Chapter 17
* * *
Without realizing it, my grip tightened around the pen.
A familiar name I had seen among the expenses while organizing the ledger refused to leave my mind.
Heloika Orphanage.
I had never dreamed I would see that name in Baldomer’s ledger.
According to the ledger, Baldomer had been regularly sending donations to Heloika Orphanage.
To that Heloika Orphanage…
The name Heloika Orphanage wasn’t unfamiliar to me.
My eleventh life.
In other words, while I was the lady of Silverstel, I had been unable to stop investigating the culprit who killed Denion in my first life.
It wasn’t only during my eleventh life. In every life, I had continued chasing clues related to the culprit.
Perhaps it had become an unhealthy obsession.
If someone had seen me, they might have scolded me to stop foolishly clinging to traces of a past that had already been erased and simply live my new life. But for me, that was my only reason to keep living.
Because if I ever met that child, Denion, again, I had to protect him from every danger.
That was why I had approached the second son of Silverstel, a great house with influence comparable to Baldomer and Heister, and taken the position of the lady of the house so I could obtain information more easily.
The effort hadn’t been entirely in vain.
Because I discovered that the person who killed Denion had come from Heloika Orphanage.
But I couldn’t learn anything beyond that. Not their age, their name, where they lived, or who had ordered the murder.
So I immediately sent people to investigate Heloika Orphanage.
But by that point, the orphanage had been destroyed in a fire, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
And yet Baldomer was sponsoring that very Heloika Orphanage.
The fact that donations were still being sent meant Heloika Orphanage was still intact at this point in time.
If I had my way, I would’ve immediately sent someone to investigate the orphanage. But unlike when I had been the lady of Silverstel, I couldn’t do that here in Baldomer.
Every servant here was loyal to Baldomer. They were people who would watch my every move and report it to Kallion.
It seems I have no choice but to use that man after all…
Having organized my thoughts, I pulled out a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled a short message. Then I tucked it into my clothes, tidied my things without hesitation, and stood.
When I began preparing to go out, Layla, who had been organizing documents beside me, asked stiffly.
“Madam, where are you going?”
At Layla’s suspicious question, I answered calmly.
“I already organized the ledger and handed it over. Is there anything else I need to do?”
“Reporting your every move is also part of my duties.”
A small scoff escaped me as I listened to Layla’s composed reply.
“So you don’t even intend to hide it.”
“It’s only natural for as long as you’re staying in Baldomer.”
Apparently, that was her roundabout way of telling me to leave if I didn’t like it.
But I couldn’t do that.
Not after everything I had felt and resolved before setting foot in this hellish place.
“I’m going to the Vas Guild.”
“Vas Guild…?”
Layla’s brow furrowed deeply.
“I’ll need to report the ledger to Lord Kallion soon.”
She meant that spending beyond the approved budget wouldn’t be allowed.
“There won’t be any additional expenses. There’s simply an error in the item list, so I’m going to adjust it.”
“If that’s all, you could simply send a letter.”
As Layla said, it was something that could be handled through correspondence.
But this was Baldomer.
There was no guarantee where the contents of any letter I sent might leak.
“Since this is our first transaction, wouldn’t I feel more at ease confirming it in person? If you’re that worried, then just come with me, Layla.”
“……”
Layla hesitated briefly before lowering her gaze back to the documents.
“I don’t think there’s any particular need for me to accompany you.”
Unlike last time, when she had followed me in hopes that I would make a mistake, she seemed to have changed her mind now that I hadn’t shown any openings.
Or perhaps she had something else she was relying on.
I stared at Layla for a moment, then confidently turned and left the office.
* * *
“Pardon?”
Vas Donaldo asked again with a blank expression.
This lady of Baldomer kept saying things that completely defied his expectations.
“You wish to buy information…?”
The Vas Guild was also a guild that had expanded its influence by secretly buying and selling information in the shadows.
It was practically a closely guarded secret known only to VIP clients, so how had someone from Baldomer learned of it and come looking for him…
“W-Where did you hear about that?”
“Does it matter where I heard it? I intend to buy information, and you only need to tell me whether you’re willing to sell it.”
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