“Are you planning to repair the area where the fire occurred?”

“Yes. I need to finish the repairs before my parents and younger sibling return. So I plan to complete it as quickly as possible.”

“In that case, I’ll send workers from our company.”

“Pardon? People from the Ash Company…?”

“Yes. Although we’re a trading company, we have many experts affiliated with us who do continuous construction work, from ship repairs to warehouses and new offices.”

“But won’t they all have schedules?”

“We always employ more than enough workers to prepare for unexpected events. And it’s a basic rule to repair the homes of our company members when problems arise. Now that Ael is part of the Ash Company, it’s natural for her to enjoy the benefits.”

He seemed to remember that before leaving, she had asked to be called Ael instead of Aelfrida, so he addressed her as he had when they first met.

She preferred the name Ael, but also because if anyone remembered her name and realized she was working for the Ash Company, it wouldn’t be good if any of the nobles found out.

When she explained the reason, the three from Ash Company said they thought Aelfrida was a bit long anyway and immediately started calling her Ael.

Why had her family insisted on calling her Aelfrida, or Rida, when it was this easy?

“Then I’ll take advantage of the Ash Company’s benefits.”

“You’ve made a good decision. Above all, when it’s an employee’s matter, we handle it very cheaply. And repairing your home is also beneficial for us.”

“Beneficial? How so?”

How could repairing her house be beneficial to the company?

“If our company workers didn’t go, you would have gone around asking carpenters about repairs, right? You couldn’t just go to one place, so you would have visited several.”

Ael nodded. As he said, she had planned to go straight to a carpenter who repairs houses to ask for an estimate after leaving the company.

“Naturally, you’d get tired from going around like that, and as a result, the decoding of ancient documents would be delayed.”

“Just for that reason?”

“It’s not just that reason. Do you know how much profit it brings to our company if you decode one more document in the time you would have spent going around?”

Although he said that, she couldn’t help but think they were being very considerate by sending workers to the home of someone who had just signed a contract today and hadn’t even properly started working yet.

When Ael came down to the kitchen, she saw Jena happily peeling potatoes while humming.

“What are you so happy about?”

“Oh, miss, you’re here?”

Jena’s voice greeting her was the most cheerful she had heard this year.

“How could I not be in a good mood? We have plenty of milk, butter, bread, and everything else. Oh, didn’t you say you’re starting work at the Ash Company today? Just wait a bit. I’ll make you the best dish my mother taught me!”

“No, I agreed to go to work after lunch today. The workers are supposed to come in the morning for repairs. They told me to come after finishing talking with them.”

“Oh my, they’re being that considerate? The more I hear about the Ash Company people, the more I like them.”

Jena moved her hands even more excitedly.

When she heard yesterday morning that her mistress had gone out to get money, she couldn’t stop worrying even while lying in bed.

Even though Ael had lived like a maid in this mansion, she was still a noble lady.

Jena thought it would surely be difficult for her to endure in a place that treats people, especially women, from outside the mansion very lightly.

‘It would be fortunate if they just made her work hard…’

Jena thought that if it became known that Ael was of noble origin and needed money due to unavoidable circumstances, there would surely be people with bad intentions.

‘It’s just because Elize always dresses up so flashily, but our mistress isn’t ugly either.’

Ael always walks with her head bowed.

It was because when she first debuted in society, being taller than other women her age, the viscount had told her it was rude for her to look down on men, so she should at least walk with her head bowed.

Ael hadn’t even mentioned this fact. It was something Elize had said while badmouthing Ael to her maid.

Jena, having finished peeling the potatoes in her hands, tidied up the workbench and watched Ael inspecting the kitchen.

Perhaps because she had received treatment at the Ash Company yesterday and almost all of her pressing problems had been resolved, Ael’s face was the brightest Jena had ever seen.

Although bruises and wounds remained, Jena paused her movements at the sight of Ael standing with a smile on her face.

A straight back and neat gait. Movements that were never boisterous. And always a kind voice and behavior.

A deer-like long, slender neck and limbs, and although people didn’t notice because she usually wore very loose clothes, she also had a voluptuous figure.

‘I’m so glad the mistress got to work at the Ash Company.’

Jena had also heard the rumors about that place and knew them well.

It was said that unlike other companies in Denertum, there were many women there because it was operated identically to the imperial headquarters.

They even said the branch manager was a woman.

‘Besides, a place that takes care of things like this can’t be bad, right?’

When Ael returned home in the Ash Company’s carriage yesterday, there were several large baskets loaded on the carriage.

Those were foods specially prepared by the Ash Company’s restaurant.

Knowing that there were only an elderly couple and a sick maid among the servants at home, they had sent them so that everyone could eat delicious food and rest well for at least a day without overexerting themselves.

Not only that. The Ash Company’s doctor had also provided medicine.

‘The medicine from the empire must be different indeed.’

After taking it, Jena, who had been suffering from muscle pain, was able to move around normally as soon as morning came, and even Ael’s bruises and scars, which had barely faded for weeks, had all lightened in just one day.

‘It’s really the best!’

Jena couldn’t hide her joy and started humming cheerfully again. Ael smiled at the sight. How could everything she was thinking show so clearly on her face?

“Jena, I’m going upstairs for a bit. I think the workers from the Ash Company will be here soon.”

“Yes, yes! Don’t worry and stay upstairs. I’ll bring the meal up when it’s ready!”

Ael came out to the mansion’s entrance.

Today, the day was bright without any fog from the morning.

The sun had already risen over the sea, and the early summer sky was clear without a single cloud. Along with the clear song of a bird perched on a nearby tree, a pleasantly cool breeze blew.

Ael walked slowly through the garden without thinking about anything.

Although it was embarrassing to even call it a garden since they couldn’t afford to hire staff to manage it, the freely grown tree branches and wildflowers swayed in the wind.

In the past, she would have thought the unmanaged state was shameful, but today she thought this appearance was also quite beautiful.

Ael raised her hand to touch the incoming breeze.

Clear sky, beautiful birdsong. It seemed like only good things would happen today.

She felt like happiness she had never experienced before was overflowing from her chest.

Lost in her emotions, Ael unconsciously stretched her hand towards the sky.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, a strong wind close to a gust blew. The wind hit not only the trees in the garden but also the nearby houses.

As the sudden gust blew on what had been a calm day, the sound of windows slamming shut and people’s surprised voices could be heard from here and there.

Ael was also surprised.

“What was that?”

The gust had blown the moment she stretched her hand towards the sky. Of course, it must be a coincidence.

Such gusts often occurred near the seaside.

But Ael had clearly seen it. After she stretched her hand towards the sky, something had sparkled at her fingertips.

It wasn’t like reflected sunlight. That light had a color she had never seen before. A color so beautiful and complex that it was impossible to describe.

Ael looked at her hand.

Naturally, it was her hand, no different from usual.

Ael stretched her hand towards the sky again. But unlike before, this time there was no sparkling light or gust of wind.

‘But that light…’

She remembered seeing it somewhere.

‘Where was it?’

It wasn’t very recent, but she definitely had seen such a light before.

‘I don’t think it was at home.’

Among places outside her home that she visited, the options were very limited.

Ael tried to recall her memories from the past few months. But when the memory of being beaten by her father and Elize resurfaced, her expression darkened.

All the old memories were just like that.