Chapter 4
Tap.
The sound of footsteps echoed across the marble floor, breaking the silence inside the mansion.
Hearing it, the man sitting on the sofa with his back to the door stood up.
“I’ve been wai—”
As he turned around while fixing his clothes, he suddenly stopped when he saw Serenia’s dress.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the scratches on her cheek and the cut on her lips.
But only for a moment.
Soon, he covered it with a well-practiced smile and greeted her warmly.
“I have been waiting. It is an honor to meet you again, Lady Bahishat.”
Unlike last time, he was dressed more normally.
No strange wide-brim hat, no long coat—just a light shirt and pants, which suited him well.
But his purple glasses were still there, and his pink hair had now changed into a bright red color.
That color reminded Serenia of someone, making her frown slightly.
She forced her expression to relax and replied,
“Thank you for welcoming me even at this late hour.”
“Not at all.”
He gestured toward the sofa.
“It may not be much, but please, have a seat.”
Despite his words, the sofa was clearly a luxurious item made of the finest leather.
If this is ‘not much,’ then my house must be a ruin.
Serenia quietly calmed her thoughts and sat down.
“Since it’s late, I’ll skip unnecessary greetings and get straight to the point.”
“Of course.”
She stared at him for a moment, then spoke.
“I’m here to sell something that normally can’t be bought, no matter how much money you have. How much can you offer?”
He paused slightly, then smiled politely.
“My lady, I’m sorry, but this is not a pawnshop.”
“I know that. But lending money with collateral isn’t that different from a pawnshop, is it?”
“…A loan business?”
His expression twisted slightly.
But Serenia continued calmly,
“I would have gone to a pawnshop if I could. But what I’m selling… can’t be taken there.”
Understanding the situation, he nodded slowly.
“Something that can’t be taken to a pawnshop… Now that is interesting.”
He crossed his legs elegantly and placed his hands together.
“Still, I need to know exactly what it is before I can suggest a price.”
Serenia looked straight at him and answered without emotion.
“Me.”
For the first time, his calm expression slightly stiffened.
But he quickly hid it behind a smile.
“Hmm… You do know that trading titles is illegal, and if discovered, everyone involved is executed, right?”
Even at his subtle threat, Serenia remained calm.
“Trading titles? I don’t know what you mean. I clearly said—I’m here to sell myself.”
“But human trafficking is also illegal—”
“Ah!”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand.
“Then let’s say I’ve completely fallen for you and willingly give you everything. That solves the problem, doesn’t it?”
His eyes sparkled.
“Oh? So you’re giving it to me for free?”
Serenia snapped back,
“Are you crazy? I said we pretend that’s the case!”
“…Ah. That’s disappointing.”
He muttered casually, though his face showed no real regret.
Serenia narrowed her eyes at him, then sighed lightly.
“So? How much can you offer?”
Instead of answering, he stood up and walked to a desk.
He took out a checkbook, returned, and quickly wrote something with an expensive fountain pen.
Then he tore it off and handed it to her.
Serenia blinked as she looked at the number written on it.
3,000,000 crobat.
“…What?”
She rubbed her eyes and checked again.
But the number didn’t change.
One… ten… hundred… thousand… ten thousand… hundred thousand… million.
Three million.
Only after counting several times did she accept it.
Three million crobat…?
She had expected maybe one hundred thousand at most.
For comparison—
A middle-class family of four needed about 250 crobat a month.
That meant three million crobat could support such a family for a thousand years.
If deposited in a bank, even a small interest would produce 150,000 crobat per year.
Enough to support fifty families just from interest.
This should have been a reason to celebrate.
But—
Something is wrong.
Her eyes sharpened.
“There’s no such thing as free money.”
She looked straight at him.
“What are you planning?”
He simply smiled.
“Planning? I’m just good at calculating.”
“…What?”
“And,” he added lightly,
“I happened to need a title.”
Despite his smile, there was a cold tone in his voice.
Serenia noticed it immediately.
“You don’t want a title… you need one?”
“That’s right.”
He nodded without hesitation.
“That’s why I approached you in front of the bank in the first place.”
Her expression hardened further.
She had suspected he approached her on purpose—
But not because of her title.
After thinking carefully, she asked,
“Why do you need a title?”
He looked at her tense face, then smiled brightly.
“To retire.”
“…What?”
She was completely stunned.
Not politics. Not business. Not social status.
Retirement?
He shrugged.
“Honestly, this job has a short lifespan. And society doesn’t view it very kindly.”
She found that strange, but nodded anyway.
“…I suppose that’s true.”
“But to be honest,” he continued with a smile,
“I’m quite successful in this field.”
Serenia looked at him with a dry expression.
“I see.”
But he kept smiling.
“My boss always tells me this is my calling. That I should work for life for the sake of society and the nation.”
“…I see…”
“So unless I get a title and become a noble, I’m not allowed to retire. I have to work like an ox until I die.”
Only then did Serenia understand.
“So that’s why… the title.”
“Yes.”
She let out a small scoff.
“You can’t even retire freely? Your industry sounds like a criminal organization.”
But instead of getting angry, he laughed.
“Well, we do have something in common—taking money from people over trivial things.”
She glanced at him.
Thinking about it, she could somewhat understand his situation.
Spending three million crobat just to retire was absurd—
But maybe not for someone extremely rich.
He watched her with a sly smile.
“So… deal?”
Serenia took a deep breath.
Then answered—
“…Deal.”
