20. The body she was touching was that of a fully matured man.

Clink, clink.

Robert poured tea into a teacup and offered it, but Rashid didn’t spare it a glance. His indifferent gaze remained fixed on the documents before him.

However, from long experience, Robert could tell that his employer—whom he had served for many years—was not actually focused on the documents.

“Did you have a fight with Lady Evelyn?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, anyone who sees the hole you punched into the wall would probably assume so.”

At Robert’s logical observation, Rashid furrowed his brow and threw the papers onto the desk.

“That stubborn woman, that nag. This time, I absolutely won’t be the one to apologize first.”

He crossed his arms with a sulky voice, but…

“If you don’t apologize to Lady Evelyn, what do you plan to do with those?”

Robert turned his head and pointed at the pile of items stacked near the office entrance.

Gifts delivered from the department store a couple of hours ago: jewelry, cosmetics, accessories, shoes, and more. Items Rashid had ordered without discrimination were neatly packed in colorful, pretty boxes.

Among them was the hand cream set Evelyn had given up on purchasing.

“…Give them to the maids or something.”

“That’s certainly an option, but I believe the true meaning of a gift is fulfilled when it reaches its intended recipient.”

Rashid didn’t reply and simply glared at the mountain of gift boxes.

His handsome face revealed a storm of turbulent emotion.

“The Evelyn I know has neither grand ambitions nor hidden agendas. She doesn’t even like socializing.”

“……”

“If someone like Lady Evelyn maintains a connection with the Crown Prince…”

“…It’s for the sake of House Egenhart and the company.”

“You already know the answer, don’t you?”

Even as the head of the Empire’s foremost ducal house, Rashid’s position was tenuous. Power that could rival the Imperial authority was bound to face checks and balances.

Moreover, Rashid’s character made it impossible for him to bow to the Imperial family.

Everyone around them knew Evelyn was working tirelessly to act as a lubricant in these strained political gears.

“Tch.”

In the end, Rashid raised a hand and swept back his smoothly gleaming platinum hair.

“So what you’re saying is… I should apologize.”

“Haven’t you always done so in the end?”

To his grumbling employer, the butler replied with a smile. Then, he held out a cookie box wrapped in ornate golden paper.

“Since the topic is already on the table, why not go now? As luck would have it, she left these cookies behind—take them and apologize while you’re at it.”

Practically strong-armed by his butler, Rashid reluctantly took the cookie box and got to his feet.

***

“That’s absurd! You’re saying the interest increased by three thousand gold in a single year?!”

Evelyn couldn’t help but raise her voice at the amount written on the promissory note presented by the creditors.

“Exactly what calculation led to that number?!”

“W-well, the breakdown is written below the document, so you can check for yourself.”

A man with a pointed mustache replied indifferently.

Evelyn quickly scanned the details listed beneath the promissory note but couldn’t make sense of them at all.

She held up the document again and pressed the matter.

“What I want to know is how a promissory note I made with Mr. Brooks ended up in your hands. And what is with this interest rate? I borrowed ten thousand gold, and the interest alone increased by three thousand in a year? That’s outrageous!”

“W-well, ever heard of loan sharks? The lender sets the interest rate however they want. As for how the note got to us—ask your father.”

Before the rough words were even finished, Evelyn turned to look at Baron Berge, who had been fidgeting nervously for some time.

“Evelyn… I’m sorry…”

Dragged here since morning and humiliated, Baron Berge murmured weakly.

“I tried to ask Brooks not to transfer the note, but he wouldn’t listen. Looks like he handed it over and took a commission for it.”

Ah, so that’s what happened.

In short, these people were basically acting like modern-day mobsters.

Now Evelyn understood why her father had seemed so listless the past few days.

Three thousand gold was more than Evelyn made in a whole year.

Naturally, it was an amount Baron Berge couldn’t possibly cover.

‘Sigh… Even in this era, there should be anti-usury laws.’

“I hear you graduated from the academy and make a nice salary now. So coughing up three thousand gold shouldn’t be too hard, eh?”

As the mustache-man spoke, the scrawny youth beside him nodded eagerly.

“Do you think three thousand gold is the name of someone’s pet dog?”

“Huh? You’re a noble lady, aren’t you? Shouldn’t be too hard to get the money. I mean, you’re the Duke’s personal secretary or whatever. Bet he’d hand over that kind of cash easy, hahahah!”

Mustache and Stick-Boy exchanged sleazy laughter.

No doubt mocking the rumored scandal between Evelyn and Rashid.

‘Bastards.’

“If you look at the promissory note, you’ll see the interest payment deadline for this month has already passed.”

“Fine. Then give me a week. I’ll repay the full three thousand gold.”

Mustache’s eyes gleamed with interest at Evelyn’s offer.

“A week’s too long, Lady Evelyn. I’d rather collect the interest by tomorrow morning.”

“…I’ll pay first thing when the bank opens.”

“What money are you going to use?!”

Baron Berge cried out in despair.

Then, the baguette-shaped man standing behind him clamped down on the baron’s shoulder.

“Oh, is that so? Hahahaha.”

Mustache let out a loud, satisfied laugh.

