Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: When I Learned I'd Received Help from the Man I Hated
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Noel’s sudden appearance startled her so much that she stumbled back, her legs giving out beneath her.
Esther, barely managing to stay on her feet, felt her body tipping backward and instinctively reached out in panic.
“Are you all right?”
Noel swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her waist toward him with his other arm, drawing her into his embrace.
Esther, who had nearly fallen, managed to regain her balance thanks to Noel’s help.
“You don’t look well at all. May I ask where you’re headed?”
Noel found himself unexpectedly captivated by those green eyes.
“I assure you, it’s not anything improper. I only wanted to escort you since your complexion is so poor, as long as it wouldn’t be rude. Certainly not for any impure motives……”
Esther reflexively shook off Noel’s hand and stepped back without thinking.
To her surprise, it was Noel who ended up flustered. A woman he’d never met before was eyeing him with blatant wariness.
“Ah, I’m truly sorry for touching you without permission.”
“No, it’s fine. But I can manage on my own.”
Noel quickly scanned Esther’s expression.
Reading emotions to discern desires was child’s play for him. It was the very skill that had earned him favor from so many others.
But soon, Noel detected something else in Esther’s gaze.
It wasn’t mere caution. It was a familiar look. Hatred, anger, loathing, and unease.
Caught off guard by these inexplicable emotions, Noel felt his breath catch in his throat.
“I see. Take care, then, Lady.”
At the same time, Esther gave a small bow and left his side without a backward glance… no, she practically fled.
Noel watched her retreating figure for a long moment before finally turning toward home. He figured the Marquis Micarus—his father—would have wrapped up his rampage by now.
“Welcome home, young master.”
The butler bowed to Noel as he entered through the front door. Noel gave a small nod in return and asked,
“Is Father still at it?”
“Yes, it seems it’ll take more time for him to calm down today.”
As if to prove the butler’s words, the sharp sound of something shattering echoed down the hallway.
Noel grimaced at the unwelcome noise and headed up the stairs toward his room as usual. Midway up, his eyes fell on the family portrait at the center of the staircase, and he sneered.
Pretending to be happy when they weren’t. Pretending to be harmonious when they weren’t. Everyone envied House of Marquis Micarus without knowing their true nature.
“What the hell can you even do?! The Crown Prince has already mastered the art of rulership, but you… who did you get that empty head from?!”
The Marquis Micarus had never been a good father or husband.
From childhood, his father had constantly compared him to Crown Prince Helios and could never be satisfied. Becoming the kind of person the marquis wanted was an impossibly tall order.
And whenever something didn’t go his way, the Marquis Micarus would drown himself in drink and smash whatever was at hand.
That sometimes included people. Or more precisely, it was limited to him and his mother.
At some point, Noel had grown accustomed to the marquis. Through countless experiences, he’d learned that he mustn’t be seen when the man was angry.
The marquis never sought him out in those moods anyway, and whenever there was no reason to stay home, Noel would wander the streets.
“Useless brat!”
The marquis’s sharp voice echoed from deep in Noel’s chest. Frowning at the unpleasant memory, he lay down on his bed.
And yet another thing nagged at him: the woman who had been precariously wandering the streets, still lingering in his mind.
“What was her deal?”
The moment he’d seen those eyes, his hand had moved on its own.
That gaze filled with contempt and hostility toward him. Yes, those eyes were truly…
“Irritating.”
Noel closed his eyes, recalling her stare.
Suddenly, he felt an urge to shatter that hostility cloaking her.
“Welcome back, Guild Master.”
Esther rubbed her eyes hard, feeling as though a week had passed instead of a single day, and stepped into the merchant group headquarters.
Dana, passing by and spotting her, gave a light greeting.
“Yes, nothing out of the ordinary happened, right?”
“Oh, Carter said to stop by your room when you got back…”
“Thanks. Could you fetch him for me?”
She had more to discuss with Carter anyway.
It was tiring to have to work right away without rest, but she hadn’t expected to emerge unscathed from that uncomfortable situation and make it through the day intact.
“Also, I’m feeling a bit queasy, so if you have any digestive medicine, could I trouble you for some?”
“You’ve got indigestion, Guild Master? Goodness, that must’ve been a rough spot. Got it.”
Dana’s already droopy eyes drooped even further as she fretted over Esther’s words.
Feeling like she was looking at a sulky puppy, Esther smiled faintly and headed up to her room.
The mahogany desk seemed to be waiting just for her today. Sinking deeply into her chair with a sense of relief, she recalled that dizzying moment from earlier.
“Why’d he have to show up right then, of all times?”
The thought that Noel had seen her at her absolute worst again made her shove him away.
