Chapter 19

‘Star of Arahi’ had an especially large and diverse selection of wines. With news that the quality of Potatsan Duchy’s famous wines was declining, he’d been looking for new premium wines. At this point, a place like ‘Star of Arahi’, known for its wide variety, was worth visiting. So he’d come here with a clear purpose.

Convinced, Latrian took a seat at an outdoor table. A staff member who’d seen him before recognized him and smiled. When asked about his hair color, he replied with a silent smile.

“Shall I bring the wine you left with us? Or, we’ve just received the Viseria Mountain wine you were looking for before.”

“Bring the one I left first, and I’ll think about the Viseria Mountain one. Bring the wine list too.”

“I’ll get it right away.”

The staff hurried in and returned with a bottle of wine and the wine list. The way he opened the cork and poured the wine was smooth and practiced.

As always, the staff handed him the most expensive wine list.

Once the staff left, Latrian slowly browsed the list. He had his eye on a few premium wines, so choosing wasn’t difficult. Still, his gaze lingered for a long time on a blank spot on the menu. Until someone’s voice echoed in his ear.

When he looked up, he saw familiar brown hair tied in a ponytail. From that moment, all his attention shifted.

He set the wine list on the table, fiddled with his hair, picked up a newspaper he didn’t need, crossed his legs, and tapped his toes restlessly. He waited, oddly anxious, for her to notice him.

After finishing her conversation with the staff, Hailey visibly flinched as she turned. She seemed troubled, sighed deeply, then trudged over. Latrian had to hold back a laugh.

“Drinking again in the morning?”

He was relieved to hear her snap at him as soon as she saw him. If she hadn’t sounded like her usual self, he might have just stared at her lips, unable to say a word.

Thankfully, Hailey acted as if nothing had happened the night before. So Latrian could treat her as usual.

Or maybe not quite as usual? He’d made childish excuses, offering to buy her stew and worrying about the shop’s sales just to keep her there.

And now he was asking if she disliked him—such a ridiculous thing.

Despite his relaxed expression, his heart was troubled. Maybe he was hoping she’d answer that she didn’t dislike him, just like he had said before.

But Hailey turned her head sharply and replied coldly.

“Yes, I dislike you. I’m not as mature as you, Lord Latrian, so I can’t separate actions from people completely.”

The blue veins on Latrian’s hand, resting on the table, swelled. But she struck again.

“And I’ll also reject the offer you mentioned yesterday.”

“…I told you to think it over until today.”

“There’s nothing to think about. I won’t betray Lady Arcitina.”

“You’re making the choice with the least gain—how naive.”

Latrian tapped the table leisurely.

“If I were you, I’d accept the offer, get money from me, and when I pretended to accept the position, claim the commission succeeded to Arcitina and get the success fee too.”

Hailey’s face crumpled.

“That’s just deceiving people. I have no intention of playing tricks with lies.”

“To be so averse to tricks like this, Perlo must have lived quite innocently until now?”

“I lived honestly. Upright, too.”

“Aha. So now, as the heir, you need money so badly that you’re serving as a retainer for another noble house?”

Latrian was about to add, ‘So accept my offer. I’ll help you make a clean and proper fortune.’ Hailey seemed desperate for money, and the Akrender family had more money than they could ever spend.

But he didn’t finish. Her eyes, meeting his, were trembling violently. Her tightly pressed lips and clenched hands were shaking.

Only then did last night’s scene come to mind—the shabby Perlo mansion, nothing like a noble’s home, and Hailey pointing to it with her head bowed.

Latrian hurriedly tried to clarify.

“That’s, I mean, what I’m trying to say is…”

“You don’t need to say any more.”

Hailey’s face had softened just moments ago, but now it was as cold as ice. Just then, the staff arrived with the mussel stew and a glass of lemon juice.

Hailey grabbed her fork and let out a bitter laugh.

