Chapter 29
“Life on Mortgage”
The guild was easy to spot in the city center.
It was as large as the central clock tower that represented the district.
When Irina arrived, a staff member was already waiting for her.
Upon hearing that a duchess was visiting, a senior employee had come out to greet her.
Irina was guided into the building.
The guild, which owned an entire massive building, had each floor and room dedicated to quests of varying difficulty.
When Irina said she was looking for someone from another country, she was immediately led upstairs.
The employee went up to the second floor and opened a large door at the end of the corridor.
“Please, go inside.”
“Thank you.”
When Irina entered, the door quietly shut behind her.
The interior had a huge window covering one entire wall, flooding the room with sunlight so that no lamps were needed.
“Welcome. I hear you have a request.”
At that, Casey, who had been standing nearby as her escort, quickly handed her a bag.
Then Casey sat down and began filling out the information form.
“Please find this person.”
“Are we to bring them back to you?”
The guild employee, neatly dressed in a well-tailored suit, asked as he carefully examined the information Irina had written.
Irina shook her head.
“No. I just want to know their current status.”
“I see. And how long are you expecting the investigation to take? The fee varies greatly depending on the time frame—is that acceptable?”
“I want the information as soon as possible.”
Without hesitation, Irina chose the highest payment tier.
Waiting longer would only make her heart uneasy.
The man laughed heartily and accepted the request.
After briefly explaining the expected time frame and method of contact, he handed her a contract and the deposit form.
“Please sign here.”
The process was quick and simple.
After the request was completed, Irina was guided back outside. She took a deep breath before stepping into her carriage.
“Your fiancée came to the guild today,” said Damian, who had dropped by out of boredom.
“I know.”
Howard answered absentmindedly from behind a mountain of documents.
“Apparently the guild folks charged her quite a hefty sum. What should we do about that?”
The more difficult the request, the higher the commission fee.
Information from another nation required a lot of legwork, so the price was naturally steep.
Since the guild hadn’t been informed by either Damian or Howard, they had charged Irina the full price for the request.
“Let her keep it.”
“Huh? You mean let her pay? All of it? Seriously?”
Howard’s nonchalant response made Damian blink in surprise.
“Yes. Why?”
“Well, there’s no need for that. If she’d just said something, she could’ve come and gone freely.”
“I’ll let her do as she pleases.”
Damian leaned back on the sofa and whistled softly.
“What’s this? Since when are you not the overprotective type?”
“Letting someone do what they want and protecting them are two different things.”
“That’s true,” Damian admitted.
“So… does that mean I can drain your fiancée’s purse dry?”
The grin on his face was playful.
“Because, honestly, my favorite pastime is draining your money.”
Swish—thunk!
At the same moment Damian spoke, the pen in Howard’s hand struck the sofa right beside Damian, embedding itself in the fabric.
“Go ahead.”
Try it.
“Whoa!” Damian yelped, clutching his chest.
“Hey! I was joking! The lady’s my friend now too, you know? Can’t I even joke?”
Then Damian pouted dramatically.
“I don’t just befriend anyone, you know.”
“What? After all these years together? You’re so cruel.”
He grumbled like a child, but then his expression turned more serious as he remembered something.
“By the way—did you find him? There’s talk that he’s dead.”
“We’ll know when he comes back.”
“So… you’re still going to take the request?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing Howard’s calm reply, Damian stood and yanked the pen out of the sofa, tossing it back to him.
When Howard caught it easily and set it down, Damian jerked his chin toward the door.
“Alright then. Let’s go eat. Food tastes best when you’re paying.”
A large black carriage rolled into the Ringester estate.
Its door bore the crest of House Ringester.
When it stopped, Werner quickly dismounted and opened the door.
Long, graceful legs stepped out.
As Howard, freshly returned from a flood of work, emerged, he saw Irina spending time in the garden.
The golden sunset painted her soft hair and cheeks in a warm orange glow.
“……”
Howard stood frozen, watching her for a long time.
It was like staring at a living painting.
