Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7.“Come, Lus! One, two, three, four.”

As I largely circled my arms, Lus also followed me and circled his arms.

“Five, six, seven, eight.”

Matching my count, we moved our bodies.

These days every morning, Lus and I are doing gymnastics.

It started to build stamina for the frail Lus whose neglected years were so long, and also to take care of my health, but it was better than expected.

Moving from the morning also makes me feel somehow very diligent.

From afar, the maids looked at the appearance of the two of us contentedly.

The maids who learned that we exercise in the training ground every morning these days came one by one to watch, and now the number of people has increased quite a bit.

“Madam is really a lucky charm.”

“Yes yes. The lucky charm of our castle. Thanks to Madam, the Duke has also become much healthier.”

That title is still a bit embarrassing though.

I put on a thick face and after finishing the gymnastics, pointed to the exercise ground.

“Come, Lus. Now go run and come back.”

Lus nodded ‘Yeah!’ and ran far away.

Every time Lus ran, dirt dust rose.

It was a scenery not seen in well-off noble families.

I heard that nobles with a lot of money lay special stones treated with magic instead of dirt in the training ground.

Training ground management also has to be done, and there are really many places money has to go in.‘I also have to find a swordsmanship teacher for Lus quickly.’Our Lus was a genius of the sword.

He is a genius of the sword, but...

The problem is that there is no person in this castle worthy of teaching Lus.

There were a few people with decent swordsmanship skills, but correcting wrongly acquired habits is even harder than learning for the first time.

I wanted to find a perfect teacher for Lus from the beginning.‘I also have someone in mind.’Lus had already run one lap and came in front of me.

Seeing that he doesn't even pant now, his stamina has definitely improved a lot.

“Lus, you did really well.”

When I hugged Lus and praised him while stroking his head, Lus hugged me back.

“Then now go run one more lap and come back.”

“Yeah, older sister!”

He answered well, but Lus, as if not wanting to part from me, kept turning his head and glancing at me even while running.

“Hey hey, Lus! You have to look forward! You'll fall!”

“Yeah!”

And then he turns his head again 5 seconds later.

In the end, I ended up laughing.

Lus's stamina was steadily growing.* * *After doing morning gymnastics, Lus went to learn writing, and I headed to the office for territory work.

And I slightly regretted my past decision.

Not a lot, really slightly.

No, this level is worth regretting.

Anyone who sees the territory report placed in front of me now would applaud just for not cursing a pair.

“...

Why is there so much debt?”

Moreover, it wasn't one or two places that borrowed.

To the imperial family, to nobles, to merchant groups.

He borrowed from everywhere that could be borrowed from.

“There is quite a bit of debt...?”

The man standing next to me watched my mood.

His name is Naul.

He is the man who was in charge of the territory's accounting before Frug came, and also the man who took charge of the investigation into Frug's embezzlement this time.

After driving Frug out, I instructed to make it so that the debts and profits of the ducal territory can be seen at once.

His complexion was pale as if he would collapse at any moment, and there were dark circles black under his eyes, but only the gaze looking at me was sparkling.

He looked at me and said in a desperate tone.

“Madam! Our lucky charm Madam! Is there perhaps more hidden assets someone hid...!”

“No, it doesn't seem like that will do it.”

“Still...!”

It wasn't something to be happy about having thoroughly shaken out what Frug had embezzled so far.

“What on earth did they do to incur this much debt? Even gambling would be hard to incur this much debt.”

“Because it costs a lot of maintenance fees to maintain the family. The maintenance fee for this castle, taxes to the imperial family every year, and when monsters appear, subjugation business also has to be done, and...”

Naul added timidly.

“The second son of the great-great-grandfather Duke was really crazy about gambling once...”

“Got it, stop.”

I looked at the report and asked.

“Among the debts, is there none that has to be repaid immediately?”

It was an important matter.

If I fail and can't repay the debt, the land or castle held as collateral can fly away at once.

Then we might really have to sleep on the street.

“There probably isn't anything urgent?”

“Really?”

Naul slightly avoided his eyes.

“It's time to repay the 50 million marks borrowed from a place called the Fox Merchant Union, but... You don't have to worry much?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It was borrowed 30 years ago and they haven't come to urge even once so far. Maybe they went bankrupt? If they went bankrupt, we don't need to repay the debt either.”

“If so, that would be fortunate...”

What is this uneasy feeling.

And as if the uneasy feeling isn't wrong, Bella entered the office making a fuss.

“Madam, Madam! Something big happened!”

“What's wrong, Bella. What's the matter?”

“C-creditors have come! They say to repay the debt right now!”

“Is it one or two people we owe? Surely not all of them have gathered?”

Then family revival or whatever, we have to flee in the night right now.

“No, no! They came from the Fox Merchant Union!”

I turned to Naul.

Naul also turned to me.

We didn't need to speak and our hearts connected.‘We're doomed.’They say even a tiger comes when you talk about it.

If it's the Fox Merchant Union, it was the place we two were talking about until a moment ago.

“Didn't you say they never came to collect the debt even once...”

When I looked at Naul with resentful eyes, Naul looked like he would cry.

“No, it was always like that... It's true...”* * *Naul and I decided to meet them for now.

