Chapter 65
“Why?”
“You’re charging far above the legally allowed interest rate. Lower it to the legal rate. One silver coin per percent.”
“Nope.”
“Then there’s no choice.”
I clutched the parchment stamped with Titus’s seal tightly to my chest.
“The only thing left is to run straight to the court and report that the kid from the Tellus family is running an illegal loan business!”
“Hey! Are you crazy?!”
Titus immediately erected a wall of power in front of me, ready to stop me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
With the power of fire, I easily destroyed the dirt barrier.
I had stayed still until now, but at this point, it was well within my power to remove it.
“Wait! Okay! Okay, I get it!”
Eventually, a flustered Titus surrendered.
He should have done that from the start.
“One more thing. Don’t just treat me like this. If you’re going to deal with me, lower the interest rates for everyone else too.”
“Why should I? They don’t even know what’s wrong no matter how much I charge them!”
“Is that the problem right now?”
I shouted.
“You can’t touch a noble like me, but you try to deceive children who know nothing. Aren’t you ashamed to carry your family name? If word gets out, who will trust you?”
Titus scowled in displeasure but couldn’t argue.
Soon he grumbled as he began rewriting the contract.
“Okay, done now?”
“Good.”
I finally pressed my fingerprint onto the document.
“The contract is sealed!” I shouted.
“Wait a second… I put my wallet… somewhere around here.”
Titus muttered but started rummaging around.
Soon he poured silver coins from a hole in a nearby tree onto the ground.
Why on earth were they coming from there?
I thought he kept money systematically because he was so calculating, but this spoiled that image a bit.
“Now! Is that enough?”
“Yes, perfect!”
I filled the pouch I had brought with silver coins.
It was heavy, but thinking of it as money made me willing to exert strength.
“The term is three years. If you don’t pay back by then, be prepared.”
“You worry too much.”
I smiled brightly.
Three years? I planned to pay it all back in less than a month.
“I need a contact person. I’ll send them to your family’s main house. If you can be under the Cyprus tree we gifted at noon tomorrow, I’d appreciate it.”
As Titus said that, he plucked a leaf that had been stuck to my head.
‘Cyprus tree? Was there one?’
I soon remembered the first time I fell into the past.
The tree I burned to get my family’s attention was a Cyprus.
“That… I heard it burned down completely.”
“What?”
Titus’s face showed shock.
“What! That was such a good tree and you burned it! You damn firebomb kids!”
“Haha… somehow it happened…”
I couldn’t admit I burned it, so I had to mumble.
“Just wait! I’ll never send a tree gift to your family again!”
Titus’s eyes welled up with tears. Unexpected.
“Why are you so upset when it wasn’t even you who sent it?”
“What if I did send it?”
‘Huh? Is he serious?’
The sign just said “Tellus.”
But Titus sulked and didn’t speak further. I ended up offering an apology.
“Sorry. But I heard it was an accident. We’ll be more careful from now on.”
After soothing Titus a bit, an hour had already passed.
I couldn’t waste more time, so I hurriedly prepared to leave.
If I delayed, the adults would search for Io and me, and Io would have to confess that she sneaked out with me.
‘Right. I wanted to ask about Tertia anyway.’
“I have to go now.”
“I’ll take you to Forum Street. Since I brought you this far, it’s my responsibility.”
Titus said, tidying the surroundings as he spoke sensibly.
I took the chance to cautiously ask:
“Tellus. Do you have a younger sibling?”
At the word “younger sibling,” Titus’s pale face stiffened slightly.
But he soon snorted as if it were laughable.
“Ah, yes. Stays cooped up studying all day, and just as dumb as me in grades.”
…So that’s what he thinks.
Seeing the unexpectedly harsh reaction, I didn’t press further and raised my hand in greeting.
“Io! Did you wait long? I’ve settled everything.”
“Milady…!”
Io’s face brightened as she saw me, waiting anxiously with the ponies.
“Are we going to meet your friend now?”
“No, it’s fine. I already got the money.”
I handed the restored pouch to Io.
Io noticed it felt heavier than before and looked puzzled.
“I borrowed silver coins from that Tellus kid. Let’s go! This was why I came anyway.”
“You borrowed money? Then what about the gold coins?”
“I got them back but left them as collateral. Don’t worry. I’ll get them back soon!”
“Whaaat?”
Io quickly opened the pouch and started counting the silver coins.
“Twenty-five… you borrowed this many? It would have been better to tell the head of the family…”
Her face turned pale.
“Why are you worried, Io?”
“This is to prevent Aquilinus from being expelled. I couldn’t ask the adults because it’s something the family name can’t help with.”
“Oh, that time…”
She finally recalled the letter we had seen together.
“I trust your intentions, milady. But those kids earlier looked delinquent… what if you got tangled up and got hurt?”
“Don’t worry, Io. I’ll make sure it’s repaid properly. And that kid is lending money as practice for his own business. I decided to support Tellus’s dream. Starting a company is impressive, right? Now that we’re friends, I want us to trust each other.”
I spoke confidently, but Io still seemed half-doubtful.
“Just trust me. Tellus takes contracts seriously, so there won’t be a problem.”
I was certain.
Even if Titus caused some commotion, I could achieve my goal.
He might rejoice at getting a minor noble branch, but the silver was already in my hands, and a contract written by children held little legal weight.
Treating me like one of those commoners wouldn’t work. In the worst case, I could get help from my family.
In other words, the side that could afford to be stubborn was actually mine.
But that didn’t mean I could underestimate Titus now.
‘That nerve… and how adept he already is at handling people…’
“By the way, milady, you seem to know a lot about the Tellus family?”
“Yes, they’ve been long-time allies of our family. The adults often talk about them.”
Though I couldn’t say I learned it from previous life knowledge.
The Tellus family was still our friends 500 years later, when I lived as Casia.
And I was once engaged to the heir of the Tellus family.
He, like Titus, had brilliant blond hair and was two years younger than me.
“I didn’t know your favorite color, so I brought one of each.”
Was it the third meeting?
I clearly remember the shy-faced boy offering a bouquet of multicolored flowers.
‘…So cute.’
When Titus first appeared, I was shocked at how much he resembled that boy.
I wondered if his personality was similar too—but not at all.
“…Sigh.”
It was all in the past now.
I pushed the slightly melancholic feeling aside and started riding the ponies.
