A presence approached from behind. A hand touched her shoulder, its unpleasant sensation crawling over her skin. Startled by the sudden contact, Amel flinched and slapped the hand away. The man who raised both hands in mock surrender grinned slyly.
“You’re so jumpy. You scared me.”
“…Canton.”
Her expression instantly collapsed.
Louizar Canton.
The eldest son of the Canton family, which rose to prominence through moneylending. He had inherited and now ran the family’s business.
A cruel and cunning man, famous for bleeding people dry—and the creditor of the enormous debt Amel Kiselle had to repay in place of her father.
She bit her lip hard.
“I sent the money this month. Why are you here?”
“Just wanted to see your face. Is the work not too hard?”
Louizar Canton, wearing a flashy blue suit that didn’t suit him in the slightest, shamelessly sat beside her. The silky fabric shimmered, and to Amel, even that was offensive. Her face hardened.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Come on, Amel. I’m just trying to talk. There’s no need to act like a cat with its claws out.”
He grinned as he rested a hand on her shoulder again. Disgust welled up deep inside her bones.
She moved to brush his hand off, but then noticed him glancing toward Arthur.
Unaware of anything, Arthur was still engrossed in his ball game.
“My offer still stands. Have you thought about it?”
“No.”
“So cold. Think about it. How long do you plan to let Arthur sponge off someone else’s house? Don’t you want your store back?”
Amel lifted her chin defiantly.
“If you’ve said what you came to say, I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t forget, Amel Kiselle. The one who holds your fate in his hands is me—Louizar Canton.”
Bullshit.
Complete and utter bullshit.
Without a second thought, she stood up from the bench. As she walked toward the center of the park, Arthur spotted her and ran over, leaving his ball behind. She pulled him into a gentle hug.
“Let’s go, Arthur. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Okay! …Did something happen, sis?”
“Nope, nothing. I’m just hungry. Let’s go.”
She ruffled Arthur’s hair and picked up her pace. All she wanted was to get far, far away from that loathsome man.
But she knew—this was only pretending not to see. Unless she paid off every last coin of that debt, she would never be free from him.
The hopelessness of it all made her feel faint with despair.
Yet she refused to show it in front of Arthur. Once again, she forced herself to hold it together.
He says he holds my fate? What a joke. I’ll never let my fate go the way he wants.
She held Arthur’s hand tightly and walked slowly, trying to calm her pounding heart.
Louizar Canton probably wouldn’t follow them any further. But the fact that he had shown up like this made it all too clear—she wouldn’t easily escape his watchful gaze from now on.
That cursed debt. That even more cursed bastard.
If only I could pay it off—
“…Ah.”
The more she thought about it, the more her anger boiled over. As she stomped along in frustration, she suddenly saw the tip of a man’s shoe.
Something felt off.
A strange feeling—like she shouldn’t look up.
She froze in place.
“…Amel.”
A familiar voice.
She couldn’t pretend she didn’t recognize that voice.
Reluctantly, she looked up.
Black hair, black eyes. Emotionless, yet lazy eyes.
A suit that hugged his figure so perfectly, it couldn’t have looked more elegant.
The neatly buttoned jacket and the leather gloves on his hands made him look like someone completely unapproachable.
Edward Edwin Callinan.
What are you doing here?
Every time she encountered this man, the same question rose.
Why are you—a high-ranking noble that commoners rarely even glimpse—wandering this street?
“Sis, do you know him?” Arthur whispered beside her. His gaze shifted downward.
Amel placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, silently urging him to stay quiet. But Arthur seemed to misinterpret her intention.
Looking at the man, Arthur cheerfully said, “Hello! I’m Arthur Kiselle. Who are you, mister? Do you know my sister?”
“Arthur!”
Amel flinched at the word mister slipping from her brother’s lips. She wanted to cover his mouth.
Not my lord or young master Callinan—mister was no way to address a noble. Bowing her head, she quickly apologized.
“I-I’m sorry! My brother’s still young and didn’t recognize you, Lord Callinan—”
“It’s only natural not to recognize me, isn’t it?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m not the king of this country. It’s perfectly normal not to know who I am.”
His reply was bewildering. Nobles and their whims were impossible to understand.
