Did You Cry?
Did you cry? After I sent the two loan sharks packing without spending a single coin, I led Rohena the lawyer to my office so we could sign the formal contract. The moment I opened the door, she took one look at the mountain of documents and recoiled in horror.
“...Baron Goldman. You have been handling the estate’s affairs, haven’t you?”
“Haha…”
All I could do was offer an awkward smile under her trembling gaze. She flipped through a few pages and let out a long sigh.
“Thank the gods your stocks performed well. If they hadn’t, we would have been in serious trouble.”
“They did, so we’re fine.”
I slid open a drawer, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to her.
“Shall we start with the exclusive retainer contract?”
Once the signatures were dry and our official partnership sealed, the estate’s business began moving at lightning speed. Rohena handled every complicated legal dispute with ease, while Mariel took care of the minor administrative tasks. All I really did was sign whatever they put in front of me.
Am I… completely useless?
I opened my eyes, then closed them again. The most important task still remained: settling the debts.
Rohena contacted the creditors while I visited the bank to prepare the cash. A few days later, on the appointed date, the creditors who had demanded repayment in physical gold crowded into the Goldman manor’s drawing room.
The spacious room instantly filled with a low, buzzing murmur. Every face wore a look of open skepticism.
“I came because they suddenly offered to repay the overdue debt, but… does that baron even have the money?”
“Exactly. I just hope they don’t try to negotiate a reduction.”
“Come on, he’s a noble. He wouldn’t dare tarnish his own dignity like that, would he?”
Their grumbling vanished the moment a heavy set of wheels rolled in.
Mariel was pulling a cart stacked high with bundles of banknotes. I stood beside her, greeting the stunned creditors with a warm smile.
“Gentlemen, how have you all been?”
They stared at the money with their mouths hanging open. I clapped my hands sharply to draw their attention, then picked up the list and began calling names.
“Let’s keep this quick and efficient. Mr. Debryner?”
“Y-yes! Present!”
“Principal plus all accumulated interest comes to 5,400 gold total. Correct? Once you confirm, please sign here.”
Debryner took the thick stack of notes, his hands trembling, and signed the receipt with almost comical politeness.
“Next! Mr. Kane!”
I called them one after another, handing over cash and clearing each debt in turn. The process dragged on until late in the evening. Only after the final signature did the cash repayments finally end.
The very next day, I went to the bank and began the account transfers. There were well over a hundred of them—an enormous volume. The handful of clerks at the quiet rural bank were stunned by the sudden flood of large remittances, but what could they do?
You’ve been sipping honey on the job all this time. The least you can do is handle this.
After leaving the remaining transfers in their capable hands, every last one of those sticky, malignant debts that had clung to the family for ten years vanished without a trace in just a few days.
Night had fallen. After I finished organizing even the smallest details, I looked at the account balance and let out a hollow laugh.
“Where did all my money go?”
Roughly five million gold had been spent from the original sum—lawyer’s fees, the retainer, the carriage, and the real estate loan repayment. That was money I had chosen to spend, so I could accept it. But another ten million gold had evaporated simply to repay the mountain of debt left by the previous baron and baroness.
“Ten million gold in debt… You really outdid yourselves, Father, Mother.”
Still, I couldn’t quite bring myself to resent them. It wasn’t debt incurred through reckless luxury. Ten years ago, during the empire-wide economic crash triggered by the real estate collapse, they had taken on the burden while trying to help their struggling neighbors.
You called it the responsibility of nobility… but wasn’t that a bit too much responsibility?
Judging by sense of duty alone, they had acted more like archdukes than a rural baron and baroness. They had given away that enormous sum without even drawing up IOUs or demanding collateral. Mariel’s family had been among the beneficiaries.
And in return, it seems Mariel has been working as our maid… but did she really need to stay unpaid for years in a crumbling household?
All the other servants had fled, after all. In any case, the original debt hadn’t been an insane amount. With the previous baron’s skill, it should have been manageable. Tragically, four years ago both my parents passed away, and the debt fell to me. My hopeless management combined with the loan sharks’ vicious compounding interest turned ten million into an avalanche.
The truly infuriating part is that not a single person my parents helped back then has reached out first, even now.
It was astonishing but true. Even though the empire’s economy had stabilized and everyone was breathing easier, not one of them had contacted the Goldman family.
