Aaron tilted his head sideways and answered indifferently. There had been countless nobles who came asking the duke to invest, saying they had good business opportunities. This was because the duke’s wealth was enormous.

However, few of them actually received investment from the duke. Duke Pruis was a quick-witted and very demanding person.

Aaron thought the business the baron in front of him was talking about would also be a trivial proposal.

‘This time we discovered magic stones in the mountains of the barony, so I came wondering if the duke might want to invest in the magic stone business.’

‘Magic stones?’

Aaron’s attitude changed with the mention of ‘magic stones.’ He, who had been sitting diagonally with a bored expression, straightened his body.

‘I brought some. Would you like to see?’

The baron opened the box he had brought.

‘This is……’

Inside was a mineral shining with a brilliant blue color. It sparkled and the color changed slightly depending on the viewing angle — it was definitely a magic stone.

‘How much magic stone is buried in the barony?’

Aaron asked in a calm voice, pretending not to be surprised.

‘According to the mage in charge of the investigation, a large amount of magic stones are buried in Mount Heyman, which occupies half of the barony. This is the mage’s investigation report.’

The baron held out the report. The document had the signature of Paul, a famous mage of the empire. Aaron, who received the document, carefully read the report. If Mage Paul had investigated, it was trustworthy.

‘Paul says there are also many gold and red magic stones buried there.’

Gold? Blue magic stones could be obtained if one tried, but gold magic stones were the highest grade minerals that couldn’t be bought even with money. Red ones were the same.

‘So, how about if the duke invests the development costs and I develop it, and we split it fifty-fifty?’

Baron Brian made an enticing proposal.

There were many mines that produced gems in the Pruis duchy, but magic stone mines were rare. Magic stones were minerals used in various magical tools and weapons, and they were expensive and hard to obtain due to low production.

Especially since Duke Pruis often waged wars, he needed many magic stones for weapons.

However, he couldn’t blindly trust the words of a baron who had come out of nowhere. Aaron asked without lowering his guard.

‘What will you do if the business fails?’

‘I’ll offer my daughter to the duke. For nighttime companionship.’

‘You would offer your daughter. That’s reckless.’

‘I’m just saying that. Such a thing will never happen. Because it will never fail.’

The baron boasted confidently, putting his daughter up as collateral. He seemed so confident that he would even stake his daughter.

Being human, Aaron never thought someone would use their daughter as collateral for fraud. Much less commit such a bold act against a duke with such a fearsome reputation.

In the end, Aaron was completely deceived.

However, Aaron received a letter from Baron Brian two weeks ago. Inside the envelope was only a single ‘paternity acknowledgment document.’

Feeling puzzled, he investigated and found that the baron had already sold his mansion and territory and left for the eastern continent by ship. Mage Paul’s investigation report was also a fake document with a forged signature. He had been deceived by Baron Brian.

He never imagined someone would do such a thing while staking their own daughter. What human being would use their own daughter as collateral? Especially for the duke’s nighttime companionship.

Of course, he had thoroughly investigated Baron Brian before making the contract, but he didn’t know that the baron had a hidden illegitimate child. If he had known, he wouldn’t have made the contract.

Aaron’s expression became complicated as he recalled the baron’s betrayal again.

“What do I have to do?”

Liana, who had been silent for a long time, finally opened her mouth.

“Spend nights with the duke.”

Aaron answered straightforwardly without hesitation. It was unfortunate for her, but he had to tell her precisely.

“……Spend nights?”

Liana’s body froze when she asked back. She seemed to realize something and her mouth closed again. She thought she would become a maid in the ducal household in place of the debt, but spending nights……

‘Surely…… surely……’

“What you’re thinking is correct. You will become Duke Pruis’s bedroom companion. This was discussed with the baron when he borrowed the money. It’s also written in the contract.”

Aaron spoke emphatically, looking at her pale face. The woman was pitiful, but it was a contract, so it couldn’t be helped.

‘Should I run away?’

The word ‘escape’ came to Liana’s mind.

But simultaneously she thought of the carriages and knights standing in front of the alley. She wasn’t good at martial arts, nor was she fast at running. Breaking through them and escaping was impossible.

“How much is the total debt the baron owes?”

Liana asked Aaron, trying to calm her surprised heart. The document stated ten billion gold, but there could be other debts besides that.

“The principal alone is ten billion gold. Not only the principal, but the current interest is also continuing to grow.”

