The Elder Sister Who Ran Away After Being Cheated by Her Fiancé and Younger Sister - Chapter 13:

“…And that’s what happened.”

After her meeting with Fretes, Estelle told him about her recent encounter with Theo.

They walked through the park as she spoke, coffee in hand, then bought sandwiches from a stall and sat on a bench. They decided to have a late lunch there.

“Well, I’ll be. A talking pig is still a pig after all.”

Fretes didn’t even try to hide his exasperation.

Estelle figured he would react that way. She felt the same.

It was nice to have someone who could share this indescribable weariness.

Estelle found herself genuinely thinking that.

These meetings were practically just for keeping in touch at this point. She almost thought they were unnecessary.

But they were probably maintained as a consultation window just in case something happened.

Thanks to that, she could complain like this to Fretes, one of the few people who knew her circumstances.

“Was that all Theo told you?”

“Huh?”

When Fretes asked that, Estelle tilted her head.

Had there been something else?

She didn’t know what happened after he retreated inside, but he seemed to have gone home quietly.

As Estelle looked puzzled, Fretes made a sour face and said:

“That story has a continuation. Want to hear it? Though it’ll make your meal taste even worse.”

“A continuation?”

What could it be? Had Clara and the others been found?

Fretes warned it wasn’t a good story, but at this point, there was no way anything involving those people could be good.

Information was important. She’d rather know and deal with it than remain ignorant.

“I’ll listen.”

Fretes nodded and washed down his sandwich with coffee. Understandable. This sandwich was a dud.

Estelle did the same.

But it filled her stomach and gave her energy. Good.

The spirit she’d cultivated in the military kept Estelle positive today.

“Regarding the whereabouts of the escaped Mr. Bosak and Miss Clara… First, they entered Hollanders.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes. Since ships depart from Hollanders to various countries, they probably intended to go further. But…”

Fretes shook his head with a grave expression.

Of course, it was performative.

Fretes was really good at “storytelling” like this. Feeling like she was watching a play, Estelle found it somewhat enjoyable.

Though the content of the story rightly demanded a grave expression.

“Well, first, they’d probably think about staying somewhere, right?”

“Indeed.”

“If they were on the run, you’d expect them to hide in one of the affordable caravan inns common in the lower town. But either Miss Clara desired a fancy hotel, or Mr. Bosak wanted to show off. I’m not sure which. Then, of course, there it was. In a prominent prime location in the port city. A truly luxurious and splendid hotel.”

“…Oh no.”

Estelle could see where this was going and wanted to hold her head.

She knew that hotel too. Or rather, it was famous.

It was indeed a high-class hotel.

But expensive.

Stupidly expensive.

Of course, everything was first-class commensurate with the price, but honestly, it was at a level used by nobles.

“Enter a country bumpkin father, unused to such places and carrying an unfamiliar large sum of money, and a spoiled, naive young lady who doesn’t know the value of money and is good at wheedling.”

“Sitting ducks.”

“Sitting ducks. All that’s left is to put them in the oven! …And so, it seems they were completely fleeced.”

“Ahh…”

She could picture it.

That hotel didn’t compete on prestige. Embracing the uniquely Hollanders spirit of “all are equal before money,” it accepted anyone with money as a guest.

If only they had been turned away at the door, it might have helped.

Estelle figured Clara must have really taken a liking to it.

As for why Estelle knew about that hotel, it was because she had once used it while accompanying high officials during a certain mission.

Everything was provided exactly as you wished, with top-quality items before you even realized you wanted them.

Even slight preferences were magically detected, and you were constantly provided with satisfying service.

And of course, everything came with a price tag.

Back then, one of the high officials was a great noble, and the payment was all handled on their end, so Estelle didn’t know the total cost. She preferred to keep it that way.

“Still, it’s a shop in the ‘Main Street,’ so they wouldn’t strip them bare and throw them out. They make them write a letter to relatives while they still have some money left.”

Typical Hollanders, ruthless.

Apparently, that’s when Clara sent a letter to Theo.

She was extravagantly enjoying herself with money stolen from the Petrak family, without a shred of remorse, writing “Help me, darling! I’m here!”

Idiot.

“Huh? But Theo said he hadn’t been found yet.”

Did the letter arrive after that meeting?

…Wait a minute.

How did Fretes know such detailed information?

She didn’t know the exact scope of Fretes’s authority, so maybe he was in a position to find out if he wanted.

But even so, wasn’t this too much knowledge about the internal affairs—likely highly confidential of a single merchant house that was currently just on the waiting list?

Estelle was a little concerned.

“That’s the pig-like part of the pig. Right now, the two families are apparently discussing disowning them. The Petrak family sees her as a troublesome daughter-in-law, and the Heinny parents are furious about their cute daughter being taken away by a criminal’s relative who isn’t even properly searching for her, so relations are strained. They are searching, so that’s a misunderstanding, though.

So, Mr. Theo thought, if Clara were found now, they’d be disowned.”

“…Huh?”

“Mr. Theo doesn’t want to be separated from his beloved wife. So, he apparently hid the fact that the letter arrived from his family and went to meet her alone in secret. He chased off Mr. Bosak, and they finally left that hotel, moving secretly to one of the Petrak Merchant House’s properties. Now it seems they’re in a secret commuting marriage?”

“Haaah?!”

But what about the merchant house?!

Wait, wouldn’t it be normal to just bring Clara back?!

Whether to sue Mr. Bosak for theft would be up to each family’s judgment, considering their reputations, but… whaaat?

“It seems he got fed up with everyone nagging him about this incident.”

“Is he an idiot?!”

—Wait, then why did he tell me “I’ll be waiting” and all that?

It’s not like I was happy to hear it; rather, it was annoying. What was he thinking?

As Estelle stood dumbfounded, Fretes noticed and said:

“Did he say he wanted you to come back or that he wanted to start over?”

“He did.”

“Well, when he met his ex-fiancée after so long, seeing she had grown beautiful, was capable and respected at her job, and seemed to have savings, he probably couldn’t help saying something. That pig is pointlessly merchant-like only in those aspects. Though we can guess he lacks the discernment to know what words are appropriate to say.”

Fretes drained his coffee with an extremely displeased look, as if it tasted bad.

“Whaaat…?”

What on earth has happened to him?

Estelle’s gaze grew distant.

It was still daytime, but she felt overwhelmingly tired. She and Fretes both let out a heavy sigh