Chapter 7.1 – The Ups and Downs of Human Affairs

“…Brother?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face, Evan. Looks like you’ve grown a bit? Last time I saw you, you were barely up to my chest.”

At the second brother Felix’s joke, as he waved his hand at chest height, Evan gave an awkward smile. Since they were both staying in the Imperial City, he thought they’d run into each other eventually, but he hadn’t expected it to be today.

Felix stared at his younger brother, noticing the subtle change in his demeanor, then suggested they talk if Evan had some time. It wasn’t a difficult request, but since he had afternoon training, Evan asked him to wait a little while.

“Well, I suppose that’s fine. I came here for business anyway, so I’ll be busy for a while myself.”

“Then let’s meet up later.”

“So you’re a knight now, and even your speech has changed? I miss when you used to follow me around calling me ‘Big Brother, Big Brother’ all the time.”

“…Brother, please, not that kind of talk.”

To bring that up here! Seeing Felix wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief from who knows where, Evan glanced around nervously, afraid someone might overhear.

Fortunately, there was no one nearby. Felix shrugged as he watched Evan sigh in relief.

“Ah, all right. I was just happy to see my brother, but if you hate it that much, what can I do? It’s all my fault. I should have realized my little brother had grown up. Ah, I really am trash!”

“I didn’t say it was that bad….”

Evan trailed off, seeing his brother’s obvious disappointment. Felix stepped closer, lowered his voice so only Evan could hear, and asked a question that revealed the real reason he’d swapped duties with a colleague to come here.

“By the way, I heard you’re interested in a woman lately.”

“…What?”

“Judging by your face, it’s not entirely false. Let’s talk more later, my beloved little brother. You need to decide whether to tell our eldest brother about this or not, right?”

Felix patted Evan’s shoulder with a mischievous grin and hummed a tune as he walked away. Evan stared after him for a long moment before snapping back to his senses.

‘Where did that rumor even come from? Surely he doesn’t think badly of Sir Grey?’

His mouth was dry with anxiety. If there were rumors about her, he would have been the first to know.

Of course, public opinion hadn’t been good ever since that man who claimed to be her father caused a scene, but that wasn’t related to Evan’s feelings for her.

Evan went straight to find Jermel. They’d known each other since childhood, and most of Evan’s embarrassing memories were tied to Jermel, so it was a reasonable decision.

“Jermel.”

“Huh?”

“Did you say anything to my brother?”

“Which one?”

“…The second brother.”

Jermel’s reaction—‘Ah, he’s figured it out already’—was almost certain. Evan suppressed his irritation and waited for Jermel to answer.

“I think I might have. Why? Did he come looking for you?”

Did he come looking for you? 

With Evan glaring silently, Jermel remembered talking about Felix and Evan a few days ago and awkwardly threw an arm around Evan’s shoulders.

“Wow, such brotherly love. No, I’m not making fun of you. I’m genuinely jealous. Look at me—no one ever comes to see me. You’d think they’d send something, but nope. I’ve been totally abandoned.”

“So what did you say?”

“Not much. Just that you were doing well, that’s all. Why, did something happen?”

No way….

If his brothers knew about her, it had to be Jermel’s doing. But now, that certainty was wavering.

Jermel didn’t seem to know much, but he was a terrible liar. Whenever he lied, he had a habit of touching his earlobe.

“If you didn’t say anything, that’s fine.”

“Did your brother say something about that young lady?”

Evan shot him a sharp look, as if questioning why he’d bring that up now. Jermel, noticing Evan’s rare expression, shook off his arm and pretended to gag.

“…Wow, that face. That young lady should have seen you like this.”

“Since she’s been officially knighted too, you should use the proper title. Call her Sir Grey.”

“You’re correcting titles at a time like this?”

“What do you mean, ‘a time like this’?”

When Evan asked with wide eyes, Jermel looked him up and down with a pitying gaze, then glanced around and whispered quietly.

“Baron Lewin has been caught for fraud. Apparently, he pulled off a big job recently. But I heard he took out a loan in Sir Grey’s name. Didn’t you know?”

“…A loan?”

“I heard it was enough to buy several mansions in the capital, but you should check for yourself. Maybe that’s why your brother came.”

“Why would that be?”

He knew he sounded like an idiot, but he had to ask. If only he’d paid more attention to what was going on around him, instead of just worrying about how to meet her in secret.

“What do you know about anything? The new Knight Commander is Baron Lewin’s cousin. I know you’re interested in that young lady, but you should also know she’s the daughter of a con artist. Our family got swindled by that slippery guy too, so of course people won’t look at her kindly.”

Jermel glanced around and lowered his voice.

“Don’t expect me to look kindly on her either. I didn’t know she was Baron Lewin’s daughter back then, but now I do.”

Jermel’s voice drew a clear line. Evan had known this, but since he hadn’t cared before, it now left his head spinning. What had that man done to rack up so much debt? And to put it in her name….

“…I had no idea.”

“That’s why you should just enjoy it while it lasts. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but marriage is out of the question. Is it really worth carrying that debt for her? Your brothers might kick you out. No, they definitely will.”

Jermel patted Evan’s frozen shoulder, trying to comfort him. To fall in love for the first time with a con artist’s daughter—what a fate. Still, Jermel thought maybe this was for the best, and said no more for his poor friend’s sake.

* * *

After a busy spell at work, Daphne stood up for a break, thinking she’d get some fresh air, when someone came looking for her. The man, with his hair slicked back and glasses perched on his nose, gave off a strict impression. He introduced himself as an employee from a certain company and handed her his business card.

She’d never heard of the company, though they claimed to be involved in various businesses. But that didn’t mean she was unfamiliar with the words on the document.

What she didn’t understand was why this document was placed in front of her. Staring at the papers on her desk, Daphne asked the man who had come to see her.

“What is this?”

“This is a promissory note for a loan issued in the name of Daphne Lewin. We’re here to confirm, as the repayment period has passed.”

“Are you saying I took out a loan? I’ve never taken out a loan! And besides, my name isn’t Daphne Lewin, it’s Daphne Grey!”

Having suffered all her life from her biological father’s gambling and debts, even the mere sight of the word “loan” made her shudder.

If she had stayed there, she might have already been sold off somewhere by now. So, borrowing money from someone was something that could never happen in her life.

But now they were saying she had taken out a loan?

“Ah, you can check here. The agent submitted the documents.”

When she saw the name Fabian Lewin written boldly next to her own, she ground her teeth. Judging by the fact that they had issued a loan without even proper identification, it was clear this wasn’t a legitimate company. Which meant the interest accrued during the repayment period would be considerable.

‘That man never does anything good for my life!’

Her mind started to race. She had officially changed her birth registration, so why was she still listed in the Lewin Barony registry?

“So, does this mean I have to pay back all this debt?”

She asked for confirmation, and the man pushed up his glasses and nodded. She needed time to think. Of course, she wasn’t in a position to pay back the money right now, nor did she have any intention of paying it for someone else.