“Whether you sell your body or sell your little brother. You have to do one of the two to pay off the debt.”

Wolf muttered lowly as he grabbed my chin. My mouth opened involuntarily at the strong grip.

“Let go. I don’t even have money to eat, what do you want me to do?”

Wolf brought his face close to mine. His eyes meeting mine glinted. His face revealing snow-white canines and a smile was rather chilling.

“Shall I sell you first? I’ll be your first customer.”

“I gave you all the money I had!”

“That’s just interest, you naive woman. This is the last warning, Leira. Squeeze money out of your body if you have to and bring it. Ah, your brother is more precious to you than yourself, right?”

“Don’t touch Theodore.”

A thousand fires rose inside me. Theodore was only 13 years old. Too young to know such difficult and painful things. Wolf tilted his head.

“Then just bring the money, right? By the end of this month, Leira. Do you understand?”

My teeth grinded.

The world was colder and crueler than I thought. No one would care if someone like me died. Wolf threw my body onto the old floor and left. My hands and feet trembled at the dirty eyes looking me over.

I clenched my fists and burst into tears.

Wolf was someone who used to work under my father. Wolf had swallowed up my father’s business, and as if that wasn’t enough, he was trying to swallow up our family.

Trusting people is poison.

*

“Sell your life. Then I will pay off your debt on the honor of House Andres. Also, I will take care of your brother so he can live well.”

Those words were like sunlight entering a mouse hole.

I was too exhausted to take care of my only younger brother while struggling with the debt left by my deceased parents. Moreover, if I couldn’t repay the debt by the end of this year, I was in a situation where I would be sold to the entertainment district and my brother would be mobilized for labor.

The fact that the youngest daughter of Andres had to commit a fatal mistake that required risking her life was no different than an opportunity for me.

“Please write a contract. Please prepare a contract with the seal of the Duke of Andres and the personal seal of His Grace the Duke. And I’d like you to pay off the debt before I die.”

The eyebrows of Duke Andres, who had been utterly stern, furrowed. His eyes looking at me were filled with irritation and anger.

“How impudent. You’d be sold to the entertainment district if you can’t pay off the debt, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to die honorably and get money too! Who else would value the life of someone like you this much. Know your place!”

The Duke snapped at me coldly.

It’s not that, just getting the money would be best. They say high noble lords value human life like fly’s life, and it’s exactly like that.

“The value of my life changed the moment Your Grace needed me. Isn’t my life, which was worth just one gold coin, now equivalent to hundreds of thousands of gold coins? So I want to measure as much as I can and haggle as much as I can. Is this request too much when I’m risking my life?”

The Duke bit his lip. If it weren’t for his thoughtless and immature youngest daughter, he wouldn’t have had to suffer such humiliation from someone without anything like me. The reason the Duke is so angry is probably because I, who normally wouldn’t even be able to speak to him, am being impudent. A bunch steeped in a great sense of chosen people.

But the Duke needed me. Me, who had the same green eyes and brown hair as the youngest daughter of Andres. And me, who was desperate for money and had nothing to the extent that I could die in place of the youngest daughter.

The youngest daughter of Andres committed the crime of murdering the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, and the Empress demanded the life of the youngest daughter of Andres as payment. The Empress only gave Duke Andres a small opening.

‘Find a suitable substitute and present them.’

It was a shallow attempt to not lose both families.

So Duke Andres searched through his bloodline and found me. It was the reason why the Duke, who had been pretending not to know about the circumstances of the collateral line all this time, suddenly appeared and made a proposal to me.

“If Your Grace doesn’t keep your promise after I die. Ah, of course, I know that you, who know honor, wouldn’t do such a thing. But, you know, just in case. Someone else could embezzle the money in the middle. So I just need a small safety measure. Don’t be angry.”

I smiled brightly.

The Duke trembled. In fact, isn’t it an age-old truth that those who have are even worse? It’s also true that you have to be that ruthless to accumulate wealth.

“……A contract, and money to pay off the debt. Is that all you need?”

I nodded. Anyway, promising to take care of my brother was an investment in future value. Rather, having a large sum of money could make someone a target.

Theodore was too young to protect himself.

Even if the Duke doesn’t take care of my brother, it would be better than being sold.

“……Fine.”

Duke Andres sighed.

“Let’s do as you wish.”

“Thank you, Your Grace! You will live a long life!”

Finally, escape.

That thought was bigger than the fear of dying. Thanks to borrowing private loans, the interest had already grown more than the principal. I thought it was rather fortunate that, as Duke Andres said, I would die more valuably than dying crushed by debt.

In fact, I was thinking of dying with my brother. I had seen enough of how noble girls sold to the entertainment district live. And how their ends were.

So I am lucky.

*

Before I died, I enjoyed luxury for the first time.

Expensive silk dresses, fancy accessories, and foods I had never eaten before. Duke Andres took me directly to the loan shark and settled the debt in front of him. Just that made me feel like I could breathe freely.

“Is that enough?”

“Thank you, Your Grace! God will look after House Andres.”

I rattled off praise I didn’t mean.

Duke Andres did not let go of his contempt for me. I could clearly see what he was thinking inside.

I stayed comfortably at House Andres for a week. And on the 7th day, I became the morning dew on the execution ground. As the youngest daughter of Andres.

I died before I could even realize what pain was.

*

Theodore rubbed his eyes. His reddened eyes were full of venom. It was an opportunity that Leira had bought by selling her life.

Theodore clutched the contract and letter together. Leira had left the letter and contract before disappearing. With advice to seek help from Duke Andres if anything happened. And shortly after, news came that the youngest daughter of Andres had been executed on charges of killing the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.

“Sister……”

Theodore could easily guess that it was Leira who died in place of the princess.

Leira always used to say, ‘I’ll make you happy even if I have to risk my life.’ And Leira kept her promise.

Now it was Theodore’s turn to be happy. If he just stupidly cried like this when Leira had risked her life for Theodore, everything would have been in vain.

He intended not to let Leira’s death be in vain.

Theodore put the contract and letter in a box along with Leira’s belongings and buried it under an apple tree. Leira used to say in a cynical tone, ‘Nobles can’t be trusted. Blue blood flows in their bodies. It’s better to trust that dog than to trust nobles.’

Theodore would retort, ‘We’re nobles too!’ whenever she said that. That would usually end up with Leira hitting him on the head.

‘Who sees us as nobles when we have nothing? Is just having a noble name everything?’

Anyway, since Leira was always right, Theodore hid the contract and letter where no one could find them. Theodore headed straight for House Andres.

Leira said that people need to learn to become rich.

That if possible, one should attend the academy. Theodore knocked on the door of House Andres, chewing on those words.

House Andres was, without exaggeration, as big as the village Theodore lived in. Theodore swallowed nervously.

Duke Andres looked more human than expected. They said blue blood flows in him, so I thought he might have horns or something.

“Are you Theodore?”

“Yes, Your Grace. My sister is Leira. Leira said Your Grace would show mercy to me! I want to go to the academy!”

Theodore said as bravely as he could.