Chapter 77

If the person who was supposed to arrange the interpretation and connections with Lord MacGregor goes missing, our long journey here will have been in vain.

(I can do the interpreting.)

I had thought of spending my time in Randall just relaxing and playing, but for someone like me who can't sit still, this is just right.

"If you don't mind, I can serve as the interpreter. I can speak Randallian fluently and I don't think I'll be a hindrance to your work."

"Really! That would be a great help! Mrs. Asher, I would like to ask you to do it."

"Yes, I would be happy to. Who is your business partner?"

"The Viscount Craig Lean of the Kingdom of Randall. Since I will be asking you to interpret, I will tell you about the business. Please keep it in mind."

Lord MacGregor explained the key points. From his explanation alone, I could tell that he was a quick-witted person.

He used simple words and broke down the explanation so that even someone like me, who knows little about business, could understand. A person who can do that knows exactly what they should be talking about.

It seems that the territory of Viscount Craig Lean in the Kingdom of Randall is rich in crystal mining. Lord MacGregor plans to buy a large amount of raw crystal, transport it to Ashbury, polish it, and sell it as popular accessories for the women of Ashbury.

I looked at the embroidery book I had placed on the table. I wondered what kind of person the Ashbury woman who had collected patterns from the forest people was. It was intriguing.

"Mrs. Asher, I would like to meet Viscount Craig Lean for dinner tonight. Is that convenient for you?"

"I am available anytime. I would be happy to interpret."

I returned to my room and immediately opened the embroidery book. I flipped through the pages and chose a pattern that combined squares and circles of various sizes in a complex way.

"Yes, this is good. If I embroider this on the hem of Nona's dress, it will look beautiful. I think she would prefer this pattern over floral ones."

I took out the box containing the embroidery tools from the luggage I had brought from Ashbury. Should I use the pale blue and bright blue embroidery threads? Or should I combine the fresh green of new leaves with the green of summer? In the past, I used to make wigs when I needed to think, but I don't think I'll need wigs anymore.

From now on, I plan to do embroidery when I need to think.

I copied the pattern onto the pale blue fabric I had brought and started the embroidery with the fresh green thread. In Ashbury, it is a custom for mothers to embroider the dresses their daughters will wear when they get married. Even if a high-ranking noble lady has a dedicated embroidery servant, the mother will always sew a little, wishing for her daughter's happiness.

Nona and I are now a mother and daughter. I want to finish the embroidery and give it to Nona, who will become a bride.

"I wonder what happened to Nona's mother. I hope she is living happily with the person she chose over Nona. I hope the happiness she gained in exchange for Nona's sorrow continues."

Susan from Lady Yolana's house, who dotes on Nona, has said to me several times:

"I hope the mother who abandoned such a lovely Nona receives God's punishment. No, she must have already been punished."

Every time I hear this, I give a vague, troubled smile.

Leaving Nona in the square without entrusting her to anyone is unforgivable, but it's possible that the mother was so distraught that she couldn't even think clearly.

Even my own parents, if our family of four had been driven to the brink of starvation, might have done something to me and Emily.

The mind of someone who is so desperate that they don't know if they will live today or tomorrow is incomprehensible to someone who doesn't have to worry about tomorrow's food.

I understand that my parents, who handed me over to Lancome for money, didn't do it out of choice.

I suddenly came to my senses and took deep breaths repeatedly.

"Why do I keep thinking about the past since I came here? It's not a good sign. Well, let's focus on the embroidery. I want to make some progress before dinner."

I threaded the bright green embroidery thread through the needle and started on the first pattern.

Midway through, Lord MacGregor's servant came to inform me about the dinner details. It seems they had reserved a private room at a restaurant near the hotel.

I chose a modest dress and put writing tools in my bag. I made sure the ink bottle, about the size of my thumb, was tightly capped and included some paper for notes.

"Alright, all set. Now I just have to wait for the time to come."

The agreed time was 7 PM. I had been informed that Nona and the others would return by 8 PM after playing at the traveling amusement park.

I told the guards that I would be going to the restaurant with Lord MacGregor and left the room.

