Chapter 55. Bankruptcy

His deep honey-colored eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Even though I knew that intent wasn’t directed at me, my body trembled involuntarily.

His appearance, marked by such savage madness, always evoked primal fear.

Like a prey before a predator, I shrank back and cautiously took a step towards him.

Anderson was still trembling on the floor, and besides him, there were only Enoch and me in the hallway. The footmen who were always on standby were nowhere to be seen. They might have fled in fear of Enoch.

I stood a short distance from Enoch. Now, Anderson was behind me. Though he was completely out of his mind and didn’t need attention, he was still a bit bothersome.

Enoch tilted his head slightly and stared at me. I could see the cruel interest in his eyes.

It was clear he wanted something from me, but I couldn’t tell exactly what. After hesitating for a moment, I carefully wiped his cheek with my sleeve.

The white silk stained with dark red blood. A faint smell of gunpowder and chemicals wafted from him. The gunpowder must have come from using a gun, and the chemicals… were they from poison? But he didn’t seem poisoned.

“What do you think?”

“…Pardon?”

He asked a question that made no sense. To converse with him, one had to be either very quick-witted or someone he was relatively less irritable with. Fortunately, I seemed to be the latter.

“I gave you that pig as a birthday present. What do you think?”

Ah, a birthday present. I finally understood his question. Glancing back, I saw that Anderson had fainted at some point. He was just a greedy old man with a weak mind, as much as he had a bloated body.

Turning back to Enoch, I hid my blood-stained sleeve and asked cautiously.

“…How did you know it was my birthday?”

That was what I was curious about. I wasn’t particularly interested in why he gave me Anderson as a birthday present. I had never told Enoch or anyone in this Winter Palace when my birthday was.

“I asked the cat.”

“…Please, don’t joke.”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know your birthday?”

Enoch spoke as if it were obvious and smiled. …That’s exactly what’s strange. Why do you remember and celebrate my birthday? It’s so unlike you.

Of course, giving Anderson, a bloodied mess, as a birthday present was very much like him…

“…I thought you wouldn’t be interested in my birthday.”

“It’s the birthday of the person who saved my life tonight, of course, I should celebrate it.”

I hesitated for a moment hearing those words, then cautiously asked,

“Did what I told you… help?”

“Just as you said, someone using poison appeared.”

Enoch pulled out a knife from his belt and spun it around in his hand. It was a knife with a black blade that looked like it was made from carved obsidian. And it seemed familiar. Certainly from somewhere… Ah.

“You got it from that attacker.”

Enoch grinned when I gave the correct answer and brought the knife closer for me to see. His explanation continued in a calm tone.

“The poison on the blade is called ‘Fairy’s Blood,’ and it has been used by the Atreos royal family to assassinate their rivals for over a hundred years. There are exactly three antidotes for this poison, and I drank all of them before the fight. Thanks to you.”

I nodded silently as I carefully examined the knife. His words, crediting me, gave my heart a strange flutter.

To hide the reaction I couldn’t understand—or didn’t want to think about—I faced him calmly and smiled softly. Then I spoke the usual lines as if reciting them.

“I’m glad to hear it was helpful.”

I hoped those words carried only their literal meaning. In any case, it was truly fortunate that he was safe.

“And… thank you for wishing me a happy birthday.”

He laughed mischievously like a rascal at my hesitant gratitude and then put the knife back into his belt pocket. He took off his gloves carelessly and stroked my cheek with his bare hand.

“Don’t mention it. The birthday celebration is just beginning.”

Expect the best birthday ever. He whispered in my ear with a low chuckle. Whether it was because of that laughter or the warm breath grazing my earlobe, my body trembled slightly.

* * *

“Happy birthday, Miss!”

The morning of the 14th began with Jasmine’s lively birthday greeting.

Even though I went to bed late last night, or rather, early this morning, my wake-up time was still 8 o’clock as usual. Breakfast was no different. The chef, having quickly figured out that I didn’t eat much, had devised the most efficient menu.

One slice of toast, raspberry jam, butter, orange juice, a soft-boiled egg, salad with tomatoes and olives, bite-sized cookies with nuts, tea, and milk.

