Chapter 55
“If it were before, I would’ve thought it was funny. But now, it’s just irritating.”
“What is?”
Instead of answering, Héraith grabbed my hand.
His large, firm hand held me in place as he met my eyes.
They weren’t his usual playful eyes. His voice wasn’t sly or teasing either.
“Siena. The way people treated you harshly—it wasn’t your fault.”
“Huh?”
“They’re all idiots. They were blinded by the wrong things, that’s all.”
With a serious face, Héraith harshly criticized people I didn’t even know.
“The people around you are blessed. They should all be grateful to you.”
“What’s with you, all of a sudden?”
Praise, out of nowhere? I grew embarrassed and looked away.
I fidgeted with the hand Héraith was holding.
Normally, I would’ve pushed him away…
But instead of pushing him off, I pulled him closer. Then I gripped his hand tightly and asked,
“Héraith, you’ll stay on my side until the end, won’t you?”
Even if everyone else turned to the protagonist’s side, I had this strange belief that Héraith would stay by me.
Was it because he couldn’t escape me?
Because I had become his master?
Or was it because today, Héraith had stood up for me?
I didn’t know. But Héraith turned that groundless belief into truth.
“Of course. Even if the world ends, I’ll be by your side.”
“That’s really reassuring.”
Me, who had derailed from the original story. And Héraith, who was never meant to exist.
Maybe we were like stones sticking out of a smooth road.
But that was fine. I was just happy I wasn’t alone.
When I returned to Valhalla to give back the scale, I found Oel sprawled on the sofa, looking half-melted.
He was dozing off, but when he noticed us, he rubbed his eyes and asked,
“How was the auction? Fun?”
“Yeah, there were a lot of interesting things.”
“And what I asked for?”
“Done. Here.”
I placed the case in his outstretched hand, then looked around.
“Where’s Ethan?”
“He finished one more and went to rest. If he keeps grinding like that, he’ll drop dead.”
“Good. You should rest too. Anyway, I’ll be heading off now—it’s late.”
Once the sun set, Noah would start worrying.
Anxious, I began walking quickly, but Oel stopped me.
“Ah, Lady. Before you go, take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
He handed me a document.
I took it, and bold letters immediately caught my eye.
“A promissory note?”
“Check the name at the bottom.”
“The name?” I tilted my head, then looked down.
“Debtor: Siena Winter…?”
Huh? What the hell? Why would I be in debt?
“You once grumbled about money, so I checked a bit—and sure enough, quite a huge debt is registered under your name. You didn’t know, right?”
“Of course not. Why would I ever borrow money? Did you find out what happened?”
“It was Frank Kurz. He used your name.”
“What?!”
I buried my face back into the document.
“You son of a—”
My hands trembled as I gripped the paper.
Identity theft alone was enough to give me a headache, but the amount written was staggering.
Ten… hundred… thousand… million… billion…
“Ha, 1.2 billion gold?”
It was literally an amount that made you scream.
“What? 1.2 billion?”
Héraith snatched the document from my hand, then let out a hollow laugh.
“This guy’s completely insane.”
“That lunatic used my name to take out a loan, didn’t he?”
“Exactly. I confirmed it was from a loan shark syndicate.”
“Wait—what kind of braindead bastard lends money under someone else’s stolen name?”
“Well…”
Oel’s explanation left me speechless.
“He stole my seal…? That insane bastard…”
No wonder my seal had gone missing.
That damned Frank must have stolen it right before Father threw him out.
The timing matched perfectly with when the loan was taken.
Frank Kurz might have been a worthless man himself, but the seal he held was definitely Siena Winter’s.
And with the Winter family’s seal, lending 1.2 billion gold wasn’t unthinkable.
‘Even if Frank doesn’t repay, they could just come after me.’
And since it wasn’t through a bank but a loan shark, of course they wouldn’t care about ethics.
I slumped into a seat, pressing my forehead as a headache set in.
“Did he not even think about what would happen if he got caught?”
How thick-skinned could one person be? As I muttered, Oel spoke again.
“And it seems your grandparents were involved too.”
“Well, isn’t that just perfect? My family’s a real mess.”
The sarcasm slipped out on its own.
I expected this from Frank, but my grandparents too?
‘Then again, seeing how they always covered for that delinquent, they’re no better.’
Like father, like son.
“Father was right. The Kurz family are nothing but parasites.”
“Exactly. There’s nothing more to see. Kick them out by force.”
Héraith was right. They had to be expelled, even by force.
But before that, the debt had to be dealt with.
“Oel, what’s the proper way to resolve this?”
“Charge Frank Kurz with forgery and nullify the contract.”
“That sounds complicated and time-consuming, right?”
“Yeah. I hear it takes a month or two.”
That wouldn’t do. I didn’t have the time to waste.
‘And letting him comfortably rot in prison isn’t good enough either.’
I tapped the table, lost in thought, until an idea came to me.
“Then what about a shortcut?”
“What kind of shortcut?”
“What are you thinking?”
I beckoned them closer. When Oel and Héraith leaned in, I whispered my plan.
“This way, we can definitely…”
“…So that’s an option too.”
“Not bad.”
The two looked surprised, clearly not having thought of it. I winked at them.
“So, Oel. Find that guy for me.”
“I’ll pay you as much as you want.” I made a circle with my thumb and forefinger, jingling it playfully.
Oel, who had been half-lying down, sprang to his feet.
“As expected of my client. I’ll track him down right away.”
His tired eyes sparkled.
