Chapter 32
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 32
"So you're saying you took the seal and the key?"
"Yes. The Pascal Merchant Guild requires identity verification."
"Hmm."
Kaian's expression grew subtle as he received the report from Liam.
It hadn't been long since she'd requested a supply of Poleta leather—mountains of it stacked throughout the Grand Duchy.
When he'd asked what it was for, she'd refused to share her intentions, leaving him frustrated. Now, suddenly, she wanted to return the advance payment.
'What on earth is she plotting?'
With his brow furrowed, Kaian crossed his arms and posed a casual question.
"Did she go alone?"
"She went with a maid."
"I see."
Kaian nodded once, then tapped the edge of his desk with a long finger.
Once Liam had finished his report and left, Kaian retrieved something from a drawer.
A piece of jewelry bearing the intricate emblem of the Blaire Family, its craftsmanship exquisite.
It was none other than a ring passed down through generations of the Blaire Grand Duke House—one capable of altering one's appearance.
* * *
Bonita's face was radiant as she scooped gold coins into a sack brought from the Grand Duke's Residence.
Mine was hardly any different.
'There's more than I expected?'
The gold coins, glinting brilliantly as they reflected the soft light, represented a considerable sum at first glance.
I'd heard whispers that the comic books were doing well and that many people were searching for them everywhere, but I hadn't imagined the returns would be this substantial.
For just a moment, I entertained the thought of abandoning all investment plans and simply retreating to some rural village to live out my days. But I quickly came to my senses.
After all, when it comes to money, more is always better.
While I was lost in pleasant fantasies, Bonita—who had stuffed the sack, now the size of a human head, to bursting—stepped back without the slightest sign of strain.
"Isn't it heavy?"
Bonita flashed a meaningful smile and whispered softly.
"No, it has a lightness enchantment on it."
"...You certainly are thorough."
Truly, Bonita was something else.
I nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave.
The Merchant Guild Master, delighted to have such an esteemed guest, had expressed his desire to offer tea as we made our way out of the vault, but I politely declined.
Given my introverted nature and the many tasks awaiting me, today would be far too busy for such pleasantries.
"I've never handled such a large sum of money before."
After stepping outside, accompanied by the warm farewells of Pascal Merchant Master and his staff, Bonita murmured in a dazed tone.
"...Neither have I."
The amount I'd only ever seen on documents was now finally in my hands, yet it still didn't feel quite real.
Now I just needed to board the carriage and head to the next destination...
Just as I was about to take a step, an ominous premonition suddenly washed over me.
"Huh?"
'Be cautious of pickpockets in front of banks and ATMs.'
Why had such a thought suddenly crossed my mind?
Seized by an anxious foreboding, my gaze shifted to the money pouch Bonita was carrying.
"Wait, Bonita. Just a moment..."
I scrambled to my feet and reached out, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
A black shadow came hurtling toward us with blinding speed, snatching the pouch away in an instant before vanishing.
"Oh my!"
The money pouch receding into the distance, Bonita's panicked form stamping her feet in empty-handed despair—it all seemed to unfold in slow motion.
What on earth had just happened?
"I, I..."
'A snatch-and-grab theft!?'
Only then did the situation fully register.
Perhaps I had been confined in the peaceful Grand Duke's Residence for far too long.
I was appalled to realize I hadn't given a moment's thought to the kind of danger two unescorted women might face in such circumstances.
"A pickpocket!"
I cried out toward the shadow already disappearing into the distance, but none of the onlookers made any move to intervene.
Bonita, her face crumpling in despair, grabbed at her skirts and took a few hurried steps forward, though there was no hope of catching the thief.
'That was money I earned through blood and sweat.'
Should I chase after them myself?
As I wrestled with the thought, a strange figure suddenly emerged from the crowd that had gathered around the commotion.
"Are you alright?"
Flutter.
The hood the man was wearing slipped away in the breeze.
His ash-grey hair, revealed in the sunlight, gleamed so brightly it made my eyes water, and his golden eyes were as clear and luminous as the sky itself.
