CHAPTER 06
They say “never assume,” but I really should’ve listened.
The man I bumped into after leaving the bookstore turned out to be the same criminal on the wanted poster.
The scar on his face looked like a rabbit with long ears — or maybe a duck with a long beak.
When I reported him to the guards, thankfully, he was still inside the bookstore reading.
I watched from a distance as he was dragged away in chains, and I received a reward of 10 gold.
“Hmmm.”
I stared at the jingling pouch of coins, then turned back toward the bulletin board.
Alongside the picture book man’s wanted notice, there were plenty of others — each with a reward written at the bottom.
I carefully began pulling down the ones offering a bounty.
Watching beside me, Greta asked with a puzzled tone,
“Why are you taking those down, madam?”
“To make money.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll earn some reward money so you never have to worry about your salary being delayed again.”
When I winked playfully, Greta’s expression wavered for a split second.
That was when I realized something important.
The best way to make quick money was through bounties that paid immediately!
So from now on, I’ll become a pirate hunter—no, a bounty hunter.
***
After escorting Jena back to her room, Greta headed up to the second-floor study.
She had been personally assigned by Aizen to watch over Jena, with two clear rules to follow.
First, grant Jena a reasonable amount of freedom.
People rarely realize they’re trapped when given the illusion of choice.
That was why Jena was allowed to move freely around the manor — the walls themselves were her cage.
Second, report Jena’s every move in detail to Aizen.
At least twice a day, Greta compiled full reports on Jena’s meals, sleep, and daily behavior.
If Jena ever acted suspiciously or did something unexpected, immediate reporting was mandatory.
Naturally, Greta had informed Aizen of her sudden outing earlier that day, and Aizen had even given her 1 gold for expenses.
Now Greta stood before him again, ready to report what had happened.
He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“…What did you just say she did?”
“Lady Jena Kreutz caught a wanted criminal and received a 10-gold reward. She also gathered all the bounty posters, saying she intends to make more money that way.”
“Hah… unbelievable.”
Aizen rubbed his temple, feeling a sharp headache coming on.
He’d asked her to create an antidote, but his fake wife had decided to change careers into bounty hunting instead.
After a long sigh, he calmed himself and said,
“For now, just focus on watching her. Don’t try to stop her — she’ll only resent you for it. I’ll handle that part myself.”
“Yes, understood.”
Greta bowed deeply and turned to leave, but Aizen suddenly called out.
“Wait. How’s the work treating you?”
“It’s fine, sir.”
“She doesn’t mistreat you or work you too hard?”
“No, sir.”
Greta gave short, factual answers.
As she spoke, she recalled the little things Jena did:
How she always spoke politely to her, neatly made her bed before morning, cleaned the room herself, and even tried to bathe alone.
How she’d smiled and bought Greta snacks at the market without hesitation.
She was nothing like the kind of person Greta had expected to serve.
Soft yet oddly resilient — someone who didn’t crumble easily even when pressed.
And that carefree warmth of hers… it made Greta think more than she wanted to.
But she didn’t voice any of that.
Her duty was to report objectively, without emotion or bias.
There’s no reason to get attached to a spy’s target, she reminded herself.
Aizen gave her a brief nod.
“It’s a shame to give such simple work to a capable knight like you.”
“It’s all right. I’m already grateful that you didn’t dismiss me after I lost my title.”
A flicker of discomfort crossed his face before he smoothed it away.
“Stay sharp and keep your guard up. Dismissed.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Greta bowed and left the study.
As she walked back toward her quarters, she thought coldly,
Letting your guard down isn’t something I’ll ever do again.
Because…
Trusting your superiors blindly was the biggest mistake of my life.
***
As for my daily routine these days:
Mornings were for studying pharmacology.
Afternoons were for bounty hunting.
Today’s target was a man who kidnapped and sold other people’s dogs.
I’d set up a bait — a purebred puppy tied up outside — and sure enough, he took it.
When I caught him in the act, he bolted immediately.
“Stop right there while I’m still being nice!”
“Heh! Who stops just because someone says so?!”
The dog thief stuck his tongue out and dashed around the corner—
“Wah!”
—only to come flying back into view, crashing to the ground with a painful groan.
Panting, I crossed my arms smugly.
“Heh! Who falls for the same—huff—trap twice—hah—like an idiot?”
You thought I was chasing you alone, didn’t you?
But no, I had Greta.
I’d deliberately herded him toward her path.
