This Time, My Brother-in-Law Proposed - Chapter 2.9

My room, in a sense, is the Dunbury family’s trash heap.

An out-of-fashion sofa shoved in a corner, a canopy Linda used from childhood until she hit puberty and got sick of, a bookshelf collapsing from mold, and so on. Even children from well-off merchant families probably have better rooms than me.

But it’s not just furniture that came into my room.

It also came with all the odds and ends my uncle hadn’t sorted out, assuming the servants would take care of them.

I gathered a paperweight and pen holder that looked fairly expensive, and a jeweled amulet that Linda might have received as a gift when she was little.

I won’t get much for them, but right now, even one silver is precious.

Half a day passed as I checked the minimum prices at pawn shops, and the average second-hand market prices at other shops, and sorted everything out.

While I was at it, I also checked the lace prices, and Shirley’s information was correct. Sorry for doubting you.

Adding together the money I earned today and the expected money from the lace, it came to about 17 gold.

Checking the cost of living, it seemed just barely enough for one month’s expenses.

I’ll have to leave the thought of giving Aiden a gift as just a thought.

I’ve set a minimum budget, so now it’s time to find lodging and negotiate long-term stay rates.

I turned my steps toward the shopping district. Since I’ll be staying alone, I thought I should book a room at an inn in a well-trafficked area, even if it’s a bit more expensive.

As I walked a little further in, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

I realized I had come to the street where the monster had rampaged yesterday.

The bloodstains were all gone, and the scattered splinters had been cleared away. The surrounding shops were open as if nothing had happened.

The only place still in disarray was the very shop the monster had smashed yesterday.

In that space, a ruin littered with glass shards and wood fragments…….

I saw Aiden carrying things.

Why is he here?

The question was quickly resolved.

As Aiden lifted and tossed a broken cabinet outside the shop, a man and woman who appeared to be a couple thanked him.

“Thank you! We were at a loss because we couldn’t clear it out ourselves. You said you’re a soldier, right? Didn’t you come to the capital for work?”

“It’s fine. I received a long leave for a family matter, but it was canceled, so I was free. Is there anything else I can help move?”

“Oh my, really? Then…….”

Guided by the couple, Aiden went inside the shop. The sounds of hammering and sawing came from within.

I stood still and stared at his back.

Receiving a long leave for a family event probably meant my and Ernst’s wedding. I was destined to receive a proposal on September 19th, and go to the wedding hall prepared by the Marquis’s family at the end of the month.

But since the party concerned broke it off, of course the wedding was canceled too.

Aiden would also be free.

Then he could use the remaining time as he pleased.

In his past life, Aiden had once said, ‘The Western Fortress is more comfortable than home.’

If I were Aiden, I would have returned to my unit as soon as I heard about Ernst’s broken engagement. Or at least rented a room at an inn and fled immediately.

But this upright soldier extends his hands generously to those who need him.

Aiden, you really are a good person.

……I intended to repay you for saving me. It seems no ordinary gift will suffice.

I opened and closed my wallet.

* * *

The time waiting for Aiden wasn’t boring.

Whenever the shopkeepers had a spare moment, they would stop by the shop, bring small gifts, and take out the trash.

The grandmother who had held her granddaughter and wailed yesterday also came to the shop. I couldn’t hear what she was saying clearly, but seeing the couple’s relieved expressions after listening to her, the granddaughter’s condition seemed not too bad.

The cleaning was finished by the time the sun had stretched long.

People from the whole neighborhood poured out of the shop, which had become fairly tidy.

In an instant, the alley became noisy.

“Wow, it’s amazing how everyone gathers like this for something like this. Haha, good work, everyone.”

“Thank you. Since you all worked so hard, let me buy you some beer.”

“Come on, old man! You won’t be able to do business for a while, so don’t overdo it. I’ll buy instead. Ah, soldier sir. You’re coming too, right?”

The neighbors’ gazes turned to Aiden.

Aiden hesitated.

“I…….”

“You’re on leave anyway, right? Have some real fun for once. At the fortress, every drinking session is either with superiors or subordinates, so you probably couldn’t drink comfortably without watching your tongue. Come and tell us some stories about the fortress.”

The young men grinned and gestured.

I watched up to that point and turned away.

I couldn’t intrude on someone who had lived so lonely in their past life finally having a good time.

But before I could take three steps.

Someone closed the distance between us in an instant. And a familiar voice.