The brick-built restaurant was two stories high, and Lord MacGregor and I were quickly led to the private room at the back of the second floor.

Soon, Viscount Craig Lean and his interpreter arrived.

Lord MacGregor greeted them, but from then on, I interpreted during the meal.

"Lord MacGregor, thank you for coming from so far away."

"Thank you. I apologize for the delay due to the disappearance of our interpreter, Humphrey. This is Viscountess Asher, who will interpret for us."

After the introductions, the conversation continued in a polite and refined manner. After the post-dinner tea, the talk turned to business. I took out paper and a pen from my bag and diligently took notes while interpreting.

Once the main terms of the deal were summarized, Lord MacGregor started a casual conversation.

"I wonder where Humphrey, who was supposed to interpret, has gone. He's not at home and can't be reached. I hope it's not something serious, as Randall is a safe country."

Viscount Lean hesitated before speaking.

"I didn't want to say anything because I thought Lord MacGregor trusted the interpreter, but he seems suspicious. Once, I saw him dining with a younger man at the most expensive restaurant in the capital. It was too fancy for a commoner. I assumed the younger man was paying."

Lord MacGregor looked visibly uneasy.

"Viscount Lean, so?"

"I was worried if he could be trusted to keep the interpreter's confidentiality, so I had his background checked. Humphrey Aiden is a pseudonym. There are two people with that name in the capital, a young boy and a young man. There was no man of that age. I also confirmed that no such man has lived in the apartment building he claimed to live in for the past ten years."

"Really?"

"It seems he was using a pseudonym to do interpreting for pocket money. If it's just for pocket money, it's not so bad. Lord MacGregor, you haven't given him any important information, have you?"

"No, nothing important."

I interpreted up to that point and pondered.

It smells like trouble, but I should stay out of it. Without knowing Humphrey Aiden's real name or face, there's no way to find him. Besides, it's not even clear if it's a crime yet.

After successfully completing the interpreting work, I returned to the hotel, where Nona was waiting.

"Mom, you're back. The traveling amusement park was so much fun. There were swings and seesaws much bigger than usual, and big barrels for rolling races. It was so much fun. I wonder if the traveling amusement park will come to Ashbury."

"I'm glad you had fun."

"By the way, I saw Mills on the main street. I didn't call out to him because I thought he was tailing someone."

"Mills? The Mills from the Third Knight Regiment is here? And he was tailing someone?"

"Yes. He was tailing a man with brown hair. I could see the main street well because the swing was high up."

"Hold on. How did you know if he was tailing someone or not?"

"Oh."

"I never taught Nona about tailing."

Nona visibly lost her composure and couldn't look me in the eye.

"Chester taught me. Mom, don't be mad at Chester. I had so much fun."

"Once you've learned something, there's no going back, but tailing is different from playing tag. If you're caught, you could be in danger. Nona, will you promise me not to try tailing anyone?"

"...Yes."

I need to have a talk with Chester. I wonder what he has taught Nona while I was in the background. Nona, who had been so cheerful a moment ago, now looked dejected. I need to change the mood.

"Tell me about the amusement park. Did Il enjoy it?"

"Yes, Il got the highest score in the knife-throwing game and won a knife as a prize. He looked so proud, it made me laugh. Elizabeth was whispering excitedly about how cool Il's knife-throwing was."

I stopped changing and looked at Nona.

"Nona, you didn't..."

"I didn't try knife-throwing. I didn't want to overshadow Il's achievement by breaking the record right after he set it."

"Oh. You've grown up."

"Well, I'm turning thirteen tomorrow."

"I remember."

"It's the day we met. It's an important anniversary, so I won't forget it."

When I first took Nona in, she didn't know her birthday. I believed her when she said she was six, but she was so small that she might have been five. Whether her small size was due to her age or lack of nutrition and exercise, I couldn't tell.

I decided to celebrate the day we met as Nona's birthday and have given her gifts and roasted lamb on that day every year.

Nona and I shared the same bed, and I listened to her stories about the traveling amusement park, what food was sold, and what the workers did before we fell asleep.

Tomorrow, I'll go buy a present for Nona.