Greta had kicked him squarely in the ribs, knocking him out cold.
She turned to me.
“Are you all right, madam?”
“I’m a little out of breath, but fine. You’re not hurt, right?”
“No.”
“Good.”
We handed him over to the guards and received the bounty.
That made three captures total since I’d started.
The rewards were small, though, so it didn’t amount to much profit.
“Ugh, there’s got to be a bigger one out there.”
Saving up slowly was too frustrating.
As we walked to the market to check the bulletin board, I handed Greta 50 silver.
“I can keep that in the bag for you, madam.”
“No, I meant for you to have it.”
“…My share of the bounty, madam?”
“Think about it. I never catch them alone. You’ve been helping me the whole time. I should’ve shared earlier, sorry for the delay. Today’s all yours.”
But Greta immediately handed the coins back.
“I already receive wages. Assisting you is part of my duty. There’s no need for this.”
“That’s not true. Your job description definitely doesn’t include bounty hunting.”
I pushed the coins back into her hand.
“Take it.”
“It’s fine.”
We went back and forth for a while, repeating the same argument until my tongue tripped.
“Jus’… take it.”
“…Then just this once, I will.”
She finally accepted it, biting her lip slightly with an unreadable expression.
Soon, we reached the market bulletin board.
One poster in particular caught my eye.
It described a masked man who had been attacking women in a series of robberies — and at the bottom, it read:
> “A reward of 100 gold will be paid by order of Duke Kalrad to whoever captures the culprit.”
•
“Greta, how much is 100 gold?”
“The average servant’s monthly wage is 2 gold.”
…That’s fifty months’ pay?!
“That’s insane.”
At that moment, my eyes sparkled.
I want this one. I’ll catch him myself. I have to.
I pulled down the poster right away and hurried home — where Aizen was already waiting.
“Wife, may I have a word?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
We sat facing each other in my room.
He nodded toward the paper sticking out of my pocket.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, my next target.”
I unfolded it proudly and showed him.
He flinched in surprise.
“Wait, why are you—”
“This one’s worth 100 gold! You really are generous, my dear Duke.”
I smiled, but Aizen looked grim. He took my hand and sighed.
“Wife, please stop this bounty hunting. It’s too dangerous. It’s not something a lady of status should do.”
“But I need money to make the cure! Nobility doesn’t pay bills, and we both know your family’s situation isn’t great right now.”
“I’ll handle the finances. You just focus on your research—”
“I can’t do that! You’re sick. How can I let a patient work?”
To me, Aizen looked like a frail invalid staring wistfully out the window at the last leaf of autumn.
Well… a very muscular invalid, but still.
I didn’t want him overexerting himself and making his “condition” worse.
“I’ll earn the money and make the cure. You just rest easy.”
“No—”
“Greta, can you gather every newspaper and record about this masked man? Thanks.”
I turned to Greta, who glanced at Aizen before nodding slightly.
Then I faced Aizen again and said firmly,
“Now, you go lie down and eat some oranges under a blanket, okay?”
“…”
And that was how Greta and I began our investigation into the masked robber.
We reviewed six past incidents, each in a different location.
Even when the guards arrived quickly, he always vanished without a trace.
“How does he keep escaping?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ugh, if I could figure that out, I’d have him already.”
I marked the crime scenes on the map of the duchy and tried connecting the dots.
…Nothing.
Apparently, all those years of watching Detective Conan had failed me.
I tried a few more methods but got nowhere.
“That’s it. We’re visiting the crime scenes ourselves.”
“Right now, madam?”
“Yes.”
There’s that saying — the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.
And besides, desk work was boring.
“Then please wait a moment.”
Greta left and came back a few minutes later with a cloak.
I put it on and went downstairs — only to find Aizen standing at the entrance like he’d been waiting.
“Going somewhere?”
“Yes, I’m going to check out the robbery sites. What about you?”
“I was hoping to accompany you.”
He smiled and extended his hand.
So my silver kitten had been waiting for me because he wanted to come along?
Overwhelmed by affection, I covered my mouth and took his hand.
“That makes me so happy. You dressed warmly, right?”
“I think you should be the one worried about catching a cold.”
“I’m tough. You’re the fragile one.”
“Fragile…? That’s a first.”
He chuckled faintly, but he was still recovering, so technically I wasn’t wrong.
With Aizen’s escort, I climbed into the carriage.
As we headed toward the busy streets, his expression turned serious.
