“Will the place where the fire occurred be repaired?”

“Yes. The repairs must be finished before my parents and sibling return. So, I’m planning to complete it as quickly as possible.”

“In that case, we will send workers from our trade association.”

“From Ash Association?”

“Yes. Although we are a trading company, we continuously have construction projects from ship repairs to new offices, so we have many experts affiliated with our association.”

“But wouldn’t everyone be busy with their own schedules?”

“We always employ a sufficient number of workers to prepare for contingencies. And it’s a basic rule to also repair the homes of our association members if they have problems. Now, since you are affiliated with Ash Association, it’s only natural for you to enjoy the benefits.”

He called her Ael, recalling that before coming out, she had asked to be called Ael instead of Aelfrieda.

Although she preferred the name Ael, she thought it wouldn’t be good if someone among the aristocrats found out she was working for Ash Association and remembered her name.

When she explained the reason, the three people from Ash Association immediately started calling her Ael, saying her name Aelfrieda seemed a bit long.

She wondered why her family insisted on calling her Aelfrieda or Frieda to the very end.

“In that case, I will take advantage of the benefits from Ash Association.”

“A wise choice. Above all, it’s quite cheap for employees. And repairing your house benefits us as well.”

“How does it benefit you?”

How could repairing her house benefit the association?

“If our association’s workers didn’t go, you would have had to find carpenters to inquire about repairs, visiting several places.”

Ael nodded. As he said, she had planned to find a carpenter for house repair estimates as soon as she left the association.

“Going around like that would naturally tire you out, and that would delay the decoding of the documents.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“It’s not just that. The extra document you decode in the time you would have spent going around brings great benefit to our association.”

Though he said that, she couldn’t help but feel that sending workers to the house of someone who had just signed a contract and hadn’t even started working yet was considerable attention on their part.

Coming down to the kitchen, Ael saw Jena cheerfully peeling potatoes while humming.
“What’s making you so happy?”

“Has the young lady arrived?”

The cheerfulness in Jenna’s voice while greeting was the most vibrant she had heard this year.

“Why shouldn’t I be happy? We have plenty of milk, butter, bread, and many other things. Ah, did you say you’re starting work at Ash Trading Company today? Just wait a moment. I’ll make you the best dish my mother taught me!”

“No. I decided to go to work after lunch today. Workers are coming this morning for repairs. They told me to finish talking to them and then come.”

“My, they’re so considerate? The more I hear about Ash Trading Company, the more I like them.”

Jenna moved her hands more excitedly.

When she heard yesterday morning that my young lady would go out to get money, she couldn’t stop worrying even while lying in bed.

Even though Aelfrie lived almost like a maid in this mansion, she was still a noble’s daughter.

It was clear that it would be hard to endure in a place where outsiders, especially women, are belittled.

‘If she only gets belittled, that would be a relief…’

If it were known that Aelfrie was of noble birth and had to collect money for an unavoidable reason, then surely someone would harbor ill will, Jenna thought.

‘Elise parades around flamboyantly, but our young lady isn’t ugly.’

Aelfrie always walked with her head down.

Because she was taller than her female peers, when she first debuted in society, they told her it was rude to look down on men and advised her to keep her head lowered.

That fact wasn’t something Aelfrie said. It was something Elise said while gossiping about Aelfrie to her own maid.

Having peeled all the potato skins, Jenna cleaned the workbench and observed Aelfrie inspecting the kitchen.

Perhaps because she received treatment at Ash Trading Company yesterday and nearly all her troublesome issues had been resolved, Aelfrie’s face was the brightest Jenna had ever seen.

There were still bruises and wounds, but seeing Aelfrie stand with a smile on her face, Jenna momentarily paused her movements.

Her back straight and her stride neat. There was never any disarray in her movements. And her voice and actions were always gentle.

While her long, slender neck and limbs might make her seem too thin in her usually loose-fitting clothes, she also had a full-bodied figure that people didn’t notice.

‘I’m really relieved the young lady is working at Ash Trading Company.’

Jenna was also well aware of the company’s reputation.

It was operated the same way as the empire’s headquarters, and unlike other trading companies in Denertum, they said there were many women there.

Even the branch manager was a woman.