Chapter 1 …
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Viscount Stain sent a letter saying we must repay the money we borrowed within this month.”
“What?!”
Viscount Louis, who had been reading the letter in his study-cum-reception room, scratched his chin with a troubled expression. Though his clothes were worn, they were neat. He had black hair and black eyes, and his face—tempered gently by the trials of time—held a deep yet soft smile.
He had always waited until the end of winter before asking for repayment, but this time, he wrote that something urgent had come up in his own territory and requested that the debt be settled quickly. His eyes were full of concern as he read the letter, but there was no sign of impatience or irritability.
“We don’t even have enough food for the people of the territory right now… I don’t know where we’re supposed to find the money…”
The viscount muttered in a troubled tone.
That evening, the four members of the Louis family gathered in a small reception room.
“What about the kids?”
“Minors are not allowed to participate.”
At Ilena’s question, Jane, the eldest, replied with a gentle smile. Seeing her sister’s knowing expression, Ilena quickly realized that, given their quiet rural territory, the problem was most likely about money.
“So what’s going on?”
Viscountess Louis asked her husband while holding a warm cup of herbal tea. The room felt chilly. They should have added more firewood, but they had run out and would have to wait before cutting more.
“We received a notice from the Stain viscount’s family demanding immediate repayment of the money we borrowed last winter.”
“That’s serious.”
The viscountess replied in a tone that didn’t sound worried at all as she sipped her tea. She believed that problems could always be solved somehow and began thinking about the Louis family’s finances and debts.
This might be a bit difficult.
As she sipped her tea, she considered going to a nearby large estate to work as a tutor. Nobles always wanted perfect teachers for their children. Having lived in the capital before moving to Louis, the viscountess was a highly sought-after etiquette teacher among nearby noble ladies.
It might not be a bad idea to work at the countess’s household—the one who always picked fights with her—if it meant helping their meager household finances. Perhaps after some strict etiquette lessons, that household’s troublemaker would come to their senses. The viscountess smiled faintly.
“Derek keeps sending his knight salary, but it’s only enough to barely get us through the winter along with the borrowed money. There’s nowhere else to get additional funds. The fastest solution is for me to get married.”
“My dear, marriage is not a joke. We cannot marry you off because of money problems.”
“Plenty of families arrange contract marriages, you know.”
“I don’t want to see that happen in my generation.”
The viscountess gently stopped her eldest daughter’s ambitious plan. Even if they were poor, she didn’t want to sell her daughter for money. Her husband would agree on that.
“No noble son would want to marry into a family with fewer than fifty households in its territory.”
“Still, someone who loves you might want the Louis territory.”
Jane was momentarily speechless at her mother’s carefree remark. She knew her parents had married for love and had a good relationship, but she also knew that wasn’t the norm.
The Louis territory was a basin surrounded by mountains. Because of that, winters were harshly cold. Moreover, there was no way to earn money during winter. Every year, they had no choice but to borrow money from the Stain viscount’s family to survive.
“Realistically, there’s no way we can suddenly come up with 100 gold. Even from spring to autumn, we barely make enough to keep the territory running.”
“That’s why we’re here—to think of a solution. Jane, I want you to have a happy marriage like ours.”
Viscount Louis looked at his daughter with deep affection. Jane realized that her plan to secure a wealthy noble or merchant would not be accepted.
“Then I’ll step in.”
“Ilena, didn’t you say you didn’t want to reveal that you’re a Sword Master?”
It wasn’t strange for the Stain viscount’s family to suddenly need money, but it still left them with no choice. Of course, Louis wanted to repay the debt, but they had no savings.
Ilena quickly thought of the fastest solution.
“Given the situation, we don’t have much choice. Why don’t we report to the Imperial Palace, receive a title, and get financial support?”
“We don’t currently have the strength to protect you. Suddenly revealing that you’re a Sword Master may not be the right choice.”
The viscount smiled and gently stopped his second daughter.
“If marriage is out and revealing I’m a Sword Master is also out, then what are we supposed to do?”
