Chapter 03
“So you’re back. I heard you caused quite a commotion again today. Apparently a count’s family had their jewels stolen.”
“It was easier than I expected. Considering how much the guild master warned me to be careful.”
“Wow, that’s impressive as always. I heard the security was extremely tight. You’re probably the only one who could handle such a difficult mission alone. I guess you don’t plan on working with the other members anymore?”
“Right. I’ve had enough of being betrayed.”
After narrowly escaping death due to a companion’s betrayal, Renia began carrying out every mission strictly on her own.
The companion who betrayed her had been abandoned alive at the top of a snowy mountain, in accordance with the underworld’s unwritten rules. No one had ever seen him again after that.
Since he had been the only person she could truly call a friend during her entire life in the underworld, Renia felt she had nothing left to regret.
“Take this. The jewel from today’s job. The guild master will drool when he sees it.”
“My goodness… this is… the ‘Heart of the Goddess’! I knew it was a big job, but I never imagined something this incredible was involved.”
The guild member receiving the box stared wide-eyed at the heart-shaped ruby radiating a dazzling glow.
She had said it was simple, but the job hadn’t actually been easy.
She had infiltrated a party hosted by a powerful count in the northern region to steal a family heirloom.
To attend the party, she disguised herself as a seductive countess visiting the empire for leisure. After seducing the second son—who was notorious for his scandalous private life—she learned the location of the safe. Then she put the guards to sleep and quietly stole the jewel.
To avoid suspicion, she even set a fire in one of the rooms.
Amid the chaos, she changed into a prepared outfit and calmly left the mansion pretending to be a flower shop delivery worker.
All of that had happened only two hours ago.
Amazed by her flawless work as usual, the guild member handed Renia a heavy pouch filled with gold coins.
“Well then, that concludes the request we had with our guild. I heard you haven’t been taking jobs lately. Are you planning to go on vacation or something?”
“I’m sick of the cold northern region. I’m thinking of heading somewhere warm in the south.”
“That’s a good idea. Do you have any plans after that?”
“Well… maybe I’ll get married out of boredom. I should try it at least once.”
“Oh? That’s not a bad idea. Someone like you could even become the mistress of a high-ranking noble.”
A noble’s concubine?
She had absolutely no interest in something like that.
Snorting lightly, she handed the man a few gold coins.
“This is for all your help so far. Take it. I owe you quite a bit.”
“Huh? What do you mean? You’re talking like we’ll never see each other again.”
“I mean exactly that. I’m leaving this city now. I won’t have any reason to come back to this world, so erase me from your memory.”
“What?! H-Hey! What are we supposed to do without you?!”
“That’s none of my business. Figure it out yourselves.”
Hahaha. Finally, freedom.
I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.
Not long ago, she had sold off all the property she owned.
Half had gone to the orphanage she had been secretly donating to, and half of the remainder had been quietly delivered to poor families.
The money she kept for herself had all been converted into small jewels and gold, which were already loaded onto a carriage and safely transported to another city.
Now the only thing she carried was a light travel bag.
Yet her heart had never felt lighter.
The true new life Renia had always dreamed of was finally about to begin.
I can slowly buy what I need on the way to the capital. All I need now is a fake husband and a son. I’ll need them to achieve my goal.
The final job she chose before retirement was this:
Becoming the heir to a ducal house.
There was only one ducal family in the Solan Empire—
The House of Helios.
And rumors were spreading throughout the empire that they were searching for a daughter they had lost long ago.
“They say the ducal family is urgently searching for their lost daughter. She’s supposed to be a woman in her twenties with a blond son and a red-eyed husband. The daughter herself apparently has platinum-blond hair.”
“I heard that too. What kind of prophecy is that? They say she was lost right after birth. I wonder if they can really find her with just a few clues.”
“Well, who knows. But if they find that daughter, there’s a high chance she’ll be named the heir of the ducal family. People from all over the empire will probably flock there. Isn’t it the perfect chance for a change in status?”
At first Renia had dismissed the rumor casually.
But it soon turned out to be true.
The Solan Empire, a nation that worshiped the Goddess, had a strong tendency to believe prophecies and divine revelations.
And the Helios Ducal House, which had protected saints for generations, would never ignore such a prophecy.
With the instincts of a professional swindler, Renia immediately realized this was an enormous opportunity.
I smell money. And a ridiculous amount of it.
Pretending to be a married woman with a child despite never even having had a proper relationship in her life sounded daunting.
But as always, she would find a way.
She had already come back from death.
Surely she could manage something like this.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
She would become the fake heiress of the ducal house, stage the grand finale of her career as a swindler, and then flee overseas to live a carefree life.
She didn’t even need to wait for the duke to die.
The ducal family had accumulated immense wealth for centuries since the founding of the empire.
It was said their riches rivaled even the imperial family.
If she could simply locate the duke’s hidden treasury, that alone would be half the battle.
Since it’s a solo infiltration, I’ll focus on valuable land deeds and small jewels. If things go wrong, I can just steal a few heirlooms and run.
I’ll use the money for good things later, so please don’t think too badly of me.
After successfully escaping the city gates while avoiding the count’s private soldiers, Renia inhaled the cold dawn air deeply and smiled.
A few days later—
She arrived in a new city.
* * *
“…I only came a little further south, but it’s much warmer.”
The region where Renia used to live was a harsh and cold mountain area.
Surviving the winter relying only on fireplaces and bonfires had always been difficult for her.
Technically, it had only been a year since she possessed Renia’s body, but she deeply missed the warm ondol floor heating from South Korea.
“When I become rich later, I’ll install ondol heating all over my mansion.”
Of course, there was no such thing as boilers in this world.
Fortunately, there was something even more convenient—
Magic.
Once I finish everything and escape to another country, maybe I should patent a magic floor-heating system and start a business. That could be a nice side job.
While ambitiously planning a far-off future that hadn’t even arrived yet, Renia suddenly stopped walking in front of a luxurious salon.
When the owner saw Renia standing there dressed like a shabby traveler in front of a boutique salon that even middle-class people wouldn’t dare enter, he frowned.
“Miss, this isn’t a place just anyone can enter. It’s a high-class salon that requires a personal introduction—”
“Show me the highest quality and most expensive clothes you have. This should cover the entrance fee, right?”
Ting.
With a cheerful sound, a single gold coin landed neatly in the salon owner’s hand.
Recognizing the emblem engraved on the coin, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened in shock.
“G-Gasp! This is a 50th Anniversary Imperial Commemorative Gold Coin…! Such a precious coin…!”
“You may not have the eyes to recognize a customer, but at least you can smell money. I don’t have time, so call all your staff. I’m planning to change everything—from head to toe.”
