Chapter 8

The land blessed by magic—Brinita.

Solvent was only in demand in Brinita. That’s because only magicians born in Brinita could process it for use in scrolls. Even if someone with Brinita blood had a child abroad, strangely, that child would not have any magical talent.

Ashton, watching Sabina nod, lightly waved his index finger again.

“But today, I saw your ad, and I thought this would be a good opportunity. It’s not a job with fixed hours or tasks, so I’ll have plenty of time to find new clients, and you’re a celebrity.”

“Ah, I see what you mean. As you say, I’m famous. If you become my lover, within days your name and story will be all over the daily papers. Many men have approached me hoping for that.”

Sabina was just stating facts plainly, but Ashton paused for a moment with a smiling face.

Sabina, in her usual calm way, tilted her head slightly.

“But if that’s your goal, I’m not interested. I’m looking for someone who’ll work with me for a long time. At least eight months. But you came to Brinita to find direct clients for solvent, and you’re not desperate for a hundred thousand rium a month. So probably…”

Once he achieved his goal of finding clients, he’d be likely to break up. If he became famous thanks to Sabina, he’d reach his goal even faster.

Even if the contract specified the work period, if he insisted, that would be the end. Sabina couldn’t easily block his deals with her influence, since his product was a resource essential to the country.

Sabina sighed.

She liked that he was helpful and seemed clever, but he didn’t meet her requirements.

“Thank you for today. But I…”

“I plan to work for a long time.”

Sabina was about to politely and warmly decline, but Ashton cut in. Sabina was taken aback.

“Even if I find clients, I don’t plan to return home for a while.”

“Hm, that’s strange. Once you find clients, wouldn’t you go back and deliver right away?”

“I have enough financial leeway not to rush.”

“…That’s different from what you said earlier.”

“What did I say?”

It was pointless for him to play dumb. Sabina remembered clearly.

“You said, ‘It’s always good to scrape up every bit of money you can.’ That means you want to earn money faster and more, right? So wouldn’t you want to hurry…”

“Oh, what I meant was, I have people back home, so I can delegate.”

“That’s different too. Earlier, you said you couldn’t trust middlemen…”

She hadn’t meant to keep refuting him, but she couldn’t stand the holes in his logic.

The man watched Sabina’s relentless rebuttals, then knocked on the table with a fist.

Sabina’s attention snapped to the sound, then back to his smiling face.

“Just trust me. This ad was made for me, you know.”

He folded up the newspaper Reyes had left and showed it to Sabina.

“…Why?”

“Because I’m the kind of man who’s good to have beside a woman.”

Ashton’s confident answer to Sabina’s question was almost ridiculous. Sabina looked at him suspiciously, as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

“Because I’m handsome? Rich? Obedient? And you’ll find out the other thirty-one advantages if you put me to work? Miss D’Vialis, there aren’t many men this suitable for a contract relationship.”

“I don’t know. You don’t seem that obedient…”

“If you miss this chance, where will you find another man like me? Right?”

Sabina took a deep breath, determined not to get swept up by the man. After all, her goal in this life was, unlike ‘the original Sabina,’ not to ruin her life over a man.

“Take a good look.”

Ashton leaned closer to Sabina.

She studied his face in detail, as he’d asked.

Indeed, as he claimed, he was very good-looking. It was the first time she’d seen someone so handsome since the Brinita brothers.

But the style of beauty was completely different. The Brinita royal brothers were delicate beauties, while Ashton Bryant had a solid build, and the visible bone structure was as pronounced as a plaster statue.

“Hm.”

As Sabina examined him closely, Ashton spread his arms and stood up. When he took off his jacket, it was clear even at a glance how straight his shoulders were and how firm his chest and waist were under his shirt. If an art student were present, they’d kneel and beg to draw him just once.

For several minutes, Sabina carefully inspected how handsome he was from head to toe. Ashton wore a confident smile, waiting for her verdict.

