“300 million, hundred million, 300 million?”
Cello’s eyes spun. 300 million! Even if she died and came back to life, she wouldn’t dare to mention such an amount. With this, it was worth dying six times.
“If you need other conditions, feel free to propose. There won’t be any conditions from your head that I can’t handle.”
Cello’s heart raced like crazy. Casino or whatever, this was the real jackpot. Estribal’s yellow eyes began to look like gold coins.
But if she showed too much joy, it would be disadvantageous in the negotiation. Cello took a deep breath and asked in a clattering voice as if reading a book.
“So, what should I do?”
Cello’s face was strangely twisted to hold back laughter. Estribal clicked his tongue with a nonchalant expression and continued.
“Until this job is over, you will stay in this mansion. All movements must be reported to me. Especially, contact with the client is prohibited.”
Cello nodded. Anyway, if she left this house, her accommodation would be a rat-infested inn room, or she would be sold to a more terrible place.
“When the job is over, you will leave for a foreign country. You must never come back.”
That was truly a thankful thing. Starting anew in a country where no one knows was Cello’s long-time dream.
“Lastly. The contract with the spirit is not something that can be easily broken. I will find a competent magician, so you must cooperate unconditionally.”
‘Unconditionally’ cooperate. At that word, Cello flinched. Any contract, if the word ‘unconditionally’ is included, should be doubted first. The heart that had been inflated like a balloon slowly deflated.
“Is it… dangerous to break the contract with the spirit?”
“Of course. You may have to risk your life.”
Estribal glanced at Pien and said. Pien also nodded. Cello’s excited face crumpled again.
“Uh… that’s a bit…”
“But this is the same condition that your original client put forward. Your client, a duke of the empire, won’t be able to find a safer method than me.”
Well, 300 million gold wouldn’t fall easily. As Cello poked at the poor cake with a fork, Estribal asked with a puzzled face.
“You risked your life for 3,000, but you can’t take this much risk for 300 million?”
But Cello still had a hesitant expression. The informant in the back alley who entrusted Cello with the request was an old man who had been dealing with Cello since she was very young. But Estribal tried to kill her several times in just a few days after meeting him.
And the human herself was quite suspicious. She was a thug during the day, an agent at night. And now she’s neither, so she’s a person with three faces, not two. Plus, the subtle attitude that Pien showed from a while ago also contributed to Cello’s suspicion.
Estribal, looking at Cello’s face full of worry, slowly opened his mouth.
“…300 million plus another 300 million if successful. Is this enough for you to risk your life on me?”
300 million plus 300 million more. Cello swallowed her saliva. 600 million. This is really worth dying six times.
An imagination unfolded in Cello’s head. What could she do with 600 million? She hadn’t thought about it yet because it was an amount she hadn’t thought of. But Cello had a dream too.
First, she would change her name. Not such a careless name, but a very long and elegant name. Of course, a difficult signature is a must.
Then she would buy silk shoes. Shoes that tear even if you walk a little, like a butterfly’s wings.
She would wear those shoes and go far away, to a very cool country. From then on, she could be a pretty lady with no name, not pickpocket Cello.
Cello pressed her pounding chest with her hand and opened her mouth.
“I have a condition.”
“Tell me.”
“I want to meet the magician first. If I don’t like it, please change it to someone else.”
Estribal’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s a top secret of the royal family. It can’t be known to many people.”
“But… but I can’t just entrust my life to anyone. Please let me choose that much.”
Cello expressed her opinion, weak but certain. Estribal, who had been pondering, brushed back his long flowing hair and opened his mouth.
“Fine. But your opinion must be reasonable to me.”
“Yes, yes! Of course!”
Cello nodded quickly. Estribal extended his gloved hand to the side and opened his mouth.
“Bring it.”
A servant appeared from the darkness and placed a thick bundle of paper and a quill in his hand. He put the paper on the table, dipped the pen in ink with a neat motion, and asked.
“Do the contract right away? Can you read letters?”
Cello hesitated for a moment and then answered quietly.
“…Please write in easy words. Then I can read it.”
“I see.”
Estribal, without hesitation, took the written contract and came to the front of Cello’s bed. The moment the shadows of the two mixed, Estribal’s forehead creased as it was, and almost at the same time, Cello’s body shrank.
“It looks like I’m going to eat you.”
“Why would you, the Duke, show such a dislike? I know you hate me even if you don’t show it.”
“That’s not it…Ha. What’s the point of telling you. Check it out.”
Estribal twisted his face as if frustrated and handed the contract to Cello, then immediately stepped back.
