Chapter 7
“Ahem, Liliana. I never expected you to somehow find 300 gold coins within three days.”
“…And yet you made me that offer?”
“I was just taking a chance. Who would have thought you’d immediately accept when I offered to remove you from the family registry?”
Who was the one who begged and tried to persuade me?
I had just realized that the reality I had left behind was somehow even more miserable than the fact that I had escaped from a den of demons.
“So, while I was wondering what I should do, someone made me an offer. They said they could introduce me to someone who was willing to buy a thoroughly worn-out Baron Walker’s daughter for 500 gold coins!”
“You’re insane.”
“They said they’ll come in two days, so just stay home and wait obediently.”
After finishing his explanation, he hummed as he tilted a beer bottle toward his mouth.
The disgusting smell of alcohol filled the room.
“Haa…”
What had I been expecting?
A father who would come to his senses if I gave him 300 gold coins?
A future where I could remove myself from the family registry and become free?
One thing was certain.
None of what I had hoped for existed.
I stared into empty space and let out a long breath.
Then I erased all emotion from my face and spoke coldly to my father.
“I’m sorry, but that’s going to be difficult.”
“What?”
“Unlike you expected, I managed to earn the 300 gold coins.”
My father’s surprise lasted only a moment.
He put down his bottle, walked toward me, and said,
“Ahem. I don’t know how you earned it, but you’re still my property.”
“Is that so?”
Ah.
This was truly miserable.
The me who had foolishly held on to the past and hoped for something.
And the broken man standing before me.
“You don’t seem curious about where I got the money. If you knew, you wouldn’t be so calm.”
“What, did you go to a loan shark? Surely you didn’t earn it by begging on the street.”
“I decided to become an aide to the Duke of Winsphere. I received 300 gold coins as an advance payment.”
My father flinched at the name Winsphere, but only for a moment before he began shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Take it all back! That lousy 300 gold isn’t important! The person who wants to buy you is offering 500 gold coins!”
What an idiot.
Even if the Winsphere family rarely participated in public affairs, they were still one of the great ducal families known as the pillars of the Empire.
And he was talking about selling me like this?
“Is that so? Then sell me. But you’ll have to pay Winsphere 900 gold coins.”
Mentioning the family’s name didn’t seem like it would be enough.
So I reminded him of reality in a way he could understand.
Once I explained the contract I had made with Winsphere, my father’s face gradually turned pale.
Ironically, the name Winsphere, the place I had wanted to escape from, was now protecting me.
“I don’t know if you have that much money, but if you can pay it, go ahead and sell me.”
“……”
“If you can.”
“Damn it!”
“But isn’t it a relief? Since I brought back the 300 gold coins, you won’t be dragged off to the salt fields.”
My father stomped his feet in frustration.
Perhaps he didn’t notice the bitter smile on his daughter’s face.
Even watching him was a waste of my time.
I turned around and packed the things I needed.
There weren’t many.
My belongings were few enough to fit in one hand.
I looked over my small pile of luggage once.
Then I looked around the house where I had lived for so long.
And finally, I looked at my father, sitting on the floor and pounding it in frustration.
I stood before him and ignored the lump forming in my throat.
“I’ll make sure the documents we prepared are properly taken care of.”
“Lil… Liliana…”
“This is the 300 gold coins I promised.”
I bent down and placed the crumpled check I had received from Winsphere into my father’s hand.
“It was truly miserable. And from now on, I hope we never see each other again.”
Leaving my father behind as he muttered as though he had lost his mind, I walked out of the house.
The rain that had stopped earlier had started falling again.
The light drops quickly became heavy sheets of rain.
“Ah.”
I had left the umbrella I used earlier at Winsphere.
“I guess I’ll just have to walk in the rain…”
I put my bag over my head and was about to run.
But I couldn’t.
Someone was standing in front of me.
“Miss Walker.”
That soft, beautiful voice brushed against my ears.