Ten billion gold. It was an enormous amount. If she had money, she would pay off the debt instead of being dragged to the fearsome duke, but there was no way she had such tremendous wealth.

But why had the duke lent so much money to the baron?

If the rumors were true, Duke Pruis would be a scary and demanding person, yet lending such a large amount was incomprehensible.

“Why did His Grace invest in Baron Brian?”

Liana asked Aaron with a puzzled expression.

“It’s my mistake.”

Aaron hardened his expression and admitted his fault.

“I was in charge of managing funds while His Grace was away at war, leaving the ducal castle empty. I believed him when he said he would excavate a magic stone mine, but I never thought he would commit fraud while staking his child.”

“……”

Liana, who heard Aaron’s explanation, had nothing to say and closed her mouth. She knew Baron Brian was a despicable person, but she hadn’t expected him to eventually cause trouble and put her in a difficult situation.

“I see.”

After a long while, Liana sighed and spoke with a dejected expression.

Duke Pruis seemed to trust and entrust everything to the aide in front of him. She also knew that the war with the Kingdom of Lavinia had ended recently. She heard that the Mancus Empire had won unilaterally thanks to the duke’s performance.

“I’m sorry the result turned out this way. However, you are definitely Baron Brian’s daughter, so you must fulfill the contract’s contents.”

“……I understand.”

Liana answered with a despairing voice. She tried to rack her brain to somehow escape the situation, but since she didn’t have the enormous sum of ten billion gold right now, it couldn’t be helped.

The laws of the world she had lived in her previous life and the Mancus Empire were completely different. She could lose her life if she made a mistake, and with the duke’s wealth and power, even if she hid, she would be discovered quickly. It was unfair, but there was no way to avoid it.

“How long do I have to do that work?”

“Until His Grace is satisfied. It could be one year, or it could be a lifetime. His Grace doesn’t tend to feel great desire for women, so you probably don’t need to worry too much, but……”

Aaron didn’t tell her that she might be kicked out in one day or lose her life by touching the duke’s nerves. He didn’t want to say uncertain things and have her refuse to go to the ducal castle, which would be troublesome.

If Liana refused, he would have no choice but to use force, and he didn’t want to go that far with this pitiful woman.

“Haah……”

Liana let out another deep sigh.

She had no choice but to decide to go to the ducal castle. Since she had nothing, there was no other choice.

“Let’s prepare right away. There’s no time.”

“What? Today is difficult. There’s a performance.”

Liana spoke with a troubled expression. Actually, there were performances not only tonight but continuously. It wasn’t a big role, but it would be difficult to suddenly drop out without notice of quitting. The Shariv Theater Company didn’t have many members, so there was no one to replace her role either.

“I’ll take care of that.”

Aaron spoke firmly.

“Really?”

Liana looked at him with gloomy eyes. She didn’t know what he planned to do, but since he said he would handle it, there was no more excuse to delay.

“When do we depart?”

“You must do so right now.”

“……”

Looking at the aide’s expression, it didn’t seem like he would give her time. Well, having lost ten billion gold, thinking from his position, it was understandable.

“I understand. Then I’ll prepare. Please wait a moment.”

Liana spoke with a resigned expression. Not only the aide but also the ducal knights had come outside the house, so she had no choice but to follow.

Moreover, if the scary rumors about Duke Pruis were true, disobeying the duke’s orders was impossible from the start.

Duke Pruis had the terrifying nicknames of unprecedented murderer, demon of the battlefield, and the empire’s greatest predator.

There wasn’t a single citizen of the Mancus Empire who didn’t know the rumors about Duke Pruis. She didn’t know what would happen if she didn’t follow the aide.

‘To leave without even being able to say anything to Laura……’

It was regrettable to leave without greeting Laura, but it couldn’t be helped.

There wasn’t much luggage to take anyway. She had sold the house where she lived alone with her mother because of her mother’s medical expenses, and this place was where she had temporarily resided for only six months. She could extend the period, but she had been looking around to move to a place with cheaper rent.

She let out a heavy sigh, entered the bedroom, changed into outdoor clothes, then came out with only precious items like rings and necklaces that were her deceased mother’s keepsakes, a few pieces of underwear, and one set of everyday clothes in a small bag. She also didn’t forget to take her mother’s portrait hanging on the wall.

Aaron guided her to the carriage standing at the alley entrance. The carriage ran at high speed and arrived at the ducal castle ten days later.

* * *