You Can't Catch the Wind - Chapter 41

“Miss Ael!”

“Mr. Ino? What’s the matter?”

“I brought today’s documents, but you weren’t here so I came down.”

“It’s not Mr. Kyle today, I see?”

“No. He had some urgent business, so I came instead. Seems there’s an issue with the main office.”

At the mention of the main office, Ael was reminded anew that Kyle was an employee of Ash Trading Company. And unlike Ino and Nisha, he moved around.

Ael became curious about Ash Trading Company’s main office, which Kyle would likely feel more attached to.

“What’s the main office like?”

“It’s no joke. First of all, the scale is completely different from here. Do you know how many ships we have in our exclusive port in the Imperial capital? We even have our own separate warehouse district. Honestly, our warehouse might be bigger than the capital of Denertum… Ah, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m well aware that this is a rural kingdom. Tell me more about the main office.”

“Then shall we talk while we walk?”

“While we walk? Is there somewhere we need to go?”

“The Imperial bank started operations today. We need to go create an account for you, Miss Ael.”

At those words, Nisha, who had been listening nearby, quickly grabbed the wet cloth from Ael’s hand and waved her off as if to say ‘go on’.

Because of that, Ael found herself practically chased out, leaving the company with Ino.

Outside, things were already starting to wind down.

As they walked towards the bank, Ino talked about Ash Trading Company’s main office. Naturally, the conversation turned to the Imperial capital as well.

Ino said he was originally from a frontier city in the Empire, so he hadn’t spent much time in the capital.

But when he talked about the capital and the main office, his eyes sparkled as if he were talking about his hometown.

Ael, who was listening, felt the same way.

From Ino’s description, the Imperial capital was far larger than she had imagined. And it was more free.

‘They say everything in the world gathers there…’

She had been amazed by the grains, fruits, and items she’d never seen before at Ash Trading Company, but the Empire had hundreds of times more wondrous things gathered there.

From the commercial district that couldn’t be traversed in a day to the story of the massive Imperial Palace.

Ael listened to Ino’s words like a child hearing a heroic myth.

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the bank.

“Won’t it be busy?”

“For now, I think they’re only handling transactions for our company? Let’s go in.”

As Ino said, the bank was quiet.

As if they had been notified, soon after being guided to the counter, an employee asked Ael to sign various documents, and after a little more time, an elegant certificate with a long number was in Ael’s hand.

“This is my account…”

At the bottom of the certificate, the current balance in Ael’s account was also written.

This week’s wages of 250 gilders.

Money would go out for house repairs and food ingredients for the servants, but there would still be plenty left over.

Ael remembered Elize’s words that her father was planning to sell her for a thousand gilders.

‘A thousand gilders…’

Now I could save that much myself.

The moment she thought that, Ael had an idea that even she found absurd.

What if she saved a thousand gilders and used that money to ask someone to pretend to marry her?

The sudden imagination soon spread its wings.

The baron couple had said they would sell her to anyone for a thousand gilders. Like selling livestock at the market.

If the Grand Duke hadn’t urgently summoned Elize and the baron couple, she would have already been sold off.

A thousand gilders was an incredibly cheap price for a woman listed in the noble registry.

Ael calculated the money she would earn and need to spend in the future.

She earns a thousand gilders a month. Even after subtracting house repair costs and servants’ wages, there were about 4 months left until the fall season, so if the baron returned as expected, she could easily earn over a thousand gilders by then.

‘I should be able to save about 2000 gilders.’

Then…

‘Could I find a fake husband?’

Ask someone to propose marriage to her for money.

If he gives a thousand gilders, the baron couple would send her away that very day.

If she said she was going to the countryside, they would tell her to leave quickly, and after that, they wouldn’t need to keep in touch.

After all, they wouldn’t expect more money from someone who took their daughter for a thousand gilders. If there was no contact after she left, they would surely be happier.

‘Then I’ll board a ship leaving Denertum with the fake husband…’

Traveling with a husband would allow her to board a ship going abroad.

Then she should take a ship going to a very distant place. Yes, the Empire would be good.

‘I could keep working for Ash Trading Company.’

Although it had only been a week since she started working here, during that time, Nisha and Ino had repeatedly told her, as if brainwashing her, that a talent like her should go to the main office.

Nisha had tempted her, saying that if she gained experience here and went to the main office, her wages would increase enormously, and until she settled there, the company would provide housing for those from foreign countries.

If she boarded a ship, left Denertum for the Empire, paid the rest of the promised compensation to the fake husband, and then got a job at Ash Trading Company.

Then if she continued to work and live there…

It was a future that made her heart swell just imagining it. But this was nothing more than imagination.

A man who would take the money she gave him to give to her parents, deceive them, and travel with her from Denertum to the Empire.

‘Where could I find someone who would do such a thing?’

Even if given money, would someone who agrees to a fake marriage be a decent person?

Such people are likely to run away with the money meant to be given to the parents.

It might be fortunate if they ran away with the money then.

After signing the marriage documents and leaving the baron’s house, that’s when the real problem begins.

Once the documents are signed, the position of guardian passes to the husband.

‘Since he’s the husband, if he says to follow his demands…’

She would have to comply with whatever he demanded until they reached the Empire. Even then, it might be fortunate if they went to the Empire.

In the worst case, they might head to the countryside of Denertum instead of the Empire. And there, he might pass her on to another ‘guardian’.

The thought alone sent chills down her spine.

‘So if I do this, I need to find someone I can trust.’

Ael tried to think of the people she knew.

Even so, they could be counted on both hands. Among them, the person she trusted the most was…

Ael hung her head low. Once again, the scar on her forehead felt hot.

[This is the timeline separator]

Kalon was sitting in his office after a long time.

It wasn’t the room on the top floor where he stayed, but a small office near Nisha’s office, but he didn’t find it particularly uncomfortable.

After all, he spent most of his time in other people’s rooms.

At first, he mainly spent time in Nisha’s office.

As it was the branch manager’s office, it was spacious and had a good desk for him to work separately. Also, the walls were thicker than other rooms, making it convenient for important conversations, and the safe on one wall was good for storing various things.

If not there, he would sometimes be in Ino’s room, who spent a lot of time outside.

But these days, the place where he spent the most time was Ael’s room.

He had handed over the ancient documents to Ael, and as soon as she finished decoding, he immediately began reviewing.

He didn’t just read what she decoded. He also immediately started studying the ancient language. Learning it to some extent would make future work easier.

Today was expected to be a similar day.

Apart from the schedule to visit the bank with Ael to create her account, there wasn’t much else added to the agenda.

Even if there were schedules, most of them took place secretly late at night, so there wasn’t much to do during the day.

But suddenly, a tremendous gust of wind blew in and the entire port was turned upside down.

Kalon looked around briefly and then ran up the stairs. He remembered that Ael always kept her door open at this time.

But before he could even climb one floor, an employee from the underground communication room ran out looking for Kalon. A message had come in from the Empire.

So Kalon had no choice but to turn back from heading to Ael’s room.

The connection with the Empire couldn’t be maintained for long. So it would be troublesome to miss that moment.

But…

“That bastard Rasis, he finally did it.”

Kalon gritted his teeth, recalling the blurry face he had seen a few hours ago.

The world might revere him as a genius, but to Kalon, he was just an annoying madman.

Among other issues, Rasis’s biggest problem was that he became unstoppable once he showed interest in something.

Once when Kalon pointed out this trait of Rasis, Rasis had responded incredulously.