“Discreetly find out where that child lives. Also, check if there are any other reasons for coming here.”

Anna nodded almost imperceptibly before going outside. When the child asked what they were talking about, she acted nonchalant, saying it was nothing important. However, once suspicion takes root, it’s not easily dismissed.

* * *

In a stifling silence, the child was expertly solving a picture puzzle that looked headache-inducing just to look at.

At one point, as if stuck, the child froze like a statue holding a single piece.

‘Don’t make eye contact.’

I was anxious, worried the child might ask for help.

“Umm…”

No, don’t call me.

“Are you good at puzzles?”

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.

“Not really.”

“But you must be better than me, a child, right?”

“I suppose…so?”

The child smiled contentedly at my response and approached. Though clearly a child, why did my eyes see a fearsome predator?

“These two pieces look so similar, I’m confused. Which one do you think goes here?”

I was startled when I received the puzzle pieces the child handed me. They could be considered identical at a glance.

“You can see a difference in these?”

It was a puzzle of a vast forest viewed from above. I could honestly say they looked exactly the same, with no discernible difference.

“Ah! Maybe you can tell if you look at the original!”

The child returned to where they were sitting and brought back the puzzle box. Looking at the printed image on the back made me even more dumbfounded.

“Let me give you some wise adult advice.”

I flipped over the dizzying original image.

“Set that piece aside for now and work on the other pieces first.”

“Why?”

“If you match the other pieces first and leave those two for last, you’ll find the right answer when you’re down to just those two.”

“Ah…”

The child had a look of realization. But soon after, as if another question arose, they tilted their head.

“What if there are too many pieces to set aside for that reason?”

I sniffled unnecessarily. I was pondering how to escape this puzzle hell.

“Kid, in that case…”

Ah, whatever. There’s no law saying every adult must preserve a child’s innocence or build their self-esteem according to some grand theory.

“Just give up. It’s easier that way.”

The child’s expression noticeably hardened. I flinched for a moment because of it, but it wasn’t noticeable.

“But…”

The child looked at me with an expression that somehow seemed like they should be drawn in and said,

“If I finish this, Dad will be happy. So I have to complete it.”

Ha, what do you want me to do about it?

* * *

After requesting information about the child’s identity from the guild, Anna returned to find a noisy conversation taking place in the counseling office she had expected to be quiet. She hurriedly entered.

As she grasped the doorknob of the counseling room past the waiting area, the ongoing conversation vividly flowed through the slightly open door.

“This piece goes here.”

“No, look, the picture is slightly different here.”

“Ah! You’re right.”

Anna peered through the door crack at the two people. They were sitting face to face on the sofa, foreheads almost touching, completely absorbed in solving the puzzle.

“Alright, finally the last piece.”

The child placed the puzzle piece in the slot with sparkling eyes. A large green forest beautifully adorned the square puzzle board.

“Thank you for helping me, auntie.”

The child stood up from the sofa and bowed politely. Anna, knowing that her mistress disliked being called “auntie,” thought she should step in to correct it.

But then she saw Schmidt patting the child’s head with a kind smile.

Somehow it looked so warm and affectionate that interrupting felt like it would make her a nuisance.

Anna quietly closed the door. Then she stealthily returned to her place at the reception desk and sat down without making a sound.

* * *

An hour spent solving the puzzle together.

Another thirty minutes passed sharing the cake Anna bought on her way back from the guild.

Though I said the child could stay for three hours, it seemed as if time-slowing magic had been cast when they entered – the clock hands showed no signs of moving.

‘Only halfway through!’

What should I do to pass the time with a child?

‘Maybe a book.’

It was a method I thought of, thinking if I gave them a book, we could easily pass an hour. However, the books in the counseling office didn’t have very appropriate content for a child to read.

“The Wind, On That Love Full of Scars”
“The Price of My Child, Dowry”

‘…This is a bit…’

I quickly averted my gaze from the bookshelf. It was a realization, but this place wasn’t a space for a child to spend time.

“Auntie, I have a question.”

The kid was sitting on the sofa with a serious expression, swinging their legs.

Somehow, it looked trivial and cute.

