Chapter 1

Prologue

The pawnshop was buzzing with customers.

Among them, one pair stood out for being especially loud.

“Dad, I said let’s just go! What kind of money could a single coin like that possibly be worth? Why even get it appraised?”

“You never know, you rascal.”

“I don’t have to go to college, okay? So just—!”

A daughter with a troubled expression, and a father who looked even more distressed.

I didn’t need to ask to understand their situation.

‘They must be short on tuition for the daughter.’

Smiling, I greeted them.

“Hello. I’m Elisha, the appraiser. May I see the item?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Could you take a look at this coin? I won it in a bet back when I worked on ships in my younger days! It’s like my lucky charm.”

“Dad…”

“Hush now. Even if we only get 100,000 gold for it, that’s still good, isn’t it?”

I glanced at the daughter. She looked dejected.

‘She must feel bad that her father is trying to sell his treasured lucky charm for her tuition.’

If the appraisal came out low, she’d probably feel even worse.

Personally, I wanted to offer them a high price.

But principles were principles.

I lifted my loupe and examined the coin carefully—then smiled faintly.

‘Hmm. It really is a lucky charm.’

The father watched me anxiously. I smiled at him and asked,

“You said you won this in a bet?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“Was that bet, by any chance, made in the Strait of Calico?”

“H-How did you—?!”

“You can tell at a glance.”

I unfolded a newspaper clipping I had saved and showed it to him.

It read:

[…The so-called ‘Calico Gold Coin’ sells at auction for ten million gold…]

“W-What?!”

“T-Ten million gold?!”

The father and daughter both looked like they were about to collapse from shock. I handed them a card.

“It’s in excellent condition, and it’s pure gold. To be honest, this is my first time seeing a Calico Gold Coin in person, so I’m tempted to purchase it myself.”

It was an entry card to the auction house.

They stared at me blankly as they took it.

“However, you’ll likely receive a much higher price if you sell it directly at auction. If you tell them I referred you, they’ll take good care of you. You should go.”

“My goodness…”

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Miss Appraiser!”

In a way, it truly was a lucky charm.

It had solved the daughter’s tuition problem in one stroke.

I waved as the excited pair hurried out.

The next customer, who had been watching, leaned in and whispered,

“I heard rumors, but they’re true… You’re really an honest appraiser. I’m glad I came here.”

“Haha, you flatter me.”

“Is that why Her Imperial Highness the Princess uses this place?”

“Cough—!”

When did that become common knowledge?

I nearly choked at the unexpected name, but the customer continued in a conspiratorial whisper.

“I also heard the Captain of the Imperial Holy Knights and the Cardinal of the temple come here. Is that true?”

“Well, you see…”

“And not just that.”

The customer looked around and lowered their voice further.

“I heard even the Grand Duke of Moro from the neighboring country frequents this place?”

“That’s… well.”

“It’s true, right? Wow, that’s incredible. I can’t believe people like that use a pawnshop!”

‘Where is this customer getting all this information?’

I was still thinking that when they asked eagerly,

“So what do people like that usually buy? I’m honestly dying to know.”

“They don’t actually buy anything.”

“What? Then do they come to sell?”

“They don’t really sell anything either.”

“What? Then if they’re coming and going without buying or selling… aren’t they just troublesome customers?”

They say troublesome customers never realize they’re troublesome.

And someone who only asks endless questions isn’t exactly ideal either.

I swallowed the blunt response I wanted to give and thought instead.

Yes, those people.

They are troublesome, that’s true.

But in another sense…

They’re not troublesome at all. It’s complicated.

If you want to know how those “troublesome, yet not troublesome” people ended up becoming customers of our pawnshop…

We’ll have to go back in time.

Back to—

‘When I had just returned.’

I, Elisha Rionet,

am living my second life.

0. The First Life

The end of my first life was miserable.

I was beaten to death.

“Hey! This girl’s coughing up blood!”

“I-Is she dying? I told you not to hit her so hard! We were only trying to steal the necklace!”

“Run before the ducal guards get here!”

More precisely, I was in the process of being beaten to death.

Snow fell softly as a newspaper flipped in the wind.

Beneath a wanted poster was an article:

[…The unidentified body found at a slum fire near the Imperial capital has been confirmed to be Michele Fiokedad Rionet, the former Duke…]

‘Grandfather is dead.’