Even after saying that, he might suddenly turn on Arthur and yell. Worried, Amel gently pulled Arthur behind her and held her tongue, watching the situation.
Realizing something was wrong, Arthur stared up at the man with wide, startled eyes.
Callinan gave Arthur a brief glance, then slowly bent down.
Their eye level matched. Arthur peeked out from behind Amel’s back.
“Hello. I’m Edward Callinan.”
“…Hello, Lord Edward Callinan.”
“Just call me Mister Callinan.”
“M-Mister Callinan…”
Arthur’s voice grew smaller and smaller with each word. Stiff with shock, Amel couldn’t even move.
Call him mister? Is he serious?
Has he forgotten who he is?
“Your name is Arthur Kiselle?”
“Yes. Arthur Kiselle.”
Now they were shaking hands.
This man is really strange. Always going beyond what I can comprehend.
He slowly straightened up and turned his gaze to her.
Amel immediately looked down, unable to meet his eyes.
“Taking a break, are you? I didn’t expect to see you outside the Aspania estate, Amel.”
“Yes, my lord. I took leave to visit my brother.”
Then why are you wandering the streets?
She barely stopped the impolite thought from slipping out.
She’d heard there was a grand Callinan mansion near the capital, just like the Aspania estate.
But it’s not like he’d come out to shop for groceries or run errands himself.
A noble of his stature should go nowhere but between his estate and the palace, riding in a luxurious carriage.
Yet here he was—on foot, wandering a park even smaller than the Aspania estate’s garden.
The son of House Callinan.
She swallowed all her questions along with her curiosity.
Curiosity? That’s poison. I saw nothing. I know nothing.
“When do you return to the Aspania estate?”
“Tonight.”
“I see. Good.”
Good? What does that mean?
A chill ran down her spine.
He hadn’t shown his face all week, and now he appeared out of nowhere—talking to her, no less.
She couldn’t exactly ignore him, but every word she answered was a struggle.
Why does he keep talking to me?
Did he forget? I’m a maid, sir. A maid. Why are you so interested in a maid?
Edward Edwin Callinan’s behavior was… excessive. Seriously over the line.
She waited for his next words, her eyes full of unease. He stared at her for a moment, then finally spoke.
“I’ll be visiting the Aspania estate tomorrow.”
“…Ah. Should I let Lady Dianther know you’re coming?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He said it as if it were trivial.
Why is he even telling me this?
It was impossible to understand. He’d drop by unannounced before, and now, at least she wouldn’t be left on edge tomorrow, wondering if he might show up. That alone was a small relief.
He glanced back at Arthur and pulled a gold coin from his coat.
“It was nice meeting you, Arthur. Buy something tasty with your sister.”
“Uh… Thank you.”
Arthur took the coin awkwardly, then glanced at her as if asking whether this was really okay.
“Um, Lord Callinan, you don’t need to—”
“I should get going. I’ll see you at the estate.”
He completely ignored her polite refusal and simply gave a small nod in farewell.
She and Arthur bowed back. By the time she raised her head again, Callinan was already gone.
Phew.
A short encounter, yet it felt like a storm had passed.
Arthur stared at the gold coin in his palm, still dazed.
“Sis, this…”
One Delune.
The smallest gold coin denomination, but still worth nearly a week’s wages for a new maid like she once was.
It was probably Arthur’s first time ever holding a gold coin.
It was probably pocket change to someone like Callinan.
Still—gratitude was gratitude.
Everything she’d gone through at the Aspania estate because of him, all the times she called him strange in her head—suddenly, they all faded.
“Is it really okay to keep this?”
“We’ve already accepted it. Just keep it and buy something nice with your foster parents.”
“…Sorry about earlier, sis. I really thought he was your friend…”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You just greeted him politely. We’re just being cautious because there are too many weird people in the world. But honestly, Arthur, I bet you’re the only person who’s ever called Lord Callinan ‘mister’.”
With the tension gone, she found herself teasing. Arthur’s cheeks flushed red. The embarrassment must have hit him now.
“I remembered when I heard his name. The Minister of Magic in our country—his name’s Callinan too. We learned it in school. Was that really him?”
“No. That’s his father. He does similar work, though.”
“Oh… So, what’s your relationship with him?”
What?
She stared down at Arthur, momentarily speechless.
