Episode 6
Knock, knock.
I knocked on my parents’ bedroom door and waited. I had packed everything and was ready to leave, but I thought I should at least say goodbye before going.
“Come in,”
my mother’s voice came from inside. I slowly opened the door and stepped in.
Maybe it was because I’d just visited Frederic’s mansion, but suddenly my parents’ room looked way too fancy. The ceiling had elaborate decorations, there were plaster statues in every corner, and expensive paintings covered the walls.
“No one even comes into this room. What’s the point of decorating it so much? I just don’t get it.”
I clicked my tongue in my head. Mom and Dad were sitting at the table, completely focused on something.
“What are you looking at?”
“Your father is thinking about investing in another trade ship. He says this is the last time.”
“After everything that happened, again?”
I was speechless. What do they think caused this family to start collapsing?
I moved closer to see what they were looking at.
“They’re choosing between the Libre and the Adbang ships. Huh? Libre? That name sounds familiar…”
I’d definitely seen that name before. It came up a lot when I read the original story.
What was it again…?
“…!”
Ah!
The Libre was the ship that discovered the New Continent on its way to the East. Everyone who invested in it made a fortune!
“Hmmm…”
Dad rubbed his chin with one hand while looking at the flyers. After comparing them for a while, he placed the paper down on the table.
“Did you decide?”
Mom asked while watching him closely. He nodded slowly.
“Okay, let’s see what he picks.”
I leaned back in my chair, waiting for his answer.
“Both ships cost about the same, but they take different routes. Adbang follows the usual path, and Libre is taking a new one.”
“Wait. Adbang? Isn’t that the ship the Plerin family invested their entire fortune into and ended up broke, which led to the arranged marriage with Leo?”
I was about to tell him to choose Libre right away… but then I thought I’d give him a chance this time.
Everyone deserves at least one shot.
Dad lowered his hand from his chin and said,
“The usual path isn’t bad. Let’s go with Adbang. We’ll put all our remaining money into it.”
“…!”
Sigh. I knew it. All my energy drained out of me. How does he always manage to pick the wrong 50%?
I could already see the future of the Plerin family. We’d fall into so much debt that they’d use Delphine’s marriage to pay it all back.
“Should I tell them or not…?”
I hesitated. Would telling them now even help? Even if they made money this time, they might lose it all again in another risky investment. And why should I help Delphine’s family when they’re practically kicking me out?
“…”
Still, thinking of Delphine’s situation made me pause. What if she comes back someday and finds out I ruined things with her family? With her soft personality, she’d definitely be heartbroken.
“Okay. I won’t sacrifice my life by marrying for money, but I can at least give them a little help.”
I picked up the flyer for the Libre and spoke.
“No, Dad.”
Both my parents looked at me in confusion. Mom asked,
“Delphine, what do you mean no?”
I showed them the Libre flyer.
“Libre is better than Adbang. You should choose Libre.”
“Delphine, be quiet. What do you know?”
Dad snapped. I blinked a few times.
“Wow, he really knows how to get on your nerves.”
I had another round of internal conflict.
“Should I just ignore this and let them fall? …No. Let’s be a good person. As long as it doesn’t hurt me, I’ll try to be kind.”
I forced a bright smile. If I wanted them to listen to me, I had to be sweet.
“You both know I’m going to work at the Peredy family’s house, right?”
“Hmph. Let’s not talk about that,”
Dad cut me off. But strangely, he didn’t seem angry or trying to stop me. Mom looked way more anxious than he did.
“Delphine, if you do this, you might not be able to marry Leo—or anyone else from a good family. Think it over.”
But even Mom didn’t sound confident. She seemed to know that I was going no matter what.
And probably because they knew I’d be earning money, they weren’t strongly against it.
“So, if I don’t bring in marriage money, I should at least work to earn some? These two are hopeless.”
So annoying. But fine, I’ll toss them one last bone before I go.
“Anyway, you know how the Peredy family made their money, right? They invested in a good trade ship.”
“Hmph.”
Dad just cleared his throat awkwardly. It must’ve stung—he’s a duke who wasted all his money, and a baron like Peredy got rich through investments. No wonder it annoyed him.
“They said they got insider info from someone connected to the royal family and are investing in Libre.”
“I don’t have to invest just because they are!”
Dad yelled. Total panic response. His pride was hurting.
“They said it came from someone close to the royal family.”
“The royal family?”
Dad’s expression instantly softened. He’d always dreamed of getting close to the palace. Since he was young, his goal had been to connect with the royal family somehow.
And actually, as the Peredy family got richer, they had built ties to the palace. So this wasn’t even a lie.
“Info from the royal family…”
Dad started rubbing his chin again. He compared the Libre and Adbang flyers and finally put one down with a firm motion.
“I’ve decided. We’ll invest in Libre.”
Mom nodded beside him. She never gave opinions on investment stuff anyway.
“…”
Dad stood up suddenly with the flyer in hand. Huh? He’s going now?
“I need to go take care of this right away. And you, Delphine.”
He glanced at me. We actually made eye contact for the first time in ages. He looked tired… and older than I remembered.
“Take care.”
“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”
That was… unexpectedly calm. He gave me a small nod and left the room.
“So me going to work for the Peredy family isn’t a huge issue after all? I thought they’d flip out.”
I guess the royal family connection really swayed him. That, and the fact that I’d be earning money.
“Greedy. That’s all they are.”
Not like they’d give me much of that money anyway. I could already picture them treating my paycheck like it was theirs.
Well, since I gave them that Libre tip, they better spend that trade ship money and leave me alone.
I shrugged and looked at Mom. She looked tired too.
“Did you finish packing?”
“Yes.”
“Did you pack the new dress I had made for you?”
“No.”
Of course not. That thing would take up half the carriage by itself. No way I’d wear that to go work.
“I wish you would… Well, just be careful and stay safe.”
“Okay.”
“No matter what, be careful around the Peredy family. Baron houses always envy dukes, so they might resent you.”
I nodded casually and stood up.
“Then I’ll get going.”
I gave her a bow and headed to the door.
“Of all places… the Peredy family. And after how much Charlier hated them…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I turned around. Mom looked startled, like she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Ah, nothing. Take care.”
“Okay…”
That was weird.
…Something felt off. Why did she bring up Charlier? And how does she know anything about that?
“Miss Delphine, your room is on the third floor. The maids and I stay on the fifth floor, so let me know if you need anything.”
Ecor spoke as we climbed the stairs.
“Your contract says your main job is organizing the library, but for now, just help if the young master asks. He probably won’t at first.”
“I see. So all I have to do right now is talk to him for one hour a day?”
“Yes, my lady. That’s correct for now.”
Wow, this is amazing. I saw the contract earlier in the parlor—it listed a huge salary. Just like Carolina said, it was the kind of pay only royal scholars usually got. If I work here for a year, I could earn back everything Dad lost.
“The Peredy family is really impressive.”
I was honestly shocked by their wealth. I heard Frederic makes all the business decisions, and the agents just follow his orders.
“Frederic must be a genius. His business skills are amazing.”
I remembered Frederic’s face from yesterday. That rude expression of his.
“Well, it’s always the rude geniuses who make the most money.”
I slowly followed the spiral staircase. Each floor had a high ceiling, so I was slightly out of breath by the time we reached the third floor.
“Your room is at the very end. It used to be a guest room, and we’ve prepared it for you.”
Creak.
Ecor opened the door to my room.
“Wow… It’s really big.”
It really was. It was about the same size as the room I had at the Plerin mansion. Since it was at the end of the hall, it had a rounded shape with several tall windows—so it was full of natural light.
