Chapter 12
A sharp, bitter smell of cigarette smoke pricked at my nose.
Frett Gunner looked at his boss, whose thoughts were unreadable, and continued his report.
“…Next is the report regarding Miss Prim.”
Johannes, who had been staring at the documents the whole time, finally looked up calmly.
His blue eyes shone like stars in the darkness.
Those eyes were always frightening.
Frett Gunner shook his head and, after a brief silence, began the report about Edith Prim.
“It seems the servants’ attitude toward Miss Prim has improved a lot. It would have been better if you had explained earlier.”
Frett subtly reprimanded Johannes, but Johannes only nodded without much reaction.
It was a signal to continue the report.
Perhaps due to the long time they had worked together, Johannes was quite merciful as long as no presumptuous remarks were made.
“And she asked if her master told her to fire her.”
Frett Gunner normally wasn’t curious about things, and this time was no different.
“She looked more anxious than usual. Although she said she was fine, her eyes trembled slightly.”
“Why?”
Johannes tilted his head slightly.
“I think it might be financial. She asked me for a servant certification. I guess it’s for a loan.”
“A loan? Is her salary insufficient?”
Frett Gunner answered quickly.
“No. Her salary is twice as much as servants of other noble families. We’ll need to investigate more to find out what it’s being used for.”
“How long will it take?”
“It should be done within two days at the latest.”
Johannes seemed satisfied. He nodded.
“How’s her adaptation?”
A faint look of concern spread across Frett’s face. He nervously adjusted his tight cravat.
“What do you mean asking now? She’s just started talking to the servants, so she should adapt soon… There’s nothing particularly odd about her work.”
Johannes resumed his indifferent expression.
“Alright.”
A very concise ruling.
Frett Gunner lowered his head again and gave his final report.
“She also added that all conversations should be kept confidential, so I feel quite uncomfortable reporting like this.”
Johannes scoffed.
The brief moment of joy after receiving the servant certification quickly faded.
Even the bank I trusted did not help me.
“We’re sorry we cannot assist, but the policy has changed. Loans are only available to employees who have worked more than three months.”
That was their usual response.
Could every path I take really be a thorny one?
I stood in front of the bank blankly, staring at the servant certification that had become nothing more than a piece of paper.
‘Should I just go crazy and ask for help? No. I’ve already gotten all the help I can from being employed.’
I didn’t want to be fired for being “ungrateful” or “out of my place.”
But the repayment deadline was tomorrow—what should I do?
For now, I’d have to calm the loan shark down and try to negotiate if he came.
The cold air felt especially biting today.
“Are you Edith Prim?”
Someone blocked my way as I was leaving home to go to the duke’s mansion.
He was a man with neatly swept dull gray-brown hair, dressed in a neat suit. Next to him stood a burly man glaring at me.
“Who are you…?”
The man quickly pulled out a business card from his pocket and handed it over politely.
“I’m Finn Schneider from Banux. I’m the manager. You can call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“Ah…”
Banux. A familiar name.
The loan company printed on the debt repayment agreement.
When I hesitated, the burly man beside Finn Schneider shoved forward threateningly. A musty smell pricked my nose.
“Hey, if you borrowed money, you should pay it back on time. Isn’t having credit important for a person?”
“Enough. You’re scaring the lady.”
Finn Schneider raised his hand to stop him, but the big man kept grumbling despite the warning.
He blocked the doorway with his arm and kept threatening me.
“We lent that huge sum out of pure kindness, so you owe us something in return. How can you just wash your hands of this for three years? What kind of gutsy business is this?”
I was scared but tried not to show it.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go to work. Can we talk this evening?”
Despite my polite request, the big man was stubborn.
He held onto my wrist so I couldn’t move, making ridiculous excuses about what if I ran away.
“Ah…!”
“Pavid, please stop. Our company isn’t without decency. Competitors would laugh if they saw this.”
“But we’re busy people too. We took precious working time to come get the damn money.”
“Well, this method isn’t right.”
I was glad Finn Schneider was there.
Still, Pavid glared at me, warning I shouldn’t even think about running away.
“If you intended to run, you would have left Muysen already after seeing this.”
I calmly showed the debt repayment agreement in my hand and spoke.
“First, I’m truly sorry for not being able to repay. I knew nothing about my father’s debt.”
“I see. You must have been quite shocked.”
Pavid said not knowing is no excuse and that they just came to collect the money, but Finn Schneider dismissed him easily.
“Tch! So educated, huh? Acting all high and mighty!”
Pavid nodded sullenly after being ignored by Finn Schneider, who never lost his smile.
“I hope you can give a definite answer.”
I checked the clock on the building across the street.
There wasn’t much time before work…
But they wouldn’t let me go until a conclusion was reached.
Even if Finn Schneider was flexible, Pavid would block it.
Neither of them seemed to expect that I could repay such a large amount.
“Miss Prim, if you don’t mind, can we discuss the repayment amount? We’re not completely rigid—we’re not demanding immediate payment—but we need to report to our superiors…”
Finn Schneider gave a sheepish smile asking for understanding.
My guard lowered slightly.
“Then I want to see the loan document first.”
“You think we’re scammers?”
Pavid sneered and pushed my shoulder with a very unpleasant expression.
“Don’t.”
A wave of instinctive fear washed over me.
I took a step back and looked around.
It was early morning, so there weren’t many people on the street. Even those few hurried past without noticing.
But would anything change if it were crowded?
No way.
If someone called the police, it would be a relief. But the police and loan sharks had their own connections.
Since these things happened often without interference, it meant they turned a blind eye to some degree.
“Pavid, please stop. This is why I don’t want to work with you.”
“Ugh! How are we supposed to work if you cut us some slack…”
Fortunately, Finn Schneider stopped him, and I straightened my back and continued.
“Is there any case where they demand money without showing the loan document?”
Pavid frowned, looking even more menacing.
“Of course, if you’re not scammers, you’d show it.”
“…Of course.”
He rolled up his sleeves and took out a very old, faded piece of paper from his coat.
I frowned without thinking.
“Is this how you usually manage things?”
The paper showed the date my father borrowed money, the amount, and the repayment deadline.
It was a loan document for a considerable amount. It should have been treasured and protected.
‘How can they manage it so poorly? Moreover…’
I looked up at Finn Schneider.
“Why are you coming only now? The repayment deadline passed three years ago.”
His always friendly smile suddenly turned cold.
Then he exchanged glances with Pavid as if they felt uneasy.
“I’m sorry. One of our staff mismanaged it. We just found out and were shocked.”
“Ah…”
That explained why they were hesitant. They also had some responsibility.
With Finn Schneider here, at least there was room for negotiation. Perhaps they could also be held accountable for letting the interest pile up…
I calmly spoke to the two men with opposite expressions.
“There isn’t much time. Would you like to come in first?”