Mariel came on her own. It wasn’t as if Baronet Klebier sent her.
Whether they hadn’t realized the Goldman house was on the brink or had simply chosen to look the other way, it left a bitter taste. I let out a long sigh and shrugged.
Well, it’s all in the past now.
At least the wretched debt was finally gone.
……
My feelings had changed. Before I possessed this body, I had felt the same way, but now that the debt was cleared, it was time to redefine the scope of my responsibility.
Helping others is the duty of nobility… It’s not a bad principle. But from now on, I’ll be more selective about who I help.
I had no intention of continuing as a walking disaster-relief fund. It might go against the wishes of my predecessors, who had emphasized charity, but I wasn’t saying I would stop helping entirely. I would simply help in moderation. At the very least, I would make sure the recipients never looked down on their benefactor.
“The immediate fires have all been put out…”
I opened the drawer again, took out a thick envelope, and slipped it into my coat.
“One last debt remains.”
I rose from my chair and left the office. Carrying a magic lamp, I crossed the hallway and arrived at the maids’ quarters. These days Mariel had the entire room to herself.
I knocked on the closed door.
Knock, knock.
Ten minutes earlier.
……
Mariel, now in her nightgown, lay on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling.
— …As I thought, Baron Goldman is the most interesting noble I’ve ever met.
— I’ll take that as a compliment.
The scene from a few days ago kept replaying in her mind—the day the loan sharks had stormed the manor, when Allen and Rohena had looked at each other and chatted so comfortably.
They looked close…
It had been a long time since she had seen Allen smile that easily. Lately he had been visiting the lawyer’s office frequently because of the debt and legal matters. Every time he returned, his face carried a strangely bright expression.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to push the thoughts away, but it was useless.
Suddenly she sat bolt upright and hugged her soft pillow tight.
“Ugh…”
A sharp, stinging pain throbbed in her chest. This unfamiliar, suffocating feeling was something she had never experienced before.
Don’t tell me… I’m jealous?
She buried her burning face in the pillow.
“Stupid. They were just talking.”
Logically, it was most likely a business relationship. Yet the mere fact that Allen had looked into another attractive woman’s eyes and spoken with her had dragged Mariel into a swamp of wild fantasies.
What if Allen really does have feelings for her…?
Intelligent, charming appearance, and the prestigious profession of imperial lawyer. She was perfect in every way. Besides, Allen was twenty-four—prime marriageable age. Now that the massive debt had been resolved, it would be perfectly natural for him to start looking for a bride.
On the other hand, Mariel was merely the daughter of a lowly baronet and a maid. They shared childhood memories, but did he still cherish those same recollections?
— You lot! Who do you think you’re bullying!
Ever since that day long ago at the social gathering when Allen had shielded her, affection for him had taken root in her heart. So when she came of age, she had rejected every marriage proposal that came her way. She had confessed her true feelings to her parents, but even though the Goldmans had shown them great kindness, her mother and father drew the line. They said there was nothing to gain by tying their family to a house drowning in debt.
Heartbroken, Mariel had practically run away from home and become a maid at the Goldman estate. Even when the family’s fortunes collapsed and every other servant fled, she remained by Allen’s side. She had burned every letter from her father demanding she return, claiming it was foolish to work without pay. To lighten Allen’s burden, she had taught herself estate management and helped him however she could.
But… perhaps to Allen she was nothing more than a maid, or simply an old acquaintance from childhood.
When her thoughts reached that point, her eyes suddenly grew hot.
“…I was the one who fell for him first…”
She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but reason could not hold back her emotions. Sorrow and affection, soaked in sincerity, seeped into the pillow.
Just then—
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded from outside the door.
“Mariel, are you asleep?”
Crash, thud, thud!
A loud commotion erupted inside the room.
“M-Mariel?”
“J-just a moment, Master…!”
A short while later the door creaked open and Mariel peeked out, her face barely visible.
“W-what brings you here?”
She was breathing hard, a shawl thrown hastily over her nightgown and clutched tightly in both hands.
“Ah, sorry for coming so late. It’s nothing serious—I just have something to give you. But…”
The moment the magic lamp’s light fell on her face, I flinched.
“Mariel. You… were you crying?”