Episode 2
“What now?”
I looked at Susan, unsure what to say. She glanced between me and Aunt Irene before speaking carefully.
“Duke West is buying up this street.”
I know about Duke West. Still shocked, I tried to recall what I had learned over the past month about the nobles in this place.
There are five ranks of nobility—duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. There’s even a “junior baron,” but it was all too confusing, so I ignored half of it.
The important part is: even if someone is just a baron, they don’t answer to a count or viscount. Only dukes stand out above the rest.
Duke West is one of only three dukes in the country, and the only one not related to the royal family. That’s why everyone keeps talking about Princess Rebecca possibly marrying him.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. Just thinking about the nobility system gave me a headache. I remember Duke West being something more than just a regular duke, but I couldn’t recall the details.
Anyway, a powerful duke buying up this rundown street full of thugs sounds like a good thing, right? Wouldn’t he clean it up?
“We don’t know if it’s good or bad yet,” Aunt Irene said, clearly unsure.
“Huh?” I looked at her, confused. Susan added,
“It’s bad. Remember the guy with brown hair earlier? One of those thugs?”
I tried to think back. Brown hair? I shook my head.
“There was a guy with a scar here,” she said, pointing to the corner of her mouth.
Ah, right. The guy who jokingly asked if he could come in earlier. That scar—I remembered him now.
“His name is John. He’s a mercenary.”
“Oh wow,” Aunt Irene gasped.
I knew what mercenaries were. Not exactly the most decent folks around.
“But what does that have to do with Duke West buying this street?” I asked. Just because some thug is a mercenary doesn’t mean the duke would want him hanging around.
“Do you know the ‘Western Sky Mercenary Group’?” Susan asked.
“Nope.”
I do know there are solo mercenaries and organized groups, but I hadn’t heard that name.
Susan looked shocked, then nodded. “Right, you said you lost your memory.”
That excuse really comes in handy.
She continued, “The Western Sky Mercenary Group is really famous. Their base is in Westhampton.”
And? I still looked confused. Mercenaries have headquarters?
“Westhampton is Duke West’s land,” she explained.
“Oh…”
Now I understood. The Western Sky Mercenary Group belongs to Duke West. So, if he’s buying this street, he’s not going to kick out one of his own.
“Ugh.”
I let out a sigh. Does that mean we just have to put up with that guy?
“There’s more,” Aunt Irene said.
More?! I looked at her with a frown. She glanced at both of us and then spoke with a heavy tone.
“Duke West might kick all of us out.”
“But we have contracts! He’d have to pay penalties if he tries before they end,” I said, shaking my head.
Susan replied, “He probably doesn’t care. He can easily pay.”
“He’s that rich?”
Actually… yeah. I did hear he’s extremely wealthy.
“And my penalty fee is really low,” she added.
Huh? How’s that possible?
“I signed the lease last year, and rent was already super low.”
Oh, right. This street has almost no foot traffic. Low rent equals low penalty.
I didn’t know what to say. Then Aunt Irene spoke again.
“My contract lasts as long as the building stands.”
That sounded reassuring—until Susan quietly said,
“They’re planning to tear down all the buildings.”
“What?!”
I looked at Aunt Irene in shock. She just nodded like she expected it.
I was speechless. Then Susan turned to me.
“What about you, Everdeen?”
Me? I didn’t even know if I was paying rent. It’s been a month since I became Everdeen, and I never saw any lease documents in her stuff.
Honestly, I have no idea what she did before I got here. She seemed to live quietly and didn’t go out to work. I only decided to turn the place into a bakery because I knew how to bake and the building layout was perfect.
There was a large empty room for displaying bread and a kitchen with two stone ovens right next to it.
“I think the building is mine.”
I remembered how the second floor only showed signs of someone using one big bedroom. There were no signs of a landlord or rent payments.
“Lucky you,” Aunt Irene and Susan both sighed, sounding relieved—and jealous.
Ah… this didn’t feel good.
I let out a guilty sigh. I didn’t do anything wrong, but I still felt bad.
“I’m sure things will work out. Don’t worry too much,” I said, trying to comfort them. Then I handed them wrapped loaves of chestnut bread.
“Take these for dinner.”
“You made these to sell…”
“Still, please take them,” I insisted.
If this helps ease my guilt, it’s worth it. I wasn’t trying to be nice—just trying to not feel awful. But then Aunt Irene hugged me.
“You’re such a sweetheart. Thank you.”
That word hit me like lightning.
Sweetheart.
I remembered what that girl—who claimed to be a god—told me before I woke up in this world:
“Live kindly.”
Right. That was the deal. I promised to live kindly.
“Susan, I’ll walk you home.”
I looked outside. The street was still empty because of the gang of thugs. But I had made a promise to live kindly. Helping Susan get home safely was one way to keep it.
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
Susan smiled, holding the bread I gave her.
Come to think of it, I learned a lot from Susan since I got here. She told me about Duke West, Princess Rebecca, and all the juicy gossip.
“I’m off, then.”
We left and soon said goodbye to Aunt Irene, who lived right across from me. She ran a tavern and had helped me more than anyone else since I got here.
I wished I could help her in return. But could I really do anything?
“Why is Duke West suddenly buying all the buildings here anyway?” I asked Susan as we walked. Her shop was farther down the street.
Susan was known as the gossip queen, so if anyone knew, it’d be her.
“Oh, Duke West has a younger brother.”
“Which one? The playboy or the creepy doll guy?”
Everyone in the capital knew about his two brothers. Both were famous—for the wrong reasons.
Susan hesitated, then said, “The playboy.”
“The second one.”
His name was something like Marsha or Marven… I couldn’t remember. Anyway, he was known for dating multiple women at once and hiding it from all of them. There were even rumors he had a few illegitimate kids.
“Is Duke West giving him control of this area?” I asked.
“Maybe. From the beginning, it looks like that was the plan.”
“Is he even good at managing anything?”
I never heard anything good about him. Duke West was smart and successful, but the brother?
“Well, the woman he was going to marry recently… she took her own life,” Susan said, lowering her voice.
“What?!”
I stopped walking and stared at her. What had he done to her?
“There were rumors the girl didn’t want the marriage, but her dad forced it. Then she… yeah.”
Unbelievable. That man must’ve been a nightmare. Susan shifted her weight and continued,
“People think Duke West is kicking him out of the house over this. He was already scolded in the past for getting someone pregnant.”
I would’ve kicked him out too. I nodded quietly.
“But then why give him this area to manage?” I asked.
Susan shrugged. “No idea.”
At that moment, someone grabbed my butt.
Startled, I gasped—and a man said,
“Hey, pretty ladies. What are you up to?”