Chapter 3
Chapter 3
There wasn’t much to prepare for the move to the Marquessate of Ramfley. There was no dowry or anything of the sort. All Kashika had to do was pack the clothes she was wearing. Still, she had at least expected something from the Elpertz family—but contrary to that hope, she was thrown out without so much as a ring or a brooch.
Traveling to Ramfley required a long carriage ride.
Even that involved multiple transfers. The farther she went, the more desolate the surroundings became.
Mujaorne, the village where the Marquessate’s mansion stood, was surrounded by cliffs. The marquess, once a landed noble, had long since been reduced to a titleholder with only a small parcel of land. Even that land had reportedly been sold off to pay debts owed to the Count of Elpertz.
By the time Kashika arrived in the city after yet another carriage transfer, no one had come to greet her. She approached several coachmen to find a ride to the Ramfley estate, but most refused. It was only after she paid significantly more than usual that she finally secured a carriage headed to the marquessate.
Even after arriving, things weren’t much different. When she knocked on the door of the large estate—so large it was hard to believe it lacked even proper guards—an old butler answered. He looked her up and down before asking what business she had.
“I’m Kashika Elpertz.”
He didn’t look particularly pleased to see her.
“You’re late. The priest has arrived. Let’s go to the bedchamber.”
What was that supposed to mean? Kashika looked puzzled, but the butler grabbed her arm and started pulling her along.
How rude.
Still, she followed the man without resistance. In the bedroom were the priest, some maids, the butler who had brought her in—and the marquess.
The Marquess of Ramfley.
Her future husband lay on the bed.
“You’re late, Miss Elpertz. This way, please.”
The priest spoke. Kashika slowly stepped forward and stood at the foot of the bed, and the priest looked at her. So did the maids. Their stares were cold. Rejecting her.
The priest began reciting the ceremonial words. Congratulations on the wedding—hollow phrases. While listening to that meaningless noise, Kashika stared at the man lying on the bed. His wrinkled face was covered in liver spots. His eyes, clouded over with a gray film, looked like they couldn’t see properly. The gaze of the aged Marquess of Ramfley drifted blankly through the air, never fixing on anything.
“You may now kiss.”
At the priest’s words, Kashika leaned over and kissed the old man lying on the bed, reciting the marriage vows.
And not even three hours after the vows were exchanged, the Marquess of Ramfley died. The same priest who had conducted the wedding also officiated his funeral.
No wedding dress—only mourning clothes.
A black dress, a black hat, black gloves.
It suits me far better than I expected, Kashika thought.
This suited her much more.
A dark, somber mansion, a dead marquess, a woman left behind—Madam Ramfley, who looked right at home in mourning.
Kashika lifted her head.
The marquess’s estate was grand, wide, and tall.
Ah… high ceilings. Something she could never give up.
* * *
The Count’s House of Elpertz had been swindled. The perpetrator was none other than the now-deceased Marquess of Ramfley.
While the House of Ramfley had been wealthier than the Elpertz family, it hadn’t had much money either. It seemed they scraped together whatever funds they had—every last coin—to purchase Kashika Elpertz.
Now she was Kashika Ramfley.
A name that, at the very least, suited her better than Elpertz ever had.
The Marquess of Ramfley had left behind no heir. He’d been a collateral descendant of a collateral line, a man who had originally been a shepherd before being elevated. He knew nothing of social etiquette and even less about how to handle money.
Elpertz had fallen with grace. Ramfley had gone down in utter chaos. The servants had been stealing from the estate.
Even so, the high ceilings still had lights flickering here and there. Some land and money remained. So did the jewels.
After the Marquess died, the maids and servants began stealing the jewels during the cleanup, but Kashika caught them just before they were sold. She fired every last one of them. Among them was a butler who had served for many years.
People who knew the place inside and out might have been important, but in a crumbling marquessate, they were essentially useless. After dismissing them all, Kashika placed a hiring notice in a capital newspaper. Two maids and one butler. That would be enough.
She thought a retired butler looking to live out his days quietly in the countryside might be ideal. Just in case, she added “married couple welcome.” For the second maid, she preferred someone young. She hadn’t expected any responses, but quite a few letters arrived. Likely due to the generous pay she had offered.
