The Floverhart Estate
The Floverhart estate was far larger than I had imagined. Then again, with that much money, I suppose it made sense. What stood out, though, was how poorly maintained it felt. The grass in the garden had been trimmed in a sloppy, half-hearted way, and the finer details of the grounds showed clear signs of neglect. But more than anything else…
It’s quiet.
A mansion of this size should have a full staff bustling about. Yet the entire estate was eerily silent. When people gather, even the best-run households tend to be lively. Still, I didn’t bother asking anyone why. After all, staff salaries are part of budget cuts.
“Shall we go in?”
“Yes, let’s.”
As we approached the entrance, the gate creaked open with a rusty metallic groan. I glanced at it briefly before following Serena inside.
“It seems the baron is out,” I said as we crossed the rather expansive garden.
At my casual remark, Serena’s shoulders jerked violently. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it. But we had no choice. We had come to formally announce our engagement to the baron and his wife. If the man of the house wasn’t even here, nothing could be settled.
“…He should be back by tonight.”
“I see.”
I nodded indifferently at her uncertain reply. On the surface I accepted it, but inside I didn’t believe a word. Gambling isn’t something you can easily walk away from once you sit down. There was a high chance he would stay glued to that table until he lost every last coin he had brought.
Still…
“Where does the money even come from?”
If they were spending at their usual rate every single day, there was no way the territory’s tax revenue could cover it. Yet I saw no signs that they were exploiting the commoners either.
Surely not.
I hoped my suspicion was wrong, but the feeling that I was right clung to me like a bad smell.
“They… they borrow it…”
My head throbbed. The kind of “borrowing” Serena was talking about was obviously not through legitimate channels. More likely than not, they were borrowing from the thugs and loan sharks hanging around the gambling dens. Usurious loans. The amount would balloon far beyond the original sum as time passed. That much was certain.
“I see.”
I answered calmly, watching Serena glance nervously at me, and continued walking at an even pace.
“Th-this way, please.”
Serena’s face had stiffened once she realized I had seen through the property’s true state, but I remained composed. Well, somehow it would work out.
As we stepped inside the mansion, the few remaining servants began to greet us. Even so, to keep the estate running at all, they couldn’t avoid hiring at least a minimal staff. The interior had an old-fashioned elegance, but the hallways we passed through were empty. The bare display cabinets suggested that all the collectibles had been sold off as well.
“Sister!”
“Felix, you mustn’t run in the hallway…!”
I had been following Serena down the corridor toward the drawing room when a youthful voice calling her name made me turn my head. On the opposite side of the hallway stood two children who looked exactly like her. The boy called Felix was running ahead, while a girl followed close behind him.
“Felix! Anya!”
They must be Serena’s younger siblings. As I quietly observed the pair—who looked to be around ten years old—from behind her, Felix reached her first and threw himself into her arms.
“Sister!”
“You have to be careful. You’ll get hurt, you know?”
“Hehe.”
I stood behind her and watched silently as Felix burrowed into Serena’s embrace with a delighted laugh.
“Siiister.”
“Anya, have you been well?”
The girl named Anya gently nestled into Serena’s arms as well. I turned my gaze toward the window for a moment, observing the warm affection between the three siblings.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah! I ate two whole bowls!”
“Really? That’s amazing!”
Serena soothed her siblings with practiced ease. Watching her, I felt an odd sense of peace. A fragile, glass-like peace that would soon shatter into pieces.
And then—
“Get out here!!”
Almost as if on cue, the peace was violently broken. At the angry shout coming from outside, Serena’s face turned deathly pale as she stood up. The children’s eyes widened in shock.
“If you borrow money, you have to pay it back!!”
“…Felix, Anya.”
“Y-yes, sister.”
Anya, who had taken the trembling Felix into her arms in Serena’s place, answered softly. Even her eyes held a faint trace of fear. I could only imagine how often they had been through this.
“Why don’t you go to the drawing room with this gentleman? You can have some sweets.”
“But…”
“Sister will be fine.”
“…Okay.”
As Serena began walking with a hardened expression, I stared out the window toward where the noise had come from. A group of men with swaggering postures stood just outside the baron’s gate, clearly waiting for her.
“This way, please.”
