In fact, the Count was not a bad person, merely an old-fashioned one.

Preserving the past in a world of constant change is never easy. It’s because of such people that traditions continue.

He neither mistreated his servants arbitrarily nor was he oppressive to his subjects.

All he wished for was the maintenance of the discipline that had sustained Denertum for a long time.

However, the moment Calon learned that the Count tried to converse in ancient languages with those he favored, he briefly considered that perhaps some traditions could be disregarded.

‘A person who knows the etiquette of Denertum well enough to satisfy the Count, and has the basic knowledge to carry out this task…’

As Calon pondered, a person came to mind.

Someone who always walked and sat with upright posture when alone.

Someone whose every action was polite, even while drinking tea from a wooden cup during conversations with others, and was well-versed in other formalities.

Someone who knew a lot about land transactions.

“Ael.”

His voice flowed continuously, forgoing the usual honorific “Lady.”

As the right candidate came to mind, his thoughts connected.

Yes, what if he sent Ael? She had the refinement to satisfy the Count of Hebrides.

However, she couldn’t go alone. Beside her, there needed to be a man who could at least pretend to be her fiancé…

“….”

Calon paused for a moment. His prior thought was absurdly preposterous.

‘Pretend to be engaged to Lady Ael?’

Despite being my own idea, what madness is this?

His face tried to break into an incredulous smile, but it only grew more serious.

‘Is it not possible?’

Upon further thought, there seemed to be no better alternative. Who else among his employees would be as deeply involved in this matter as he and Ael?

‘But how to ask her?’

If the other party were an employee like Nisha, there would be no worries. It would not be a request but an order.

Of course, Ael was also a staff member of Ash Corporation now.

However, wasn’t her situation a bit special? She was not someone he could unilaterally command.

Calon’s long fingers lightly tapped the desk.

He was not the type to hesitate when making a decision. Hesitation meant that one had not properly calculated the outcomes of one’s choices.

However, the outcomes of this particular choice were pretty obvious. Yet he was hesitating…

Calon looked at the finger that had been tapping the desk.

The sensation of touching a hopelessly rough wound still lingered at his fingertips.
At the same time, Calon felt a heat rising in his throat and a sense of constriction. He unbuttoned his shirt roughly and stepped out onto the balcony.

“What should I do…….”

The longest conflict of his life was ongoing.

Several days after, Aelfrie returned to her busy days.

The documents I had to decode were still piled up. Nisha frequently came by to leave new documents, perhaps enjoying the accelerated progress.

‘Nisha seems to be having fun.’

Aelfrie compared the decoded contents offered by the nobles with what I had decoded.

‘This is a scam.’

They brought lease agreements, insisting they were the owners, or claimed nearly full ownership of lands they only owned half of.

That would be fortunate if it stopped there. There were also cases where they brought in documents completely unrelated to land.

It used to be a hassle for Ash & Co, not knowing exactly what those were, but everything changed since Aelfrie arrived.

If anyone came with a document, they would say, “I’ll have our staff check this,” and brought it to Aelfrie.

Of course, Aelfrie quickly discerned whether the document was worth verifying or not.

Thanks to that, Nisha could gently tell the incoming scammers to never bring such things again while smiling.

They left, perhaps trying to salvage their remaining dignity, saying they might have brought the wrong document, but no one came back with a proper one thereafter.

There were those who tried to exploit Ash & Co, but there were also many who wanted fair deals.

In such cases, Aelfrie showed off her skills even more.

The nobles who brought proper documents were amazed at Aelfrie’s decoding. It was a very neat decryption, even in their eyes.

Some of them wondered who did the decoding. Of course, Nisha kept it a strict secret.

After finishing work and returning home, the house, which was gradually being repaired, came into view.

The laborers introduced by the firm not only repaired Elize’s room but also Aelfrie’s and even the kitchen.

Thanks to that, the musty smell unique to old, worn houses had disappeared.

Having gained some free time, I enthusiastically cleaned Aelfrie’s room first. The elderly couple also tidied up the neglected garden.

Perhaps it was because of that, Aelfrie no longer felt afraid to return home.

In the past, the journey in and out had been terrifying and dreadful.
However, that didn’t make the return journey entirely light. I knew that this joy was granted to me only until the arrival of autumn.

Aelfrie fantasized all the way.