Chapter 2

A bird holding a blade of grass in its beak. It was a brooch engraved with the crest of the Akrender family, one of the greatest noble houses in Mart.

“With that, you’ll be able to meet the head of the family right away.”

“Rick… You’re a navigator for the Akrender family?”

“…Half right, half wrong.”

Watching Hailey flustered in surprise, Rick added in his monotone voice.

“Just because you have that doesn’t mean you’ll be hired. It only guarantees you a meeting. Whether you’re chosen by the head… that’s up to you.”

Standing up, Rick nodded toward Hailey.

“Well then. Good luck.”

With a light, brisk farewell, Rick turned away.

Hailey, frozen like a statue from this unexpected fortune, snapped back to her senses and got to her feet. The Akrender family was famous for its excellent treatment, but its hiring process was extremely closed. Without a recommendation from a current retainer, being hired was nearly impossible.

So, right now, Rick had given her a bridge to that nearly impossible task. She should thank him.

Hailey rushed out of the restaurant, frantically searching around. She saw Rick disappearing at the end of the street below the square and started to run.

“Rick!”

The surroundings were gradually growing dim. After running until her breath caught in her throat, Hailey finally spotted Rick standing in front of a reddish-brown building. Just as she was about to approach in delight, her steps faltered.

Thick, wavy golden hair fluttered in front of Rick. Two hands in lace gloves wrapped around his neck. Drawn in, Rick naturally disappeared into the alley.

Only then did Hailey realize where she was standing. The strong scent of flowers mingled with musk, and though it was still daytime and there was no music, the atmosphere was thick and sultry—this was the place where the most decadent nights in Mart unfolded.

Hailey looked up at the blazing sunlight overhead and rubbed her now-hot neck. She gave up on thanking Rick and turned away.

There was no way her thanks could compare to sweet time with a lover.

* * *

Clutching the brooch Rick had given her, Hailey headed straight for the Akrender family’s mansion. Located in the city center, where land was most expensive, the mansion’s grandeur was overwhelming. The walls were so high she had to crane her neck to see the top, and the ornate exterior inspired awe.

“Welcome to the Akrender family’s mansion.”

The gatekeeper checked the brooch she presented and immediately opened the door. Inside, a neatly dressed attendant greeted her.

“This way, please. I’ll take you to the head of the family right away.”

No sooner had she passed the entrance than a garden in the central courtyard unfolded before her eyes. In the middle of the lush, green garden was a fountain, and at the edge where the water fell was a statue of a bird, wings spread, holding a leaf in its beak. Hailey stared at the statue, which depicted the family crest, for a long time. When the visitor lingered, the attendant gently urged her on.

Hailey marveled at the endless size of the mansion and the many people brushing past her as she walked. It seemed it would take days to see the whole place.

After a long climb up the stairs, they reached the third floor. They crossed a corridor and stopped in front of an oak-colored door. The attendant knocked, and a black-haired man opened the door, his eyes asking their business.

“There’s someone here with the family brooch.”

A flicker of interest passed through the man’s otherwise dry eyes. He looked at Hailey and gave a slight nod.

“Please wait a moment.”

He went back inside after greeting her.

Hailey was a bit flustered by this situation. Even foreign heads of state or heads of noble houses had to wait to get an appointment with the head of the Akrender family. She had thought she’d be lucky just to get a meeting, but to be allowed in immediately? The treatment was much more generous than she’d expected.

After a moment, the black-haired man opened the door again and stepped aside.

“Please, come in.”

Hailey rubbed her now-cold fingertips together and entered the room.

There, a woman stood wearing a dark red toga that reached her ankles and a matching tricorn hat. It was the formal attire of a member of the Council, the heart of power in the Mart Republic.

Nobles in Mart did not hold titles or fiefs like feudal nobles in other countries. Their noble status was proven by having a “seat” in the Council, the nation’s highest decision-making body. Of course, the head of the Akrender family was also a member of the Council.

The woman removed her tricorn hat and smiled at Hailey.

“Sorry. I made an honored guest wait. Let me just take this off, and we’ll talk right away.”

