“Miss Dia is the one who purchased it after reviewing all the terms and conditions.”
“But I didn’t…! No, I mean, I am Dia, but I didn’t do it! I mean, I’m Dia, and Dia is me, but I didn’t buy this building…!”
Vendia’s tongue tied itself into knots. Even she no longer understood what she was trying to say.
“Oh, and for your information, this mansion also has—”
“Oh-ho. So you finally decided to show up?”
Before the broker could finish speaking, a sharp voice suddenly cut in.
Turning around, Vendia saw a man with hair as red as flames striding toward them. His eyes burned just as fiercely as his hair.
The man was unbelievably handsome.
A face handsome enough to rival Denros.
His features were bold and sharply defined: upward-slanting eyes that gave him a fierce impression, a high nose that looked sharp enough to cut someone, and a broad mouth that seemed ready to break into a hearty grin at any moment.
Unlike Denros, who gave off a refined, gentle, yet powerful impression, this man radiated intimidation from his towering height and massive build. His face was so striking it was impossible to forget after seeing it once.
Handsome, but the vibe was definitely—
“A second male lead?”
“Hey. Con artist.”
“…Con artist? Me?”
Vendia pointed at herself.
Looking around, she confirmed that she was indeed the only person he was staring at.
“Who else? You promised to fix the fireplace! When are you going to do it? It’s so cold I can’t sleep!”
“What fireplace? In this weather? And do I even know you? Who is this guy?”
Vendia frowned at the man’s outrageous attitude and turned to the broker.
“To continue my explanation, this mansion has tenants. And this gentleman is one of them.”
The broker casually revealed this critical information as if it were no big deal.
Vendia nearly lost her mind.
“When did I ever take in tenants?!”
“Didn’t you sign the lease agreement through a representative three days ago?”
“I did what?!”
“Yes. Miss Dia did.”
Aaaagh! I’m seriously going to kill my ex-husband!
Why this building of all things?!
And why did it come bundled with a nightmare tenant?!
“And this is the rent he paid for this month. I collected it on your behalf, but now that you’ve arrived, I’ll hand it over.”
The broker pulled a white envelope from inside his jacket and handed it to her.
It was thick.
Heavy.
Vendia quickly opened it and checked the amount.
13,000 Crangs?
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
A meal at an expensive restaurant cost around 2,000 Crangs.
That was roughly equivalent to 600,000 won.
Then 13,000 Crangs meant—
“Four million won…”
“The tenant on the third floor is scheduled to move in on the fifth of next month.”
If she collected rent from the third-floor tenant too, her monthly rental income alone would reach eight million won.
“If that fireplace isn’t fixed by tomorrow, I swear I’ll kill you.”
“Ha. Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
“Are you insane? Answer me!”
No matter what the red-haired man shouted, Vendia couldn’t stop laughing.
This wasn’t a money pit.
It was a money-printing treasure chest.
Yes.
This was it.
This was what was supposed to happen.
Everything that had happened until now had merely been buildup for today.
“Your Grace.”
“Enter.”
At the command, a man in a black uniform opened the office door and stepped inside.
He walked with flawless posture and knelt on one knee before his lord.
“She passed through the Rims checkpoint and completed registration an hour ago.”
The report made the blue eyes that had been fixed on documents slowly lift.
“She is not alone. She is accompanied by one maid.”
“Go.”
Dismissed, the man bowed and quietly left.
Left alone once more, Denros calmly returned to his paperwork as though nothing had happened.
A newspaper that had been precariously balanced on the edge of his desk slipped to the floor.
Printed on the front page was the obituary of Marquis Domingo Saxen.
“Here’s your coffee.”
Shasha set down a steaming cup.
The rich aroma of morning coffee filled the room.
Sitting by the window, basking in warm sunlight and a refreshing breeze, Vendia elegantly lifted the cup.
“Mmm~ this is nice.”
She lowered her eyelashes gracefully, savored the aroma, took a refined sip, and set the cup down.
“Shasha. Where’s the financial newspaper?”
“There isn’t one. Wait, since when do you read financial newspapers?”
“And where’s the vault filled with gold bars?”
“Huh?”
“My comfortable life, supported by endless monthly rent income?”
“Miss Dia, did you have a dream? You didn’t already forget the mansion repair estimate we got today, did you?”
