Chapter 10

Bertine looked back at Cécilio and asked, "How much do I need to pay?"

Cécilio thought of the shortfall in the compensation and felt sorry for her.

"The King of Sanlouan offered to reduce the compensation by a thousand gold coins if you were handed over. Of course, I refused, but there was no response, and you came. I was surprised that a king would use a woman as a sacrifice to haggle over compensation."

Cécilio continued with a sympathetic expression.

"I and the League have been made fools of. Anyway, a thousand gold coins is impossible for this shop, even in a hundred years, right?"

Most commoners never see a gold coin in their lifetime. One coin is enough for a family of four to live on for a year.

"A thousand gold coins..."

"Until now, the Empire has taken advantage of the ignorance of the people of this country. They have been skimming money from the compensation that should have been paid to the people of this country for years. Unfair transactions, contracts that are almost fraudulent. They lease land at an unfairly low price and don't return it to the landowners. The Kingdom of Sanlouan was doing business with the Empire and providing them with military funds."

Cécilio continued, as Bertine could not respond.

"I want to rebuild this country with the compensation. I want to build schools and hospitals. For that, it's difficult to request the shortfall if you stay in this country. Do you understand?"

Bertine's expression lacked the determination it had before. She thought Cécilio's reasoning was entirely reasonable.

"Sir, I apologize for the selfish demands of my country."

"You are the victim. You don't need to apologize. The actions of the servants, who treated you disrespectfully and humiliatingly, are my responsibility. I am sorry. I apologize deeply."

The servants only knew that Sanlouan had haggled and that Cécilio had refused, and they were angry that Bertine had suddenly arrived. However, Cécilio bowed deeply without making excuses.

"Sir, that's enough. Please raise your head. I understand your thoughts. It's painful to leave the country, but I thought it would be wrong to hinder your politics by staying here."

Cécilio did not press Bertine further and said, "I won't ask for an answer now. Give me your response soon," and left.

She had decided to show her strength in this country, but if her presence would hinder the country's growth, she had no choice but to give up.

Then, Evans, who seemed to have been listening, appeared, his hair dripping with water, and stood there with a troubled look.

"Bert, it seems there was a misunderstanding about me."

"It's fine. I allowed you to live here, so don't worry. I thought I could make use of your architectural talent. But after hearing Sir's story, I have to give up staying here."

"I want to help you. I want to repay your kindness. Damn, what should I do?"

"Thank you. I can't let you shine anymore. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

The next day.

"Bert, is something wrong? You don't seem as energetic as usual," Adam, a middle-aged merchant, asked worriedly in the Empire language class.

"Actually, I have to close this place and leave the country."

"Huh? But you just opened the store. Why?"

"Because of various reasons, I need to pay a thousand gold coins to stay in this country. It's impossible to come up with that much money."

"A thousand..."

The other students were speechless at the amount.

"But I'll continue the Empire language study group until the last possible moment."

The class continued in a somber atmosphere for a while, but Adam interrupted to ask a question.

"Last week, didn't you rewrite the contract between the farmers of this country and the Empire in the official language?"

"The wheat farmer's contract?"

"Yes, that's right. Did the Empire's middleman buy at the right market price? I've heard rumors that our wheat is being bought at a low price."

"You're right. The price was set too low compared to the selling price in the Empire. So I advised them to have the contract rewritten."

Adam snapped his fingers.

"Bert, you're creating money for this country. The wheat farmer didn't lose money thanks to you. If you can prove that, the country might reconsider. It's not just about piling up gold coins, you know."

Hanna, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in.

"I can choose better jobs in the Empire once I can speak the language. Without it, I can only do garbage disposal and cleaning jobs. But if I can get a higher-paying job by learning the language, it's all thanks to you, Bert."

"Hanna, you're going to work in the Empire, right?"

"Yes. After the war, the hiring of people from this country has resumed."

Adam explained his idea.

"If Bert can review the contracts between the Empire and the farmers and landowners of this country and show how much they benefit, maybe she'll be allowed to stay."

"That's right, Bert!"

Hena, the innkeeper, who had been listening to Adam and Hanna, looked puzzled.

"Why does Bert have to pay such a large sum of money in the first place?"

Bertine hesitated for a moment but decided to be honest because they were worried about her.

"I've been keeping it a secret from everyone, but I'm a noble from the Kingdom of Sanlouan. I was sent here in exchange for a reduction in compensation. I didn't want to say anything because I thought no one would come to the store if they heard such a terrible story."

After a moment of shock, the students started to chuckle.

"Oh, Bert, you thought no one knew?"

"Huh?"

"It became a rumor right after you moved in. That a noble from the Empire had moved in. I didn't think it was from Sanlouan, though."

"Right away? A rumor?"

"Everyone said you must have been forced out of the Empire right after the war."

The students explained.

"But honestly, it doesn't matter to us. Didn't Bert take care of David and others and give out free soup? You ate the same food in the same place as everyone else. If you're not a bad person, that's enough for us."

"Right, and you give 80% of the profit to the people who make the accessories. It's appreciated by those who lost their husbands in the war."

Adam and Hena, the innkeeper, continued with kind faces.

"Most of all, Bert doesn't look down on us from the south. You've never spoken to us in a condescending way."

"That's right. You came from a wealthy country like Sanlouan, but I've never heard you complain about life here."

Bertine was touched by their kindness despite knowing her true identity and was at a loss for words.

"Is that so? Everyone knew..."

She tried to hide her tears of joy with a smile.

"Bert, we'll find people who do business with the Empire. Can you review their contracts? It will help the people of this country, and you can stay here. There are many people who can't read or write the official language, let alone the Empire language. Everyone will be happy if you help them."

Bertine, who had been ready to give up on staying in the country, felt a little more motivated.

This country is agricultural, and the Empire is industrial. They need each other, but until now, the Empire has been taking one-sided benefits from the south. Even if the land returns to its rightful owners after the war, it won't mean anything if the subsequent contracts are unfair.

"That's true. The important people in this country might be too busy to pay attention to individual contracts. I'll talk to someone from the government again."

"That's a good idea."

"Bert, good luck."

Before Cécilio comes back, she needed to gather evidence to convince him that she was useful to the country.

After the students left, Dorothea approached her quietly.

"Dorothea, I like the people of this country. I want to stay, but I don't want to be a hindrance to the hardworking Sir Cécilio."

Even so, she didn't want to waste the kindness of her students. She wanted to struggle a little more.

"I'll do my best. I'll think about giving up after that," Bertine smiled to reassure Dorothea.