The black-haired man standing beside her took the toga and hat from her and handed her something. It was a staff, adorned with ornate gold on heavy oak. But she shook her head and approached Hailey.

Perhaps it was because of the staff, but Hailey thought the woman’s gait was just slightly unnatural. The head of the family, dressed in a black shirt and brown trousers, reached out to Hailey.

“Nice to meet you. I am the head of the Akrender family, Arcitina Rene Akrender.”

Arcitina was a beauty with lush reddish-brown hair and clear green eyes. Hailey, thinking the woman looked only two or three years older than herself, shrank a little under her imposing presence. And she found those eyes oddly familiar as she took the offered hand.

“Hailey… Perlo.”

“Perlo?”

Arcitina paused briefly, then nodded and shook her hand.

“My condolences about Sir Rontana.”

At the sudden mention of her father’s name, Hailey bit the inside of her mouth. The handshake finished, Arcitina immediately gave an order to the black-haired man.

“Milo. Prepare some tea. I think the tea leaves from Vitesa will be good this time.”

“I’ll have it prepared right away.”

After Milo left, Arcitina invited Hailey to sit.

“We haven’t had much exchange with the Perlo family. Still, I’m glad to meet you now.”

Hailey swallowed dryly. Arcitina’s tone was friendly, but the content was not simply a polite greeting.

Arcitina was asking why Hailey, an heir to a noble house, had requested an audience in this way. If she wasn’t trying to deceive her, she’d need to get to the point.

“Head of the family. I’m not here as the Perlo family’s heir.”

Hailey placed the brooch and her résumé before Arcitina.

“I… want to work as a retainer for the Akrender family.”

Leaving the résumé where it was, she asked politely,

“May I ask why?”

“I need money.”

Hailey felt relieved. She thought it would be humiliating, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. In fact, she even felt a bit of relief.

Arcitina lowered her eyes for a moment and sighed lightly.

“I see… That’s understandable.”

The head of the family smiled wryly and picked up Hailey’s résumé. After reading it to the end, she set it back down on the table.

“I’ll review it and contact you.”

Hailey’s heart sank at the answer. This was a ‘pending’ response.

Was the résumé not enough? Now Arcitina’s hand reached for the brooch she had set down.

“I take recommendations from retainers very seriously. Of course, Hailey, you have talent, so I hope to bring you good news soon—”

Arcitina’s smooth words were cut off as if by a knife.

“Hailey.”

“Yes?”

“Where did you get this?”

Her previously calm green eyes now trembled violently. Hailey stammered in confusion.

“Um… at the square…”

“Was it Ibert Square? No, that’s not it. The person who gave you this—when, where did you meet them, and what did they look like?”

“Why?”

At Hailey’s wary attitude, Arcitina blinked once, then twice.

“Did Rick… do something wrong?”

Seeing Hailey shrink back, her eyes softened again.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I don’t intend to harm the person who gave you this. Hmm… He’s the one who’s misunderstood. I need to clear things up with him. There are things I need to tell him.”

‘Rick’ was a strikingly handsome man with black hair, green eyes, and gray glasses. She’d met him this morning at San Sieta Square. Telling this simple fact was no trouble for Hailey.

But it seemed the head of the great noble house was quite desperate for the information she held. So Hailey decided to take a chance.

“If I tell you this—”

Trying her best to compose her face, she looked up and met Arcitina’s eyes straight on.

“What will you give me in return, Arcitina?”

Her heart pounded as if it would burst. She was proposing a deal to the head of the Akrender family—a person said to be able to request a private audience with the Emperor of the Kenton Empire. That alone was enough to make her feel faint with tension.

Arcitina’s face filled with surprise at Hailey’s proposal. And then—

“Ha, hahahahaha!”

When Arcitina finally looked up at her after laughing for a while, Hailey felt a chill run down her spine. She still wore a friendly smile, but her eyes were sharp enough to pierce through anyone.

“Name what you want. Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”

Hailey barely restrained herself from jumping up and down with joy.

She— the head of the Akrender family—had accepted the deal! Barely able to calm her pounding heart, she finally spoke.

“Please confirm my employment here and now.”

Arcitina nodded, waiting for more. Hailey, having said her piece, quietly waited for her response.