『 Who is that woman?』
The guildmaster turned his gaze to figure out who dared to speak so boldly to him. Then he saw a woman with a robe covering half of her face.
『 Is she someone looking for a job through our guild?』
The guildmaster paused for a moment because of the refined tone in her questioning, but the robe the woman was wearing was extremely shabby.
It was highly unlikely that a highly esteemed lady would come directly to the guild that provided employment. Unless it was an exceptional guild.
The guildmaster, who judged that Edith, the woman who suddenly appeared, had no power to fight against him, expressed his displeasure.
“This is our private conversation, so please refrain from interrupting. If you are looking for a job, please go over there and register with the employee first.”
Edith, who unknowingly cut off the guildmaster’s words, was dumbfounded.
『 Is he really thinking of giving her a job at a tavern to someone who wants to work as a maid just not to give her back the intermediary fee?』
Even from a young age, Edith, who had been taking care of herself and making important decisions after her mother’s passing, was accustomed to this kind of treatment.
People who thought they could exploit those without family or support were prevalent, even in the capital.
『 Seeing her with a baby, and wanting to work as a maid, I think she is the woman Vivian mentioned, the maid from House Gerturk.』
Edith felt disheartened to see her carrying the small baby in this cold weather without a proper place to leave the child. It was then that the baby rolled her blue eyes slightly and looked at Edith.
“Neal, it’s not my fault that you have a bad reputation among those looking to hire maids, so why do you keep demanding that I pay back all the money when I haven’t done anything wrong?”
“What have you done besides waiting for job offers?”
“Well… anyway, we’ve put in a lot of effort, so a full refund is out of the question! We’ve already paid some of the profits in taxes!”
The guildmaster shouted fiercely and slammed his hard fist against the wall. Startled by the loud thud, the baby burst into tears.
As the guildmaster, who saw her cowering appearance, was about to strike the wall again, a strong grip on his wrist stopped him.
Thwack―
The guard who received Edith’s gesture strongly grabbed the guildmaster’s wrist. The guildmaster couldn’t help but be taken aback when a man in shabby clothes who was standing back suddenly blocked him with a sharp move.
『 Is he acting on behalf of that woman now?』
The guildmaster’s gaze immediately turned towards Edith, but it was futile to try and intimidate her, as she had already emerged unscathed from the clutches of Nicholas Fortrion and Sophia.
“Isn’t it a bit shameful to use force against someone who’s trying to resolve the situation through conversation? If you keep going, you’ll be caught like this by a stronger person.”
“Let go of me!”
“Moreover, deduct taxes even when refunding? What are you going to do if the tax office even conducts a tax investigation?”
When the words tax investigation came out of Edith’s mouth, the guildmaster paused for a moment.
As expected, it was the reaction of someone guilty.
Just ten minutes ago, the atmosphere was so tense that it felt like a fight could break out anytime, so Edith wandered around in silence for quite a long time after entering the guild office. During this time, Edith, who heard the guildmaster scolding Neal, immediately sensed that something was off about his words.
『 Guilds only collect fees when a request is successfully completed.』
Since Neal’s requested maid job failed to come through, the guild legally shouldn’t charge any fees.
Of course, what’s written in the law and the actual lives of people often differ, and there were many cases where guilds took money under the pretext of a down payment.
『 So, that’s the situation Neal found herself in when the guild assured her of securing a maid position given the decline in her reputation.』
Looking at the current situation, or considering the information Vivian provided while pretending to be a job seeker for a few days, the guildmaster only took her money fee and did not take any active action.
He probably thought that there would be repercussions if he helped her secure a job after she had been kicked out of Gerturk.
“Seeing you get angry when I talk about taxes, it’s very obvious how you run the guild. Could it be that you are dishonest and only brought up taxes when extorting money from clients?”
“…”
Only then did the guildmaster realize that the bracelet on her wrist seemed quite expensive. The subtle glow of her slightly revealed sleeve also suggested that she had the financial means to pay for a lawyer, even if he didn’t know it for sure.
『 If I mess with rich people by mistake, it will become a hassle.』
Moreover, a tax investigation? It was something that could never happen. The cunning guildmaster, who had a lot to lose, quickly realized that there was nothing to gain from further conversation.
“Good heavens! Who blames others for not being able to find a job when it’s their own lack of urgency?”
The guildmaster whined but spat out all of Neal’s money. Neal, fearing that the guildmaster might change his mind, quickly took the money and thanked Edith with a mixture of joy and bitterness.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I got my money back.”
