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Chapter 2
Translated by Tam
Edited by Tam
Catherine had to spend a large amount of money and time just to leave Orléans. She went to waste her money because she changed her destination in the middle. Although the coachman, who felt sorry for her situation, took care of her, it was a large sum of money.
The Duchy of Christopher, the most prosperous land in the eastern part of the Iterrana Empire, was where they arrived. The city was alive with people’s vitality because it was protected by the Archmage and Grand Duke Cesare.
Catherine, who was looking for a place to live by selling her feet, received good news nearly 15 days after she arrived at the inn.
“It’s big.”
“Hehe, that’s correct. It’s the largest residential building in the north of Christopher, and as you can see, there are two large annexes next to the main building.”
“It’s cheap.”
“Yeah! At this price, you can’t get a lot like this from Christopher! But there’s even a beautiful mansion on top of it. Isn’t that a great prize?”
“The scenery is nice.”
“Of course. It will take you about twenty minutes to walk from the mansion to the north main street. It’s easy to board the wagon at the port. You know, Christopher, the Northern Territory has a well-known port city. It’s wonderful to see the sea!”
“But why is it so cheap?”
Catherine’s expression remained unchanged, but a cold sweat began to form on the broker’s forehead.
Catherine chose Christopher as her new home for a very simple reason. This was due to the fact that it was a high-quality and wealthy territory in all fields, including finance, culture, art, and education.
Furthermore, she discovered a good sale near the outskirts a few days ago by chance. Catherine was currently visiting this old mansion.
“Isn’t that why you’re so fortunate? Even if you search the entire continent, you will never find a mansion like this. It’s pure luck from heaven!”
But the strange thing is, this building couldn’t come out at this price.
Catherine walked past the land of lush grass, which appeared to be a garden, and looked inside the mansion’s main building. The curtains were ripped and the wooden stairs creaked, but there didn’t appear to be any major issues.
As expected, it was strange.
‘It’s too good for the price, isn’t it?’
“What do you think? Because the mansion has been empty for a long time, it is a little dirty, but there is no place that has collapsed—”
“What’s the problem here?”
Regardless of how noble she is, she has never gone out on her own to solve this or that.
She had spent a long time writing a book in order to efficiently roll a small pocket money, and as a result, her sense of money was quite accurate. This property’s price is at a level that is more than enough to indicate that the price is abnormal.
“H-huh. There is no problem at all! You’re a lucky lady, plain and simple—”
“That’s enough.”
Catherine turned her back without hesitation, spitting out words as if in a flat refusal. As she walked away from the main building, she spread out the old faded parasols.
“I was envious of the magnificent mansion, the spacious garden, and the location. I think there’s a big enough problem to turn it all upside down. Please forget about the contract. I don’t trust you, so I’ll leave it at that.”
No matter how ridiculously low the price was in comparison to the sale, it was a huge sum for Catherine.
‘There were a lot of things I wanted that didn’t fit. I’ll look for a suitable house nearby. It will then be easier to find job—’
It was then that the broker, who rushed after Catherine, jumped in front of her.
“W-wait, Lady! Please wait for a moment!”
Catherine clasped a crumpled face in discomfort. The broker whispered as he scratched the back of his neck and smacked his lips.
“A-actually, there’s a very scary rumor going around in this house. Whether the rumors are true or not, four contracts have been canceled in the last two years.”
“The rumor?”
The broker nodded with a very grim look.
“That’s— Haa. There are ghosts from the basement. On a full moon night, you can hear screaming and crying women
 I made a mistake, Lady. I’ll get you a nice house, so please wait a little longer.”
Ghost. Scream. The sound of a woman crying.
She didn’t need to hear anything else. Catherine opened her mouth quickly and crossed the man’s words.
“All right, I’ll make a contract.”
“
.Pardon?”
While the broker asked with a stupid face, Catherine started digging through her bag and pulled out a fountain pen. She quickly reached out her other hand and hurried after carefully unclosing the lid.
“I’m signing a contract for this mansion. I was lonely because I didn’t have any friends, which is a good thing. I won’t be bored, so it’ll be perfect for me.”
Catherine took the contract from the broker’s arms, who looked puzzled, and signed it.
‘Catherine Phanya.’
On the document, her last name belonged to her mother’s family name Phanya, which was filled with contract terms. The delightful man soon returned to the main street to pick up Catherine’s luggage.
Now that the contract has been signed, the remaining assets are—.
She sighed. The amount of money fluttering around in the bag was literally terrifying. The cost of employing an inexperienced maid for a single evening. Her money was the same as her entire fortune after she sold all of her jewels except her mother’s inheritance.
‘Still, for a reckless one, this is pretty good.’
In less than two hours, the broker returned to the mansion. Maybe it’s because he took care of the problem? The face had a smile on it.
“I’ve moved all of your belongings into the main building! Here’s your contract—Ah! This is a small gift from us. It will be very useful for cleaning the building. I can assure you that.”
The broker walked away, leaving behind a large luggage bag and a broom. The four-wheeled carriage vanished down the hill, and the mansion was deafeningly quiet except for the sound of wind cutting through weeds.
“Hmm.”
She’s just found a place to stay and is clueless what to do next. Catherine walked up to the second-floor room, which appeared to be a bedroom, and threw her luggage there. And she kept thinking about sweeping the floor with a broom.
“Uhmm.”
Perhaps there was a lot of black dust piled up because the window had been open for a long time. Despite the fact that the sun set over the autumn blue sky, it was swept without a break—.
“The room is too big.”
Even wide is not enough. She was tired of doing housework and was about to collapse.