And… he was the type whose real charm showed when he smiled. The pale blue eyes that matched his tanned skin were even more striking when his eyes curved downward.

Even Ashton’s excellent smile was added to Sabina’s assessment.

“Alright. So you’re…”

Ashton still had his arms spread.

“Annoying.”

This time, Ashton was caught off guard. He froze, arms still wide.

Sabina stood up, leaning on her cane. She walked past Ashton, saying,

“A man who’s too aware of his own good looks is annoying.”

She walked right up to the door, then turned her upper body to look at Ashton.

“Fine, I get that you’re handsome. But are you going to keep standing there like an idiot? It’s almost noon. Your lunch should be ready, so let’s eat together.”

Ashton quickly grabbed his jacket from the chair. Surprisingly, he was the one getting swept up.

He must have let his guard down. He needed to pull himself together.

Sabina was silent as they walked down the hall.

She simply didn’t need to talk. But Ashton seemed to feel a responsibility to fill the air with sound.

“Did you instruct them to prepare a separate meal for me?”

“No, nothing like that. But my staff are competent. Seeing the interview wasn’t finished as lunchtime approached, they would have decided to prepare food for you. If you left, they’d just eat it themselves, so it’s not a waste.”

Sabina walked straight ahead as she spoke.

“But I’m sure they were confident there wouldn’t be leftovers. It’s a rule in D’Vialis not to send guests away hungry.”

There was no one among the staff who didn’t know the D’Vialis rule.

Walter and Sabina were generous with staff salaries, so the D’Vialis employees all stayed for a long time. Except for maids Sabina’s age and little Hazel, everyone had worked there since Walter was the head of the house. They knew Sabina better than anyone, having watched their little lady grow into ‘Lady Sabina.’

Of course, Sabina was a completely different person before and after age nineteen, but fortunately, no one felt uncomfortable about it.

First, she’d spent five years at boarding school, so there was a gap. Second, Walter’s death coincided with the time Sabina became possessed, so her changes were accepted smoothly. Third, most of her memories from her original world had faded, and strangely, only Sabina’s past memories remained clear, so her personality had partly merged with the original owner.

Nevertheless, Sabina strictly distinguished between ‘book Sabina’ and ‘herself.’ That helped her constantly reaffirm her goal to keep her distance from Reyes and survive. It allowed her to judge and assess her past actions coolly.

“Nice house.”

Suddenly, Ashton broke Sabina’s thoughts. He was walking behind her, looking around.

It was the first time she’d heard the compliment ‘nice house’ without sarcasm.

In Brinita’s capital, old houses are seen as elegant and stylish. Compared to countless old mansions, the D’Vialis mansion was embarrassingly young.

The house’s age was the family’s age. D’Vialis joined the nobility thanks to Walter D’Vialis’s genius. D’Vialis was a new noble less than a few decades old, and Walter’s career and Sabina’s eccentricity meant no one ever called them refined, even as a joke.

Sabina felt a strange pride and smiled softly.

“Yes. My grandfather built it.”

Ashton suddenly stopped and looked quietly at Sabina.

“You must have liked your grandfather.”

“He was a good person.”

She’d never met him in person.

By the time of her graduation party, Walter was already dead. But the memories left in her body were still dazzlingly bright. Only she knew that smiling while thinking of Walter was a wicked act of stealing someone else’s memories for fuel—a small devilish secret of Sabina’s.

“Good people remain as happiness even after parting.”

Ashton spoke with a strangely lingering tone. As Sabina entered the dining room, she asked,

“You must have had someone like that too?”

At that, the man clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, he smiled.

“Most people do.”

“That’s true. Take your seat.”

Ashton pulled out Sabina’s chair for her. Outside, that would be fine, but inside the house, that was the staff’s job. Sabina pointed it out.

“No need for that. You’re a guest right now.”

“A guest who needs to impress you?”

Sabina shook her head as if she couldn’t help it.