Chapter 18
Standing in front of a fancy dessert shop window, Anette mumbled to herself.
The desserts looked so beautiful and sweet.
“Way too expensive.”
But they were way too pricey. Anette only had 500 Raud, and the smallest dessert cost 25 Raud.
That was nearly half a day’s wage.
She had planned to spend money freely today, but now that she was about to spend so much on just one tiny dessert, her hands trembled.
She couldn’t bring herself to buy it.
Clutching her coin pouch tightly, Anette decided to resist.
‘First… I’ll buy clothes.’
With a regretful expression, she finally turned away.
She kept glancing at the desserts, but there was no choice.
She had no idea that someone was watching her with curiosity.
Anette walked with heavy steps.
Would she ever escape this miserly life?
“Ugh… so pathetic.”
Heading towards the street lined with women’s clothing stores, she clutched her chest in frustration.
She needed to be shameless, but when it came to money, she always hesitated.
She wanted to spend freely just once in her life.
But she didn’t have enough to do that.
It was like having only a sip of water when she wanted to pour it freely.
No matter where she was, she had to work tirelessly like someone constantly thirsty.
When she arrived at the clothing street, she hesitated.
There were far more stores than she expected, with a wide variety of styles.
“No way… I’d need to win the lottery to shop there.”
She skipped the fancy store drenched in gold decorations. That place was for nobles only.
She sighed.
Even in her past life, she hadn’t been obsessed with clothes. Pretty outfits were too much of a luxury.
And here, it was the same.
She was stuck being frugal.
“This place… looks too fancy.”
She skipped a store that displayed stylish but impractical clothing.
Such middle-tier fashion was usually overpriced and not worth it.
For her, value for money was everything.
Value.
It was her life motto.
“This isn’t great, but it’ll do.”
In the end, she entered the cheapest-looking shop. It had the best value for money.
The clothes displayed in the window looked affordable.
She couldn’t spend all her money on just one outfit, so she chose the cheapest store.
Inside, she browsed the clothes carefully.
She was the only customer.
As expected, the prices were low.
She sighed in relief.
After much thought, she picked up a dress and asked the shopkeeper,
“How much is this?”
“Oh, good choice, miss! That’s a clearance item, so it’s cheap—25 Raud!”
A fair price.
She bought a plain, thin, dark green dress.
It was a clearance item, which felt a bit odd, but she didn’t care.
As long as it was a good deal, that was enough.
On her next payday, she planned to wear this dress instead of her maid uniform when going outside.
“…Wait, the price of this dress is the same as that tiny dessert.”
Thinking about it, that dessert was ridiculously expensive.
‘Something smaller than my palm costs 25 Raud…’
Anette shook her head.
Leaving the store, she walked toward other shops.
Now that she had bought clothes, it was time to spend the rest of her money.
She hesitated.
Should she buy a gift for Julie, then treat herself to a fancy meal and dessert?
Or should she buy more necessities?
It was time to decide.
“Hmm. What should I buy?”
But the decision didn’t take long.
“Aaah! My money!”
The heavens were cruel.
Before she could even enjoy spending her hard-earned money, she was robbed.
Her money was gone.
Looking around frantically, she spotted a man running away with her coin pouch.
Without hesitation, Anette bolted after him.
Using every ounce of strength, she chased after the thief.
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
She swore she would catch him.
Even with terrible stamina, she was determined to keep running.
Clenching her teeth, she sprinted into the alley where the thief had disappeared.
There was no room for other thoughts.
She had to get her money back.
The thief glanced back and saw her still chasing him.
He briefly stopped, shaking the coin pouch, and shouted,
“Hey, lady! If you keep chasing me, you’ll be in trouble! You sure you wanna do this?”
Of course, you crazy bastard!
Anette kept running.
The thief darted through the maze-like alleys, but she didn’t give up.
After a long chase, he finally stopped.
Breathing heavily, Anette stopped a short distance away.
“Haah…”
She had chased him with pure determination.
And now, he was cornered against a wall.
She had him.
“G-give me my money back.”
You little… That’s my money… Hah… Damn it…
Panting, she stared at the thief shaking her coin pouch.
Behind him was just a wall.
Now that she was close, she realized he was just a boy.
But he looked like a typical troublemaker—his face covered in scars, his clothes tattered, and his grin full of mischief.
He was laughing?
Laughing??
Anette took a deep breath and stepped closer.
What a nasty brat.
But she quickly stopped.
“…What?”
It wasn’t a dead end.
To the left of the wall was a wide passage.
The thief hadn’t stopped because he was trapped.
This was his destination.
“Haha, you’re fearless, lady. You chased me all the way here for just a little bit of money?”
In his words, several large men emerged from the passage.
Unlike the young thieves, they were big and intimidating.
“Who’s this?”
“Did you bring her here?”
“Oh, she’s pretty.”
The thief jingled the coin pouch and smirked.
The men chuckled knowingly.
Anette slowly backed away.
She had been so focused on the money that she hadn’t realized the danger.
Fear crept in.
She had risked everything over a few coins.
She had already died once because of money, and now it was happening again.
It was unfair.
She had just wanted to live a better life.
And now, she was caught in another terrible situation.
The large men grinned wickedly and approached her.
She had to act strong.
Clenching her teeth, she spoke.
“D-don’t come any closer! Do you know who I am?”
Like that would work.
These thugs wouldn’t care about her name.
But they might fear a noble house.
“Who are you? Hah! You think you’re a goddess or something?”
“With that face, I might believe it.”
“Well, let’s sell her off, then!”
One of the men nodded toward a carriage in the alley.
Glancing over, she saw children crammed inside.
Oh, hell no.
These guys weren’t just pickpockets.
They were human traffickers.
“D-don’t come any closer.”
Please, God.
Anette took a step back—and tripped over a pile of sandbags, falling onto her back.
The men burst out laughing.
How embarrassing.
She had tripped all on her own.
Gritting her teeth, Anette grabbed a handful of sand.
‘Throw it in their eyes and run.’
A classic trick from books and dramas.
It wasn’t much, but it could buy her time.
Running back the way she came seemed hopeless, but she had no choice.
This was her second life.
She had to survive.
“Scared? Cute.”
“No point in resisting, lady. Just come with—”
Before the man could finish, he was suddenly knocked to the ground.
What? Did I throw the sand already?
No, she hadn’t even moved.
Then what—?
A man in black appeared out of nowhere and started beating the thugs.
He moved so fast she could barely see.
All she saw were bodies hitting the ground.
When he drew his sword, the remaining thugs shrieked and fled.
“….”
She was alive.
The relief was overwhelming, and her eyes welled up with tears.
The kidnapped children also escaped, running away as fast as they could.
Her savior still had his back turned.
Anette tried to stand, using the sandbags for support.
But her legs gave out, and she collapsed again.
“….”
Hearing the noise, the man turned around.
He looked down at her.
Anette, usually proud and harsh, was now sitting in the dirt, looking pitiful.
It was strange.
‘Will she pretend not to know me again?’
Edwin was curious.
But maybe… she truly didn’t remember him.
Every time they had met before, Anette had refused to look at him, treating him like dirt.
If she still didn’t recognize him, he planned to tell her.
She had once insulted him, calling him filthy and lowly.
Would she do it again, now that he had saved her life?
Anette slowly lifted her head and met his gaze directly.
For the first time, their eyes truly met.
“….”
This can’t be happening.
