Chapter 57
“You want to borrow money?”
What for, how much, and why?
Dr. Scott definitely earned more than me. Yet he was asking me to lend him money?
Sure, I did get some extra pay for taking care of the puppies, but still…
“How much do you need?”
“Fifty million gold.”
“Fifty million gold?!”
“…”
Fifty million gold?! Not five hundred, not even five thousand—fifty million?
In terms of my past life’s money, that would be roughly 5 billion won.
Even though I’d been saving up without spending much, I didn’t have that kind of money. Five billion isn’t some neighborhood dog’s name—it’s not just lying around for anyone to use.
Still, this felt suspicious. Maybe I should dig a bit.
“What are you going to use it for?”
“…”
Dr. Scott stayed silent, avoiding my gaze as if it were hard for him to answer.
“If you’re going to borrow that much, I think it’s only right to be clear about what it’s for and when you’ll repay it.”
“It’s for my sister’s treatment.”
He still didn’t meet my eyes as he answered.
His sister’s treatment? But… she’s not even in the South anymore.
“Is your sister still in the South? What kind of treatment costs that much?”
“You don’t need to know all that, do you?”
“But I want to know. You’re asking to borrow fifty million gold, not just a few coins.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. Just forget I mentioned it.”
Dr. Scott hastily got up, as if embarrassed.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t about his sister.
I quickly left as well, heading straight to Duke Calix to let him know.
When I arrived at the Duke’s office, he turned from the window and asked:
“You’re back?”
“Were you watching from the window?”
“Yes. Just in case something happened.”
He gave a faint smile. With the morning sunlight behind him, he looked almost radiant—but that wasn’t the focus right now.
“More importantly, Duke.”
“Yes, Lady Elena?”
“I need to tell you something. It’s about my recent conversation with the doctor.”
“Please, have a seat, Lady Elena.”
He walked over to the sofa and gestured for me to sit. We sat across from each other.
“Dr. Scott asked me to lend him money.”
“Money?”
“Yes. And not just a little—fifty million gold.”
“That much?”
“Exactly.”
Even the Duke seemed surprised. His eyes widened slightly—rare for someone like him.
“He said it was for his sister’s treatment, but I doubt it. When I asked if she was still in the South, he didn’t answer.”
“Hmm…”
The Duke rubbed his chin, falling into thought.
“It’s one of two things: either his sister is seriously ill, or he’s involved in something else.”
“Based on his past behavior, I’d say it’s more likely the latter.”
“Still, if the sister isn’t in the South, she could be really sick. We can’t rule it out.”
“True, but if her condition required that much money, then with today’s medical standards, it would likely be incurable. She might already have passed away—and he’s lying.”
“Mysterious, indeed.”
Could it be that…
“If he keeps failing to borrow from others, he might come ask you next.”
“I’d actually prefer that.”
“There aren’t many who can lend fifty million gold anyway. And Dr. Scott isn’t exactly well-liked, so he might come to you soon.”
It was my own theory, but it sounded pretty solid.
Wow, didn’t I sound like a proper detective just now?
As I was admiring myself, Duke Calix gave a soft chuckle.
“Then we’ll wait.”
“You’re not really going to lend him the money, are you?”
“I’ll hear him out first.”
“But what if he uses it for something shady? What if you never get it back?”
This wasn’t a few bucks!
“Whether I get it back isn’t what matters. What matters is finding out what he plans to do with it.”
“That’s true… but still, it’s a lot of money.”
“It’s fine. The ducal house isn’t that poor.”
If I said I fell for him again after that, would it make me sound shallow?
There was something reassuring about how calmly he said it. That composure was… attractive.
Still, fifty million gold was a lot to just throw away.
“Ah, right. A letter came for you, Lady Elena. It seemed urgent.”
The Duke stood and picked up a letter from his desk, handing it to me.
The envelope had Inspector Jerry’s name on it.
“It came just after you stepped out earlier.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Still in a daze, I took the letter. Opening it, I found a message asking to meet again within the week.
We hadn’t parted on the best terms last time. Was that why?
I didn’t really understand why he wanted to meet again. I thought I’d made my position clear. Did he have more to say?
“From Inspector Jerry? What’s it about?”
Duke Calix asked with a curious expression as he saw me deep in thought.
“Ah, he just said he’d like to see me again within a week.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, maybe because things were a bit awkward last time.”
“How so, last time?”
He latched onto the casual comment I had mumbled.
“Uh, well…”
“Tell me. What was it like? Was it… nice?”
I hesitated—was it okay to mention he’d offered me a new job? Probably not the best thing to tell your current employer.
“It’s okay. Go ahead and tell me.”
The Duke still wore a smile, but somehow… it didn’t feel like he was smiling.
Ah, well. It’s not like I’m actually planning to switch jobs.
“He suggested I leave the Duke’s estate. Said it’s too dangerous to stay here.”
“Ah, so he thinks I’m the culprit.”
“Yes. He said he could introduce me to a better place. But I told him I wasn’t interested! You know that, right?”
I hurried to clarify. Didn’t want any misunderstandings.
“Of course. We promised to catch the culprit together, didn’t we?”
Thankfully, Duke Calix believed me without doubt.
“And besides, I wouldn’t just let you leave, Lady Elena.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
The Duke smiled.
What was that? Why did that sound vaguely threatening?
Before I could ask, he threw out another question.
“So, will you meet Inspector Jerry again?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
That was the real problem. Should I meet him again or not?
No matter how many times we met, he never told me anything about the case. So was there really a point? But if I didn’t go, it left a weird, unresolved feeling.
“He never gives you any info anyway. Is there really any point?”
“True… but he said there’s something he really wants to tell me. I think I should at least find out what that is.”
“It might not even be anything important.”
“If it’s something he has to say, doesn’t that make it important?”
The Duke went silent, seemingly displeased.
What is it with him every time I mention Inspector Jerry?
“I’ll meet him one last time. If he still doesn’t trust what I say, then I won’t meet him again.”
“Lady Elena, just hypothetically…”
Trying to reassure him, I saw Duke Calix suddenly turn serious.
“Yes?”
“If… Inspector Jerry were to confess his feelings to you… would you accept?”
Oddly enough, he looked more nervous asking the question than I felt hearing it.
