“Who issued this certificate of rights? Artenbach Bank?”

“Ah, that’s…”

“What about the method to recover the investment when the business is withdrawn? You made such a safety measure before investing, right?”

I desperately hoped all this was a dream.

“I-I’ll go to that company tomorrow and ask.”

My concerns became reality. The fragile ice that was barely holding together shattered with a crash under the impact.

“How much did you invest?”

“…Not much.”

“How much exactly?”

“…Ten million tiga.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

I was thinking of selling gifts from a strange man to cover living expenses because we didn’t have money to fix the roof.

Knowing how much of a stain it would be on the family for a noble lady to earn money with her body.

Above all, there was no way my father could have had such a large sum as ten million tiga.

“Where did the money come from?”

“From Artenbach Bank…”

My father’s voice grew smaller as he noticed the strange atmosphere.

“Father, don’t hide it. Tell me the truth.”

“T-there was a pink diamond deposited under Black Swan’s name, and they said they could lend ten million with that as collateral…”

I had no strength to shout, nor the will to think of anything, so I just collapsed onto the floor. Anna rushed over in surprise and grabbed my arm.

“Young miss!”

“Schmidt!”

My father also came over, trying to help me up.

“Don’t touch me!”

It was miserable. Isn’t this too cruel to be a trial from God?

What did I do so wrong in my past life? What great sin did I commit?

“Father, do you even know what that jewel is…? Haah, please just don’t do anything. Whether it’s business or gambling, just don’t do anything and stay at home. Please!”

Thick tears fell without my realizing. My father, seemingly finally grasping the gravity of the situation, fell to his knees on the floor.

“S-Schmidt, I’ll meet that businessman tomorrow and ask for the investment back. Okay?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Then, barely parting my lips that were so tightly clenched they caused a tingling pain in my nerves, I answered.

“If you can meet him, go ahead. Where?”

My father picked up the certificate of rights that had fallen to the floor and preciously tucked the paper he had bought for ten million tiga into his chest. Then he bowed his head deeply, saying he would take care of everything.

* * *

The place I visited as soon as the sun rose was Artenbach Bank. It was to clean up the mess of touching something that shouldn’t have been touched.

Until I left the mansion, I wanted to believe that my father had made a real investment, not fallen victim to investment fraud.

No matter how lacking in business talent or how pure-hearted his personality, I believed he wouldn’t have done something so foolish as to throw away ten million tiga into thin air.

But the people lining up in front of the bank from early morning were all talking about 3 Rübe Street as if by agreement, and several were sitting on the ground wailing that they had lost their entire fortune.

Even the tiniest expectation dissolved into thin air. I felt dizzy at the thought of having to repay the ten million tiga thrown into the scammer’s maw and the money borrowed with the pink diamond as collateral.

‘…It’s truly futile.’

Is the Barony of Deli, which fosters artists and beautifies the empire, to be satisfied only with past glory?

Can we create a future when there’s a money-eating ghost in the house?

“Customer number 5.”

I looked at the palm-sized wooden board given at the entrance. The number 5 was written on it.

“How may I help you?”

I looked at the bank teller. I was so frustrated that words wouldn’t come out.

“Customer?”

I finally managed to part my trembling lips.

“My father… said he borrowed money under Black Swan’s name, and I’d like to confirm that.”

“Could you show me your identification?”

I presented my personal identification certificate issued by the Imperial Office and the Black Swan business registration. The teller said to wait a moment and left to fetch the ledger.

I nervously tapped my fingers on the desk. Then I inadvertently caught sight of the end of my dress sleeve, which revealed my wrist clearly. Feeling as if coldness was flowing in through there, I covered my wrist with my palm.

“Sorry for the wait. I’ll check for you now.”

The teller had returned to her seat in the meantime. She opened the ledger and confirmed that the amount my father had borrowed under Black Swan’s name was ten million tiga.

“When is the repayment deadline?”

“It’s in two years. The interest must be paid on the last day of each month.”

The interest alone is half of our monthly living expenses. It’s become overwhelming just to raise funds to operate Black Swan.

After thanking the teller, I rose from my seat weakly. Could I somehow manage by hiding my identity and working as a restaurant employee while running Black Swan? If not that, perhaps as a home tutor teaching noble etiquette to children of nobles or the bourgeoisie?

