Please Lend Me 50 Million - Chapter 24

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As the day of the opera appointment approached, Asha was consumed by anxiety. Although she had the support of Melissa’s direct approach, the existence of the gift that had yet to be revealed weighed on her. Every time she thought of it, Asha grabbed her head, and Melos poured out curses, saying she would go bald if she kept tearing at her hair like that.

The only saving grace was that the long-awaited day dawned before all of her soft platinum blonde hair could fall out. The day she was to see the opera with Harriet. Contrary to her being tensed up because of the mysterious gift, no such gift had arrived even as the appointment time drew near.

Asha, who had been gulping down black tea with trembling hands, eventually ended up choking on it.

“Cough, hack!”

“Madam!”

It seemed it had gone down the wrong pipe severely, as her coughing showed no sign of stopping. Her impatient nature was always a problem at times like this. Cecile, who was nearby, rushed over, but Asha only found her breath after coughing violently as if she were about to vomit.

“Ugh….”

It hurts….

Her airway, where the tea had passed, was still stinging sharply. Just as she was rubbing her throat and thinking nothing of it, wondering if she should drink some water, the skillfully moving Cecile held out a teacup to Asha.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Madam, surely it’s not a cold? Or perhaps pneumonia….”

As if she were quite worried about her superior’s coughing, Cecile examined Asha’s complexion with a serious face. Unlike Cecile, who was acting busily by checking her complexion and listening to her breathing, Asha shook her head indifferently. A cold in early summer? There was no way she would suffer from a cold in the South when she had rarely suffered from them even in the North.

Asha took a sip of the tea, dismissing Cecile’s worry as overprotection, and soon her eyes widened at the familiar taste.

“Nelamine?”

A tea that was sweet at first but had a uniquely stinging aftertaste; it was Nelamine tea, which only grew in the North.

“How did you know about this tea, Cecile? People from the South wouldn’t know it well.”

Nelamine was a tea enjoyed by everyone in the North, regardless of age, and was mainly drunk when suffering from a cough or respiratory illness. In the North, where colds were a part of daily life, it was a staple kept in every house you visited.

However, due to the nature of Nelamine leaves growing in cold climates, they could never be found in the South. Consequently, it wasn’t well known.

“To serve a master who came from the North, I should at least be able to do this much.”

“Is that so?”

Asha, who had never suffered from a cold since coming to the South and had lived healthily even in the North except for her childhood, couldn’t shake her curiosity.

Did someone advise Cecile?

Just as she was thinking that, she realized that Betty, who should have been in the office, was missing.

“Huh? Where did Betty go?”

“Ah, she helped with the general cleaning of the mansion yesterday and ended up falling ill. The cleaning alone is hard enough, but apparently, there was a commotion yesterday as well. People were saying ghosts were appearing, or that there’s a secret room in the basement.”

“A secret room?”

At Asha’s question, Cecile shrugged her shoulders.

“Since it’s such an old castle, the interior is complicated, right? Everyone was already scared they might get lost because of that, but Hansem, who loves to show off, finally caused trouble.”

“Haha, did he start a rumor that there’s a secret room?”

“Yes. From what I heard, he picked up some knowledge about construction by eavesdropping? Anyway, with his bogus knowledge, he scared people by saying, ‘This structure is one where a secret room has no choice but to be hidden behind it!’ Since the young servants believed him and started bawling, it was a mess, I heard.”

“Really?”

Asha’s eyes sparkled at the interesting story. Although she hadn’t heard the details from Harriet, the complex and grand structure of the old castle added credibility to Hansem’s words. However, Cecile’s reaction remained indifferent.

“Oh, it’s all lies, Madam. Do you know what a liar Hansem is? Last time, he teased Betty and got scolded by you, Madam.”

“Ah, that servant was Hansem?”

“Yes. He’s a rogue who likes to scare the young servants, so you don’t need to pay him any mind.”

Her interest cooled, Asha turned her attention back to the door. Even a puppy waiting for its master’s return wouldn’t be this fervent. The anticipation for the gift and the wicked thought that she wished a servant would lose it crossed her mind.

No, should she just receive it and say she lost it?

Fortunately, before Asha’s scheme could become more specific, a knock sounded, and a maid opened the door and entered.

“This is a gift sent by the Count.”

“Quickly, bring it here.”

“Madam, what kind of gift is it?”

As the maid placed the box on the table and stepped back, Cecile looked down at the gift box with eyes full of curiosity. Asha couldn’t answer the maids’ eager gazes and instead scrutinized the gift box thoroughly. The box, too large for earrings and too small for clothes, made Asha even more fearful.