“Yeah. Yeah. What’s the point of you talking to something like me?”
Cello grumbled and took the contract. Fortunately, the contract was written in a neat regular script and easy words. Despite his behavior, he felt consideration for Cello.
“If there are difficult words, let me know. If you find it hard to trust me, you can also check with Lord Pien.”
‘Really, she’s an unknowable person. Does he just want a contract?’
Cello thought to herself and answered.
“I can read this much. So, I just write my name here, right?”
Cello tried to open the heavy and luxurious pen and frowned.
“Why won’t this open…”
“…Give it to me.”
Estribal approached Cello and took the pen. He opened the pen with a look of trying to endure something and handed it to Cello. The moment Cello’s finger carelessly bumped into his fingertip, he inhaled and turned his body.
‘Really, what…’
Cello stared at the back of the duke rubbing his face and then jabbed his waist with the contract bundle with her name written on it.
“Here.”
At that moment, the duke coughed loudly. Cello, taken aback, stammered.
“Um, um, Duke. Are you okay?”
Estribal, who had snatched the contract from Cello’s hand, cleared his throat and barely opened his mouth.
“Don’t…don’t act rudely.”
His voice was locked and his gaze avoided Cello. His flushed eyes looked angry. Cello quickly bowed her head.
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
Estribal, who had finally calmed down, was reviewing the contract and paused for a moment.
“This is…”
“Did I do something wrong again?”
Cello asked cautiously, watching his mood.
“Your name is Cello…right.”
“Yes. Why? I didn’t misspell it, did I?”
Estribal thought for a moment and opened his mouth.
“If you use such a name, there will definitely be restrictions on your actions. Change your name to hide your identity.”
As Estribal said, the name Cello was a name that anyone would think was from a back alley. Cello pressed her cheek with the pen in her hand and said.
“Well, I don’t care about the name, but suddenly making a new one…”
Estribal looked closely at the name. ‘Cello’. The ink of the name was a brown color that swirled with a red hue like a sunset sky. Estribal looked at the color as if intoxicated for a moment, then added a small ‘i’ between C and e to correct it to ‘Ciello’.
“What are you doing?”
As Cello approached, Estribal’s expression shook again, but he touched his cheekbone and opened his mouth.
“Ciello. It’s similar to your current name, so you won’t get confused.”
“Ci…ello.”
Cello, no, Ciello tasted her new name. It was a fairly common name, but that was enough. After all, Ciello was a ‘name’. (TL: I will start using Ciello from here on)
“Do you like it?”
Estribal handed over a sheet of the contract and asked. Ciello nodded and smiled brightly.
“Yes. I really like it.”
Estribal, who had been staring blankly at the smile for a moment, composed his expression again and asked.
“Now that the contract is over, I’ll ask. Who was your original client?”
“A well-known informant in the back alley. I really don’t know who the client is.”
“I’m doing this to protect you, so tell me the truth.”
When he spoke again, Ciello, who had been hesitating for a moment, opened her mouth.
“I don’t know exactly…but I heard rumors that it’s the Peregrine independence faction.”
“Pere…grine?”
Estribal’s face hardened. Peregrine was a colony of the empire, and its people had been mixed with the empire for almost 300 years, yet they had faced various discriminations.
“It’s probably right. The colleagues who went in with me at that time were all from Peregrine. So am I.”
Ciello, who had been stuttering, quickly changed her words when he saw Estribal’s expression.
“Oh, I’m not involved in any strange movements! I was just planning to deliver the goods and get the money.”
Estribal, who had been frozen for a moment, turned his body and spoke.
“There’s no time. I’ve already arranged for a magician, so visit him tomorrow.”
“Oh, you’re not going with me?”
“Why would I.”
He answered curtly. Perhaps it was not appropriate to talk about such things to a nobleman of the royal family. Ciello answered with a slightly crumpled expression.
“Yes…I understand.”
Estribal, turning his back, opened his mouth.
“I will attach a shadow escort. If necessary, the spirit will also protect you. You can also turn back time, so there won’t be a big problem.”
‘Is he worried or not.’
Ciello, looking at his back leaving the room, pouted her lips without making a sound.
“Then, go without any silly thoughts.”
“Yes. Good night, Duke!”
The door closed at the same time as the shout. Ciello shrugged her shoulders and collapsed onto the bed.
“Ciello, Ciello…”
Ciello hummed her name like a song a few times and fell asleep. Everything seemed to be going well. That day, Ciello’s dream was full of yellow gold coins like flowers.
awww such sweet dreams
Thanks 👋🇧🇷