It was a strange thing. Until just before Elize left, hearing her voice would unconditionally make her bow her head and follow orders like a dog.

Elize, who even the baron couple looked down upon, was the being Ael feared most in this house.

But not anymore.

Now in Ael’s eyes, Elize was a pitiful person who made a foolish choice and returned without gaining anything in the end.

“It’s not like that. While you were gone, I worked at Ash Company.”

“You worked? At Ash Company? With the commoners of the Empire?”

Elize shouted with a dumbfounded expression, as if she truly couldn’t imagine it.

“Are you crazy? A noble should know shame! You went to work among those people just because you had no money?”

By Elize’s standards, that was even more incomprehensible than selling one’s body.

Ash Company would certainly be at the port.

That a noble woman mixed and worked with them in that unsanitary place full of fishy smells and teeming with commoners.

Rather than starve to death or enter a convent, that was absolutely unthinkable.

If it became known that a woman listed in the noble register had done such a thing, the family’s honor would completely plummet.

While thinking this, Elize felt joy deep in her heart.

Because Ael’s scandal would invite much more contempt from people than her own.

“Why is that shameful? I earned it fairly.”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? What will other nobles think of Baron Aradis’s family if they find out about this!”

“Don’t worry about that. I didn’t use the name Aelfrida there. And no nobles came there, and even if they did, I worked separately where I wouldn’t meet them. And above all, you know that hardly any nobles know my face.”

It was as Ael said. She had been expelled from high society soon after her debut in the first year and hadn’t gone out at all since then.

Riena had recently invited her to a tea party, but none of the women who would have attended that gathering would visit Ash Company.

Only after thinking that far did Elize’s expression soften a little.

That’s not to say her suspicion of Ael had disappeared.

“But what exactly did you do there?”

“I decoded ancient languages. And I helped with tasks that required calculations.”

“Ancient languages? You never studied that separately.”

Elize’s eyes sharpened, thinking Ael was lying.

“The tutor who came when I was young liked ancient languages. So without telling Father, I learned separately… and after that I continued studying on my own.”

Ael’s words were still suspicious.

Elize remembered her own skills that hardly improved despite the baron couple providing her with separate tutors.

She studied that difficult subject alone? Is that even possible?

‘But if what she’s saying is true, it’s not a bad thing.’

She thought the connection with Ash Company had been completely severed, but to think she had been working there.

Moreover, if Ash Company needed work with ancient languages, it was certainly related to the nobility, and those in charge of that work would be people of some status.

Anyway, now she had to use everything she could.

“Do you perhaps enter the Oltbea mansion too?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Just answer.”

“I’ve never been to the Oltbea mansion.”

Ael deliberately didn’t mention that she had gone near the Oltbea mansion and seen it from outside.

Somehow, she felt that telling Elize that fact now wouldn’t lead to anything good.

“You said you’re still working there. Then if you say you want to go, they can let you in, right?”

“Why are you suddenly interested in the Oltbea mansion?”

“Just answer what I’m asking!”

Elize shouted at Ael, who kept asking questions without answering.

“I have to attend an event there somehow! If I miss even the Imperial people, I…”

“Elize, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I can’t help you. And… I’m sorry about the matter with the Grand Duke. I didn’t know he was such an honorless person.”

“Shut up! Be quiet! After hearing about the villa incident from that girl Maya, you want to laugh at me? Do you think you’ve become an Imperial just because you mingled with them while we were gone? Did you think you’d live some greatly different life!”

Thinking that Ael, whom she had always considered beneath her, was sympathizing with her by using words like “sorry,” Elize couldn’t contain her anger.

‘How dare she look me in the eye and lecture me?’

She wanted to distort Ael’s face somehow.

She wanted to make her tremble and bow her head like before. It wasn’t difficult. Because that thing’s future was already decided.

“Wake up. Father has already decided on your marriage partner! He’s even received the gratitude money!”

“…What?”

Ael froze at Elize’s words. Seeing that, Elize smiled cruelly, just like Riena, and said,

“You’ve already been sold.”

“Miss Ael, did something happen?”

Nisha spoke to Ael, who was blankly staring at the port.

Ael turned to her with a start.

“Miss Nisha? When did you come in?”

“What? You didn’t even notice me coming in? I even knocked and asked if I could take these documents just a moment ago.”

“…”

“Did you really not hear?”

Nisha thought it was quite strange.

Ael was usually sensitive to people’s presence. So when she came to visit, Ael would often open the door to greet her even before she knocked.

But she hadn’t heard her come in and speak, even though she was already inside.

Nisha’s face furrowed with worry as she examined Ael.

“What’s wrong with your face? Did something happen?”

“Ah, this. I bumped into something at home yesterday.”

There was a red mark on one side of Ael’s face.

It wasn’t a scratch or a cut, but if the part she said she hurt yesterday still left such a mark today, she must have hit it quite hard.

“Is it very noticeable?”

“It is a bit eye-catching. I think it’s more so because Miss Ael’s skin is so fair.”

“…”

At Nisha’s words, Ael touched her lower cheek.

It wasn’t from bumping into something. It was the mark from when Elize finally lost her temper yesterday and slapped her cheek.

She had quickly turned her face to avoid being hit full on, but the fact that Ael had dodged her hand made Elize even more furious, and she eventually collapsed in tears.

Maya and Jena downstairs were startled and came running up asking what happened, and Maya took the trembling, enraged Elize into her room.

“Um, Miss Nisha. Is Kyle still staying at Oltbea?”

Since returning from the count’s house, Ael had only listened when Nisha and Ino occasionally informed her of his situation, without asking anything about Kyle herself.

“Kyle? It seems he’ll keep staying at Oltbea. Things are so busy over there. Why? Do you have a message for him?”

“Well, that… It’s something I should tell you first, Miss Nisha.”

“What are you hesitating so much about?”

Though she asked playfully, Nisha’s smile faded as Ael maintained her serious expression.

“I think I’ll have to quit work earlier than I said.”

“What?”

Nisha’s surprised voice grew louder.

“What are you saying all of a sudden? Was there a problem with work? Is someone giving you a hard time? Don’t tell me… That Ino bastard! I’ll wring his neck! I thought he was bringing too many code-breaking textbooks!”

“It has nothing to do with Ino!”

Ael desperately held back Nisha, who looked ready to rush out and grab Ino by the collar.

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Well, it’s… I don’t think there’s much left for me to do. Recently, decoding ancient languages only takes two or three pages a day, and I’ve finished organizing the terminology separately. The schedule that got busy because of the Oltbea mansion seems to have stabilized recently… I don’t think I’m really needed anymore.”

“What are you saying? When we sent your data to headquarters, they went crazy. There’s a problem with communication with headquarters right now so their response is delayed, but I’m sure they’ll insist on keeping you. Are you perhaps still uncomfortable with the code-related work? If that’s the case, Ino might flip out, but you don’t have to do it. So don’t even think about quitting.”

“…”

Ael didn’t respond to Nisha’s words. Seeing Ael like this, Nisha tried to persuade her again.

“To be honest… Miss Ael, do you really not want to keep working with us?”

“That’s difficult. As you know, I can only work until my parents return…”

“Have your parents returned?”

“…No, they haven’t.”

The baron couple truly hadn’t returned yet.

But with Elize back like that, they probably wouldn’t stay away much longer.

“Miss Ael, I’m not just saying this… I’ve wanted to make a suggestion to you from the beginning.”

“What is it?”

Nisha hesitated uncharacteristically, then spoke in a serious voice.

“Won’t you run away to the Empire?”