“What is it?”

I was in the middle of work I had put off to solve the puzzle. So I just answered while diligently moving my hands.

“Aren’t you curious about who I am?”

“I already know who you are, though?”

The child’s eyes widened as if surprised. A child wearing clothes made of luxurious fabric and seeking only clean things was clearly not from a family living day to day.

Considering the somewhat ill-mannered appearance and the way of speaking to me.

‘A bourgeois?’

All circumstances pointed to bourgeois. Thinking about it that way, I recalled a few black-haired people of the bourgeois class here in Artenbach.

“You know who I am?”

“Yes. I know.”

The child, seemingly quite flustered, widened their eyes in surprise before putting on a serious face. It was a reaction that made me feel the reward of deceiving.

“And you still treat me like this?”

The child muttered to themselves, saying they couldn’t believe it. I clicked my tongue once before speaking with a serious face.

“Kid, you should stay away from people who change their attitude towards others based on family and wealth.”

“Huh?”

“Such people might wag their tails and smile when you have a lot, but if you lose what you have, they’ll ignore you without a second glance.”

It became bitter. Once, there were many people who smiled and wagged their tails towards Baron Deli’s family. We believed their loyalty would remain steadfast even if we fell.

But as soon as the baronial family’s fortunes began to decline, the numerous tails that had been buzzing quickly fled, lest they be splashed with muddy water. The betrayal of those we believed would naturally help us gave me a great lesson.

“Why?”

“Why? When you had money, they stuck around hoping to get something from you, but when you have no money, there’s nothing to get. So they ignore you.”

“Hmm. I’ve never been ignored before.”

Seeing the child blink their eyes calmly, I sighed. Carefully, trying not to spray black ink on their innocence, I continued.

“That’s because you haven’t lived long enough.”

I don’t know what I’m saying to a child. They don’t seem to understand either, so let’s just move on.

* * *

After three hours that felt like ten.

As soon as a man who looked like a coachman came to take the kid away, I stood up from my seat.

I had no energy left to work, and feeling tired, I decided to go home early.

The moment I entered the mansion, I was confronted with gift boxes stacked as tall as me and my father holding a letter with a frown.

“Is it that Johnston person again?”

“Yes.”

He was a man who ran the largest tavern in Artenbach and traded smuggled goods through the underground market.

He was a man who had gained a foothold in the bourgeois class with money earned that way, and the reason for his persistent marriage proposals to me was clear.

It was a really insulting letter.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one feeling that emotion, as my father was trembling, trying to suppress his boiling anger.

“How dare such a lowlife to my precious daughter!”

Father was furious, but I was tapping on a calculator.

The gifts are innocent. And just because I received those gifts doesn’t mean I have to marry Johnston.

Anna noticed and began to unwrap the gift boxes. Inside were perfume oil said to be obtainable only from across the sea, tobacco leaves, and wool.

“Miss, where should I put these?”

“Give the tobacco leaves to Father and keep the rest safe. If we sell them well, it should be enough to cover the roof repair costs.”

Father, somewhat calmed down, threw the letter into the fireplace and said,

“Right! Once the hotel is built on Lübega Street No. 3, we can put such fellows in their place.”

“…A hotel?”

This was news to me. A hotel on Lübega Street?

“It seems this is premium information known only to a select few. A businessman from the Western country bought a building at Lübega Street No. 3, and they’re planning to demolish it and build a hotel. They say that after completion, they’ll transfer partial ownership of the hotel and underground shops to investors, so the competition was fierce.”

Father wore a satisfied expression.

“But your father succeeded in investing through that competition. Look. This is the certificate of rights to hotel ownership.”

Father pulled out a sheet of paper from his breast pocket and showed it to me. I calmly read the contents written in the certificate.

“Father.”

“Yes, what else do you want to know?”

“What did they say they would do if they couldn’t get permission?”

“They said since they bought the building itself, they don’t need construction permission…”

I unknowingly crumpled the corner of the certificate. My hand had tensed up.

“Father.”

“Y-yes?”

“I mean the hotel management permit, not the construction permit.”

Father was silent. Feeling my vision blur, I asked again.