Chapter 14

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Guest
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I explained my sales plan, told her not to worry about the headache medicine, and we chatted for a while. Then, feeling triumphant, I returned home with the watch.
Diego said he would be visiting soon, so I figured I could ask him to deliver the gift.
‘He probably already has many fine watches. But he’ll need a watch for everyday use, too. The kind you wouldn’t mind losing.’
It was a huge expense, but I was pleased with myself for buying a suitable gift. I was humming to myself as I arrived home.
“…?”
An unfamiliar car was parked in front of the house. The Grand Duke’s men usually used military vehicles bearing the imperial army’s crest. I scanned the car carefully, but there were no markings, so it didn't seem to belong to a soldier.
Aileen was startled when she passed the car and entered the garden. A stranger was in the garden, admiring the orange tree.
He was a large, elderly man.
‘Could he be Father’s guest?’
Besides the Grand Duke’s soldiers, no one ever came to see Aileen here. So, the most likely explanation was that he was a guest of her father.
Aileen subtly hid the watch box behind her back and approached the man.
“Hello.”
The man turned as soon as she greeted him. His murky eyes, set in drooping lids, raked over Aileen from head to toe. It was a lingering, unpleasant gaze.
Aileen shook her head inwardly. It was rude of her to immediately find a stranger’s gaze unpleasant.
“Aileen Elorde?”
“Yes! Are you a friend of my father?”
When she replied with a deliberately bright smile, the man looked pleased. His toothy grin was so unsettling that she felt an urge to run, but she suppressed it.
“Ahem, Baron Elorde and I are close friends.”
His speech had a foreign accent. He was probably a foreign nobleman.
*Did Father borrow money and not pay it back? I spent all my money on the pocket watch… Will my emergency funds be enough to cover it?*
Hiding her complicated thoughts, she spoke warmly to the man who claimed to be her father’s friend.
“My father is out right now.”
“Is that so?”
Even after learning her father was away, the man showed no sign of leaving. Watching him linger, she reluctantly asked an unwelcome question.
“Would you like some tea?”
“I would.”
The man readily accepted and followed Aileen into the house. She showed him to a chair in the drawing-room, then immediately went upstairs to hide the watch box.
Judging by her father’s usual behavior, his friend was likely here to collect a debt. She could part with anything else, but she wanted to protect the watch.
This was a gift meant only for Cesare. If she couldn’t give it to him now, she would forever miss the chance to commemorate his historic victory.
“I’m sorry…”
She whispered a small apology to her father’s friend as she hid the watch box deep inside her wardrobe. Then, she pulled a small safe from under her bed to check her emergency funds.
Aileen bit her lip as she counted the silver coins. She didn’t know how much her father had borrowed, but she hoped this would at least cover the interest.
After checking her funds, she went back downstairs. Her father’s friend had moved on from the orange tree and was now admiring the lilies in the vase.
She went to the kitchen and began to prepare the tea, the clinking of porcelain filling the air, but she kept feeling a gaze on her.
‘Why is he looking at me?’
Thinking he was about to ask for the money, she prepared the tea as quickly as possible. She had just picked up the tray and was about to turn around.
“Ah…!”
Aileen gasped and clutched the tray. The man was standing right behind her. Her heart pounded in shock.
The man was about her height, so their eyes met directly. He suddenly reached out and swept her bangs aside, fully revealing her eyes.
It was a rude gesture, but with her hands occupied by the tray, Aileen couldn’t stop him. As she stared with wide eyes, the man chuckled.
“Just as I’d heard. Such mystical eyes.”
Aileen hurriedly stepped back. She set the tray down haphazardly and spoke urgently.
“What are you doing? If this is about money…”
“Money?”
The man’s face twisted into a scowl as he repeated the word.
“Yes, it is about money. I have a lot to say to you, Lady Elorde.”
The man’s voice grew louder. Aileen flinched at his intimidating tone.
“Baron Elorde made a clear promise to sell to me. He signed a contract and even took a down payment. All that’s left is for him to deliver the goods and for me to pay the balance… but the Baron has suddenly disappeared.”
Aileen felt a sense of foreboding. She wanted to banish the negative thoughts flooding her mind, but she couldn’t. As if controlled by an unseen force, her lips moved on their own.
“What goods did he agree to sell?”
The man grinned in response to her question, a question she had asked hoping her intuition was wrong. It was a twisted smile that revealed all his upper and lower teeth.
“He promised to give me his daughter. I’ve made all the wedding preparations, but the bride never showed up, so I came looking for her.”
She had thought there was nothing left of her father’s assets, but there was still one thing left to sell off.
Aileen herself.
According to imperial law, an unmarried woman could not refuse a marriage arranged by her parents. Her father had sold her to get money for gambling.
A wave of dizziness washed over her, and her ears began to ring. Was it because something unbearable had happened? Or because she couldn’t believe the situation? Not even tears would come. She felt more like laughing.
The man, standing before a stunned Aileen, rambled on before pulling a contract from his coat and holding it out. The Elorde family seal on it was clear.
“I’ll be back in three days. Be packed and ready to leave the country by then. I’ll make sure the bride price is more than generous.”
The man left after delivering his notice. The door slammed shut with a bang. It sounded as if her life were ending.
Left alone, Aileen sank to the floor. The hard wooden planks pressed painfully against her legs, but the thought of moving to the soft sofa never even crossed her mind. She just sat there.
Suddenly, she remembered what Cesare had said in the greenhouse.
“You have to marry someone eventually. Isn’t it better to marry me than some old pig?”
The man who had visited her today was large and old. Cesare’s puzzling words now made perfect sense.
‘His Excellency already knew.’
He must have found out while searching for her father. Aileen covered her face with her hands. A wave of shame crushed her. The problem was all the more agonizing because she couldn’t solve it on her own.
The only one who could help Aileen was Cesare.
***
Aileen looked down at the red velvet box she was clutching as if it were a lifeline. She never wanted to give him the gift like this.
But in this situation, it seemed far better to arrive with a humble gift than to show up empty-handed.
Aileen rubbed the back of her hand against the tip of her nose, red from crying so much. She stared at the grand mansion in the distance.
This was the Grand Duke of Erzet’s townhouse, where he stayed when in the capital, its gates guarded by armed soldiers.
Cesare had purchased the mansion upon becoming Grand Duke, but since he’d left for the battlefield not long after, it had remained empty. This was Aileen’s first time here.
Aileen couldn’t bring herself to approach, instead watching the grand ducal residence from a distance.
She knew she would be let in as soon as she gave her name, but she hadn’t yet found the courage. She needed more time to prepare herself.
She hesitated for a long time, wanting to postpone the moment she would have to shamefully beg for as long as possible. Eventually, Aileen shuffled toward the mansion.
The soldiers immediately blocked her path.
“I’ve come to see His Excellency the Grand Duke. If you would please tell him Aileen Elorde is here…”
“Lady Aileen!”
Before she could finish, the soldiers exclaimed in what sounded like admiration. A little startled by their sharp, disciplined cry, Aileen blinked rapidly.
“Please wait a moment.”
They immediately contacted someone inside the mansion and then escorted her in. The massive iron gates swung open, revealing a lush, green garden.
Such a grand mansion on a prime piece of land in the heart of the capital. The sheer luxury was already intimidating.
A line of servants was already waiting in front of the mansion. They greeted Aileen with impeccable courtesy. The old butler at the head of the line welcomed her.
“You’ve finally come to visit. We were starting to feel quite hurt, Lady Aileen.”