IOBTML 44

“What’s this? Did they think they could find something worth taking from this poor estate?”

Even the Tower Master, who appeared to know little about the outside world, could see through Fiora’s true intentions. At this point, it would have been stranger if he didn’t.

Penelope sighed, unwilling to continue the unpleasant conversation, and decided to change the subject.

“By the way, did you manage to find a recipe for making cosmetics?”

“Oh, right, that’s why I came back. It’s not in the Tower.”

“…Seriously?” Penelope blinked, surprised. Ahwin shrugged nonchalantly.

“I searched the entire Tower library, but there wasn’t a thing. It’ll be faster to request it from the merchant guild leader.”

“Is that so? Alright, I’ll ask Pablo about it, then.”

Penelope had assumed the Tower would contain all the knowledge in the world, but it seemed cosmetics recipes were an exception. Somehow, this felt oddly grounded.

Ahwin asked casually as if it were an afterthought, “That Lianel fellow… he’s gone back to his territory, hasn’t he?”

“Oh, he said he’d be back,” Penelope replied.

“…What?”

Ahwin’s expression turned rigid. Sensing his discomfort, Penelope hesitantly explained, “He mentioned he’s interested in investing in the boiler heating business for his territory. He said he’d personally oversee the project.”

“And you’re allowing that?”

“Why not? Someone like Lianel must have connections with plenty of high-ranking nobles. Turning that down would be foolish.”

Networking was as good as money. As a businessperson, Penelope believed firmly in the value of building and maintaining connections.

Ahwin didn’t bother hiding his incredulous expression. “That damned bastard…”

His gaze turned icy, as if frost had settled in his eyes. Penelope couldn’t help but notice how much Ahwin disliked the Grand Duke.

She already knew why, of course—she had read about it in the original story.

In the novel, every time Ahwin tried to get closer to the heroine, the Grand Duke had interfered. Sometimes subtly, sometimes with outright sabotage. Worse, the Grand Duke had often employed underhanded tactics that Ahwin only discovered much later.

The Grand Duke was the type to smile to your face while strangling you from the shadows.

He’s helpful when he’s on your side, but as an enemy? Utterly infuriating.

Penelope clamped her lips shut, feigning ignorance, and stared into the air. She had no desire to get involved in the tension between the two.

Just then, Ahwin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

“Here, take this.”

“What’s this?”

“Something I bought a while ago. It’s for you.”

What’s with that ‘oh, I just happened to pick it up’ attitude?

The box, finished in luxurious velvet, looked far too elegant to refuse outright.

“….”

Penelope lowered her gaze skeptically, then opened the lid. Inside was a pair of hairpins adorned with glistening white pearls set in gold. They were breathtakingly elegant.

“They’re beautiful! Truly stunning!”

Penelope couldn’t help but gasp, her eyes wide as she admired the delicate shine of the pearls.

Wow. Jewelry really is the best.

The only jewelry she owned was a gaudy sapphire necklace she had brought as part of her dowry when marrying into the Halo family. It was so clunky and poorly crafted that she had never once taken it out of the drawer.

But these pearl hairpins were both graceful and charming. They would suit any outfit perfectly.

“Wait… why would you have bought something like this before? Don’t tell me…”

“What do you mean, ‘don’t tell me’?” Ahwin asked, confused.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

Could he have bought this as a gift for the heroine and is now giving it to me instead?

It seemed like a reasonable suspicion. Why else would Ahwin have bought pearl hairpins?

If that were the case, she wouldn’t feel great about it.

Penelope decided to ask outright. She would regret not knowing later.

“You’re not giving me something you originally bought for someone else, are you?”

“Absolutely not. What kind of person do you take me for?”

“Well, you said you bought it a while ago… so it’s possible,” Penelope replied, her voice dripping with doubt.

Ahwin looked genuinely offended, crossing his arms as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“For the record, I personally selected that pin as soon as I arrived at the Tower. I thought it might suit you, so I bought it.”

His explanation silenced Penelope’s suspicion, though she had to admit she felt a little awkward about doubting him.

“By the way, if you ever find yourself in danger, pull out the pin and throw it. I’ve enchanted it to activate a shield spell that will protect you.”

“Wait, this is an artifact with magic imbued in it?” Penelope asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Ahwin replied casually, “Of course. A fragile human like you needs something like this. Use it wisely when your life is at stake. Since I couldn’t bring you a cosmetics recipe, consider this my replacement gift.”

“…Thank you. Really, I mean it.”

Penelope stood and walked to a mirror. She carefully pinned the pearls into her hair, their soft glow complementing her dark brown locks perfectly.

She turned back to him with a sparkle in her eyes. “How does it look?”

“…It’s passable,” Ahwin replied, clearing his throat. Strangely, his earlobes seemed a little pink. Penelope suppressed a laugh, biting her lips to keep from smiling.

“You seem to like it,” he said gruffly.

“Of course I do! It’s my first time receiving a gift like this, let alone an enchanted artifact. It must be incredibly expensive, right?”

“You’re so hopelessly materialistic sometimes,” Ahwin said with a sigh, though he couldn’t hide the faintest hint of a smirk.

Penelope couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Even if it meant enduring Ahwin’s lectures, receiving such a gift was more than worth it.

He’s as kindhearted as I read in the original.

Ahwin might appear irritable and standoffish, but deep down, he was softhearted, incapable of ignoring someone in need. This gift was proof that he now considered Penelope part of his inner circle.

This is surprisingly delightful. It feels like I’ve tamed a wild, wary animal.

Penelope struggled to contain her laughter. She resolved to find a way to return the favor to Ahwin.

The branch manager of the Imperial Bank’s Grand Duchy office, Rehens, sat stiffly upright inside the carriage. Across from him sat Chan, a tax collector for the Imperial Bank.

The two men were currently traveling by carriage to Halo Territory to collect the monthly interest owed by its baroness.

Chan spoke up.

“We’ll be arriving at Halo Territory soon. The road is quite winding—it must be because it’s such a rural area.”

“Indeed,” Rehens replied curtly, his head still held stiffly upright. Chan hesitated for a moment, gauging the branch manager’s mood before speaking again.

“I didn’t expect you to come along yourself, sir. I could’ve handled this trip to Halo on my own.”

“Do you believe that Halo Territory has the means to repay its debt?”

“Well… hmm, now that you mention it, no, it doesn’t seem likely.”

“That’s precisely why I’m accompanying you to this backwater. I need to assess what assets Halo might have that could be converted into cash ahead of time.”

“I completely understand, sir. As expected, you always think ahead,” Chan replied with a sycophantic tone. He was keenly aware that Rehens, who would evaluate his performance, required nothing less than complete deference.

At the same time, Chan found himself intrigued by Rehens’ intentions.

‘It would be nice if I could secure a piece of the action while I’m at it.’

Rehens was famously relentless when it came to debt collection. If a debtor failed to make payments, he was notorious for employing mercenaries, feared for their brutality, to resolve the issue.

His success rate had never faltered, and his name was often mentioned even at the Imperial Bank’s central headquarters.

As they approached their destination, the outer wall of the territory came into view in the distance. The tedious carriage ride was finally nearing its end.

The carriage eventually arrived at the gates of the territory.

‘Hmm? There are quite a few people entering through the gates. Why is that?’ Chan thought, glancing out the window in puzzlement. Several carriages were passing through the gates, and despite the inconvenience of traveling so soon after the snow had melted, there were even people leading horses into the city.

As soon as they passed through the gates, Chan understood why.