While I was surprisingly realizing how much I had received from him so far, Jena chattered beside me.

“More importantly, why couldn’t you return yesterday? Who were you with? Where did you go?”

Jena’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she poured out questions without pause.

As if Ael had spent a wonderful time at a splendid banquet.

It wasn’t a glittering banquet hall, but I did see beautiful fields and land, and spent a night in the count’s room, which could be called history itself. Plus, there was the pleasant conversation with the count and his wife.

But I couldn’t tell Jena any of that.

This matter was known only to a few people, and above all, I absolutely could not tell that I had become Kayle’s fiancée.

Ael placed the frame she was holding on the worktable.

“Is it a picture? A house? The sea?”

“Yes. I went there.”

Ael talked about the hill and the house on the hill that she had seen.

As Ael described the sea she had seen and the wind she had felt, she felt a deep longing.

It’s a place I saw for the first time yesterday. Yet just recalling it makes my heart ache with such longing.

‘If I didn’t even have this picture, I would have been very sad.’

Ael touched the frame, inwardly thanking the countess again.

Then she remembered the massive mansion she had seen there.

“Ah, and I also saw the Oltbea mansion.”

“Really? Is it true that it’s so big and splendid? Did you go inside?”

Jena, who had looked disappointed when Ael described the house on the hill, couldn’t hide her excitement as soon as she mentioned the Oltbea mansion.

Seeing her reaction, Ael was reminded of Kayle persistently asking for her impressions of the Oltbea mansion.

He had strangely demanded her impressions of that mansion. As if he were the owner of that mansion himself.

‘Come to think of it, Kayle went towards the Oltbea mansion.’

Nisha had deliberately come nearby to wait, and he immediately rode off on horseback.

It seemed that some new business related to the mansion had come up.

Even though he should report on the deal with the count, the fact that Nisha sent Kayle there must mean something far more important had come up.

‘I guess Kalon Ash is really coming soon.’

If so, will Kayle continue to stay there for a while? Won’t he come to the capital?

She remembered his back view as he rode away on horseback. How hurt she felt when he didn’t look back even once despite calling his name.

Nisha, who ended up riding back in the carriage with her, made excuses on Kayle’s behalf saying he had urgent business, but that didn’t ease the hurt feelings. But now that she was back home, even that back view was missed.

Ael recalled what had happened in the carriage just before Nisha arrived.

She vividly remembered his approaching figure, telling her she was wrong.

If either of them had moved just a little then, they would surely have touched. But…

“Young lady, what’s wrong? Are you feeling ill? Why did your face suddenly turn so red?”

“No. I, I’m going to put this picture down for a bit.”

“Take your time washing up and get some rest. I’ll prepare dinner as soon as you come down!”

Ignoring Jena’s words, Ael fled to her room with the frame. Plopping down on the bed, Ael muttered while hugging the frame closer to her chest.

“What should I do…”

The feelings she had tried to suppress several times surged powerfully again. Ael was helplessly shaken by the storm raging in her heart.

She had no idea what to do at times like this.

Several days passed after that. Ael had busy days during that time.

Several sailing ships of the Ash Company entering Denerturm encountered a storm midway and arrived at the port with major damage. Because of this, the company people were busy repairing the ships, treating the sailors, and organizing the damaged goods.

Ael also stepped up to help with the company’s work.

‘These days, there are much fewer ancient documents to decipher anyway.’

Although Ino still handed over documents related to code decryption from headquarters, they would be quickly finished when she focused on solving them.

Thanks to this, Ael had time to spare.

At first, Nisha and Ino told Ael that she didn’t need to help, but at Ael’s request to try various tasks, they quietly handed over other work saying, “If that’s the case, could you…”

It was company paperwork that required calculations.

〈Is it okay for me to look at these documents?〉

〈What are you saying at this point? You look at documents with even higher confidentiality levels every day.〉

At the incredulous response, Ael sheepishly began to check the documents she received.

A few days later, an employee who had been teaching Ael work grabbed her skirt and pleaded.

“Ael, our company’s working conditions are really good. You said it’s temporary now, right? Why don’t you just sign a formal employment contract on your way out?”

Ael had to struggle for quite a while because of the employee who clung to her with an expression that said, ‘If I can just keep this person, I can be happy!’

Even though such busy days continued, Ael felt an emptiness in the corner of her heart every day.

‘I haven’t seen him once since then.’

After leaving for the Oltbea mansion, Kayle did not appear at the company in the capital.

When she asked Nisha and Ino, they answered that he would not return from the Oltbea mansion for the time being.

Despite hearing that answer, whenever there was a sound in the hallway, Ael immediately went out to check if Kayle had returned, looking at the person coming up.

Of course, it was always someone else.

Then one day, when she saw a cleaner coming out of the room where he had been staying and the room was neatly cleaned up, she finally realized it.

The fact that Kayle really wouldn’t return here.

Meanwhile, the repairs to the viscount’s residence were completed. The workers from the company finished the repairs quickly and meticulously. Thanks to this, Elize’s room changed to be much more beautiful and neat than before the fire.

While reorganizing the clothes that had been placed elsewhere, Jena constantly grumbled that it was repaired too well, and Ael just gave a bitter smile.

“The money was earned by our young lady! Why does only young lady Elize get the good things!”

“My room was repaired too.”

“You only did the basics! What else did you do besides stopping the water leaks and replacing the too rotten wood!”

While angrily throwing Elize’s clothes around, Jena quickly hung them back in their place.

It wasn’t for the sake of Elize, whom she couldn’t stand to look at, but because if she didn’t do it, Ael would have to work that much harder.

After the house repairs were finished, Ael went to the bank to pay for the repairs.

Then she found out that more money than initially stated had been deposited into her account from the Ash Company under the name of special allowance.

Surprised, she ran to Nisha, who firmly said:

〈It’s all paid according to regulations, so there’s no need to be surprised or refuse. And as I said from the beginning, Ael, you really are a high-level talent, aren’t you? Who among us could have won the favor of the count and countess like that? Anyway, it’s forbidden to say it’s too much money and you can’t accept it.〉

Seeing Nisha making an X with her arms across her chest as if to say not to speak another word about the special allowance, Ael had no choice but to return to her office.

“To have 3,000 gilders…”

Looking at the amount written on the balance certificate, Ael muttered in disbelief.

She thought she would be able to save this much by working until fall, but to see such a number before even entering midsummer.

‘So what will you do?’

Ael recalled why she wanted to save money.

She wanted to save money to ask someone to become her fake husband. So she could escape from being her father’s possession and leave far away.

At first it was imagination, but as time passed, that imagination became more and more concrete.

Especially while talking with the Ash Company employees and hearing more information about the empire, it became clear how to get there and what to do after arriving.

The following thoughts always came to the same conclusion.

‘There’s no one to ask.’

More precisely, the person she wanted to ask wasn’t here.

Even in countless continued imaginations, Ael only thought of one person.

She really never thought about leaving with anyone other than that person.

Even Ino, who was so close, had never appeared in Ael’s imagination.

But still, she didn’t want to be sold off like this.

‘I’m sure I can find at least one person.’

There’s still time. So I should look for other possible ways too.