Repaying the Debt (2)
I opened the door with the Rohena Law Office nameplate hanging on it. Ding! My eyes met those of the lawyer lounging in her chair, newspaper in hand. Rohena Robins. The droopy eyes behind her glasses gave her a perpetually exhausted look, like the entire world was a chore. Yet her work was nothing short of brilliant.
“...Ugh.”
She frowned the moment she saw me, as if I were something unpleasant she’d stepped in. What the hell? Groaning at someone’s face? She’s really holding a grudge just because I put the consultation fee on installments. Seriously. I might not look it, but I’m a baron. A noble. And I even speak to her politely every time!
Well, this isn’t exactly a world where some backwater baron can throw his weight around. These days, capital and ability were starting to outweigh bloodlines. Like the rise of the bourgeoisie. You couldn’t just act rude on the basis of status alone. Especially not when, until a month ago, I’d been a pathetic noble on the brink of ruin. People might be polite to my face, but they’d talk shit behind my back. In that sense, her reaction made sense.
She probably thinks I’m here for another free consultation or to beg for an extension on the payments. A noble who stiffs people on fees. That was the impression I must have given. This cold welcome was only natural.
I smiled and waved. “Have you been well, Attorney Robins?”
“Yes… well enough, I suppose. And I believe I asked you to call me Rohena when we first met.”
“Ah, right. Sorry about that. But why the long face? Did something bad happen?”
“Nothing until a moment ago. It feels like something unpleasant is about to start now, though.”
She didn’t even try to sugarcoat it. I let out a small snort. “Your intuition’s off today, huh?”
“What do you—”
Ziiiip. I yanked open my bag and pulled out a thick wad of cash. Thud. Thud.
“Huh…?”
Rohena’s lazily half-lidded eyes suddenly sharpened. I stacked the money on her desk like a tower and spoke with deliberate arrogance.
“Here. Consultation fee, contract drafting fee, and a bonus on top. Four thousand gold total. That should cover it, right?”
As expected, her face flooded with shock.
“Wh-what is all this money?”
She ran her fingers over the bills, clearly unable to believe her eyes.
“What else? Money I earned, of course.”
She still looked suspicious, eyeing me with clear doubt. “Don’t tell me… you took out a loan against your estate? You wouldn’t have any way to repay it… so you’ve decided to keep only the title and abandon everything else?”
Her wild leap in logic was so ridiculous I burst out laughing. “Wow. I’m your client, you know. Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“I’m just surprised. A month ago you were begging to pay the consultation and contract fees in twenty-four monthly installments. How on earth did you come up with this kind of sum?”
I leaned back in the chair until I was practically lying down, crossed my legs, and answered with maximum swagger.
“I played the stock market.”
“Stocks?”
“There was a company I had my eye on. Rachel Mining. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, Attorney.”
Rohena rested her chin on her hand, then nodded as if something had clicked. “Rachel Mining… Ah, the one that shot up thanks to its exclusive Arcanium mining technology, only to crash vertically the moment it was revealed a week ago that the vein was practically worthless?”
I couldn’t help whistling at her information network. “Whoa, how do you hear news so fast while living in the middle of nowhere?”
“Occupational hazard. In this day and age, even lawyers need to stay current with world affairs. Not that it’s necessary out here in the countryside. People really don’t change, do they?”
She glanced back and forth between me and the money. “It must have risen and fallen in the blink of an eye. You’re quite lucky to have gotten out with a profit.”
I tapped my temple with a finger. “I have a good eye for these things.”
“So, in other words, you gambled and hit the jackpot?”
“I’d prefer the more elegant term ‘investment,’ if you don’t mind.”
She gave a derisive snort. That’s when something occurred to me. Maybe she knows about this too. I hadn’t read the newspaper on the carriage ride over, so I still didn’t know if the most important event had taken place yet. But if it was Rohena, she might already be aware.
“Then are you also aware that Rachel Mining has been acquired?”
“Yes. The rumor is that right before the bad news broke, the Besmont ducal family bought it and took the entire loss on their own shoulders.”
Okay, nice! I cheered internally. Rachel had cashed out and escaped, while the duke’s family got screwed. Everything was proceeding exactly as it had in the original story.
Rohena rested her chin on her hand, muttering in a sullen voice, “As always, those people only ever choose to do the stupidest possible things.”
Then she glanced at me and added, “Ah, do you happen to have any personal connection with the Besmont ducal family? You’re both nobles, after all.”
Me? With those vicious pieces of trash? That’s practically an insult.
I waved my hands. “No, not at all. I’ve never even met them.”
I had met Rachel a few times, but that was different. She was their enemy, after all.
“That’s a relief. I almost committed the crime of insulting a noble by badmouthing them right in front of one.”
At that, a cold sweat ran down my back. So what she said earlier wasn’t considered insulting? As a lawyer, she probably knew exactly how to skirt the edges of the law. The things she’d said to me must have been just barely legal.
