but Noel had known who she was from the very first moment he saw her face.

She had said she did not recognize him, so he had simply played along.

‘……Whether that was acting or real, I don’t know.’

Noel recalled Yvette’s thoroughly flustered face and let out a soft laugh.

To call it acting, it was too clumsy. To call it real, it was too absurd.

‘It didn’t seem like she approached me on purpose.’

Noel tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips.

[I just…… want to live.]

He recalled the tearful voice from her, drunk, and closed his eyes.

The laughter had vanished from his face before he knew it, and a chill hovered about it.

‘……Well. Whether it’s the truth or not, I’ll find out by watching.’

If she had deliberately pretended not to know him, that meant she was hiding something from him.

And if she truly had not recognized him……

‘Then that would be interesting in its own way.’

Noel slowly closed his eyes and opened them.

Within his blue gaze, a sharp glint settled.

* * *

“……You want to buy an empty townhouse? At this time of year?”

The real estate agent, with palm-sized spectacles perched on the tip of his nose, blinked blankly.

He was being startled in many ways by the customer before him.

It was surprising enough that a customer had come to his shop, which was always deserted because his name was not well known.

On top of that, she had abruptly asked to be shown an empty townhouse she could move into and live in that very day.

From his perspective, he had no choice but to be bewildered.

“It’s not that there are no listings at all…… but what price range were you thinking of?”

The agent asked with a professional smile.

Then Yvette, after a moment’s thought, answered brightly.

“Hmm, let me think. How much do wealthy people usually spend when they buy a townhouse?”

Seeing a customer answer a question with another question, the agent paused briefly.

Asking something like that meant she was a novice who did not know real estate prices.

Rapidly calculating in his head, the agent smiled broadly.

“Hmm, ahem. For a townhouse that would satisfy a distinguished person, you should generally expect to pay at least one hundred thousand gold. It could go higher.”

“Is that so? Then please set my budget generously at around two hundred thousand gold.”

After leaving Baron Larishi’s house, the first place she had headed was the bank.

The first thing Yvette did upon arriving at the bank was check the account in her name.

The empire’s banks used a stone-like magical device to verify identity.

Once that process was complete, one could open an account in their own name.

And as a result of checking, Yvette discovered that enough money had accumulated in her name to buy two townhouses and still have plenty left over.

Even accounting for what Baron Larishi might have siphoned off, it was a considerable sum.

“Then let’s be on our way!”

Once the budget was set, the agent, face full of enthusiasm, dragged Yvette from place to place.

And after wandering about for quite some time—

Yvette ultimately chose a two-story townhouse with a small garden on the outskirts of the capital.

The home she chose was rather modest in size for a wealthy noble to live in.

Moreover, the design was simple, without any particular decoration or ornamentation.

The agent kept checking Yvette’s expression as he introduced the townhouse.

No matter that she had asked for it herself, he seemed to feel awkward showing a noble a place like this.

But Yvette was firm.

‘I’m going to live alone, so there’s no need for a big house. It would be hard to manage anyway.’

In her eyes, this house seemed the most suitable for living alone.

“I’ll take this one. Can I move in today?”

“Yes. You can move in any time you like. The previous owner delegated all matters related to the contract to me.”

“Then I’ll sign right away. I need a place to live starting today.”

When she stamped the contract, the agent immediately handed her the keys.

The contract was concluded just that quickly.

“The inside of the townhouse should be clean. The former owner hired a caretaker to keep it tidy until a new owner appeared.”

“So there’s a caretaker living in the house now?”

“Yes. As far as I know, it’s an elderly grandfather and his young grandson—two people living there. The grandfather was a butler from a noble household, but it seems he left the position due to some circumstances.”

After the contract was finished, the agent said he had a prior appointment and hurried off.

Left alone in front of the townhouse, Yvette hesitated for a moment at the front door.

She had stormed out without a plan, but now that she actually thought about living alone, her future looked pitch black.

‘……For now, I’ll go inside and think.’

She also needed to inform the caretaker that the owner had changed.

Her resolve firm, Yvette energetically opened the front door of the townhouse.

* * *

“What kind of tea would you like?”

“An-anything is fine.”

“Then I’ll serve Darjeeling. If you haven’t had a meal, shall I skip the snacks?”

“Yes. I don’t have much of an appetite right now, so tea should be enough.”

Yvette answered with a troubled expression.

Her eyes, having lost their place to rest, wandered aimlessly through the air.

At present, she was sitting alone at a table large enough to seat well over ten people.

And beside her stood an old man neatly dressed in a butler’s uniform.

His hair, combed back cleanly, had long since turned white, and deep wrinkles were etched into his kind face.

His black butler’s uniform was so well maintained that not a speck of dust clung to it.

He was the caretaker of the townhouse that the agent had mentioned earlier, and his name was ‘Habert.’

‘He said he used to work as a butler for a noble household and then quit.’

Yvette stole a glance at Habert.

At some point, Habert had set a steaming cup of tea before her.

His practiced movements carried the air of a capable butler.

“If the tea is too strong, or too weak, please tell me. It’s been a long time since I’ve served tea to someone of importance, so I’m not sure it will suit your taste.”

When Habert spoke humbly, Yvette shook her head, saying it was fine.

“This is excellent.”

“Then I’m glad.”

Habert smiled brightly and continued.

“You said you are the new owner of this Witley, yes?”

“Yes.”

It was the moment Yvette nodded at his question.

“No! This is my house!”

With a shrill cry, a teaspoon came flying at her head.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

“……Iden! What do you think you’re doing!”

Habert, who had narrowly knocked the teaspoon aside, shouted.

It was a nimble move for a man nearing seventy, but Yvette could not spare the attention to notice.

After looking around for a while, she found the culprit.

“I don’t like that person. Tell her to get out of my house!”

The one who had thrown the teaspoon at Yvette was a red-haired boy who looked to be seven years old at most.