Chapter 21. Did You Do It on Purpose?

The main reason Callon was pressuring Ino to find someone proficient in the ancient language was because a complicated issue had arisen recently regarding an ancient document.

One day, a noble from Denertum suddenly visited the Ash Merchant Guild, claiming to prove that his family had a share in the land the guild was trying to purchase and brought a land document written in ancient language.

Naturally, it was a document written in an extremely difficult script from long ago, which could not be easily read.

Still, they somehow managed to get help from someone with intermediate knowledge of the ancient language to decipher the document.

The contract proceeded smoothly. However, after the Ash Merchant Guild paid the money, a problem arose.

When they reported it to the government office for the transfer of ownership, the reply came back much later saying, “This document cannot be used to acknowledge ownership of the land.”

Upon investigating how this happened, they found out that the document brought by the person was indeed an authentic ancient document, but it was only a temporary lease certificate, not an ownership certificate.

However, that part was so complicatedly worded that the staff of the Ash Merchant Guild couldn’t read it properly, and it turned out that the person with intermediate skills was actually a cousin of the one who came to sell the land.

“So, we were deceived.”

“Yes, it was a grand scam. The noble, his relative, and even the official at the government office say there was no problem with the transaction, claiming it was our fault for not properly verifying the document, so we can’t even sue.”

In the end, it meant all three of them were in on it.

Callon decided not to argue further. Since they had come at them with a plan, they would have prepared their own countermeasures.

Moreover, if the government office sided with them, it would be even more difficult.

Although they could formally request help from the royal family and sue, it would undoubtedly take a long time to resolve everything.

And above all, if it became known that they had been swindled like this, even more scammers would flock in the future.

“Anyway, the loss isn’t that significant.”

Considering the budget prepared for this plan, the money lost to this scam wasn’t even enough to buy a day’s worth of snacks for the people at the Ash Merchant Guild.

“Of course, I don’t intend to let it slide.”

He is a merchant. Losses are unacceptable. He has lived that way until now and will continue to do so.

In any case, having experienced a mistake once, it cannot happen again. The Ash Merchant Guild decided to suspend all transactions until they found a proper expert in the ancient language.

In other words, they had to find someone proficient in the ancient language to start working.

“Right. We don’t have time to be thinking about others’ affairs right now.”

Callon stood up from his seat.

“Prepare to go to the Viscount of Aradis.”

* * *

Slap!

With a loud noise, Ael’s face turned to the side. Elise, standing in front of Ael, was breathing heavily with her face flushed red.

The viscount couple stood beside the two, watching silently.

If a younger sister hit her older sister, one might expect them to intervene, but the viscount couple’s faces were filled with the same anger as Elise’s.

Viscount Aradis, watching Ael being hit, looked around the room as if he was about to do something, searching for something to pick up and strike with.

“Foolish girl! Are you saying you did well now?”

Elise shouted at Ael, then suddenly covered her face with her hands, collapsed onto the sofa beside her, and began to cry.

The viscountess approached Elise to comfort her.

“Oh, my poor Elise. What on earth should we do now?”

“I don’t know! That fool ruined my life!”

Elise’s cries turned into sobs. The viscountess felt like her heart was being torn apart watching her daughter.

Recently, Elise’s popularity had been increasing day by day. The Grand Duke had also been contacting and meeting Elise more often than before. The viscountess thought that Elise would surely secure the position of Grand Duchess.

So, the viscountess dreamed of a beautiful future with her daughter.

The future seemed so tangible and certain that she was already preparing to become the mother of the Grand Duchess.

She even organized a list of nobles who had never invited her, mocking her as the second wife of a fallen family, to place them in the most corner seats at Elise and the Grand Duke’s wedding.

In the past, the owners of dress shops, who subtly showed disdain, greeted the viscountess and Elise warmly when they visited, having heard the news.

Even if the payment for the dresses was delayed, they didn’t complain.

It wasn’t just the dress shops; furniture stores and jewelers also welcomed the viscount family.

Receiving their warm hospitality, the viscountess imagined her daughter’s wedding.

When that day comes, she planned to repay these people appropriately and also give back to those who had looked down on them.

Of course, in the name of the Grand Duke, her future son-in-law!

“But that fool spilled all of Elise’s mistakes in front of Riena, of all people…!”

The beautiful dream shattered in an instant. Riena would surely spread the rumor throughout the entire social circle.

That’s probably why she had invited so many people to the tea party.

The future that had been so clear just moments ago felt like it had been murdered in an instant.

“What am I going to do now…”

Hearing Elise’s crying, the viscountess stood up abruptly. Then she roughly grabbed Ael’s hair, who was standing with her head turned, and shook it violently.

“I should have thrown you to a beggar on the street! I took you in and raised you just because you were listed in the noble registry, and you repay that kindness with betrayal? You did it on purpose because you were jealous of your sister, didn’t you!”

The viscountess shook Ael madly and then threw her to the floor.

“Ugh…”

A heavy pain was felt from the shoulder that hit the floor.

It had been a while since something like this happened, so it reminded her of her childhood.

The days when she was constantly beaten and knelt under the screams.

Ael instinctively raised her arms to cover her head, accustomed to the violence that would follow. If you got hit on the head the wrong way, it wouldn’t just end with a little pain.

It was then.

“Master! A guest has arrived!”

“Tell them to leave! We can’t receive guests today!”

The viscount, who was coming with a poker from the fireplace, shouted at the servant who had rushed in.

“But… I think you should meet them.”

Normally, they would have tactfully sent them away, but strangely, the servant didn’t leave and hesitated.

“Who on earth is it that you’re doing this?”

“Well…”

The servant answered with a perplexed expression.

“The imperial who came with gifts before has returned.”

“What? Why is he here?”

“They said they wanted to meet the master and the eldest miss…”

“Her?”

The viscount looked at Ael, who was trembling on the floor. The red handprint on her cheek, her disheveled hair, and clothes.

No matter how much they tried to fix it, they couldn’t send her out looking like this.

“As much as I want to ignore that imperial guy…”

Judging by the gifts he brought and his somewhat imposing demeanor, he was undoubtedly a high-ranking official of the Ash Merchant Guild. Remembering the previous visit, the viscount asked the servant.

“Did he bring something this time too?”

“Yes. It seems he brought gifts again this time.”

The viscount’s eyes gleamed at the servant’s answer.

Considering the previous instance, it was clear he wouldn’t have come lightly.

Not only Elise had been delighted back then.

The viscount recalled the fountain pen on his desk. How great it felt to write with it. It wasn’t a pen that suited him very well, but everyone envied it.

“I don’t know why he’s come again, but…”

If there’s something to be given, it’s better to receive it. The viscount told his wife.

“We have to keep her for a while.”

“Wow, look at how old this house is.”

Ino whistled low in amazement in the shabby reception room. He had visited various noble houses in Denertum, but this was the first time he had seen such a poor place.

It wasn’t just because it was an old house.

Even an old house, if the people living in it clean and polish it with love, exudes a unique atmosphere that makes it attractive to others.

Ino could be sure. The owner of this house not only lacked money but also had no love for their home and lacked sense.

“It’s amazing that the entrance was clean.”

The entrance was cleaned by Ael morning and evening, but the reception room was a place the viscount hadn’t allowed Ael to touch, so its condition was entirely different, something Ino couldn’t know, leaving him unable to understand the strange imbalance of the house.

“Why aren’t they coming?”

He grumbled inwardly, looking at the overly ornate sofa he didn’t particularly want to sit on.