BCHG Chapter 49

Oh no, my emotions must have shown on my face. I quickly hid my expression and smiled. Isaac simply continued to watch me quietly.

 

“Is it because of your boyfriend?”

 

“N-No…”

 

But Isaac didn’t seem convinced. I noticed a hint of concern flickers across his usually expressionless face.

 

“If he does anything, let me know.”

 

“…Yes, Master.”

 

Hearing that made Isaac feel somewhat dependable. Not that Lian would ever do anything to me… Still, I had to go meet him.

 

I quickly made my way to the café where we had arranged to meet. As usual, Lian had arrived first. How early does he get here?

 

Lian spotted me and waved cheerfully as I approached. “Mia! Over here.” He really is always so bright.

 

I chuckled and sat down across from him. He handed me the menu as he spoke. “Everything going okay? That master of yours hasn’t been giving you any trouble, has he?”

 

“Yeah, everything’s been fine.”

 

They really can’t stand each other, can they? I mused, but then Lian grinned and pulled something out.

 

“Here you go, Mia. With this, you should be able to leave the mansion, right?”

 

He handed me a pouch of gold coins. Inside were ten pure gold coins, each worth ten regular gold coins. I was speechless—he was giving me such a large sum without hesitation.

 

I realized that with the money I’d saved up, I’d only need to borrow 50 gold instead of the full amount.

 

“I’ve managed to save up some money. I’ll only need to borrow 50 gold.”

 

“Hmm… Do you have a place to go once you leave?”

 

A place to go… I shook my head. But I had a little extra money saved up, so I should be able to find a cheap place to rent, and I could look for a new job soon.

 

“No, but I should be able to rent a cheap place somewhere.”

 

“Cheap places usually aren’t in safe areas. Why not use the 50 gold for a nicer place and for living expenses?”

 

Ugh, he had a point. As I hesitated, Lian smiled.

 

“I was going to lend you 100 gold anyway, so just take it. If you want, I can help you find a place next time—I’m good at bargaining.”

 

His smile was contagious, and I found myself smiling back. He wrote down the address of where he was staying and handed it to me.

 

“If anything comes up, contact me at this address. Or do you want to go look at places now?”

 

“Sure, why not?”

 

I had some time to spare, so it seemed like a good idea. After finishing our tea, we headed out to find a real estate agent. The agent greeted us with a business smile as we walked in.

 

“Welcome! Are you looking for a house?”

 

“Yes. Do you have any nice places available?”

 

“We have a lovely house for newlyweds.”

 

What? Newlyweds? I quickly blurted out, “No! I’m looking for a place just for myself.”

 

“Oh, my apologies. I thought you two were a couple.”

 

I guess we looked like a couple, being a young man and woman together.

 

Just then, a system message popped up.

 

[Lian’s affection has increased by 3]

[Current Lian’s affection: 53]

 

Why did his affection go up again?

 

Meanwhile, Lian playfully responded, “We are a couple. My girlfriend is looking for a safe and nice place to live.”

 

“Oh, in that case, I have several options…”

 

We visited a few places the agent recommended, but none seemed worth the price. Lian seemed to agree, and eventually, we decided to call it a day. He looked a bit disappointed.

 

“It would’ve been great if we could’ve found a place today… Do you want to look again tomorrow?”

 

“Sure. I was planning to stay at an inn for now anyway.”

 

“Alright, see you tomorrow then. Be careful on your way back.”

 

I left, feeling both light and heavy at the same time. Well… I had 100 gold, 50 more in savings, and if I sold a few belongings, I’d have enough to pay back the remaining debt. I headed to my regular pawn shop, sold my items, and ended up with 15 pure gold coins in hand.

 

Finally… I’m free. But as I thought about leaving, an odd heaviness settled in my chest. How would Isaac react when I told him I was leaving? With that thought lingering, I made my way back to the mansion, only to find a commotion at the front gate. A group of rough-looking men had gathered outside.

 

Who are these guys?

 

Just then, one of the men yelled, “I’m telling you, I just need to talk to a woman named Mia!”

 

Why were they looking for me? I didn’t recognize any of their faces…

 

As I hesitated, one of the men spotted me and walked over. “Hey, Lady. It’s not good to ignore us like this.”

 

“…Who are you?”

 

“Who am I? You don’t remember us now?”

 

But I really didn’t know who they were.

 

I tried to walk away, but another man blocked my path.

 

“Who are you people? Move!”

 

“You’ve been dodging the interest for so long, and now you’re going to pretend you don’t know?”

 

Interest… What interest? As I stood there in shock, one of the men sneered.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to pretend you don’t know about your parents’ debt.”

 

Parents’ debt? I had no idea.

 

Then, one of them snatched my bag and started rummaging through it.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

 

I tried to grab it back, but I wasn’t strong enough. They found my pouch of gold and started laughing.

 

“Oh, it’s pretty heavy. 150 gold, huh?”

 

“Give that back!”

 

That money was important! I couldn’t just let them take it. As I desperately clung to the money pouch, their expression turned sour.

 

“What do you think you’re doing…”

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

 

A cold voice interrupted. I turned to see Isaac standing there. At that moment, I was so relieved to see him. The men hesitated but still didn’t return the pouch.

 

“I asked, what are you doing in front of my mansion, harassing my maid?” Isaac’s words were cold, and the weight of his authority made the men pause.

 

One of them finally spoke up. “So, you must be the owner of this place. Stay out of this. We’re just here to collect a debt.”

 

“Debt?”

 

“This girl owes us money. If you don’t believe us, check the loan agreement.”

 

The man pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. My name was written on it, but I had no memory of this at all.

 

What is this? What’s going on…? My hands trembled as Isaac took the document and frowned.

 

“What is this ridiculous interest rate?”

 

“We always explain the terms beforehand. If the borrower agrees, it’s their decision.” The man glanced at me and added, “Though it’s not her debt, but her parents’, she’s the one repaying it.”

 

Parents’ debt. So that’s what this was. My throat tightened, and I managed to speak. “So, how much do I owe…?”

 

“Well, since you paid 50 gold before, you just need to pay 200 more.”

 

The ridiculous amount made my head spin. The 50 gold I borrowed from Isaac had gone toward this? I couldn’t find the words to respond.

 

The man scoffed and turned to Isaac. “It’s a legal contract. If you don’t believe us, you can take it up with the authorities.”

 

With that, they took the loan document and my pouch of gold. One of them grinned as he said, “Since we’ve got 150 gold now, you just need to pay 50 more. But keep in mind, another 10 gold in interest will be added next month.” Laughing, the men walked away.

 

I stood there, frozen in place. In an instant, 150 gold was gone, and I still had 50 gold of debt remaining.

 

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