After seeing the article announcing he had been found as a corpse, I had no reason left to live.

I couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.

‘Grandfather…’

I had lived alone with him in our small home until three years ago, when I was driven out.

Relatives who barged in suddenly claimed my grandfather was a disgraced duke.

“M-My grandfather is a duke?”

I barely had time to be shocked before they forced papers in front of me.

Renunciation of Status
Waiver of Property Rights
Transfer of Authority Agreement

Documents that were clearly things I should never have signed.

But I had no choice.

“If I sign, you’ll cure my grandfather, right?”

“Of course! We finally found the Duke—how could we abandon him?”

They promised to cure his rare illness.

I couldn’t refuse.

“On one condition. Never set foot in this Empire again. Ever.”

And just like that, I was exiled overnight.

I barely made it to the Duchy of Moro.

I survived doing day labor, my body deteriorating from exhaustion.

‘But I could endure it. As long as Grandfather was safe, I was fine. But…’

[…The Rionet family begins procedures to sell off the former Duke’s assets, including his pawnshop. Inheritance proceeds smoothly…]

Grandfather was dead.

Not peacefully in bed—but caught in a fire.

And found in a slum as an unidentified corpse.

The expensive medicine, the finest facilities—everything had been a lie.

“How… how could this happen…?”

They were even selling the pawnshop.

Grandfather had always said that no matter what happened, he would never close or sell it.

The Rionet family had let him die—and hadn’t even honored his final wish.

‘They didn’t take the necklace. But they took everything else.’

Even as I was beaten half to death, I had protected the red necklace.

The only thing I had managed to take with me when I was cast out.

The only connection left between me and Grandfather.

Blood, red like the necklace, spread across the ground.

I felt wronged. I felt grief.

Sensing the end, I prayed—though I didn’t even believe in gods.

‘World Tree… just once. Please, just once more…’

Thud.

Before I could finish my prayer, strength left my hand.

My eyes closed.

The last thing I saw was snow gathering softly over the necklace.

And the shadow of someone who had stopped in front of me, murmuring,

“How pitiful.”

When I closed my eyes, it had been a dark winter night.

But when I opened them… everything was bright.

I stared blankly at the window.

More precisely, at the curtain draped over it.

“No way.”

I couldn’t possibly mistake it.

Grandfather had personally chosen the fabric and made that curtain.

I jumped up and looked into the mirror.

Unswollen pale violet eyes. My favorite checkered pajamas. Long, silky pale pink hair.

And the necklace I had worn since I was too young to remember.

“I’m back…”

Back home.

To the time before I died on the streets of the Duchy of Moro.

Which meant—

“G-Grandfather.”

I ran down the stairs.

There—

“Grandfather!”

“What’s with the shouting? Am I going somewhere?”

He was there.

“Grandfather! It’s really you, right? You recognize me? Who am I?”

“You wake up and start testing your old man? I took my medicine, don’t worry. You’re Elisha, aren’t you? My one and only granddaughter.”

He was drinking his usual dark tea.

When I rushed into his arms, he grumbled—but still stroked my face.

His large, wrinkled hand touching my cheek made it real.

I had truly returned.

“Why that expression? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Yes. A really, really bad one.”

“What, did a carrot monster show up or something?”

“…Something like that. You still remember I can’t eat carrots?”

“Even if I forget everything else, I won’t forget that!”

I felt tears welling up.

But I had no time to cry.

I checked the calendar and shot to my feet.

“Three days before.”

Three days before the relatives would barge in and throw me out.

“Three days left.”

I looked around the house covered in little notes, sniffed once, and approached him.

“Grandfather.”

“What is it?”

“You know I love you very, very much, right?”

“…What’s with the flattery?”

He scoffed, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

“What do you want? Something tasty? A ribbon? A new dress?”

No. I don’t need those.

The man who had raised me for twenty years in place of my late parents.

The reason for my life. My only family.

I gazed at him fondly before clearing my throat casually.

“You’re sharp as ever, Grandfather. But that’s not what I want.”

“Then what is it?”

“Well… it’s nothing much.”

I clasped my hands like I was praying.

And finished the prayer I hadn’t been able to complete in my previous life.

This time, I won’t let them take it.

“Grandfather, give me your seal.”

Grandfather. The pawnshop. My life.

I won’t let them take any of it again.

I smiled.