Shasha stared at her as if she were genuinely worried.
“What is wrong with you?”
“Fine. Fine.”
Vendia abandoned all pretense of elegance.
She shoved the hot coffee aside.
The performance was over.
She had wanted to enjoy her dream life for a moment, but Shasha kept dragging her back to reality.
“The repair cost is 100,000 Crangs…”
“Wasn’t it 20,000 Crangs just for the front yard?”
Vendia nodded.
A contractor had visited that morning.
After inspecting the mansion and grounds, he estimated repairs would cost 100,000 Crangs.
It had been five days since they arrived in Rims.
The broker had previously told her:
“No one has lived here for years. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a mansion here. Naturally, all the rooms were vacant. The fact that tenants recently moved into the second and third floors is practically a miracle.”
When Vendia mentioned wanting to rent out the first floor and find another place to live, the broker had replied:
“Honestly, Miss Dia would be better off living on the first floor herself.”
So she decided to stay there until a tenant appeared.
Oddly enough, while the exterior looked like a collapsing ruin, the inside was pure luxury.
Only one household could occupy each floor.
A total of three residences.
An ultra-luxurious apartment mansion.
The problem was obvious.
Who would pay 13,000 Crangs a month to live in a remote rural village?
Only someone who needed to hide.
Someone like her.
“Even using magic tools doesn’t lower the price…”
The Zentime Empire had widely commercialized magical tools.
The Magic Tower mass-produced them, making everyday life more convenient.
For example, a magical tool called a Freezer used cooling magic to preserve food, functioning much like a refrigerator.
There were also tools for heating water and reducing manual labor.
They were affordable enough for nobles and commoners alike.
Hoping to save money, Vendia asked whether repair work could be done more cheaply using construction-support magic tools.
The contractor had practically scolded her.
No matter how common magical tools became, human labor was still required.
Since he had a point, she could only awkwardly promise to contact him later.
“Ugh…”
She slumped into her chair.
She had resolved to squeeze every possible benefit out of this mansion for the next three years.
Yet obstacles were appearing from the very beginning.
To make matters worse, anyone owning an income-generating property had to pay 20% of their profits to the Empire every month.
After Shasha’s wages, living expenses, utilities, taxes, and everything else—
There wasn’t much left.
“The jewelry is my last resort…”
The jewels she stole could only be used in a true emergency.
Most bore the Countess’s initials.
Selling them would make it easy for her family to track her down.
“Is there anyone who’d repair it for free?”
“Huh? Who would do something that crazy?”
“Damn it. I know, Shasha.”
Lately, Shasha had become surprisingly blunt.
Living together had clearly made her more comfortable.
“You used to seem like an angel who gave bread to the poor. How did you end up like this?”
“If you keep talking like that, go back to the Count’s estate!”
“Really? You’d be okay if I left?”
Shasha smiled smugly.
Since Vendia would be the one suffering if Shasha left, she couldn’t answer.
“Y-you little schemer…”
“Hehe. Anyway, I’ll go make lunch now. I’m making stew with the leftover chicken from yesterday. You like chicken, don’t you, Miss Dia?”
“I love you. You’re the best.”
“I know.”
Shasha nodded confidently and headed off.
She was remarkably skilled at alternating between the stick and the carrot.
Vendia had already been completely trained.
Still, she couldn’t dislike Shasha.
The girl really was capable.
She wasn’t lying when she said she could cook and do laundry.
Shasha handled all three of Vendia’s meals every day.
And her cooking was incredible.
Vendia practically licked the plates clean.
Honestly, she didn’t know what she would have done without her.
People who feed you are good people no matter what world you’re in.
“Oh, right! You didn’t forget, did you? The caretaker interview is this afternoon.”
Shasha stopped in the doorway and looked back.
“Of course not.”
Finally.
Four days after posting the notice, someone had applied for the position of mansion caretaker and security guard.
Managing such a huge building with only Vendia and Shasha was impossible.
The salary would hurt, but they needed security.
Two women living alone was risky.
“I wish a perfect worker would just fall from the sky.”
“H-Hello. I heard you’re hiring a caretaker…”
A man pushed open the battered front gate and entered the yard.
Vendia, who had been sitting outside after lunch soaking up the sunshine, stared with her mouth hanging open.