Chapter 12
The bitter scent of tobacco stung the tip of his nose.
Sir Fret looked at his master, whose thoughts were as impossible to read as ever, and continued his report.
“…Next is my report concerning Miss Prim.”
Only then did Johannes slowly lift his gaze from the documents before him.
In the darkness, his blue eyes gleamed like stars.
Those eyes are frightening, no matter how many times I see them.
Shaking his head to himself, Sir Fret allowed a brief silence before beginning his report on Edith Prim.
“It appears the servants’ treatment of Miss Prim has improved considerably. It would have been helpful if you’d explained things to them much sooner.”
The remark carried a subtle hint of reproach.
Johannes merely nodded without any particular reaction.
It was his signal to continue.
Perhaps because they had served together for so many years, Johannes was surprisingly lenient—as long as Fret didn’t overstep his bounds.
“And… she asked whether Your Grace had instructed me to dismiss her.”
Sir Fret had never been the type to pry into other people’s affairs.
This time was no different.
“She seemed more anxious than usual. She insisted she was fine, but her eyes trembled ever so slightly.”
“The reason?”
Johannes tilted his head just a fraction.
“I suspect it’s due to financial difficulties. She requested a certificate confirming her employment. I believe it’s for a loan application.”
“A loan? Is her salary insufficient?”
Sir Fret answered immediately.
“No. Her wages are more than double those of servants employed by other noble households. As for what she intends to use the money for… I’ll need to investigate further.”
“How long?”
“At most, two days.”
Apparently satisfied, Johannes gave a slight nod.
“And how is she adapting?”
For the first time, an expression of exhaustion briefly crossed Sir Fret’s face.
He adjusted the cravat that seemed to tighten around his neck.
“It’s rather late to ask that now, don’t you think? She’s only just begun speaking comfortably with the other servants, so she’ll adapt soon enough. As for her work… she hasn’t done anything particularly remarkable.”
Johannes returned to his usual indifferent expression.
“I see.”
It was a remarkably concise dismissal.
Even so, Sir Fret continued his final report while Johannes lowered his eyes back to the papers.
“She also asked that, if possible, our conversations remain confidential. I must admit… reporting them to Your Grace weighs rather heavily on my conscience.”
Johannes let out a faint scoff.
The joy of receiving my employment certificate lasted only a short while.
Even the bank I’d placed my hopes in refused to help me.
“I’m very sorry, but our policy has recently changed. Loans are now only available to employees who have worked for at least three months.”
The teller spoke as though this question was part of her daily routine.
Why does every road I take end in thorns?
I stood blankly outside the bank, staring down at the employment certificate that had suddenly become nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.
Should I just throw caution to the wind and ask for the Duke’s help?
No…
He’s already done more than enough simply by employing me.
I didn’t want to be seen as someone who didn’t know her place and risk being dismissed.
Besides…
The repayment deadline was tomorrow.
What was I supposed to do now?
For the moment…
All I could do was negotiate with the moneylenders when they arrived.
The cold air felt even harsher than usual today.
“Are you Miss Edith Prim?”
Just as I stepped outside on my way to the Duke’s estate, someone blocked my path.
The man was neatly dressed in a tailored suit, his dull ash-brown hair combed back with care.
Standing beside him was a heavily built man glaring at me.
“…Who are you?”
The well-dressed man reached into his coat and politely handed me a business card.
“We’re from Banux. My name is Finn Schneider, and I’m the branch manager. You may address me however you find comfortable.”
“Ah…”
Banux.
The name was painfully familiar.
It was the moneylending company printed on the debt repayment notice.
As I stood there at a loss, the burly man beside Finn Schneider stepped forward threateningly.
A stale odor drifted toward me.
“Hey. If you borrow money, you pay it back on time. A person’s supposed to have some integrity, isn’t that right?”
“Enough, Pavid. You’re frightening the young lady.”
Finn Schneider raised a hand to stop him.
The large man ignored him and continued grumbling.
Planting himself in front of the doorway with his arms spread, he refused to stop intimidating me.
“We lent that enormous sum out of goodwill, and this is how we’re repaid? Three whole years without paying a single coin back? You’ve got some nerve.”