In her previous life, their first meeting had been at the Crown Prince’s twenty-first birthday banquet, after she’d received her countess title.
“It’s still months away, but of all times…”
Esther smiled softly as she reminisced.
Within the merchant group, her rise from commoner to noble had become a tremendous point of pride. The members celebrated it as if it were their own achievement.
Looking back now, her skills had been sorely lacking, and the bold ventures she’d pursued carried immense risks.
Yet she’d succeeded in all of them thanks to the unseen efforts of her group members and a stroke of luck that had aligned perfectly. They had always looked out for one another in their own ways, growing together.
“It’s the first time anyone’s risen from commoner to noble like this! It’s recognition of your hard work, Guild Master. You never slept, always pouring everything into it!”
“You can do anything, Guild Master. You represent our group.”
Buoyed by their encouragement, she’d attended the banquet—only to confront harsh reality.
Her ascent from commoner to noble was no boast among the nobility. This place was a perfect battlefield, save for the absence of swords and guns.
As Esther wiped away tears in a secluded corner of the rear garden, having realized the painful truth—
Noel had approached out of nowhere and casually suggested they become friends. That was their first encounter.
When she’d asked if it was really okay for a noble to mingle with a commoner like that, he’d replied with a dimple-cheeked smile. She’d believed it was sincere and always been grateful to him.
“I should’ve seen through the lie sooner.”
But things were different now. Those precious times had twisted into humiliating moments of mockery for her.
Esther shook her head to dispel the resurfacing memories and flipped through the nearby calendar.
“The Crown Prince’s birthday is eight months away…”
The round trip between Inda and the Empire took three months. After that, sealing the deal with the Imperial Palace and putting goods on the market had grown the group, leading to her countess title two weeks later.
But Esther had no intention of accepting the title—or attending the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet where it had all begun.
“Helios aside, I was really hoping to never even see Noel’s face again.”
By rights, she shouldn’t have crossed paths with him now. She hadn’t expected to run into him on some random street.
Besides, the reason he’d been wandering the streets like a loafer at that hour was obvious: his father’s violence.
But that was none of her concern anymore. She and Noel were strangers—bright red ones at that.
As Esther returned the calendar to the current date, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened promptly, and Carter entered.
She gestured to the chair she’d set out beforehand, and Carter sat across from her as if he’d been waiting.
“How did things go at the Imperial Palace?”
Esther felt a strange awkwardness at Carter’s changed demeanor.
Previously, they’d clashed every time they spoke.
For Esther, who had always been intimidated by him since childhood, it had taken courage just to broach personal topics.
Yet here was that very Carter, worrying about her.
“Yes, but you wanted to see me…?”
“Ah, I was just curious if His Highness the Crown Prince said anything.”
Esther felt a twinge of doubt at his words. The Emperor had shown interest in Dran Oil, and the Emperor had approved the deal. So why was he suddenly asking about Helios?
“Why the Crown Prince?”
“Well, His Highness asked Ete, our previous Guild Master, to include samples of new goods once a month with the deliveries to the Imperial Palace. I assumed that’s why I’d been going.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard His Highness quite liked our group’s products and made the request himself. As a result, our traded items increased, and Ete was always grateful to him. He’d even join the deliveries occasionally to align with them.”
Esther’s expression hardened at this revelation.
In her previous life as Guild Master, she’d known their Imperial Palace goods were gradually increasing, but swamped with her own duties, she’d left those dealings to Carter.
His handling of sales records had always matched actual profits perfectly, letting her work with ease—but she hadn’t known about this.
Only now, watching Carter report these matters, did Esther realize something.
Carter might not have trusted her abilities.
Or perhaps he’d known her shortcomings and tried to cover for them.
Either way, it was shocking.
“Guild Master, I’m truly sorry for not telling you sooner. I just didn’t have the time and…”
Carter pulled a packet of medicine from his pocket, placed it on the desk, and scratched his cheek awkwardly before continuing.
“Truth be told, I was very worried. About whether you could lead us well, and how hard it must be for you to suddenly take on Ete’s burdens. So I tried to handle as much as I could on my end…”
“……”
“I overstepped. Especially seeing how you handled this trade deal and wrapped things up at the palace all by yourself.”
Esther stared at the apologizing Carter, her mind reeling. And in that moment, she fully grasped a truth she’d overlooked.
The group’s growth hadn’t been due to her superior skills.
She had no face to show the members who’d filled her gaps from the shadows.
And it was humiliating to learn that the group had thrived with help from Helios—the man she’d despised.
After much deliberation, Esther found her answer within. She planned to share it with Carter.
“Carter, I have something to say too.”