Chapter 9. What Kind of Reward Do You Want?

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Ael sat in her seat, constantly looking around. She had been guided to a building of the Ash Merchant Guild nearby.

Ael, who was shown into a room typically used for conversations with clients, found it fascinating that one wall was a transparent glass window, allowing her to view the inside of the guild.

Although she had never been inside another guild’s building, she knew that at least other guilds in Denertum did not have rooms like this.

‘The Empire seems to have reception rooms like this.’

It seemed like a good idea.

Watching the guild’s people busily moving and working from where she sat, she felt a sense of trust in this guild.

Of course, the appearance of the massive building also seemed to provide reassurance to those doing business.

Then Ael soon realized why the people of the Ash Merchant Guild seemed so intriguing to her.

‘There are many women.’

Even without hearing their voices, she could tell they were from the Empire. The style of their clothing was a bit different, and above all, their movements and demeanor differed from those of the people of Denertum.

They casually patted other men’s shoulders and laughed, and they spoke to them without hesitation.

At first, she thought they might be working as secretaries for those seated, but upon closer inspection, she noticed that more women were actually walking around giving instructions.

‘Come to think of it, Nisha, who is the branch manager, was also a woman…….’

She remembered how people inside the guild bowed their heads in greeting when Nisha entered.

In Denertum, only noblewomen receive such greetings.

When she entered the guild, her ankle was hurting, and she was so flustered by being suddenly guided to this place that she couldn’t see properly, but there were more women working in the Ash Merchant Guild than she had thought.

Watching them, Ael suddenly wondered.

‘Could I work here too?’

There wouldn’t be any store or company in Denertum willing to hire her.

If she were a commoner, there might be a few places, but no place would hire a noblewoman.

But wouldn’t it be possible at an imperial guild?

As soon as her imagination discovered this new possibility, it spiraled into more thoughts. Before she knew it, she imagined herself sitting among the working people in her mind.

Knock, knock.

The happy moment, fueled by imagination alone, vanished instantly at the sound of knocking. Ael unconsciously stood up and straightened her posture.

Just like she always did at home, she gauged the mood of the person entering to avoid them from finding any flaw.

“You’ve waited long. Sorry for the delay…… why are you standing?”

The one who entered was Callon. He frowned slightly upon seeing Ael.

The doctor said her ankle was slightly sprained.

Fortunately, if she rested without moving for a few days, it would soon be fine. So he had told her to sit still until they took her home, but why was she standing so awkwardly?

It wasn’t just now. Even during the treatment, she was mortified to the point of death just by taking off her shoes and exposing her foot.

It was fortunate that there was a female doctor at the guild; if a male doctor had been asked to examine her, she probably wouldn’t have received treatment at all.

Having been in Denertum for only a day, Callon had already grasped how conservative and stifling the country was.

‘It’s more backward than I thought.’

No wonder there were traces of frequent scribbled-out curses in the personal letter Nisha, the branch manager, sent along with her report.

That’s why Callon found this woman even more intriguing.

Of course, this woman could have approached with some purpose, like the vagrant who tried to steal the documents.

‘But if that were the case, she wouldn’t have done something so conspicuous.’

While others avoided getting involved in troublesome matters, this woman stepped up, tripped, and threw a book to help.

‘Of course, she might have done it expecting a reward.’

Callon organized his increasingly complicated thoughts and habitually smiled.

“Please sit down. Standing like that will only prolong the pain.”

“Yes.”

“A moment ago, I only managed to tell you my name in the confusion. If it’s not too forward, may I ask your name?”

“I am…… Ael.”

Ael considered giving her full name, but she decided against it and introduced herself briefly.

She had heard that just as nobles viewed imperial people unfavorably, imperial merchants also didn’t think highly of nobles.

That made sense, as it was the noble forces that repeatedly hindered the imperial merchants’ expansion.

There was no need to look far; her father, Viscount Aradis, often badmouthed imperial merchants when drunk.

‘I feel like they’d be uncomfortable if I mentioned I was a noble.’

Even though she had helped, the guild people were being excessively kind to her.

Though it was overwhelming, it didn’t feel bad. Other than Jenna, it was practically the first time someone was so concerned for her.

After today, they wouldn’t meet again. So she wanted to leave a good memory for each other until the end.

“I see. Then Miss Ael, if it’s not too much trouble, is there any specific reward you would like? We’d like to compensate you in the way you prefer for helping us.”

In her heart, she wanted to say there was no need for a reward. She hadn’t done it expecting compensation in the first place.

But if she returned like this, she’d be scolded for being late and for not having the letter paper.

“Well then…… could I ask for new letter paper……?”

If it were another noble, they would likely have said not to worry and bought new ones. But Ael didn’t have the money for that.

“Of course.”

At the refreshing answer, Ael’s face finally showed relief. At that moment, Nisha entered with a tray of refreshments.

“Sorry for the delay in serving our guest. Please have some. These are tea and imperial cookies that arrived on yesterday’s ship.”

Ael’s gaze turned to the tray Nisha set down. It was filled with a teapot and teacups of a form she had never seen before, along with cookies.

No matter how much nobles belittled imperial goods, it was hard to deny that the quality of items from the Empire was overwhelmingly good.

Moreover, among young nobles, consuming more imperial goods was becoming a sort of status symbol.

Many luxury items were imported from the Empire.

Among them, teaware and cookies were representative.

Once, Elise had placed a bunch of things on the table, saying they were gifts from the Grand Duke. They were all cookies imported from the Empire.

The unfamiliar forms captivated not only Ael but also the Viscountess and the maids.

Unlike the rough cookies of Denertum, the vividly colored imperial cookies looked more like ornaments than food.

Naturally, Elise, after boasting, said it was hard to share since they were gifts she received, and took them all to her room.

However, it seemed she did share a few with the Viscountess and her maid, Maya.

Maya had come down to the kitchen and endlessly bragged to Ael and Jenna about how fantastic the imperial cookies tasted.

It was only natural that Jenna listened with a mesmerized expression.

Ael, too, while pretending not to care, secretly listened to Maya’s descriptions. How the texture was, how the beautiful colored parts tasted, and so on.

Maya’s descriptions were so detailed that Ael found herself swallowing her saliva several times.

For the first time then, Ael regretted not being able to attend the banquet. Elise had said that recently, imperial cookies were often present at banquets.

But now, what Nisha brought looked even more expensive than the cookies Elise received as a gift from the Grand Duke.

It wasn’t just the cookies. The aroma of the tea Nisha poured was also extremely delightful.

“This is a new blend harvested last year and released for the first time this year. It’s hard to find even in the Empire.”

“Thank you.”

Ael received the teacup and carefully took a sip. Then, a warm sensation spread throughout her body along with a rich aroma.