I flinched at those words without realizing it. The fact that the offer was still valid surprised me. Yet, whether then or now, it still felt somewhat unsettling.
What did he see in me to offer such a large sum of money? I looked at Raphael quietly and finally spoke. “Um, Lord Raphael… I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know why you’re being so kind to me.”
Although Raphael seemed to be kind to the other maids as well, this was excessive. Since I couldn’t understand the reason, I felt afraid.
“Hmm. How should I explain it…” As Raphael set down his teacup, a clinking sound echoed. He gazed at me with his beautiful green eyes. “I’ve been waiting for someone for a long time. And Mia, you seem to be that person.”
“You’ve been waiting…?”
What on earth was he talking about? Just as I was bewildered by his cryptic words, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
At Raphael’s permission, the person who entered was Isaac. After a brief nod, he spoke.
“Raphael, would it be alright if another maid served you today? Mia has an urgent matter to attend to.”
“Hmm. Is it about the matter from yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I guess there’s no choice. Go on, Mia.”
If it’s about yesterday, could it be the debt issue?
After lightly bowing to Raphael, I followed Isaac. We entered the parlor, and after sitting on the sofa, Isaac gestured for me to sit as well. Once I sat across from him, he got straight to the point.
“I looked into the debt you owe.”
I have been thinking a lot since yesterday. Could this be an unfair contract? Maybe I could cancel it if I reported it? But Isaac’s expression wasn’t good.
“It’s a legitimate contract, done through proper procedures, and it’s recognized as credible. It seems you won’t be able to get back the money you’ve already paid.”
Sigh… What should I do now? As I hung my head in despair, Isaac placed a pouch of money on the table.
“Here’s 50 gold coins. You need to stop the interest from growing, so pay off some of it with this. I’m lending it to you.”
“Thank you…”
He was lending me 50 gold coins, even though I had already run away once. I couldn’t help but be grateful.
As I held the pouch tightly, Isaac stood up and said, “Then let’s go pay the money. Get up. We’re leaving together.”
“Huh? I can go alone…”
“I don’t trust you.”
Isaac strode out in front. It might have seemed overbearing, but at this moment, it actually made him seem reliable.
We headed straight to the loan shark’s office. As soon as we entered, the man from yesterday greeted me with a grin.
“Oh, we meet again. So, did you bring the money?”
I felt disgusted. I threw the pouch I got from Isaac at him. Without showing any displeasure, the man opened the pouch and counted the coins, then tilted his head.
“It’s not enough.”
“What are you talking about? That’s the 50 gold coins you mentioned.”
“Oh, that was yesterday.” The man grinned slyly. “Your father borrowed an additional 20 gold coins yesterday.”
“…What?”
I couldn’t feel any strength in my hands. Could anger and hopelessness coexist? As I stood there, clenching my fists tightly, Isaac pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table.
“Here’s 20 gold coins. This clears the debt, right?”
The man picked up the two coins, inspected them, then smirked and pulled something out of his desk drawer, tossing it carelessly on the floor. It was an IOU. With a smug grin, he said, “For now, that’s it. Well done.”
For now? Even though I had the IOU in my hands, something still didn’t sit right. Isaac looked just as frustrated.
“I think the real problem here isn’t the loan shark but your father. It seems he’ll keep borrowing money.”
“What do you mean? If my father borrows money, then he should pay it back…”
“The loan sharks don’t believe your father can repay it, so they’re coming after you. They’re deliberately lending him money to target you.”
So, does that mean I’ll have to keep paying off the debt? It made no sense.
I thought maybe it would be better to just run away again. But if I got caught, it would be 450 gold coins by now. What if the loan sharks come after me? What should I do…
“Mia.” Isaac gently touched my shoulder and called my name. His expression was as calm as ever, and strangely, it made me feel calmer too. “Don’t worry.”
How can I not worry? The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I held them back. However, something felt off. Although Isaac’s face was serene, his eyes gleamed sharply.
“I’ll take care of it.”
It felt like Isaac’s eyes were burning white. His beautiful lips parted, and a melodious voice escaped.
“Because I’m your master.”
* * *
The smell of alcohol mixed with the thick cigarette smoke. Despite it still being midday, the people gathered in the parlor were already quite drunk. Mia’s father was no exception. On the table were alcohol, cigarettes, playing cards, and piles of gold and silver coins.
One of the guests exhaled a long stream of smoke and laughed mockingly. He turned to Mia’s father and said, “You’re quite something. You always lose, but somehow, you always find money to borrow.”
“Mia works hard to earn it. Poor thing.”
“Poor thing, my foot…”
Mia’s father sneered as he looked at the cards in his hand. His heart was pounding wildly. No wonder—he had a back-straight flush. The cards were all hearts, from Ace to Five, lined up perfectly. With such a strong hand, his mouth went dry. He did his best to hide it, but one by one, the other players began folding their cards.
“I fold.”
“Me too.”
Did they sense something? Afraid that the game would end too soon, a guest sitting across from him pushed all his chips to the center.
“All in.” His voice and gestures were elegant.
Mia’s father, cheering inside, also pushed all the money he had into the pot. Now, all that money was practically his.
“I have a back-straight flush. That means all of this is mine…”
“Oh, how unfortunate.”
The opponent smiled as he revealed his hand. The onlookers’ eyes widened in shock.
“A ro-royal straight flush…?!”
It was the strongest hand in poker. Seeing it, Mia’s father went pale. How could this happen? A back-straight flush and a royal straight flush in the same game? It felt like a devil had set this up. As the opponent pulled all the money towards him, the spectators began flattering him.
“Wow, you’re really good! Incredible skills, Lord Raphael.”
At those words, Raphael smiled faintly. His green eyes were simply beautiful. Despite winning a large sum of money, Raphael didn’t seem particularly pleased. He looked much the same as when he had entered the room. Seeing this, Mia’s father became even more frustrated.
Damn it. I shouldn’t have let him in. How could I lose so much to someone who’s only been here for a day?
It seemed his poker skills weren’t great, but he was extremely lucky. Just earlier, hadn’t he made some ridiculous mistakes?
Right. That must have been beginner’s luck. If I play again, I can win…!
As he gritted his teeth, Raphael gazed at him with interest.
Raphael spoke. “Shall we play another round?”
“…I don’t have any more money.”
“Then I’ll lend you some.”
Raphael returned the money he had just won. Mia’s father stared at him in disbelief.
Raphael then smiled warmly. “Shall we continue then? The night is still young.”
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is Raphael trying to get her into further debt…???
Is raphael the demon guy?🤔