“Jordi, escort the baron inside.”

With that, Baguette grabbed the frail baron and dragged him into the building.

“E-Evelyn!”

“Father!”

As Evelyn moved to follow her terrified father, a man built like a fat branch roughly grabbed her wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of me!”

“Lady Evelyn, let’s not make this ugly—for both our sakes.”

Despite Evelyn’s firm resistance, Mustache grinned and opened his mouth.

“If you act like this, something terrible could happen to the Baron. We’re only here for the money, you know?”

At the blatant threat, Evelyn bit her lip tightly.

***

Where is she going?

Unable to resist the butler’s urging, Rashid had arrived at the Berge estate, only to pause momentarily at the sight of Evelyn rushing out of the house in a panic.

Evelyn ran out of the house and caught one of the peddler wagons roaming the streets, climbing aboard.

Seeing Evelyn’s rare urgency, Rashid gave the coachman a firm order without hesitation.

“Follow that wagon.”

The place where Evelyn’s wagon stopped was at the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of the capital. Though it was a secluded area with few residences and only a few warehouses scattered around, Evelyn walked straight into a shabby hut without hesitation.

For the second time, Rashid hesitated.

This was after work hours—this was Evelyn’s personal life. If he interfered carelessly, she would certainly respond with:

「Who I meet outside of work hours is part of my private life.」

That answer was all too predictable. However——

‘What could she possibly be doing in a place like this, this late at night?’

A noble lady of her status had no business being anywhere near such a place. Rashid’s expression hardened.

And then——

Thirty minutes later, having run out of patience, Rashid jumped out of the carriage and strode into the hut.

“Damn bastards.”

Evelyn muttered under her breath as she scanned the narrow basement, thick with the stench of damp and mildew.

That damn Mustache had ordered the men to lock Evelyn in the basement of the warehouse.

「Can’t have you running off before the bank opens tomorrow morning, Lady Evelyn.」

Because of that, Evelyn had been dragged by the men and locked up in the basement.

“Sigh, what on earth happened…”

In just a few hours, so much had occurred that Evelyn’s head was spinning. One thing was certain: Baron Berge had once again gotten himself entangled in a scam.

The fact that the loan note had even changed hands was suspicious to begin with.

“First of all, the interest rate is completely absurd.”

Though there was no statutory interest cap like in modern times, still—charging over 30% per year made no sense.

No, the amount was clearly designed with the assumption that she could never pay it back.

“They must be targeting the Berge estate.”

The collateral for the 10,000 gold borrowed from Mr. Brooks was the Berge estate—the only remaining property of the house.

Who was it that had schemed to obtain the loan note?

“Three thousand gold…”

Evelyn murmured the amount again.

Though she was a noble lady, she was also just an ordinary salaried worker now. There was only one way for her to get that large of a sum.

But that one way was the very option Evelyn least wanted to take.

“I can just imagine how smug he’d be.”

Rashid was generous, but he was by no means a kind-natured employer.

“If it’s that man Rashid, he’d surely find some excuse to——”

“Are you talking behind my back, Lady Evelyn?”

“Hic!”

At the familiar voice coming from the darkness, Evelyn flinched in shock. At the same time, the door connecting to the ground above opened, and a brilliant light spilled in from his platinum blond hair.

“Lord Rashid…?”

The appearance of someone she never expected to see here left Evelyn visibly stunned.

“How did you end up here?”

There was a brief silence after the natural question.

“…I came to apologize.”

“Really?”

Her surprised reply was met with another silence.

Though the distance made it hard to see clearly, Evelyn could roughly guess what kind of expression Rashid was wearing.

“I’ll ask for an explanation about why you’re locked up in here later.”

Rashid descended halfway down the stairs into the basement and extended his hand to Evelyn.

Just as Evelyn climbed the stairs and reached to take his hand, the wooden ladder, unable to withstand both their weight, suddenly creaked ominously.

“Ah!”

At Evelyn’s startled cry——

Crack!

The ladder support snapped with a loud sound. And both of them, standing on the ladder, fell straight to the basement floor.

“Ugh!”

Evelyn grimaced in pain as her leg struck the filthy, mold-covered ground. But more urgent than the throbbing pain was Rashid’s condition—he had fallen from higher up than she had.

“Lord Rashid, are you okay?”

The only reply she got was a firm palm.

“Evelyn!”

With that short, clipped voice, Rashid pulled Evelyn into his arms.

Before she could even think to resist, she was already held tightly against him.

“Are you alright?”

At the rare sound of urgency in his voice, Evelyn nodded, and Rashid let out a short sigh of relief.

Then, he pulled her head toward him and held her tightly to his chest.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of his heartbeat reached Evelyn’s ears.

The unexpected intimacy turned Evelyn’s mind completely blank.

What shocked her even more was——

‘I glimpsed it last time, but…’

When had that small, soft little boy grown up like this?

To Evelyn, who remembered his childhood self, the body now pressed against hers felt unfamiliar beyond words.

Long arms, broad shoulders, a firm chest, and long, strong legs. Even through the layers of clothing, the body she was touching was that of a fully matured man.