After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 41

“…Borrow money?”

Leo asked back, surprised and in an awkward posture.

Ayla’s face flushed with embarrassment for a moment, but she nodded as if it were nothing.

“Yes. I’ll definitely pay you back if you lend it to me.”

“……”

At her resolute answer, Leo closed his mouth as if dumbfounded.

In the awkward silence, Dex scratched the back of his head and asked in dismay.

“Princess, is there anything uncomfortable for you? Anything you don’t like…? I tried to prepare as best as I could, but if there was anything lacking.”

“No, Secretary. It’s absolutely not that. I… um. I lost the bag I brought with me when I left home…”

Ayla’s face turned even redder as she recalled the past.

She had worked hard to sell her jewelry to raise some independent funds, but in the end, she lost it all without spending a penny…

Thanks to Dex’s generous consideration, she had forgotten that she was penniless.

But she couldn’t continue like this, so what could she do?

It was shameless, but in the end, the only way was to ask Leo for help.

Lucas, who had been watching the situation from behind, stepped forward.

“May I join in, Miss?”

“Of course, Count.”

“I heard from my letters that you were staying here, but how many days has it been since today?”

“It’s probably been about ten days.”

“I see. Have you been assigned a dedicated maid or lady-in-waiting?”

“Pardon? No, everyone here takes such good care of me even without that.”

Ayla quickly waved her hand, but Lucas’s cold gaze had already swept over Dex and Leo.

“It’s been ten days and you haven’t even assigned her a dedicated maid, let alone allocated a budget.”

“Count, a budget? What budget do I need when I haven’t even had a wedding yet?”

Ayla shook her head in surprise, but Lucas’s eyes and ears were no longer directed at her.

“You fools, what on earth are you doing sitting in those positions?”

“We didn’t think of it. I’m sorry, Princess.”

“Oh, no, Secretary.”

“I was short-sighted. I’ll reflect on it.”

“No, Your Highness?”

She really didn’t mind at all.

At first, she had been struggling with the cold gazes of the people here, but now they had eased somewhat, and she was being provided with warm meals and a cozy place to sleep every day.

Besides, even Bella, the dependent who had followed her, was being allowed to stay without any conditions.

She hadn’t said it, but she was so grateful in her heart, so how could she accept an apology for something like this?

This wouldn’t do.

“I’ve already received more favors than I can repay. I’ll try to repay them even a little, and I’m asking to borrow money because I need it to try to do something…”

“Stop saying you want to borrow money, Princess. Do you think I’m such a worthless person?”

“It’s not that…”

“Or are you worried that Eisenfelt is a barren land?”

Ayla’s mouth closed at the pointed remark.

At the same time, Leo, having confirmed Ayla’s expression, closed his mouth and slowly ran a hand over his face.

“Haa… In this case, I have no choice but to support the work the Princess wants to do.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about the Princess’s declaration to change the perception of Eisenfelt among the people of the capital.”

Dex’s eyes widened at Leo’s words.

“Did the Princess say that?”

“She said she would use the name of that damned Everett family while staying in the capital to give it a try.”

“…So that’s what you were thinking.”

“Isn’t it admirable? Yes, it is admirable, but…”

The corners of Leo’s mouth, looking at Ayla, turned up crookedly as if he didn’t like something.

“Before that, we need to know the Princess accurately.”

“……?”

“What kind of place Eisenfelt is.”

The conversation between the three was interrupted by the appearance of the head butler.

Dinner was ready.

Another cold atmosphere flowed in the dining room, where they awkwardly moved to.

“Are you all out of your minds? How can you eat at the same table as an Everett?”

At Diana’s cold outburst, who had arrived first, Dex, who was sitting down, frowned and warned her.

“Diana, won’t you stop?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Shut up and eat.”

“Are you stupid? You should think before you speak. How can I eat with my mouth shut?”

As Dex and Diana bickered, Lucas, who had been watching, sternly warned them.

“Who is talking in front of the food? Eat quietly, or go outside and fight.”

Thanks to that, the Hanover siblings’ argument was stopped, but Diana’s sulky eyes remained.

The fierce gaze was enough to feel stinging, but Ayla didn’t care at all.

How many young ladies had disliked her because of the subtle influence of her sister, Shuelle?

There were also several young ladies who were hostile and tried to harm her simply because the young master she liked praised Ayla.

To Ayla, who had skillfully overcome those numerous jealousies, Diana’s gaze was not even a target of restraint.

Around the time she had almost finished the appetizer of beef marinated in lemon juice, wild boar dishes with high-end spices were brought in from the kitchen.

Ayla, who had been listening to the conversations and wondering whether to eat a little more, widened her eyes.

It was because Leo had cut a piece of meat and placed it on Ayla’s plate.

“I thought you couldn’t reach it.”

“…Thank you.”

She could hear Diana grinding her teeth, but she ignored it as if she hadn’t heard it.

Ayla, who continued to eat with a bright smile, listened to the ongoing conversation again.

The topic of the conversation was consistently about what kind of place Eisenfelt was. Dex mainly explained, and Leo or Lucas added comments in between.

“You know that Eisenfelt is surrounded by huge mountain ranges and rugged cliffs. Because of that, it is known as a barren land, and that is true. The winters are long and harsh, so the land is frozen for a long time, making it difficult to farm.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You also know that His Highness and the Gray Knights have driven out many demons from the mountains, right? This is a secret, but thanks to that, we have found many mines that were sleeping in the mountains. We have already started mining, and the amount of resources that come out of there is more than you can imagine.”

Dex’s continued explanation was enough to surprise Ayla.

“The situation has also changed a long time ago on the coast, which we couldn’t use because of pirate attacks. We have already built a small port and own two ships.”

“You built ships? How?”

“Pardon? Hey, Princess, you’re joking. How do you build ships? Of course, we stole them from the pirates.”

At Dex’s words, who widened his eyes as if he was looking at a strange person, Leo raised a hand.

“I did it. Some were destroyed in the fight, though.”

Everything she heard was a series of surprises.

It was surprising that he said he had stolen ships from pirates so casually, but mines and ports…

Like Leo said a little while ago, she was almost ashamed that she didn’t know the real Eisenfelt at all.

“Anyway, the conclusion is this. We have a lot of money, Princess.”

“Yes…”

“I’m not lying, really. You’d be surprised if you knew how many gold mines there are.”

“Gold mines?”

“Is it just gold mines? We also have a diamond mine. Besides, as the mountains have stabilized, the number of hunters has also increased significantly, and the skins and furs of tigers and bears are piling up.”

“Oh my…”

Tiger fur and bear skin were famous for their excellent warmth and were worth a fortune.

At this point, she seemed to know enough that Eisenfelt was a place with hidden wealth.

“Are you trying to figure out the assets before you even get married? Scary, scary.”

She ignored Diana’s sarcasm lightly…

Thanks to that, Ayla felt like she had gained the courage to bring up an issue that she had wanted to address for a long time.

“I fully understand what you mean, Secretary. The conclusion is that Eisenfelt has tremendous wealth, right?”

“That’s right, Princess.”

“That’s right.”

“Then.”

If that’s the case…

Ayla, watching each of their nods, made up her mind.

“Then… May I make a suggestion?”

Ayla slowly opened her mouth at Dex’s encouragement to do whatever it was.

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