“It’s all right, don’t be too nervous, Catherine. Compared to OrlĂ©ans, you are in heaven now.”
Catherine threw the broom away and left the bedroom.
He mentioned that a family had lived here for two years, so there must be some household items left somewhere. Fortunately, there was a bag close to the restroom. Catherine dashed to her patronage’s riverbank, carrying a single piece of cloth and linen that was nothing more than a tile. But, despite the fact that she sucked the piece of cloth so hard that she was sweating—.
“The mop is so dirty.”
Even the stars began to rise one by one in the sky where the sun was setting red.
“Whoo
”
Damn it, when am I gonna finish all this? No, can I finish this?
Catherine, who had been tearing her bangs in frustration, returned to the building by inserting scraps of cloth into the mop stand. The galaxy was flowing over the dusty window and the night sky as the floor of the bedroom was wiped with a barely made mop.
‘Is it because it’s a little out of the way from the city? Even though it’s dark, it’s too dark.’
There is currently no electricity in this building. It was fortunate that the candle’s location was confirmed when the day was bright. Catherine approached the decorative table and lit the candle. However, despite the fact that the candlelight had turned the dark bedroom yellow—.
“The candles are too short.”
This was the worst of the worst. Catherine took a deep breath as she carefully lowered the candle over the drawer.
Relaxing mind. Relaxing mind.
Catherine, who had achieved such stability, took the candle with care and went down to the first floor. It’s a place where various items like closets, decorators, and rusty tableware still exist, so she might be able to find more candles if she walks around carefully.
‘Candles—Where did they usually keep miscellaneous items in OrlĂ©ans?’
Catherine cast a wistful glance at the underground stairs.
She’s sure there’s a warehouse down these stairs. However, the cold coming from the deep underground was very unpleasant. It was not dark, but the atmosphere felt like an ant cave.
‘There’s a very scary rumor going around in this mansion.’
Catherine’s head was filled with the broker’s voice.
“
So, what will happen?”
Catherine also realized that whenever she thought about it, something unusual would happen.
But it can’t be helped. Now that this is the only place where candles can be found. Catherine’s steps stutteringly descended the spiral wall led underground. She pushed the unlocked wooden door slowly, and as expected, an empty space greeted her. The cold air brushed across her cheeks and scattered with the sound of the wind.
Catherine, on the other hand, is fully aware of how cool the air beneath her feet is.
“Oh my goodness.”
Is she falling asleep and dreaming as she walks down the stairs?
Something strange was going on in front of her. The floor of an underground warehouse was emitting light despite the absence of a candle or a window. It also has a large circle pattern that has been delicately drawn!
It wasn’t long before the cool air brushed up against the cheek, and a creepy voice rang out underground.
「Those who have me, rule the world.」
It was not enough for the pattern to glow red, and it even spoke about the gloomy sound as if it were a human being. Catherine, who had foolishly looked down at the figure, came to her senses and backed up.
She returned to the ground by climbing the stairs to her bedroom. Then she picked up a mop that had been thrown into the bedroom. Catherine took a deep breath and returned to the underground warehouse, holding candles in one hand and a mop in the other.
Oh my, just like that—.
“What a piece of graffiti! Who messed up the floor like this? What good is it if I keep it clean?”
Catherine, nervously folding her sleeves, wiped the engraved patterns on the warehouse floor with a mop. How powerful the ink must have been to provide all of the strength and gradually blur the brush.
“Whoo.. Let’s see if I fall asleep or if you get erased like this.”
The rotten smell washed away by the mop in the vibrating wooden barrel, erasing the pattern. She doesn’t forget to curse the previous owner’s behavior.
Splashing.
Then, from beyond the old wooden door, came the sound of wet, heavy footsteps. Catherine exhaled deeply and turned her head toward the warehouse’s entrance. Light swaying in the swirling air.  It felt strange that her back was sticking out.
How long has it been? An unidentified voice came through the darkness, spread like fog.
“Who is it?”
The body of an unidentified man flew directly in front of Catherine’s pupils before they had expanded significantly.
The nervously distorted eyes were the first thing she noticed. White skin, like oriental white porcelain, and hard lips. It felt as if the bloody smell that had pushed away the dark smell of the basement had covered her entire body. Although it was clearly dark, the man’s unrealistic atmosphere was clearly touching her skin.
He is a man with a chaotic beauty that makes her mind go crazy. The beauty in front of her, which seemed to come out of her dreams, thrust a sharp, transparent sword under Catherine’s neck.
“Is this the Pope’s watchdog? You’ve traveled a long distance to get here. I’d like to give you a special compliment.”
A man grinned and uttered a meaningless word. It was a beautiful smile that smelled of flowers. Catherine had forgotten to breathe and was staring at the man.
The intruder was drenched from head to toe, completely overshadowing the outside weather, which was dry. The wet mud was a sloppy mess beneath the black leather boots.
‘Mud, even wet mud.’
With a wary voice, the man who was close to her face opened his mouth again.
“It’s a decent disguise. I almost fell for it because she was a normal city girl. The longer the days pass, the further away—”
“Wipe it.”
He dragged mud that wasn’t even grass while she was mopping the floor by gathering up the power!
Catherine reached out her arm, pushing the blade under her chin, and pointed to the path the man had taken. How can a learned person curse so rashly, no matter how much of an intruder he is?
Catherine held the mop out to the man. She felt like her heart was torn apart by the mud beneath the stone floor.
“What are you looking at so stupid? I told you to wipe the floor. And you shouldn’t just throw a sword at me for the first time. You want to be charged with attempted murder because you broke into someone’s house?”
T/n : I’d like to share more beautiful cover for this novel!