As the space cleared up, Sergi walked towards Rosé, who reeked of cum. There was anger in her eyes, as if losing her virginity was such a shock.

But that wasn’t the case. Rosé just glared at him like a thief who had stolen her chance to gain ability points.

However, Rosé’s gaze made Sergi feel good. He didn’t know why he had bought her, but he felt amused by the fact that he had stimulated her emotions.

“Hey.”

Sergi squatted in front of Rosé and admired her face. Then he wiped the cum off her lips with his index finger.

“Be sure to pay back my money.”

Rosé’s expression froze. Sergi smirked and kissed her lips. It was so gentle and soft that it was hard to believe he was a man who forced group s*x on women.

“Now get up. I’ll take you home.”

Sergi’s navy blue frock coat fell over Rosé’s shivering body.

Rosé carefully covered her disheveled body with his coat, still in a daze. Now, instead of the smell of cum, the scent of Sergi’s cologne enveloped Rosé’s body.

Sergi extended his gloved hand to Rosé. She hesitated, only watching his reaction.

Eventually, Sergi grabbed her hand first. It was a rougher grip than she expected, almost causing Rosé to stumble.

“If you repay the money, these nightmares will end. Miss.”

He kissed the back of his hand, as a gentleman would do.

Rosé followed him, fixated on the cheap brown vest he was wearing. It was strange to think that a gang leader felt like a nobleman.

* * *

The next morning, Rosé returned to her daily routine as if nothing had happened.

Bread crumbs scattered on the sofa, a folded newspaper, and a discarded shoe. Everything remained just as it was before she was abducted.

‘Huah… I’m full!’

Having enjoyed a fairly hearty feast, Rosé sprawled on the parlor couch and recalled Sergi’s words.

— You heard me, Rosé Mora. If you don’t bring me my money within a month, you’ll end up like this, handed over to those old men.

— Give me three months.

She tried to delay the debt repayment as much as possible and gather some slush funds, but even then, she looked desperate.

Rosé extended her five fingers, thinking about someone she could ask for help.

Elion.

Well, even if she asked, he was in a tight financial situation himself and could barely afford living expenses.

Master.

Again, it didn’t seem likely. How could she ask an elderly man with a hunched back and white hair to lend her money?

Dain Hindley.

Impossible. He was on a remote island. With the transport ship only making three trips a year, how could they possibly meet?

Blue Knight Emmett.

The knight commander in Monchen, how about approaching him… No, I’m not going to extort money just because he owed his life to me.? No, that won’t work. The risk of exposing the identity of the Black Cloak is greater.

Now there was only one finger left. Rosé thought of the last potential person.

Duke Silvio Ramford. A wealthy man comparable to the imperial family who recently became her lover.

He had much more potential than the previous four. A borrowing 5,000 silla from him to pay her debt would be nothing more than a day’s allowance for him.

But the problem is…

‘The hardcore zone.’

If she goes to him now, she doesn’t know what kind of sordid affair will unfold. But they say the error will be corrected in a month…

‘Let’s just wait it out.’

Rosé summoned her job window. Although she chose to be unemployed yesterday, she had to go back to work from tomorrow.

She had to earn more money to pay off her debts.

Farm laborer, office worker, test subject, mercenary, door-to-door salesman, auction slave, bodyguard…

The test subject was currently not available due to lack of announcements. The mercenary, door-to-door salesman, and bodyguard required high qualifications, so she didn’t qualify.

Rosé pondered between being a farm laborer, office worker, and auction slave, looking back and forth with her eyes closed. Eventually, she tightly closed her eyes and chose the auction slave.

‘Alright, all that’s left is this body…!’

After a while, a red system window flashed before Rosé.

〈 SYSTEM 〉 Furious ‘Silvio Ramford (S-tier)’ has issued a nationwide employment ban on ‘Rosé Mora’ in all job centers.

Selection of occupations other than ‘maid’ is not possible.

“No…”

Just as she expected, there were behavioral restrictions, and it happened to start today. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have chosen unemployment yesterday.

But seriously, not just in Bistiman but nationwide job centers… Rosé was amazed at the Duke’s newfound.

Now what should she do?

Clang! Clang!

‘Oh, there it is again.’

Rosé stood up, frustrated by the incessant sound of door knocking. How did they manage to find her again? She sighed and picked up the bread knife lying on the floor.

Opening the front door, she saw a middle-aged woman standing with a somewhat impatient posture at the bottom of the entrance stairs. It was none other than Kellen, the cook from the kitchen.

“Rosé! Are you okay? I was so worried when I heard you suddenly quit. Are you hurt badly?”

As soon as the door opened, Kellen grabbed Rosé’s shoulders tightly. Her eyes were filled with concern.

“I’m… I’m fine. Luckily, it’s not a serious injury. But Kellen… how did you open the fence?”

“Huh? I just shook it a few times and it opened on its own. Wasn’t it always like that?”

It was because of those men from yesterday. They had deliberately damaged the main gate.

“Well… for now, would you like to come in?”

Suppressing her rising emotions, Rosé led Kellen into the reception room. She tossed the bread knife she was holding into a corner.

Meanwhile, Kellen’s eyes widened as she looked around the vast and eerie Blue Rock Mansion.

“Rosé, it must be tough for you.”

Taking a sip of the tea that Rosé hastily prepared, Kellen broke the silence. Before Rosé could respond, she added another comment as if someone was following her.