“We’ll think about it slowly. It’s not like Viscount Stain can do anything to our territory just because we can’t pay immediately.”
Ilena sighed at her parents’ response. Neither she nor her sister stepping in was allowed, and the younger twins had no way of earning money.
“I just didn’t want the attention, that’s why I didn’t reveal it. But if the territory is struggling, we should endure that much.”
“Oh my, child. When have we ever forced you to endure something you dislike?”
The viscountess lightly slapped Ilena’s arm in response. Ilena didn’t avoid her mother’s affectionate touch.
“Your mother is right. Even if you reveal you’re a Sword Master, it would take time to prove it. And we don’t know what title His Majesty the Emperor would grant you. A mediocre title and territory would only become a burden. And you don’t want to deal with paperwork, do you?”
“They say a Sword Master is worth a hundred soldiers. Wouldn’t defeating 100 imperial knights be enough to prove it?”
“Let’s hope the Imperial Family doesn’t verify it in such a crude way. And if you’re granted a new surname, it won’t help much.”
Her sister was right. If she gained a new title, she would have to manage two families at once, increasing her workload. Ilena finally realized it was time for her to act.
“Then I’ll go to a nearby territory—”
“I’ll find work in the capital like Derek.”
Ilena quickly interrupted when her mother mentioned working. She couldn’t let her aging mother work.
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“I saw in the newspaper that the Beckman ducal family is hiring.”
“As a servant?”
“Yes. The job listing said the benefits are excellent.”
Ilena explained what she knew about the Beckman ducal family. They provided basic education and even sword training for their servants.
If she kept things moderate, she wouldn’t be exposed as a Sword Master. She wasn’t planning to join the knights anyway, and with a high salary, she could repay the viscount’s debt within a few months.
“How much do maids earn in the capital?”
“If you pass as a maid, the trainee salary is 2 gold per month. That’s several months’ worth of living expenses for commoners.”
“Only 2 gold? It would take 5 years to repay Viscount Stain’s money. It’d be faster for me to marry and get money from the husband’s side.”
“But the ducal family is generous to their staff. Salaries increase every year, and if you say you need money urgently, they even offer loans.”
At Ilena’s confident words, everyone froze. Something felt off. It didn’t seem like a newspaper ad would provide that much detail.
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
Everyone except Ilena thought so. They were worried whether she could actually work well as a maid.
“If you take a loan, are you planning to stay in the capital to repay it?”
“Yes. I can work, take a loan, and send money home. It’s the fastest solution.”
Viscountess Louis gave an awkward smile. While no one in the capital would dare harm her daughter, she worried whether Ilena could adapt there. Jane felt the same.
“Ilena. Hypothetically… just hypothetically.”
“Okay.”
“Really, just hypothetically.”
“Why do you keep dragging it out?”
“If someone keeps picking fights with you in the capital, or you encounter thugs in an alley, what would you do?”
“Do they have a death wish? Are they dissatisfied with life?”
Jane let out a deep sigh at Ilena’s answer. Not everyone who picks a fight wants to die.
In the capital—and even in the Louis territory—you couldn’t just kill people freely. Seeing Jane’s look that seemed to ask, ‘Don’t tell me you’ve killed someone before?’, Ilena shook her head with an innocent expression.
“It’s not the Louis territory, so I won’t act the same way. I have enough sense for that. I’ll just restrain myself halfway.”
No, that’s still wrong. Jane shook her head.
Viscount Louis and his wife exchanged glances. Ilena was calm and composed, but she never backed down from a fight. The couple silently resolved to stop their daughter from going to the capital.
“Then another hypothetical.”
“Unnie, I have enough sense to act appropriately as a maid.”
“You might do well. But what if your superior orders you to do something unreasonable?”
“I heard the ducal family is strict about that. That won’t happen.”
“But what if it does? What if!”
“Then I’ll have to properly persuade my superior, right?”
Ilena smiled and lightly waved her fist in front of her.