Anya, who had been watching Serena’s retreating back with worry, finally turned to me and spoke. I glanced briefly at the frightened shoulders of Anya and Felix before nodding.
“Alright.”
It wasn’t really something I should get involved in. After all, it was a family matter.
I was about to follow when I felt someone tugging at my sleeve. I turned around.
“What is it?”
With a face on the verge of tears, Felix was clutching my sleeve tightly.
“Are you Sister’s boyfriend, mister?”
…No, I’m not.
Serena bit down hard on her lower lip and quickened her pace.
Ever since her parents had fallen into gambling, squandered the family fortune, and even drained the territory’s operating funds, this had become a recurring nightmare. And as if that weren’t enough, they had started borrowing money from the gangsters who ran the gambling dens.
Even though there was almost no wealth left, they couldn’t reduce the number of private soldiers guarding the baron’s household. Those men were the only reason the thugs hadn’t stormed the house itself yet. Without the soldiers, those bastards would have broken in long ago.
Why now, of all times?
Serena tried to steady her expression and calm her racing heart, but it wasn’t easy. An extremely important guest was currently in their home. The kind of guest who could change their entire lives.
The Helios Marquisate.
The family Serena had decided to become engaged to. Of course, she wasn’t in love with Kallion. He was more courteous than the rumors suggested and didn’t treat people like objects, which was nice, but it wasn’t enough to spark any romantic feelings between a man and a woman. Still, she couldn’t deny that his attitude had left a favorable impression, and it was one of the reasons she had considered the marquisate’s proposal.
But that wasn’t what worried her most.
What mattered most to Serena was her family. More precisely, her two young siblings. Felix and Anya’s safety came before everything else. She would even sell herself to some old, wealthy noble if it meant protecting them.
And right now, for her family to live in peace, they needed the Helios family. To Serena, the Helios Marquisate was an unexpected stroke of luck. A marquisate would surely have the power to help the Floverhart barony.
But if they saw this disgraceful scene, they might call off the engagement on the spot. After all, nobles valued their dignity above all else.
“Come out right now…!!”
“Stop this at once!”
Knowing she had to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, Serena raised her voice. The thugs, who had been yelling arrogantly, turned to her with sleazy grins.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the lovely Lady Floverhart.”
At their mocking bows and sneers, Serena bit her lower lip even harder. That attitude—completely disregarding whether she was a noble or not. No. That condescending way they looked down on the Floverhart name. It was probably all because of what her parents had done.
“What is the meaning of this rudeness?”
She could no longer afford to be pushed around. Once she secured the Helios Marquisate’s help and cleared all their debts, she had to reestablish the family as proper nobles. Only then would people like these—and everyone else—stop looking down on the Floverhart name. Only then could Felix and Anya be safe.
“Oh dear! Did I commit some offense against the noble young lady?”
“Isn’t it a bit much for the daughter of mere upstarts to act so high and mighty?”
“They’re not even upstarts anymore, are they?”
“Kuk kuk kuk.”
…
Serena didn’t want to know what her parents were doing at the gambling dens. She didn’t even want to think about it. But things hadn’t always been like this. When her grandfather was head of the family—when he was still alive—these lowlifes would never have dared disrespect the Floverhart name. Back then, the family had upheld its authority and maintained order. It had been a noble house worthy of everyone’s respect.
Yet in just a few short years, the Floverhart name had fallen into the dirt. So deeply that no amount of brushing could ever clean it off.
Serena clenched both fists tightly, her body trembling with rage.
“If you’re such a fine noble lady, why don’t you pay us back what you owe?”
“Or maybe put that pretty body of yours to work. Whatever it takes.”
She wanted to rip their tongues out. She wanted to cut off their heads and throw them in prison for insulting a noble. But with the Floverhart name already in the gutter and her parents held by the throat by these men, she couldn’t do any of those things.
One day.
Once she stood tall again as a noble with the Helios Marquisate’s support, she would make sure to cut off every one of their heads.
That was what she was thinking when—
“That’s enough.”
A low, pleasant baritone rang out. A voice that shouldn’t have been heard… yet was. It growled softly, full of warning.
“Any further rudeness will not be tolerated.”
Kallion. He walked forward slowly and whispered those words.