“No matter how much you messed up, it’s unbelievable that they issued a wanted order for a young lady with such a bright future. When I came last night, there were knights all over the place. You hid well, Rosé.”

“…Yes?”

“The crane-patterned porcelain. They said you have to work like a slave until you paid off everything to the Duke? But then you ran away, and he seems really angry.”

Rosé’s teacup clanged against the saucer. Did I ever say I’d work like a slave? And to think he even mobilized knights! Such a petty man! 

Perhaps it was fortunate that she was kidnapped by those guys. Otherwise, she had almost been taken to the Duke’s prison.

“Is it okay for you to be here today, Kellen?”

Kellen clapped her hands. 

“It’s okay. I’m on leave for a while starting today. I have some business in a rural area called Kiodic.”

Rosé was so surprised that she gulped down the tea that hadn’t even cooled down yet. Cough, cough! Kellen quickly handed her a handkerchief.

Rosé thanked her and continued to cough until her throat felt hot.

‘This is beyond annoying, it’s frightening.’

“Rosé, speaking of which…”

Suddenly, Kellen leaned over and whispered into Rosé’s ear.

“Would you like to come with me to the capital? I actually have a good job for you.”

A job?

Rosé’s body leaned towards Kellen like a soaring bird. Then Kellen, who had gained confidence, puffed out her chest.

“The pay is very good. It’s also an honorable job. And best of all, you can get away from the Duke’s surveillance.”

“Is there really such a good job?”

“Well, there is or there isn’t.”

Kellen handed Rosé a flyer she had brought back from the capital of Monchen during her last vacation. And the moment Rosé took it, the second quest was triggered.

〈SYSTEM〉 Will you accept the quest ‘dedicated Nurse For A Frail Princess’?

Reward upon completion: 40 phondo

Accept

Decline

Kellen looked at Rosé, whose lips curled like a goldfish, and crossed her arms impatiently.

Actually, it was only 40 phondo out of the total compensation of 100 phondo, but it was still a great deal for a runaway like me.

“How about it? It’s just taking care of the princess for two weeks. Since it’s under the jurisdiction of the imperial family, even the Duke won’t be able to chase after you.”

“I’ll do it!”

Rosé pretended to examine the flyer and pressed ‘accept’. 40 phondo was equivalent to a whopping 800 silla in silver. Plus, she could avoid the Duke’s watchful eyes for two weeks. There couldn’t be a better opportunity than this.

Satisfied, Kellen smiled and stood up. Beside her clean teacup, there was a note with an address written on it.

“Come there by midnight. And don’t tell anyone, just in case.”

* * *

The address Kellen had given was a place known for its poor security within Bistiman.

Passing through a narrow alleyway with a strange smell of grass, Rosé spotted a carriage parked on the dirty road. It was a carriage Kellen arranged from a familiar coachman.

Rosé quickly adjusted the red travel bag that she had hastily prepared. Although she left a note on the dining table saying, ‘I’m going to make money,’ she couldn’t help but feel nervous about leaving without Elion’s permission.

Kellen hesitated and then noticed Rosé approaching. She let out a chuckle. In her hands, she carried two bulky bags that looked like bundles.

“It’s originally meant for one person, so it’s a bit cramped. It’s hard to find a carriage that operates at midnight.”

Kellen said as she handed the travel bag to Rosé and pushed it under the seat.

It couldn’t be helped. With the knights released by the Duke, the number of carriages leaving Bistiman had significantly decreased.

“It’s okay. It’s more than enough.”

Rosé smiled and boarded the carriage behind Kellen’s back. It was definitely narrower and older than the shared carriages she used to ride as an imperial merit, but both of them had petite builds, so it was bearable.

The coachman, who confirmed that both of them were inside, cracked his whip. Yee-haw! Along with the sound of the horse’s weak neigh, the carriage slowly moved forward.

Rosé watched as the scattered bandits dispersed in all directions at the sudden appearance of a carriage and asked Kellen, 

“How long will it take from here to the capital?”

Kellen extended her hand and began folding her fingers one by one. One, two, three… As Kellen continued folding her fingers, Rosé’s eyes anxiously shook.

Finally, with all ten fingers folded, Kellen smiled mischievously. 

“It’ll take about ten days. It would be faster if we could transfer at the nearby Shendon and take a boat, but unfortunately, there was an alert there today. We have no choice but to transfer at Lysder. They only operate on Fridays, so we have to hurry.”

Rosé was surprised by the ten-day timeframe, but fell silent at the mention of an alert.

As Kellen had said, there had been frequent alerts occurring around Bistiman recently. Kellen let out a heavy sigh, adding that the world had become grim. 

“It’s strange. Alerts have been happening frequently for the past three months… Now even the city guards are not enough, so they’re hiring criminals. That famous group, Pumong.”

Rosé narrowed her eyes in disbelief as Kellen frowned and mentioned the dreadful situation. Pumong, the underground organization Sergi led that Lian Mora owed a debt to. They even took part in closing off the boundaries… 

It was not something unreasonable. Those thick arms and thighs. Their ruthless strength. These were men who could beat a demon to death.

“Take a deep breath, Rosé. We have to run non-stop to reach Lysder in half a day.” 

Kellen said, already blinking her eyes wearily. Rosé tried to glance through the front window and caught a glimpse of the horsewhip swinging lazily. She closed her eyes tightly. The old carriage rattled on the cobblestone road.

It was the first night of a long journey.

* * *