Fear welled up inside me.
Still, I forced myself to remain calm.
“I’m sorry, but I need to go to work. Could we discuss this this evening instead?”
Though I asked as politely as I could…
Pavid remained stubborn.
He insisted that I might run away and refused to let me leave.
Eventually…
He grabbed my wrist.
“Ah…!”
“Pavid, enough already. Our company isn’t so uncivilized that we’d harass a lady in broad daylight. If our competitors saw this, they’d laugh at us.”
“But we’re busy too! We came all the way here during working hours just to collect this damned debt.”
“Even so, this isn’t the way.”
Thank goodness someone like Finn Schneider was here.
Even after that, however, Pavid glared at me and warned me not to even think about escaping.
“If I intended to run away…”
I held up the debt repayment notice in my hand.
“I would’ve left Müsen the moment I received this.”
Then I continued calmly.
“First of all, I’m truly sorry that the debt hasn’t been repaid. I knew nothing about my father’s debts.”
“I see.”
“That must have come as quite a shock.”
Pavid insisted ignorance was no excuse and that they’d only come to collect the money.
Finn Schneider simply ignored him.
“Tch. So that’s how educated people act. Aren’t you impressive.”
Having been ignored the entire time, Pavid clicked his tongue.
Even then…
Finn Schneider’s pleasant smile never faded.
“Even so… we’d appreciate a definite answer.”
I glanced at the clock on the building across the street.
There wasn’t much time left before work.
But these men clearly had no intention of letting me leave until this matter was settled.
Even if Finn Schneider was willing to compromise…
Pavid certainly wouldn’t allow it.
Still…
Neither of them actually seemed to believe I could repay such an enormous debt.
“Miss Prim, if it isn’t too much trouble, may we discuss the repayment? We’re not insisting you pay us immediately. However, we do need something to report to our superiors.”
Finn Schneider smiled awkwardly, asking for my understanding.
My guard lowered slightly.
“Then I’d like to see the original promissory note first.”
“You think we’re frauds?”
Pavid snorted.
Then, wearing an openly irritated expression, he shoved my shoulder with the back of his hand.
“Please don’t.”
An instinctive fear crept over me.
Taking a step backward, I looked around.
It was still early morning.
There weren’t many people on the streets.
Those who were there pretended not to notice and hurried past.
But…
Even if the streets had been crowded…
Would anything really have changed?
Of course not.
If someone reported this to the authorities, that would be one thing.
But everyone knew the police and moneylenders had their own connections.
Incidents like this happened often enough.
The fact that no one ever intervened spoke for itself.
“Pavid, enough. This is exactly why I hate working with you.”
“Tch! If you keep going easy on people, how are you supposed to get anything done?”
Fortunately, Finn Schneider restrained him once again.
I straightened my back and continued.
“What kind of lender demands repayment without even showing the promissory note first?”
Pavid frowned.
His already intimidating face became even more menacing.
“Unless you’re frauds…”
“You should have no problem showing it.”
“…Of course.”
With a grunt, he rolled up his sleeve and pulled a single worn sheet of paper from inside his coat.
It was badly faded with age.
As I accepted the document…
My brows knit together.
“Is this really how you store important documents?”
Below were all the details—
The date my father borrowed the money.
The amount.
The repayment deadline.
It documented a transaction involving an enormous sum.
It should have been treated like a priceless possession.
How could they let it deteriorate this badly?
And besides…
I looked up at Finn Schneider.
“Why are you only coming now?”
“The repayment deadline passed three years ago.”
The warm smile he’d worn all this time vanished instantly.
He exchanged an uneasy glance with Pavid.
“I’m very sorry. One of our employees mishandled the records.”
“We only discovered the mistake recently.”
“You can imagine how shocked we were.”
“Ah…”
That explained their reluctance.
They bore some responsibility themselves.
With Finn Schneider here…
At least it seemed possible to have a reasonable conversation.
Perhaps they could even be held accountable for allowing the interest to accumulate for years without making any attempt to collect.
Looking at the two men—whose expressions couldn’t have been more different—I spoke calmly.
“We don’t have much time.”
“So…”
“Would you like to come inside first?”