'Wait, something about his face...'
My shock was brief—the moment I saw his features clearly, my eyes widened.
The Grand Duke?
No, it was someone else.
'Despite the different hair and eye color, he bears a striking resemblance.'
Startled by how similar this man's features were to the Grand Duke's—similar enough to cause momentary confusion—I watched as he immediately rushed off in another direction.
As everything had happened so suddenly, I stood there dazed until I heard a trembling voice.
"I, I'm so sorry, miss. I was foolishly distracted and..."
Bonita, who hadn't dared approach, seemed at a loss, tormented by the thought that the incident was her fault.
"No, it's fine."
But there was no reason to blame her. After all, this was something I should have considered from the start.
Standing in the middle of the street with a pouch obviously full of money right in front of what was essentially a bank—if we'd only been robbed by a pickpocket, we were fortunate.
Had we encountered a highway bandit while moving about so carelessly, the situation would undoubtedly have taken a far worse turn.
"Let's find the Security Force first."
"Oh no, what if the money is lost forever? I'm truly sorry, Miss...."
Bonita's eyes glistened with moisture, and she showed no sign of dispelling her worry.
Truth be told, I had suggested finding the Security Force myself, but I couldn't help thinking it would be difficult for them to catch a pickpocket who had already fled.
I tried my best to appear unshaken in order to console Bonita, but....
'Damn it, damn it.'
I had brought gold coins to fill an entire pouch greedily, and what remained in the vault was meager.
Of course, it wasn't insignificant, but considering various expenses like hiring personnel, there was a high likelihood it would fall short.
"...Sigh."
Just as I was contemplating this for a moment.
Clang!
A loud sound of something falling to the ground echoed.
Instinctively lifting my head, I saw the very pouch that had been brimming with gold coins just moments ago—coins I had been holding—now placed right before me.
"Gasp!"
Bonita also let out an exclamation upon discovering it.
"It took longer than expected. I was delayed turning the pickpocket over to the Security Force."
"Did you... help me...?"
The man standing before me, immaculate without a speck of dust despite subduing someone and handing them over to the authorities, was the very person I had momentarily mistaken for the Grand Duke just moments ago.
"Since it's stolen property, you should verify it."
"Ah, yes."
Bewildered, I checked inside the pouch and confirmed nothing was amiss, then quickly offered my gratitude.
"Th-thank... you."
I had never expected someone to help with a matter unrelated to them, so I was moved to tears.
The world still held warmth!
'To think I could meet someone who keeps their word even on the streets like this.'
In the Salt Kingdom, I had crawled about like a slave and been betrayed by people so many times that my experience points in betrayal had easily reached 999.
Precisely because of that, the fact that this man not only caught the pickpocket who had stolen my purse but also brought back the money he could have easily pocketed himself filled me with ever-growing gratitude.
How should I repay this?
"Um, is there perhaps something you'd like...?"
"Hmm."
Oh, had I been too hasty?
It might be tactless to mention a specific amount. If the man wasn't a fool, he would have checked inside the pouch.
"Please, feel free to name a high price. I want to show my sincerity...."
"I didn't act expecting compensation."
"Pardon?"
"I'll take only your kind words. Then I'll be going."
Faced with the man's completely unexpected response, I stared at him dumbfounded.
But the man seemed to mean it, as he immediately prepared to leave.
"Wait..."
Hold on.
It felt like such a waste to let him go like this!
Someone who showed such genuine honesty on a first meeting—I had to find a way to keep him and put him to use!
Had the phantom of Liam, drowning in the swamp of overwork, momentarily possessed me?
Seized by the thought that I needed to secure this talent, I found myself grabbing the man without thinking.
"Wait, just a moment!"
"...? What is it."
"Would you perhaps be interested in working as a guard knight?"
Since I was currently playing the role of a distant branch noble of the Blaire Grand Duke House, hiring a bodyguard wasn't particularly unusual.
I waited for his answer with bated breath, my eyes fixed on his lips.
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