Rohena shrugged and casually scooped up the pile of money, stuffing it haphazardly into a drawer. Her indifference was impressive for someone handling such a large sum. Was four thousand gold really nothing to a lawyer of her caliber?
I watched her with interest and asked, “By the way, someone as talented as you, Attorney Rohena—why are you stuck out in the countryside? If you were in the capital, you’d have made quite a name for yourself.”
“......”
Rohena stayed silent for a moment. Then she answered in her usual languid tone. “What’s so great about the city? The air is filthy, it’s nothing but buildings, and worst of all… there are too many people.”
“People?”
“You know that famous saying. When five people gather, at least one of them is guaranteed to be trash.”
Wait… they have that saying here too? A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
She shook her head. “Given my profession, I end up seeing every type of human being imaginable. I’m truly sick of it. The countryside is much more peaceful. At least here I don’t have to deal with people.”
“Haha, well, whatever your reasons, I’m glad you like Goldfield. As the lord, that makes me proud.”
“I’m surprised there’s anything for you to feel proud about.”
“...Isn’t that noble insult?”
Rohena wiggled her eyebrows in a mischievous way and replied with mock innocence. “It isn’t.”
If the lawyer says so, then it must be true.
“Fuck.”
“It seems your mouth and your true feelings have switched places.”
“Doesn’t really matter, does it?”
We continued chatting, exchanging silly jokes. Our first impressions of each other hadn’t exactly been pleasant. After all, a noble and lord had thrown a tantrum about paying four thousand gold in twenty-four installments. Not to mention I’d acted like I didn’t even know what a check was. I must have looked like a complete idiot.
But after actually talking with her, I realized she wasn’t just cynical. She was sharp and had a sense of humor that made the conversation genuinely enjoyable. If anything, I was the one who kept getting tongue-tied trying to keep up with her wit.
After a long stretch of small talk, I finally brought up the main reason for my visit.
“Oh, right. Would you be open to taking on additional work?”
“As you can see, I have plenty of time on my hands.”
“That’s good to hear. As of today, I’d like to hire you, Attorney Rohena, as the exclusive lawyer for the Goldman barony.”
Any self-respecting noble needed an exclusive attorney. I already had regular maids, a butler, a coachman, and all sorts of staff, but a lawyer was the most urgent priority right now. That way I can finally start clearing away all the overdue work.
At my proposal, Rohena froze for a second. She let out a small sigh and adjusted her glasses.
“...Exclusive lawyer to a noble family.”
Her eyes stared directly into mine. Eventually, she spoke in that same languid voice.
“I don’t have the best relationship with nobles. However… Baron Goldman, you seem strangely different from the ones I’ve met before.”
“Uh, was that a compliment?”
“Interpret it in the most positive way possible. In any case, exclusive counsel to the Goldman barony… There must be a mountain of work waiting, no?”
A faint smile hovered at the corner of her lips.
“Well, for someone of your caliber, Attorney Rohena, that much should be easy, right?”
She let out a genuine laugh at my shameless flattery. “Flattery won’t work on me.”
“I meant that sincerely!”
“So, how many months of installments will the retainer be?”
“Haha. Obviously it’ll be paid in full upfront.”
I stood up from my chair. “Shall we go, then? There are quite a few documents at my mansion that need your review. We can handle the exclusive contract there as well.”
“Very well.”
She rose, took her coat from the hanger, and slipped it on. That’s when I noticed the golden badge pinned to her collar.
“Hm? Is that a lawyer’s badge?”
She glanced down at her collar. “Yes. It’s been five years since I started wearing it.”
“Five years? Then how old are you…?”
She shot me a glare. “I am a lady, you know.”
“Ah, s-sorry.”
“I’m joking. I’m twenty-three this year.”
“What? Twenty-three? Then… you became a lawyer at eighteen?”
“I graduated from the academy and immediately passed the imperial bar exam.”
“Wow… you really are something else. A genius, huh?”
I clicked my tongue in genuine admiration. I had no idea how such a gem had ended up in the countryside, but to me she was a pumpkin that had rolled right into my lap.
I left the office with her and hired a carriage back to the mansion. Clatter, clatter. The carriage came to a stop in front of the mansion gates. Creeeak—
“We’ve arrived.”
The moment I looked out the carriage window—
“...Huh?”
Something was off. A line of carriages was parked in front of the mansion gates. Rohena, who had been sitting beside me, asked,
“Were you expecting guests?”
“...No. Not at all.”
A bad feeling settled in my gut. I quickly got out of the carriage. And what caught my eye was a ladder leaning against the mansion wall.
“Baron Goldman, what is that ladder for…”
Rohena seemed to have sensed the gravity of the situation and started to speak, but her voice didn’t even register. I immediately unlocked the iron gate. Clang! The moment the gate swung open with a creeeak, I sprinted across the inner courtyard. The image of her, the one who should be alone in the mansion, flashed through my mind, and my heart pounded violently.
Mariel. Mariel…!