Chapter 15
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Chapter 15
Baron Loapi's Residence.
It wasn't directly adjacent to the Imperial Palace, but it was situated close enough—a reasonably fine estate by any measure.
I exhaled deeply and opened the door. In that same instant, a middle-aged couple who had been sitting anxiously in the living room sprang to their feet.
"Namia!"
"You've come, Namia! Did Huan tell you anything?"
This doesn't feel right at all.
The fact that Baron Loapi and Baroness Loapi greeted me with such urgency was an ominous sign indeed.
'Something has definitely happened.'
Worse still, I had heard from Luca Class yesterday that they were peddling my name everywhere while drowning in debt—my premonition was decidedly grim.
"...No, nothing."
I found myself unconsciously stepping backward as I spoke.
"I simply told Huan to go home... Oh, and I did pass along the Treasury Department matter as well, come to think of it."
"Ah, I see. Well, that's something you'll need to handle well enough..."
Baroness Loapi dabbed at her eyes slightly, then released a heavy sigh.
"Namia, your great-uncle has lost a considerable sum through an investment venture."
"I see."
I nodded without much surprise. Everyone except Baron Loapi himself knew he had no talent for investments.
What did sting, however, was that my own salary was included in the fortune he had squandered.
"But the problem is..."
Wait, there's more to this?
"He took on rather excessive debt to fund the investment..."
My eyes widened.
'Rather excessive debt' was code for 'an astronomical amount of debt,' wasn't it?
As I stared at the Baron with an expression of disbelief, he waved his hands frantically and cried out.
"They said it was reliable information no one else knew about! How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this!"
Truly, was he an idiot? Why would they give you information that no one else knew about? They would have kept it all for themselves.
As I released a long sigh, he opened his eyes wide with genuine indignation.
"I did it all for the family's prosperity! What? Did I do it on purpose? Just because I lost some money, you're looking at me like that—the man who raised you? Where did you learn such manners!"
"I didn't open my eyes like this on purpose either. I was doing it for your sake too, Uncle. Anyway, that's why..."
I answered without blinking once.
"...so why did you call for me?"
I had no reason to feel more responsibility toward them than necessary simply because we shared blood.
I was fully aware of all the unfair things they had done to me over the years. That was why I regarded them merely as business partners.
Not as family bound by blood, but as a necessary transaction to find my father.
Which meant I had closed the door to my heart toward them long ago.
"Ah, well, about that..."
Baroness Loapi smiled faintly and linked her arm through mine.
"Namia, what if you were to marry? You're certainly of marriageable age..."
Marriage?
These people....
They're crossing lines with a business partner?
"The Eldest Son of Olten Merchant Guild, and he's really taken a liking to you."
The calculation came immediately.
Olten Merchant Guild was quite a prosperous organization. No matter how much debt Baron Loapi had incurred, they were wealthy enough to repay it all.
However, the Eldest Son of Olten Merchant Guild was older than Baron Loapi.
"You know, right? That man is a confirmed bachelor. He hasn't met a single woman since his divorce fourteen years ago. Oh, and he set conditions too. He asked her to quit her job at the Imperial Palace. He said his wife hated being busy while earning pocket change."
"...Wasn't that divorce due to a violence incident? Do people really use the term 'confirmed bachelor' for that these days?"
"Ah, I heard there was a misunderstanding about it. Why does ancient history matter? Since it's a wealthy household, you can live lavishly there."
The Baroness Loapi laughed with a smirk and squeezed my arm more tightly.
"Dear, I'm telling you this because I truly think of you as my own daughter. If you quit your job and just know how to handle that man, you can live spending money freely, you see? If I had a daughter, I would genuinely send her there."
"But you don't have a daughter, do you, Aunt?"
When I spoke bluntly, she added as if pouting.
"Dear, you have to think about Huan Loapi too.... Huan Loapi is just rising to success now, and if the family becomes a burden, that won't do, will it?"
"Why should I think about Huan Loapi? He's not even my son?"
At that moment, Baron Loapi interjected, as if there was no need for further explanation, waving his hand.
"That's enough. Just go through with this marriage."
It was a clean command. A tone that was certain I would obey his words.
"Then I'll tell you right away."
Baron Loapi laughed despicably, as if bestowing mercy.
"Where your father went."
I didn't answer and lowered my eyes.
Father....
The most precious memory I possess. What I must protect, my most valuable treasure.
That's why I've endured until now. In truth, it's been manageable so far.
'But.... But I must be precious to Father too.'
A question I had buried deep surfaced gently. Would Father be happy if he later learned that I had lived this way?
"Come now, your father's location will be revealed, won't it? There's still more than three years left on the contract."
Baron Loapi rubbed his hands together as he spoke.
"You marry into a wealthy household, use that money to find your father, and you're done! You can even quit your job as a civil servant!"
As he spoke, finding it increasingly appealing, Baron Loapi shouted as if bestowing a great favor.
"This is a completely profitable deal for you! You achieve everything you want!"
I gazed at Baron Loapi with an expressionless face.
Yes. Everything I want becomes a profitable deal.
Everything I had aimed for could be achieved as quickly as a lie.
'I learn where Father is, I obtain the money to save him....'
My imagination naturally spread its wings in my mind.
[Father! Father!]
[My daughter! How did you get here, hmm?]
In my imagination, Father and I reunited more poignantly than anyone else could.
[I married an ugly man older than Father, quit my good job that I was doing well at, and came here! Oh, that man is famous for beating his wives? So he's trash who's already been divorced once! I've sacrificed this much for Father's sake—I really did well, didn't I?]
[No, unbelievable! All my effort in coming this far has amounted to nothing!]
The fantasy dissolved in an instant.
I exhaled sharply, then shook off the Baroness Loapi's arm that had been linked through mine.
"That's enough. Let's end this bitter connection here."
It was a line I had rehearsed countless times. There had been more than one occasion when I'd wanted to flee this house.
I had endured. I had persevered. But now the moment had finally come when I could bear it no longer.
"I have no further business in this residence."
"Hey! You... are you out of your mind? I'm the only one who knows where your father went! If you keep poking around ignorantly like this, your father will be dragged off to prison! Do you understand?"
Baron Loapi flailed his arms in bewilderment, trying to grab me.
"I'm perfectly sound of mind, and I have no desire to discuss the rest with you, Uncle."
I sidestepped his grasp without even glancing back. There was nothing I needed to take, so I moved without hesitation.
Yet something within me crumbled simultaneously.
[Father isn't struggling at all! Just seeing Namia Loapi's face gives him such strength!]
But precisely because Father loved me, I had to release that memory. This was not what he would have wanted.
I had endured enough until now.
"Don't contact me anymore."
The Baron shouted something, but I didn't hear it.
I had no intention of listening from the start anyway.
"Oh, and I'll be changing the account for my wages, so take note of that."
I walked out of Baron Loapi's Residence at a steady pace.
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