Chapter 12
The sharp, bitter scent of tobacco pricked at my nose.
Frett Gunner continued his report, staring at his boss, whose thoughts were impossible to read.
“…Next is the report concerning Miss Prim.”
Johannes, who had been focused on paperwork the entire time, finally lifted his gaze calmly.
In the darkness, his blue eyes shone like stars.
Eyes that were terrifying no matter when you saw them.
Frett Gunner lowered his head and, after a brief silence, began reporting on Edith Prim.
“It seems that the attitude of the servants toward Miss Prim has improved considerably. It would have been better if you had explained this earlier.”
Frett subtly rebuked Johannes, but he merely nodded without showing any particular reaction.
It was a signal to continue the report.
Perhaps because of their long time together, Johannes could be quite merciful, as long as one did not speak presumptuously.
“And she asked whether you had instructed her dismissal.”
Normally, Frett Gunner was not curious about anything. This was no exception.
“She seemed more anxious than usual. She says she’s fine, but her eyes trembled slightly.”
“Reason?”
His head tilted slightly.
“I suspect it might be financial. She asked me for a servant certificate. I assume it’s for a loan.”
“A loan? Is her salary insufficient?”
Frett Gunner quickly replied:
“No. Her salary is at least double that of servants in other noble households. I’ll need to investigate further to determine what it will be used for.”
“How long will that take?”
“At most, I think it will be completed within two days.”
Johannes seemed satisfied. He nodded his chin.
“Adaptation?”
A faint look of dismay passed over Frett’s face. He adjusted the cravat around his neck as if frustrated.
“How can you ask that now? She’s only just started talking with the servants; she’ll adapt soon… There’s nothing particularly unusual in her work behavior.”
Johannes returned to his bored expression.
“I see.”
A truly concise judgment.
Frett Gunner bowed his head again and delivered the final part of his report to Johannes.
“She also asked that all conversations be kept as private as possible, so I feel extremely uncomfortable reporting this to you.”
Johannes snorted.
The brief joy of receiving the servant certificate quickly faded.
Even the bank I had trusted offered no help.
“We’re sorry, but our policy has changed. Loans are only available to employees who have worked for more than three months.”
The expression on the teller’s face made it seem like such inquiries were routine.
Could every path I took really be a thorny one?
I stood blankly in front of the bank, staring down at the servant certificate, now nothing more than a scrap of paper.
‘Should I just act crazy and ask for help? No. I’ve already received all the help I can from being employed here.’
I didn’t want to be fired for appearing ignorant of my place.
But the repayment is due tomorrow—what should I do?
I guess I’ll have to calm the loan shark and try to negotiate when they come.
Today, the cold air felt especially sharp.
“Are you Miss Edith Prim?”
Someone blocked my path as I left home to go to the duke’s mansion.
A man in a neat suit, his dull ash-brown hair combed neatly, stood before me. Beside him, a burly man glared at me.
“Who… are you?”
The man quickly pulled a business card from his pocket and offered it politely.
“I’m from Banux. My name is Finn Schneider, and I’m the director. You can call me whatever you like.”
“Ah…”
Banux. The name was familiar.
The loan company mentioned in the debt acknowledgement contract.
When I froze, unsure of what to do, the man beside Finn Schneider stepped forward menacingly, a musty smell pricking my nose.
“Hey, if you borrowed money, you need to pay it back on time. Don’t you need to maintain your credit?”
“Enough. You’re scaring the lady.”
Finn Schneider raised a hand to stop him, but the big man kept grumbling.
He blocked the doorway with his arm, continuing to threaten me.
“If you lent that much money out of goodwill, you need to repay accordingly. How can you ignore it for three years? Are you daring to play games?”
I was intimidated, but I tried not to show it.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go to work. Can we talk this evening?”
Even though I asked politely, the burly man refused to listen.
He claimed I might run away as an excuse to detain me.
Eventually, he grabbed my wrist to prevent me from moving.
“Ah…!”
“Favid, please stop. Our company isn’t unreasonable. Competitors would laugh if they saw this.”
“But we’re busy people too. We’re taking precious work hours to collect this damn money.”
“Still, this isn’t the way.”
I was grateful for Finn Schneider’s presence.
Favid glared, warning me not to even think of escaping.
“If you wanted to run, you’d have left Myussen by now, when you received this document.”
I held up the debt acknowledgement calmly.
“First, I sincerely apologize for not repaying. I had no knowledge of my father’s debt.”
“I see. That must have been shocking.”
Favid argued that ignorance was no excuse and that they were just here to collect, but Finn Schneider ignored him effortlessly.
“Ha! Well-educated, huh? Very proper!”
Favid frowned at being dismissed, while Finn Schneider maintained his gentle smile.
“I hope we can get a definite answer.”
I glanced at the clock on the building across the street.
Not much time until work…
Yet these men wouldn’t let me leave until this was resolved.
Even if Finn Schneider was flexible, Favid would block it.
But neither seemed to expect me to repay the full amount.
“Miss Prim, if it’s not too rude, could we discuss the repayment? We’re not unreasonable—we don’t need the money immediately. But we do need to report to our superiors…”
Finn Schneider smiled apologetically, easing the tension slightly.
“Then, first, I’d like to see the loan document.”
“Do you think we’re frauds?”
Favid snorted and jabbed my shoulder, clearly displeased.
“Don’t do that.”
A surge of instinctive fear rose.
I stepped back and scanned my surroundings.
Early in the morning, the streets were sparsely populated, and the few people present hurried away.
Would it make any difference if it were crowded?
Unlikely.
If someone called the police, that would be lucky. But the police and loan sharks had their own connections.
Even though incidents like this happened often, the men seemed largely unrestrained—likely tolerated to some extent.
“Favid, please stop. This is why I don’t want to work with you.”
“Ugh! How do you expect work to get done if you go easy on people?”
Thankfully, Finn Schneider restrained him, allowing me to straighten up and speak.
“There’s no reason to demand money without even showing the loan document.”
Favid scowled, his already harsh face darkening further.
“Of course, if you’re not a fraud, you can show it.”
“…Naturally.”
He rolled up his sleeves and pulled a worn, aged piece of paper from his pocket.
I frowned at the loan document.
“Is management usually handled like this?”
It detailed the date, amount, and repayment deadline of my father’s loan.
It was a large sum. One would expect it to be carefully preserved.
‘How could they mismanage this so badly? And…’
I looked up at Finn Schneider.
“Why are you only coming now? The repayment was due three years ago.”
His usually gentle smile turned cold.
He exchanged a glance with Favid, as if unsettled.
“Apologies. One of our staff mismanaged it. We just discovered it and were very surprised.”
“Ah…”
That explained why they had been reluctant—the responsibility was theirs as well.
With Finn Schneider present, the conversation could proceed. Perhaps I could even hold them accountable for collecting interest.
I calmly addressed the two men with opposite expressions.
“We don’t have much time. Shall we go inside first?”
