Chapter 42: I Stole Yooju's First Love
Lately, Raymond has been unusually quiet.
He's been around, but it's as if he's not there, and I almost forgot about him.
Of course, he's still under the watch of the knights.
When I returned to the mansion after breaking up with Nivea, Lily was waiting for me.
"Is something good happening? Why do you look so happy?"
"The Archmage's reply has arrived!"
I took the letter from Lily and quickly tore it open.
The more I read, the more astonished I became.
[You don't understand what I'm saying. The seal on your magic will naturally come off in a day or two. Especially for a Great Mage like Raymond, it will come off even faster.]
I couldn't help but grip the letter tightly. Seeing the crumpled letter, Lily asked cautiously,
"Why are you doing that, Miss?"
"What is Raymond doing right now?"
"Sir Raymond? The butler will know. Please wait a moment."
It was actually a good thing.
If I had a weakness, I would thoroughly exploit it.
"Did you call for me, Miss?"
The butler, who had been summoned, bowed to me with a puzzled look.
"He's probably in the guest room. He mostly stays there. Is there something you need?"
"I need to collect the accommodation and protection fees."
I explained the content of Mother's letter to him. The butler's expression changed strangely when I finished speaking.
In a noble family of the size of a duchy, it was unheard of to charge guests for their stay.
But Raymond was not a guest; he was a burden.
"I will have the expenses for protecting Sir Raymond compiled and brought to you."
I was quite surprised by the butler's strong stance.
In this world, noble families endure grievances to maintain their dignity.
Demanding payment down to the last coin would be considered a petty act.
The butler smiled as if he had read my thoughts.
"Until now, the only thing we've gained for the sake of the family's dignity is your scandal. His Excellency the Duke has ordered us to prioritize you over the family from now on."
Thanks to Father's fiery temper, even a petty revenge.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Before long, the butler returned with the compiled documents.
Looking through them, I realized they couldn't have been prepared in just a few minutes.
It seemed he had already planned to charge Raymond.
"I will have Sir Raymond wait for you in the reception room."
The butler, having completed his task, left the room.
I changed my clothes and headed to the reception room where Raymond was waiting.
When I entered, Raymond was waiting with a sullen expression.
His arm was still in a splint.
"What did you call me for?"
I reached out and picked up the poker by the fireplace.
The startled Raymond took a step back.
I walked up to him and, without hesitation, swung the poker.
With a thud, the poker flew out of my hand and landed far away.
"Looks like your magic has returned."
My sarcastic remark made Raymond's face stiffen.
But he quickly returned to his usual brazen expression.
"Oh, right. Thanks to you, my magic seems to have returned. Thank you."
I held the invoice I had brought and thrust it in front of his face.
He took the stack of papers with his usual brazen expression.
Raymond, holding the thick stack of papers, frowned at the first page.
Then he threw it on the floor and sneered.
"So, you were planning to charge for accommodation too?"
"I excluded the food expenses. I didn't want to be petty about what you eat."
"Is the duchy in such bad shape? To the point of charging guests like this?"
"Guest? We agreed to protect you until your magic returned. After that, the expenses you incurred while staying with us are on you."
His face twitched at my words.
"I only found out my magic had returned a few days ago."
"For someone who could be a candidate for Archmage, not knowing when your magic returned is quite surprising. I'll have to tell Mother to inform the Archmage directly..."
"Fine, I'll pay the damn money!"
Raymond, irritated, picked up the invoice he had thrown.
But as he flipped through each page, the color drained from his face.
"Are you kidding me? This is highway robbery!"
"Highway robbery? This is the cost of staying at the Pioneira Duchy, not a hotel. Did you think it would be the same as a hotel?"
Even I thought the charges were excessive.
I had set the nightly rate to what a top-tier hotel would charge for a month.
Moreover, the number of enemies he had made and the assassins who had tried to attack him were numerous.
"Considering the protection from the Royal Guard and the current Archmage's barrier, this is actually a bargain."
The barrier that could capture even Raymond made it easy to catch the assassins.
That's why his head was still attached.
Of course, it was for my benefit, not his.
"Is the duchy in such a bad state?"
Raymond sneered at this point.
"Not really. I just don't want to be kind to you. So, I believe the not-so-bad-off Sir Raymond will cover all the expenses."
The amount was too much for an individual to bear.
Watching Raymond's face change, I crossed my legs.
"Is it difficult for you?"
I smiled slightly, picking at my cuticles, as I watched him become anxious.
"Or can you offer something else?"
"Are you trying to make me do something strange again?"
"Not really, nothing major."
Now, Raymond seemed worried about what I would say next.
The shock of being forced to offer me a hunt instead of Tatiana last time must have been significant.
I never thought I'd see Raymond so anxious.
"I don't really care about the Grand Duchess. Maybe you do."
I handed him the documents I had prepared while talking to Nivea.
"What are you trying to charge me for this time..."
As he flipped through each page, Raymond's expression became increasingly serious.
"This is my proposal to you. We will cover all the costs related to the research."
"Are you asking me to develop cosmetics now?"
In this world, science was not highly developed.
Since most things ran on magic and mana, the wealthy didn't feel the need to advance science.
"Why don't you commission the Alchemists' Guild? I'm a mage, not an alchemist."
"It's been a while since you said something that makes sense, but you have no other choice, Sir Raymond."
Raymond looked at the documents with a tight-lipped expression. The Cassel family, his main family, was known for producing excellent alchemists.
Though rarely mentioned in the original story, he was also a skilled alchemist.
Alchemy and magic both used mana, so it was natural for him to be good at both.
'But they hate each other so much.'
Despite using the same power, alchemists and mages didn't get along.
I vaguely thought it might be a form of in-group prejudice.
"What will you do? I know you're a good alchemist. I trust your skills, so I'll forgive your debt if you take this commission."
I tapped the invoice with my finger to remind him of the amount.
He finally accepted my request.
His expression was bad, as he had no choice.
"Here's the contract. Please read and sign it."
I made sure to confirm everything to prevent any backtracking later.
Getting Raymond, a 'slave' by name, made me feel better.
I smiled at him, showing off my victory.
"We'll start the work after the weekend. Get ready."
He left the reception room with a sullen expression, probably thinking he had lost.
Lily, who had been waiting at the door, ran up to check on me.
"Did that scoundrel do anything to you?"
"Do anything? He'll be helping me with my work for a while."
"Helping you? Can you trust him?"
Lily's intense reaction made me laugh as I waved the contract.
It was a long-term contract, not a one-time deal.
Lily was more excited than I was, suggesting various ways to torment him.
Listening to Lily's rather cruel plans, I felt a bit scared.
"I really don't like him."
"Lily, you change your mind about who you dislike the most all the time."
Seeing Lily's blushing, flustered face, I laughed out loud.
Looking forward to the future, I didn't think I would sleep easily tonight.