After a few interviews, she hired a butler and maid couple, as well as a young maid who had just turned sixteen. The girl, who introduced herself as an orphan, had cried bitterly as she explained no one would hire her because of her age. Something about her tears reminded Kashika of another child she had once known, but the memory quickly faded.
And so, nine years and four months passed.
Kashika was now twenty-nine. The boy who had once been six years her junior must now be around twenty-three.
“You don’t seem to remember. We were six years apart when we met, but my birthday was the following week, so we became five years apart. I got my governess in honor of turning eleven.”
Noah Lambroiche had come to the Marquessate of Ramfley.
That annoyingly charming face from her memory had grown into something so striking, she almost didn’t recognize him.
“I see. So you’re twenty-four now?”
“Yes, Madam Ramfley.”
“So why did you say you came? I think I misheard.”
“You heard correctly.”
Noah said.
“Count Elpertz murdered someone.”
“And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and’? He was my only uncle.”
She couldn’t even remember if the boy was twenty or twenty-one by now. Either way, he was an adult. And now he’d committed murder?
“Who did he kill?”
“I doubt the name would mean anything to you. Someone named… Kanin…”
Noah trailed off. Honestly, Kashika still didn’t care. With a completely neutral expression, she said, “Doesn’t ring a bell.” Which was true.
“That’s what happened. Naturally, after the murder, he was arrested.”
“I see.”
“Given how young and frail he was, I suppose it was hard for him to survive in prison. Did he last a month or two?”
“…You’re saying he’s dead?”
At Kashika’s question, Noah quietly looked at her and replied, “Yes.”
“You should’ve led with that.”
“Ah, sorry. I assumed you didn’t have much attachment to the Elpertz family. Since he was a convict, he wasn’t given a grave. I heard he was cremated along with the other criminals. Normally, a noble’s body wouldn’t be treated that way, but Count Elpertz… well, calling him a noble was a stretch. The world’s changed, hasn’t it? A title alone doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
Kashika had spent nearly ten years rotting away in a rural estate near the border. She didn’t know how the world had changed.
“And besides, Madam, even when the previous count died, you only sent a single letter. Count Elpertz always suffered from a lack of affection. Thanks to your connection, we were able to provide him some support…”
No noble receives support from another noble. It wasn’t support—it was a conditional loan.
In plain terms: a debt. But the young Count Elpertz probably hadn’t known that. César Elpertz hadn’t raised him with that kind of awareness—he’d only indulged him.
“He was terribly spoiled and rude. Caused quite a few problems. Really, the opposite of you, Madam.”
There it is.
“So what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Count Elpertz’s debt.”
Of course. So this was why he had come after nearly ten years.
“Someone has to repay it, don’t they?”
It was only logical, but Ramfley was not wealthy. Hidden away in this corner of the world, Kashika could just about afford to live quietly without working, paying her servants’ wages and avoiding luxury. That’s all the money she had—just enough to get by for life.
“The support we gave to Count Elpertz was an investment in the future. I mean, support between nobles? That’s laughable. It was a loan, under the guise of investment. And he was so obsessed with luxury…”
Perhaps it was some overcorrection for growing up poor. César Elpertz II had an obsession with high-end goods. He had no eye for quality, no sense of taste, but he always chose the most expensive things. And the Count of Lambroiche footed the entire bill.
Noah looked at Kashika.
And smiled, with the same harmless expression as before.
But Kashika, just like back then, had no interest in Noah.
“I’m not part of the Elpertz family anymore. You can’t ask this of me. And besides, the House of Ramfley is not wealthy.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
Noah replied.
“But you’re listed as Count Elpertz’s guarantor.”
“I never agreed to that.”
“Really? But that’s what the documents say.”
With that, Noah held out the papers. She’d never seen them before. She glanced at the documents, but didn’t even lift them. Instead, she looked straight at Noah.
He said,
“You’ll have to repay the debt, Madam.”
“…How much is it?”
“2.8 million gold.”
“…What?”