Grasping what scheme it was was first.

While they were flustered seeing me, a young girl, Naul introduced me.

“This person is the Duchess. Everyone, show respect.”

“Ah, yes...!”

They then flustered and bent their waists.

I received their greetings and leaned my body on the chair and asked.

“So. What brings you suddenly to our castle?”

“As we said, it's almost the repayment date, isn't it. We want to receive the money.”

The man with long eyes stepped forward and said.

“What's your name?”

At my question, he lowered his head.

“I am called Lewan.”

Naul said.

“But the repayment date is next week, isn't it? There's no need to come already like this.”

“This time we also came because we definitely want to receive it.”

The two people faced off tightly without yielding an inch.

Right, it's not an amount to give up easily.

Having heard that the Fox Merchant Union came, Naul and I had already decided.

The money borrowed from the Fox Merchant Union is a total of 50 million marks.

It's a large expenditure, but if we dispose of all the jewels, it was sufficient.

It was better to repay the debts that can be repaid quickly.

“Good, I'll repay the debt.”

“A generous decision, thank you.”

Lewan smiled and lowered his head.

“Naul.”

Naul held out a small box.

“It's a necklace decorated with blue diamonds and pearls. It depends on the seller's discretion, but it's an item that can sufficiently receive 50 million marks. How is it?”

At Naul's words, the Fox Merchant Union stirred.

What is this atmosphere?

Lewan opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“Duchess. The total amount that the Valfruga family must repay to us is 1 billion marks.”

What? 1 billion marks?!

“Th-that doesn't make sense. Clearly what the family borrowed is 50 million marks...”

When Naul was flustered, Lewan explained in a kind tone as if teaching a child.

“It seems you didn't properly see the promissory note. Clearly what Valfruga borrowed is 50 million marks.”

“Then why...”

“You have to consider the interest. The interest accumulated over the past 30 years and the additional amount is quite a bit. If you can't believe it, I brought the promissory note here so you can check.”

Naul snatched the promissory note in Lewan's hand.

After a long time passed, Naul looked at me.

The eyes full of despair meant that the man named Lewan's words were true.

In an instant, the situation reversed.

“...

For now, I have to discuss this matter with my husband.”

A strategic retreat.* * *“Wow! Coming to say to repay what was borrowed 30 years ago now! This absolutely can't be withheld, right??”

“Yes. It seems like they really decided to receive the money? If we don't give it, it seems they'll even tear off the castle bricks.”

“Such shameless guys. So that's why they never came even once for 30 years!”

Naul and I came to the office for now and rummaged through the pile of documents.

And finally, we were able to find the promissory note shoved into a corner of the bookshelf.

“Is this person from the great-great-grandfather generation really crazy? How did they borrow money under these conditions?”

Naul cursed the former Duke without restraint, but I didn't stop Naul.

If I open my mouth now, it seemed curses would come out from me too.

The Fox Merchant Union didn't lie.

The money we borrowed was a total of 50 million marks.

And it was also true that interest was added over 30 years, and interest was added again to the inflated amount, becoming 1 billion marks.

This is usury!

No, even a loan shark wouldn't put such vicious conditions.

I pressed my forehead and asked Naul.

“What happens if we just endure without repaying?”

It was better to discard the collateral if we can.

Whatever was held as collateral, there was nothing in this castle with a value of 1 billion marks or more.

“I want to do that, but... What we held as collateral is quite big, Madam.”

“What is it?”

“This castle.”

“Wh-what?! That person really decided to ruin the family?!”

“Yeah...”

Naul, as if he had no energy to curse anymore, looked at the promissory note with clouded eyes.

“If we sell all the jewels and borrow from elsewhere, even if 1 billion is unreasonable, we can make about 100 million. With this level, we can put out the urgent fire right now, and ask to postpone the rest a bit.”

Naul said while tapping the calculator.

“But if we give all that money right now, we have to live by digging grass roots.”

Then the answer doesn't come out on how to save this family.

Rather, handing over the castle...

“But if we hand over the castle, we have nowhere to go, and above all, we'll become a laughingstock continentally.”

Right, then it's the family's disgrace.

“Really, why did the great-great-grandfather generation borrow money?”

It was a lament not expecting an answer, but unexpectedly an answer came back.

“They must have trusted. Originally the Fox Merchant Union was operated by the Leholas Marquess, and the Leholas Marquess was the maternal family of the great-great-grandmother Duchess.”

“Leholas Marquess?”

“Yes. That rich Leholas Marquess. No, the more I think, it's too much. That rich gentleman.”

“No, so the Fox Merchant Union was originally the Leholas Marquess's?”

Perhaps my reaction was strange, Naul answered with a dazed face.

“Yes? Yes. Originally it wasn't a merchant union but a trading company solely owned by the Leholas Marquess. That, about 20 years ago, suddenly saying the financial situation was difficult, they sold the ownership divided to merchants. Since the owner changed, our debt also transferred to the merchants.”

In the original, the Leholas Marquess died by the male lead Lus.

Because it was caught that he scammed Lus.

The Leholas Marquess used the merchant union to scam Lus, and reaped considerable profit.

And if it's a scam...

“Naul. We don't have to repay this money!”