“Right. I should’ve accepted. Someone in my situation…”

She stabbed a plump mussel with her fork and put it in her mouth, reaffirming,

“Let me say it again: I’m rejecting your offer.”

“If you accept, you could make much more money.”

“The reward I’m getting from Lady Arcitina is enough. So—”

She pointed the sharp fork toward him.

“Don’t try to buy me off with money. No matter how pathetic my situation is, I still have the freedom not to deal with someone I can’t stand.”

Latrian started to speak, then closed his mouth. It was unfair, but he’d been the one to mess up first, so there was nothing more to say. Anything else would just make him look desperate.

When the staff set down the wine and glass, Latrian immediately stood up.

“Sorry, I’ll have it next time. Please keep it safe.”

Hailey was furiously attacking the mussel stew with her fork and spoon.

Latrian picked up the coat hanging beside him.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“You don’t need to tell me. Did you ever tell me where you were going before?”

“…I guess not.”

Until he turned to leave, coat over his shoulders, Hailey didn’t so much as glance at him. As if, if they hadn’t met as superior and aide, he wasn’t worth her time.

Latrian walked out of the square and down a familiar path. But halfway down the alley, he stopped and leaned his head against a stone wall.

A dry sigh escaped his tightly shut lips.

“Haa.”

Sticky, unpleasant feelings churned endlessly in his chest.

He hadn’t wanted to see that face.

After standing blankly for a while, Latrian roughly ruffled his hair, pulled up his hood, and hurried away with a complicated expression.

* * *

Hailey scraped the mussel stew clean, not leaving a single drop of lemon juice either. Still, she couldn’t shake her frustration.

“Jerk…”

She wanted to tear up all the feelings she’d felt last night and this morning and toss them to the seagulls flying in the sky.

She scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand, stood up in a fighting stance, thanked Philip for the delicious stew, and headed straight out.

Hailey took out a small memo. On the surface, it was just an ordinary address, but its content was anything but ordinary. It was the contact address for the most prestigious information guild, ‘Rotsan’.

The Mart Republic, being a nation based on trade, responded keenly to the political situations of neighboring countries. They couldn’t sell goods to nations at war, nor import wheat from drought-stricken lands. The Republic required Mart merchant ships traveling between countries to submit reports on the state of the nations they visited. Additionally, each overseas branch was expected to send regular letters.

As the country was so devoted to collecting information, privately, the buying and selling of information was also active, and this was led by dozens of private information guilds flourishing across Mart.

Among these, ‘Rotsan’ was considered the very best. Their reputation could be summed up in a single sentence.

‘If Rotsan doesn’t know about it, it doesn’t exist.’

Unlike other information guilds, which competed to open inquiry offices in convenient locations, Rotsan maintained such secrecy that no one even knew where their office was.

Because of this, it took Hailey a full year just to get in touch with a low-ranking guild member of Rotsan.

‘The upfront fee is 10,000 gold.’

On top of that, their commission fee was far beyond what was considered reasonable.

‘Once you pay the upfront fee, the contract is established. If successful, we take another 10,000 as a success fee. After that, we deliver the information we’ve gathered.’

‘What if you can’t find out? Does that mean I lose the upfront fee?’

To Hailey’s question, the guild member, wearing a hat pulled low, responded with a smile. And with an arrogance worthy of their reputation, he added,

‘Well, when you’re ready with the upfront fee, contact us at this address.’

Hailey checked her belongings once more. She had a payment certificate for 10,000 gold, guaranteed by the Grants Bank, the most trustworthy bank in the Republic.

Her heart raced at the thought of finally being able to investigate her family’s affairs.

Her confident steps soon slowed. Strangely, the scenery around her looked familiar. Hailey tried to ignore the uneasy feeling and focused on the address written on the memo.

But when she finally arrived at her destination, her face was blank with shock.

She checked the address on the memo several times, but this was definitely the place.

“…Here…?”

It was the mansion of Roana Evis, where Latrian’s lover lived.