The Marquis Next Door’s Beloved Slave – Chapter 001
“Kyaa!”
It had rained for days, but this morning the sky was suddenly clear. It was perfect weather to harvest the black raspberries that Ella had spent months growing with care.
“Good morning, my babies!”
As soon as she opened her eyes, Ella grabbed her basket and walked toward the raspberry bushes. The berries she had grown were now ripe and ready.
“I worked so hard giving you water and fertilizer. It’s time you paid me back, don’t you think?”
Rolling up her sleeves with determination, Ella began picking the plumpest berries. If she wanted to eat meat, she’d need to sell these berries and make some money. Thanks to her vegetable garden, she wouldn’t starve, but if she wanted to remember what meat tasted like, she needed to earn something.
Hehe.
Ella smiled without realizing it. Carefully, she filled her basket so the berries wouldn’t burst. She only picked the perfectly ripe ones, and before long, the basket was full.
“Mmm.”
She popped a fresh berry into her mouth. It burst with sweet and tangy flavor. She couldn’t afford top-quality meat, but this should be enough to get some decent pork.
“No, no! Not there!”
Suddenly, she heard a strange voice. It was rare for strangers to visit her quiet village. Curious, she listened carefully while munching on another berry.
“Be careful! That one piece of furniture costs more than your whole day’s wage!”
Whether it was the hot sun or the noisy voices, Ella started to feel annoyed. She put down her basket and walked toward the old stone wall near her house. Using the holes in the wall, she peeked through.
She saw workers carrying furniture.
“Who’s moving in with all this fancy stuff?” one of the workers grumbled.
“I don’t know. Maybe a fallen noble or a sick one looking to rest. One of those types.” another replied uninterestedly.
A new person moving in? That was unusual for their remote village, which didn’t even appear on some maps. It was the kind of place no one would come to unless they already knew about it.
And someone rich moving in? That was even more strange.
Ella frowned. She had a bad dream last night, and now this unexpected new neighbor was making her uneasy.
“I just hope they’re quiet.”
She stood up, brushed off the dirt from her clothes, and picked up her basket. She needed to sell the berries while they were still fresh to get the best price.
“Is anyone home?”
Knock knock knock.
Just as she was about to leave, a stranger knocked at her door. Probably someone from the new neighbor’s house, she thought.
“Yes, I’m coming!”
She figured she should at least say hello and ask them to keep things peaceful.
When she opened the door, two large men stood outside.
“Are you the owner of this house?”
“Uh, yes… who are you?”
“Are you Ms. Laviela Oncidium?”
The sudden personal questioning made Ella frown.
“Yes, I’m Laviela.”
“We’re investigators from the Central Bank.”
One of them showed her a badge.
“The Central Bank?”
Ella was confused. Why would the bank visit her?
“Since you didn’t respond to our notices, we had to come in person.”
He handed her a scroll. She carefully unrolled it and saw the bold letters:
Seizure?
Ella blinked, thinking she must have misread it. But the words didn’t change.
“According to our records, you failed to repay 986,000 gold you borrowed. So we’re issuing a warning that your house, under your name, will be seized.”
She was shocked.
“W-what? I never borrowed that kind of money!”
“We’re not seizing anything yet. You have about a week before it goes into effect.”
The other man added.
“No, there’s definitely a mistake…”
“We’re just following orders. If you don’t pay off the debt within a week, we’ll proceed with the seizure.”
He interrupted and pulled out more papers.
“Please sign here to confirm you received this notice.”
“No.”
Ella shook her head. This had to be a scam. She’d heard of fake officials pretending to be from the Central Bank.
Now that she looked closely, the two men didn’t seem professional at all. Their clothes were dirty, their shoes were worn out.
“This is a scam, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“You’re trying to steal my house with fake documents, aren’t you?”
Everything made sense now. These guys were con artists pretending to be bank employees.
“What do you mean? We showed you our IDs! Just sign and we’ll leave!”
“Get out. Before I call the police!”
Ella was furious. Who did they think they could trick out here in the countryside?
“Ms. Ella, please calm down. If you’d just read the notice…”
“If you don’t leave right now—!”
“Is something wrong here?”
Another voice. Ella turned her head quickly. A tired-looking man walked up and stood beside them.
“We’re investigators from the Central Bank. She’s refusing to cooperate, so things got a little noisy…”
“You’re lying! Don’t believe them!”
“May I see your IDs?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
The man took their IDs and checked them. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
His face was stunning. Ella forgot everything for a moment, just looking at him.
If this man handed her a paper, she might sign it without thinking…
“You should sign it.”
Wait—no, she shouldn’t!
Ella snapped out of it and glared at him.
“Who even are you?”
“I moved in next door today. Their IDs look fine. The documents seem okay too. Just sign it and let them go.”
“Are you on their side?”
This man had to be with the scammers too.
“No.”
“Then stay out of it. I’ll handle this myself.”
“Hmm… I was just trying to help.”
He shrugged like he didn’t care anymore.
“Um… even if you don’t sign, this won’t just go away. We’re just trying to make things easier for you.”
“Yes, we’re just here to inform you.”
The investigators now seemed to treat the new neighbor as a witness. He glanced at Ella and then nodded vaguely to them.
“If you pay by the deadline, no problem. But if not, we’ll have to clear the house.”
“I told you—I never borrowed any money! And why are you agreeing with them?!”
“Ah, I’m not the kind to pretend I didn’t hear something.”
Ella pressed her forehead in frustration.
Two scammers and one annoying neighbor. This day was getting worse and worse.