“…Mr. Roan?”
“It started raining, and I thought you might have trouble since you left your umbrella at Winsphere.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t follow you because I didn’t trust you.”
Ah…
It had been such a miserable day.
And now I was being comforted by a demon standing right in front of me.
Roan shielded me from the pouring rain and asked,
“Did you collect all your belongings? Shall we go back now?”
“Ah, I have to take care of these documents first.”
Roan’s gaze moved toward the documents in my hand.
“If they’re urgent documents, it would be better to finish dealing with them before we leave.”
Roan didn’t ask me for any details.
It wasn’t difficult to realize that this was his way of being considerate.
A demon being considerate.
It was such an unlikely combination.
So why did it make me feel so at ease?
I ignored the feeling in my heart and asked him,
“It’s taking longer than expected. Is that all right?”
“It’s fine, so don’t worry about it too much, Miss Walker.”
“Hmm. You shouldn’t call me Miss Walker anymore.”
“Why?”
“As soon as these documents are processed, I’ll become a commoner.”
At my words, Roan looked me over with interest.
“Don’t tell me you’re worried that becoming a commoner means you won’t be able to work as an aide. I suppose I’ll have to explain that properly to Mr. Bael.”
I had a reason for saying this to him.
I already knew that Bael didn’t have the authority to fire me.
And I knew that the man standing before me had the ultimate authority.
Of course, Roan didn’t know that I knew.
He asked seriously,
“Were you worried about that?”
“Of course. I’ll be a commoner with nothing left now. If I lose my position as an aide at Winsphere, I’ll have to sleep on the streets immediately.”
At my exaggerated words, Roan blinked his eyes wide.
Soon, a refreshing laugh burst from his lips.
It was loud enough to almost drown out the sound of the pouring rain, and it was pleasant to hear.
“Do you really think the Duke of Winsphere would make such a foolish decision?”
“I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Unless the contract itself is canceled, I don’t think even Mr. Bael has the authority to cancel it.”
Roan explained just how extraordinary the contract I had signed was.
He assured me that it couldn’t be destroyed even if it were soaked in water, thrown into a fire, or torn apart with scissors or a knife.
He even claimed that it wouldn’t be possible to destroy it even if some of the highest-ranking mages in the Imperial Palace came and tried.
Hearing that from him, a demon and the Duke himself, somehow made me feel relieved.
“More importantly, what should I call you from now on?”
The man standing before me was undoubtedly a demon.
Not just any demon, but the final villain of Angel of Paradise.
And yet, when he smiled, I thought he looked almost like an angel.
I shook my head several times to get rid of such useless thoughts.
Then, after letting out a breath that felt almost like a resolve, I said to Roan,
“Liliana should be enough, don’t you think?”
He had stopped smiling by then and seemed to think about it for a moment.
After a short while, Roan made a suggestion.
“How about I call you Ria? It’s simple and sounds nice.”
Whether it was Liliana or Ria, it didn’t make much difference to me.
The only strange thing was that after remembering my past life, the name Ria felt strangely familiar.
“Whatever you like.”
Roan nodded at my willing answer.
We slowly walked away and met Shion, who had been waiting nearby.
Together, we went to have my family registry changed.
They didn’t rush me.
Thanks to that, I was able to safely remove the Walker name from my records.
Now completely on my own, I stepped outside the building with both a sense of relief and a sense of bitterness.
The sky was still gloomy, and rain continued to pour down.
Just then, Roan approached me.
“Is everything taken care of?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
“Then I look forward to working with you, Miss Ria.”
At this point, whether the man standing before me was the Duke or not no longer mattered much.
I still didn’t know why Roan was hiding the fact that he was the Duke from me.
But regardless of that, I would safely complete my three-year contract and distance myself from both Winsphere and the original story.
“I look forward to working with you too, Mr. Roan.”
I gave him a fleeting smile.
There was no way he knew what I was thinking.
