Chapter 1 – She Was Greedy (Part 2)

Lorraine’s sighs grew deeper with each passing day.

“Sigh….”

She sat at her desk with her head buried, zoning out. The conversation with Professor Laszlo, the head of the Public Administration department, kept replaying in her mind.

「You’ll be taking the public administration exam, right?」

Clearing her throat nervously, Lorraine sipped water from her dry lips, but Laszlo continued speaking.

「Didn’t you have the best grades in Public Administration? You could even aim for a managerial position.」

It must be her imagination that his eyes seem to be sparkling.

Lorraine stirred her soup, smiling awkwardly. He didn’t seem to be here to hear her answer, as he continued speaking without stuttering even while eating aggressively.

「Your sister aimed for the Law department from the start, so I couldn’t even bring it up… but you’re different.」

「…Yes, that’s right.」

「Of course, back then, even if I had to endure the law professor’s wrath, I could have brought your sister in….」

It must be her imagination that the asparagus looked like the Law professor’s head.

Lorraine pretended not to notice the asparagus being cut into pieces and looked up.

「You’re an outstanding student, just like your sister. Anyway, how about taking the Public Administration exam?」

Even though he said he wouldn’t take her answer right away, Laszlo handed her an envelope as if she had already agreed.

Inside were the application form for the Public Administration exam, a recommendation letter with Laszlo’s signature, and a neatly organized calendar with the exam schedule.

“Sigh….”

She hadn’t eaten much, but even that seemed hard to digest as her stomach felt tight.

At that moment, someone placed a heavy hand on her back as if deliberately adding weight. After a moment of hesitation, the person whispered carefully in her ear.

“Will sighing make the ground sink?”

It was Louise. Already guessing who it was, Lorraine responded familiarly.

“When did you get here?”

“You’re not even surprised anymore.”

“I’m too used to it.”

As Lorraine shrugged, Louise sat across from her and replied.

“I heard the library ghost showed up again today.”

Louise said this while rummaging through her pocket. Soon, she handed Lorraine a small bundle of paper.

“Here, take this.”

“Thanks.”

What Louise handed her was a round pill-like digestive medicine. The paper bore the unmistakable seal of the Arno Trading Company.

This was because Louise was the sole heir to the Arno Trading Company.

The Arno Trading Company’s main source of income was maritime trade, and with the money earned from that, they had about thirty branches just in Moses. There was a joke that it was easier to find the Arno Trading Company’s seal than the royal seal in Moses.

“Ugh… the smell.”

As she unwrapped the paper, a bitter smell hit her nose, revealing a dark pill.

“Just take it. You’re not a child… and you talk a lot for someone getting free medicine.”

Louise frowned at Lorraine’s grumbling but still handed her a piece of chocolate from her pocket. She took another piece of chocolate from her pocket and put it in her own mouth as she asked.

“But why do you have a professor meeting every day?”

Lorraine, who had forgotten about the reality, mumbled with her head buried in the desk.

“They say I’m the only one without a decided career path.”

“Oh. Well, you know….”

Louise shrugged indifferently. She bit into the chocolate rolling in her mouth and continued.

“Professors care about their achievements.”

Frowning at her friend’s pointed observation, Lorraine turned her head while still lying on the desk and said.

“It’s fun to talk about others’ problems, isn’t it?”

Louise, rummaging through her pockets, answered with her thumb and index finger slightly apart.

“A little?”

Feeling betrayed by her trusted friend, Lorraine buried her head in the desk again and let out a groan.

“So… what are you going to do? You know graduation is soon, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Let’s not talk about it.”

Louise shook her head as she popped the last piece of chocolate into her mouth.

“After all this talk, you’ll probably decide in a few days.”

Lorraine Wigg was the least worrisome person she knew.

Then, Lorraine, who had heard Louise’s muttering like a ghost, replied.

“No way.”

But Louise was confident enough to bet this year’s trading company profits that she was right.

“No, I’m sure of it.”

Her bright red eyes sparkled with certainty.

Feeling a sudden chill, Lorraine rubbed her shoulders a few times and closed her eyes.

***

Lantil 4th Street was a place developed into a canal from a very shallow river that was about to dry up.