He didn’t come to his senses until Irina noticed him from afar, smiling brightly and waving.
Howard began walking toward her.
Irina brushed off her dress, checking that it hadn’t gotten dirty, then lifted the hem slightly and walked to meet him.
Casey, following behind her, clasped her hands and bowed politely.
“You’re back?”
“Yes. What were you doing out here?”
“Me? Oh… I just had a feeling you’d be back soon, so I came to meet you. You must be tired. You worked hard today.”
I thought you’d make it before sunset, she added with a sheepish smile.
“You haven’t eaten yet, right? I waited so we could eat together.”
“Not yet.”
Howard glanced up at the sky, then took a pocket watch from his uniform.
“I thought I’d arrived early, yet I’m still late, it seems. You could’ve eaten without me. Why wait?”
Irina stared at him silently.
Or rather, at the watch in his hand.
A spotless, finely made uniform of the best materials.
A handsome face, a little weary but still dignified.
And in contrast—a worn, slightly shabby pocket watch.
It looked old enough that she wondered why he hadn’t replaced it.
Her gaze rose back up—to his face, to his eyes.
When their eyes met, a gentle smile appeared on hers.
“No reason. I’m not that hungry anyway. Casey, could you check if dinner’s ready?”
At her order, Casey scampered off like a squirrel.
“I asked them to prepare it quite a while ago, so it should be almost done. And really, could you speak a little nicer sometimes? You do that thing—you know?”
Irina laughed, half-pouting.
“Just this once, I’ll let it slide.”
Howard nodded.
“Dinner’s ready, my lady!”
Casey came running back, panting slightly.
“See? It’s ready! Come on, let’s go.”
Irina smiled in satisfaction and tugged at Howard’s hand.
His eyes widened slightly at the unexpected touch.
She was only holding his fingertips, yet it felt as if an unbreakable chain had wrapped tightly around him, keeping him from moving.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“You’re no fun. Come on.”
Still holding her hand, Howard followed her to the dining hall.
As he walked, his gaze lingered on the back of her small head. Then Irina turned slightly.
“I went out today.”
Though he already knew, Howard didn’t show it.
But from her expression, it was clear she was speaking as if she knew he already did.
“That’s alright, isn’t it?”
Wasn’t he the one who should be asking that?
Howard thought for a moment but didn’t want to stir her emotions.
“Of course.”
At that, Irina didn’t bring up her outing again.
When they reached the dining room, the servants opened the doors wide.
The air was filled with the aroma of delicious food.
Neither of them had felt hungry a moment ago, but now their stomachs growled.
Once seated, a light aperitif was poured—something mild to ease their fatigue.
After dinner, Irina eagerly pulled Howard out for a walk.
It seemed she had made up her mind to spend the evening together, leading him by the hand as they wandered through the garden.
The servants, worried their lady might trip, had doubled the usual number of lamps, bathing the garden in warm light.
“Ah—what a nice day to go out.”
Without the lights, the night would’ve been pitch black.
It hadn’t rained, and a few stars were visible, but still—not ideal weather for a stroll.
“We’ll find him soon,” Howard said quietly.
“…I think of it as punishment,” Irina replied. “For selling my own child for the sake of the family name. If it had truly hurt, I would’ve cried my heart out. But I’m fine.”
Her stepmother stealing her clothes or jewelry never really mattered—those were trivial things.
What had truly pained her was her mother’s space being erased bit by bit.
Being forgotten, desecrated by those people.
And being betrayed by her father.
It was a pain that blood ties and family made inescapable, but she believed her father had already been punished in his own way.
To Howard, though, she didn’t look fine at all.
All he could do for now was stay by her side—
To give her the one thing he had failed to before.
At least for tonight.
“You deserve to be happier,” Howard said firmly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it struck straight to her heart.
A faint smile returned to Irina’s lips.
“You pulled me out of hell, remember? I am happy. Really. I’m fine. Still, I just… hope you don’t ever hurt me. Hmm… yeah. I’d like that. You won’t, right?”
Whether from the surge of emotion or something else, Howard didn’t answer.