Although the guildmaster raised his voice, Neal was actually halfway giving up on getting her refund.
This was because she knew that her reputation had suffered because of Gerturk, no matter how many times the guildmaster used the same excuses several times, she had nothing more to say.
“I was foolish. I should have admitted earlier that I can no longer work as a maid in the capital.”
As they left the guild office together, Edith asked this.
“I unintentionally overheard what the guildmaster was saying. Is it because your reputation has suffered?”
“Yes, that’s right. But I swear to God, I have never neglected my work or touched anyone else’s belongings. It’s just…”
Neal struggled to respond. It was clear that if he were to explain why the Count and Countess Gerturk, who were her previous masters, suddenly started taking issue with her usual attitude, the story would become very long.
However, she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding with the kind person who stood up for her and expressed her anger on her behalf. Both the stealing and laziness were rumors created by his previous employer.
Edith suggested first as if reading her mind.
“I’ve parked the carriage nearby, so if it’s okay, I’ll give you a ride to where you’re staying.”
“…”
Neal decided not to refuse her kindness. The young woman’s carriage, which she brought to the employment guild, was surprisingly luxurious.
As Edith brewed a warm tea from the equipped kettle inside the carriage, Neal felt a warmth even cozier than the steam rising from the hot tea.
“Thank you so much. Today’s wind was too cold, and I was worried about the baby. If I hadn’t been fired from my previous job, none of this would have happened.”
Edith asked, handing Neal a cookie.
“Have you worked as a maid before?”
“Yes. I worked for a very good family. It was great for the first few years, but then I made a mistake and ended up like this.”
Edith could tell that she harbored a considerable amount of aversion and resentment towards Gerturk. By nature, the enemy of one’s enemy is an ally. She gradually took off the robe she was wearing and made a proposal to Neal.
“Neal. If you tell me what happened at Gerturk, I’ll introduce you to a job. Of course, I have never seen you work, so I can’t write you a letter of recommendation stating your competence. However, I know some families that would appreciate your skills without being swayed by the rumors spread by the Gerturks.”
“You speak like a noble lady…”
Neal, who answered without thinking, suddenly paused. It was because, as Edith removed her robe, Neal glimpsed the luxuriant blond hair and tempting lips that seemed familiar from a recent newspaper.
“My name is Edith. I’m currently staying at Lexion Manor.”
“…!”
In an instant, Neal’s eyes widened out of surprise.
『 Edith? The lady whom the Little Duke of Lexion is courting publicly?』
Neal was astonished and couldn’t articulate her words. She wondered how the woman who came looking for a job could be accompanied by escorts, but now she felt like the mystery was answered.
Moreover, if it’s Lexion, it’s not a family that would turn a deaf ear to things related to Gerturk.
It was also one of the few families that could defeat Gerturk. Edith’s proposal knew exactly what she wanted. A new job and revenge against the couple who discarded her.
By the time the carriage began to move smoothly, Neal had composed herself. This was an opportunity given to her by heaven.
“I used to work for them where I took care of the adopted daughter of the couple. I had gained quite a bit of trust from the Countess.”
『 So this is the woman who took care of Elizabeth’s daughter.』
Edith’s heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation of being able to get the information she wanted.
“But one day, the young lady… a girl who wasn’t even ten years old asked me a question. She asked me if I would go to the barony with her when she gets married and becomes a baroness.”
“Get married?”
“Yes. And it was said to be with the nephew of the old Baron Humphrey… But as far as I know, Baron Humphrey has no nephews. I had read about it in the newspaper when he inherited the title, so without thinking much, I asked the Countess and got kicked out.”
“…”
Edith clearly remembered Countess Coben’s words. Baron Humphrey is the type of person who harbored ill intentions towards young children.
“Impossible, it couldn’t be that Baron Humphrey will take the young lady claiming that she’s married to his nephew on paper…”
Edith’s forehead furrowed in clear displeasure at that disgusting family. Wouldn’t a man like him deserve to be killed?
However, Neal, with a more horrified expression, corrected Edith’s words.
“If you think about the timing and order, the Count and the Countess are even crazier. When they discovered a valuable mine in the baron’s territory, they decided to adopt a child as their daughter in order to form a relationship with him. They sold the child to hell to acquire the mine.”
“…!”
The plan was so repugnant that it could be believed even if it were concocted by a devil. Edith was lost in her thoughts as she felt deep sympathy for the daughter of her enemy.
『 Does Elizabeth know what the Count and the Countess are doing to her daughter? Is she helping them?』
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
ohgod my guess was right. disgusting people. poor elise