‘But who would hire me?’

The more I thought about it, the more miserable I felt. There was no news from my father who said he would meet the scammer, and only the woeful sound of people’s wailing, unwilling to leave the vicinity of the bank, could be heard. That’s when it happened.

A carriage with gold plating on its body, gleaming brightly, stopped in front of Artenbach Bank. All eyes in the vicinity converged on one spot.

Soon, the carriage door opened. The emblem of a black panther’s head boldly stamped on top of crossed swords was familiar enough to recognize which family it belonged to even in passing.

Following that, a shiny black shoe stepped onto the ground.

A black suit that accentuated long, straight legs.

A deep green shirt said to cost an enormous amount to dye.

A vest with all seams finished in gold thread.

Even a jacket casually draped over the arm.

‘Duke Artenbach.’

It was the first time seeing him this close. To compare it to my past life experience, it felt like meeting a famous celebrity.

Black hair like a starless night sky, and golden eyes said to bring in gold just by looking at them.

The Duke extended his hand towards the carriage interior, disregarding the gazes fixed on him.

A small hand suddenly popped out of the carriage door. At the same time, a child slowly walked out of the carriage.

“Young miss! You were here?”

I heard Anna’s voice calling me from behind.

“Now is not the time for this! That child who comes to our counseling office! The guild just contacted us, he’s not from the bourgeoisie but from the Artenbach du…”

Anna saw where I was pointing and stopped breathing. Then she covered her mouth with her palm, as if about to scream.

“Yes, I just found out too.”

The identity of the child who got out of the carriage holding Duke Artenbach’s hand was the little one who had brightly called me auntie.

‘You fool! You idiot Schmidt!’

The child’s polite speech had been so natural that I never imagined he could be from the ducal family.

In other words, Black Swan had used the pink diamond of the great noble Artenbach ducal family, which will go down in the empire’s history books, as collateral to obtain cash without permission, and moreover, that cash was swindled away, meaning we were about to fall into complete ruin.

We deposited Artenbach’s property in Artenbach Bank and borrowed money that belonged to Artenbach…

‘Should I run away?’

If I lived deep in the forest, would no one find me?

No, a ducal family could probably catch me even if I went abroad.

It was Anna who shook me out of my escape from reality.

“Young miss, young miss!”

Thanks to her, I came to my senses slightly and instinctively looked towards the carriage. And as if by fate’s mischief, my eyes met the child’s.

“Auntie?”

At the title I had heard countless times, I quickly turned my head. Every nerve in my body was sending signals that it would be dangerous to encounter the child here.

“It is you, right auntie?”

The voice came a little closer. I grabbed Anna’s arm and started walking away. Following my order to just keep walking forward without looking back, she walked along stiffly like a wooden doll.

“Auntie, where are you going?”

As an adult, I should be able to walk faster than a child. Alright, if I just pretend not to know…

“Bring her.”

A low, deep male voice struck my ear. At the same time, knights who had been who knows where suddenly appeared and surrounded Anna and me.

Cold sweat ran down my body. Although it wasn’t something I had done myself, I had an undeniable responsibility, so my whole body shrank.

“Auntie, why are you running away?”

Why does the child’s expression look so menacing as he asks with a bright smile?

Moreover, as the knights closed in their encirclement, causing us to retreat step by step the way we had come, we ended up at a distance where I could reach out and shake hands.

Anna seemed to have already lost her mind. Her face was pale and her gaze unfocused.

“Running away? I was just hurrying to open the counseling office…”

The child’s beaming expression gradually hardened.

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally? Talk to me like you usually do. You treated me comfortably even knowing who I am, didn’t you?”

My heart sank. It was because my eyes met those of the Duke, who was watching me expressionlessly with his arms folded.

“Should I? Haha… ha.”

“I like that better! I’ll come to the counseling office right after father goes to work.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to do so.

“But what brings you here?”

At my question, the child spoke with eyes seeking praise.

“It’s because of the diamond. You said I must go with an adult, remember?”

So why today of all days?

“So I came with father. To retrieve the diamond.”

Not knowing that father was Duke Artenbach.