It started as a substitute for a port. But as goods and money gathered, people naturally flocked there, and its purpose began to change.

“If you need anything else, please ring the bell.”

Even as she listened to the manager’s polite greeting, Lorraine couldn’t take her eyes off the canal.

The street that never sleeps.

That was the alias of Lantil 4th Street. Especially the restaurant <La Blanc> was famous as a landmark of this street, which housed boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and the National Theater.

The three-story marble building, built in the most expensive and prominent location on Lantil 4th Street, was as proud as its fame. Reservations were said to be fully booked for half a year, or they checked if you were a member.

Compared to the 1st and 2nd floors, where one could at least try to get a reservation, the 3rd floor was reserved only for the VIPs of VIPs.

This VIP status was somewhat ambiguous. Therefore, it was hard to find someone who succeeded in making a reservation every six months.

「Failed again this time.」

Louise muttered with a gloomy face. Marianna snorted in response.

「You said you’d give up.」

At Marianna’s reply, Louise jumped up and down. She said in a high-pitched voice.

「It’s the 3rd floor of <La Blanc>, the 3rd floor!」

「Ah, yes. Sure.」

As Marianna nodded absentmindedly, Louise jumped up and down even more.

The two of them argued about it all day long. Louise tried five more times to make a reservation before she finally gave up on reserving the 3rd floor of <La Blanc>.

Now, Lorraine found herself in such a place.

‘Is this a dream?’

Lorraine was deeply contemplating whether the scene she was seeing was reality.

“…Miss Wigg?”

The cool river breeze from the open window hit her face.

‘This feels real enough….’

At that moment, Philip called her again.

“Miss Wigg.”

“Oh, yes.”

When their eyes met, Philip smiled gently and said.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking so deeply about, but… how about having some tea first? It’s about to get cold.”

“Oh, yes.”

At Philip’s suggestion, Lorraine carefully picked up the teacup. The elegant curves of the teacup fit smoothly in her hand.

‘This is a limited edition that only ten pieces are produced a year, right?’

The manager seemed ready to explain the history of the teacup and the origin of the tea leaves. If Philip hadn’t told him to leave, he surely would have.

“You must have been quite surprised by my sudden visit.”

Philip smiled knowingly.

“Where were you headed?”

“Oh… to the bank.”

Lorraine’s answer made Philip, who was checking his wristwatch, slightly frown.

“…Today.”

“Yes, it’s not possible. They must be closed.”

“…It’s not urgent, right?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Lorraine shrugged with a smile to reassure Philip.

“I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. Charlie took my resume….”

As she tried to recall the date, Philip quickly interjected.

“It was the day before yesterday.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

A week ago, meeting Charlie at <Porturellu> was purely coincidental.

‘Or maybe it was a fate disguised as coincidence….’

Lorraine muttered to herself. It was too precise to be just a coincidence.

「Lorraine!」

Everyone in the largest bookstore in Moses, <Porturellu>, turned their eyes to her.

「…Do you recognize me?」

His tone was so earnest that one might mistake them for estranged lovers.

‘Is he crazy?’ 

Lorraine looked around and frowned.

「I’d prefer to pretend I don’t know you, so let’s keep it down.」

Despite her harsh response, Charlie Winston, the rising star of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, smiled brightly.

「Still as cold as ever.」

「If you keep talking, I’ll pretend I don’t know you.」

When Lorraine turned back to pick out a book, Charlie’s voice turned slightly conspiratorial.

「If you hear what I have to say, you might change your mind.」

「…….」

‘Ignore him, ignore him.’

Pretending not to hear Charlie’s words, Lorraine walked to the next bookshelf.

「I heard you still haven’t decided what to do.」

‘Stop.’

Lorraine’s steps halted, and a triumphant smile appeared on Charlie’s lips.

「A salary of 5,000 gold.」

「…….」

「How about it?」

It was the devil’s whisper.

Lorraine only realized the truth now, facing the contract.

“The job is urgent. Can we sign the contract today?”

He took out a fountain pen from his jacket pocket. Such haste was not ideal for negotiations.

However, Philip had to capture Lorraine, even if it meant throwing himself into it.