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Chapter 11

Fear.

Or perhaps, joy.

An unimaginably vast fortune, all now mine.

It simply didn't feel real.

'What on earth should I do first?'

There were so many things she wanted to do, and so many things she had to do.

Her mind was so full of thoughts it felt like it might burst.

Just as she felt overwhelmed and about to be crushed—

Agnes barely managed to pull herself together.

'Don't panic. There's something you need to do right now.'

As the representative of this estate, she had to properly receive her guests.

'Hire people. Maids, servants.'

'But this won't be enough to hire people for long.'

That was precisely why Cesenor had created the vault.

While Agnes fetched a sack to hold the gold coins, Silmare examined the vault Cesenor had made.

He looked at it suspiciously, placed his hand on the magic circle, and even tried to enter the vault when Agnes opened it, but—

Thump.

The vault would only accept Agnes.

Silmare was repelled as if he'd hit a wall.

Seeing that, Cesenor let out a soft chuckle.

"It would take a high-ranking mage several days to break it. After all, it's my magic—the 'Master of the Celestial Tower.'"

"Hmph."

Silmare twitched his brow as if it were laughable.

When they came up to the first floor together, Alfred was waiting.

"Are you finished with your business?"

"Yes. We have more than enough money."

It wasn't just "more than enough"—it was enough to build a palace.

Yet again, Alfred shook his head.

"But, my lady, even if we offer plenty of money, no one will want to come to our territory."

"Why?"

Agnes asked, then immediately realized the reason and blushed in embarrassment.

"I understand. No one trusts us."

"Yes. Our family's credit is too low. Even if we suddenly came into money, they wouldn't believe it."

At that, a low clearing of the throat came from behind.

Turning around, Cesenor had stepped forward once more.

His mysteriously shimmering eyes held Agnes's reflection fully within them as he murmured.

"What if I were to guarantee it?"

"Pardon?"

"The Marquis, you say?"

Agnes and Alfred stared in shock, their eyes wide.

But Cesenor nodded casually, as if it were no big deal.

"With my credit as the Marquis of Celesta, finding workers shouldn't be difficult."

At that, the two of them simultaneously began to dissuade him.

"No! You can't just offer something so important so casually!"

"That's right! Forgive my impertinence, but you shouldn't make such guarantees lightly! How can you trust us with such a dangerous promise?"

"Alfred, your voice is too loud!"

Agnes scolded Alfred with a stern face, but repeatedly checked Cesenor's expression.

As if she truly believed he shouldn't do it.

Cesenor smiled wryly.

The sight of the two of them speaking over each other looked somehow similar.

'A mere servant, butting in as if it's his own business—was this the Laverose family's tradition?'

Elsewhere, he might have scolded Alfred for being impertinent.

But the thought didn't even cross his mind.

Perhaps that was why his next words came out as if coaxing a child.

"I'm simply offering a guarantee of my status. Even if I were to lend money, I'm confident I wouldn't be cheated."

"But you never know what might happen. You shouldn't decide so rashly."

"More than anything, we don't know how it would look to the outside world. Are you sure you're alright with that?"

"That's right. Rumors will spread that the Celesta family is looking out for us!"

"That would actually be welcome. Even if it's only out of fear of my family's name, no one would dare treat Lady Agnes poorly."

Of course, messy rumors might follow as well.

But the more that happened, the more Agnes's options would be narrowed.

'She might be forced to choose me, as if driven into a corner.'

That might be why Alfred was so vigorously—almost rudely—trying to dissuade him.

He must be worried about his lady's reputation being tarnished by scandal.

All the more gladly, Cesenor persuaded the two of them.

"I trust Lady Agnes's diligence. I'm sure she'll take good care of things, even if it's only a temporary arrangement."

Behind them, Silmare watched the scene and clicked his tongue almost imperceptibly.

A mere Celesta fledgling.

How amusing that he kept trying to catch her eye.

He couldn't help the previous situation, but this time, he couldn't stay still.

Naturally, he had to step forward as well.

"I will join in as well."

"Pardon? Sir Silmare too?"

With a confident expression, Silmare asked proudly.

"Wouldn't the news that I am staying at Agnes's estate also be helpful?"

"Oh, well..."

They all fell silent for a moment.

It had already been a thousand years since non-human races had not ventured outside their designated territories.

If rumors spread that a legendary elf was staying at the Laverose estate...

'Wouldn't that attract an excessive amount of unnecessary attention?'

Unaware of what concerns Agnes was wrestling with—

Silmare stepped closer, lifted Agnes's hand, kissed it, and whispered.

"My Agnes."

In an instant, Alfred's gaze turned sharp as a blade.

Though he surely knew that, Silmare calmly met Agnes's eyes and continued.

"I want to help you in any way I can. Please, even if it's a small favor, allow me to assist."

"I believe I offered my help first, however."

Cesenor couldn't stay still either.

Just as he tried to interject again, Silmare blocked him with his own body.

Though Cesenor was tall, his opponent was an elf.

Naturally, he was taller than a human.

He wanted to argue that it was childish, but doing so would somehow make even him look ridiculous.

Giving up on how to respond, Cesenor let out only a thin sigh.

Agnes stared blankly at the scene.

She was so flustered she didn't know what to do, but...

'Honestly, I'm happy...'

Embarrassed that her mouth might fall open, Agnes quickly covered it with both hands.

Come to think of it, she had always had to handle everything alone.

There had been people who helped, but they were usually employees like Alfred, and the help from the Count of Waldemar wasn't the kind she could accept with an easy heart.

Even that, she had always felt was more than she deserved.

The help these two were offering now was the same.

Agnes took a deep breath, pushing out the joy that had piled up in her chest.

'It's only about finding workers.'

She barely managed to steady herself.

No matter how she thought about it, this wasn't the kind of thing for the two of them to be competing to help with.

It was far too trivial and personal.

"No. This is something I must do without your help."

She tried to decline with a firm attitude, composing her voice as much as possible.

But Silmare smiled and drew Agnes's hand toward him.

"Agnes."

"Yes, Sir Silmare."

"I have no doubt that the blessing of the World Tree is with you, but haven't you had many hardships all this time?"

"Well..."

As Agnes faltered, Silmare pressed his lips to the back of her hand once more.

"In life, unexpected misfortune and fortune come crashing in. Won't you allow me to be your fortune this time?"

Agnes lost her words and met his gaze.

We only met for the first time today.

She wanted to argue that, but his water-colored eyes held a deep, heavy hue.

As if it wasn't just a flattering remark, but the heartfelt truth.

And above all, she couldn't deny his words.

Because they were true.

Truly, every day had felt like an ordeal. Enduring had always been exhausting.

If she had been alone—without siblings, without a father, without debts—perhaps she could have managed somehow.

Even when she lost Amy, she had wanted to throw everything away and just collapse.

If even a stranger, completely unrelated to her, could come as a miraculous stroke of fortune...

Wouldn't it be alright to accept this much kindness?

As she hesitated, Alfred cautiously interjected.

"Um, might I ask if the two of you plan to stay here for a long time?"

No matter how he looked at it, the two men's attitudes were remarkably unusual.

As guests of high status, he had assumed they would stay briefly and then leave.

But somehow, both of them seemed to want to become deeply entangled with Agnes.

'No, surely not? It must be my old age worrying.'

Unaware of Alfred's heart, which wanted to ignore the ominous feeling pricking at his heart—

As if in unison, the two answered at the same time.

"Perhaps."

"For a while."

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