I first took a sip of cool water with peppermint leaves. Then I began my breakfast in earnest.

“Um… Here, this is a gift from us, Miss.”

“……?”

As I was spreading butter and jam on my toast, Jasmine approached and handed me a box. Behind her, the other maids were shyly watching me with expectant eyes.

Their eyes sparkled like stars filled with anticipation. Suppressing a smile for some reason, I accepted the box. It was a luxurious and neat white box adorned with a stylish black ribbon.

“Thank you, I’ll gladly accept it.”

“Open it tonight.”

“Hope you like it.”

The maids chimed in excitedly. I replied that I would and ended up smiling. I couldn’t stop smiling as I continued spreading jam on my toast. This was the first birthday of its kind for me.

After finishing all my preparations for the day, I went down to the living room as usual. Sometimes Enoch would be sprawled on the sofa there, having stayed up all night.

But today, he wasn’t in the living room, nor did it seem he was in the study or anywhere else. Feeling an odd sense of disappointment, I stepped outside to take a walk in the garden.

Hubert, who spotted me, approached with such graceful steps that left me impressed and delivered some news.

“Marquis Anderson and Viscount Gillen’s gang have had their properties confiscated and titles stripped by the full authority of His Majesty the King. They are currently imprisoned in Partheon Prison, and their specific sentences will be determined after the trial.”

I showed a moment of surprise, then silently nodded.

“…I see.”

It seemed that Enoch had decided to let Anderson live after debating whether to kill or spare him at dawn. Letting him live to face legal judgment would help maintain social order better.

“And there’s one more piece of news.”

“…What is it?”

“The Lopez family has gone bankrupt, unable to be exempted from their debt to Viscount Gillen.”

I was utterly shocked at that, my eyes widening. The Lopez family finally went bankrupt? But…

“Since Viscount Gillen’s properties were confiscated by the state, wouldn’t the Lopez family’s debt also be erased?”

“It would be if His Majesty granted the exemption. However… before Viscount Gillen’s properties were confiscated, His Highness the Grand Duke purchased the Lopez family’s debt. Thus, the Lopez family became indebted to His Highness…”

Hubert continued explaining in a gentle voice, carefully observing my expression.

“The Lopez family pleaded earnestly with His Highness to forgive their debt, claiming they were also victims of Viscount Gillen, but His Highness did not accept.”

“……”

“The repayment deadline had long passed, and the Lopez family did not have enough money to repay the debt… As of today, they are bankrupt, and all their properties, including their mansion, have gone up for auction.”

“……”

I stared blankly into space with the parasol resting on my shoulder. …I suspected it, but I didn’t think the Lopez family would actually go bankrupt.

And it was Enoch’s doing. Should I call it impressive or frightening…

“They can no longer stay in that mansion, so the Lopez family has scattered. I haven’t heard the detailed news yet.”

I nodded and replied in a small voice, ‘I see.’ I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I tapped the parasol handle with my gloved hand and looked up at the sky. The sky, from which the dark clouds had cleared, was bright and blue, indifferent to someone’s misfortune.

Hubert advised me to refrain from going out for a while, as I might encounter someone from the Lopez family.

And Hubert also gave me a gift, a fairly heavy square box.

I was very curious about what was inside, but I decided to save that joy for the evening and boldly ventured out. It was a victory I achieved after persuading Hubert for over 30 minutes.

“It’s an honor to escort you, Miss!”

“Brother, lower your voice…”

My companions were Jasmine and one knight, whose name was Haley Bruggen, Jasmine’s brother. The Bruggen family seemed to be vassals of the Grand Duke of Bayern.

Except for their blue-green eyes, Haley and Jasmine didn’t resemble each other at all. I looked at them alternately and smiled.

“Both of you, please take care of me today. Shall we get going now?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“At your command!”

Haley and Jasmine answered almost simultaneously, and I boarded the carriage ahead of them.

Soon, the coachman started the carriage. With a “Yah!” the two horses began to move their hooves, and the wheels started rolling.

The destination… was the Lopez mansion.