My Dear, You're Swallowed by Debt #2(2)
Andrew, who had been lost in thought for a moment, expressed his doubts once again.
"But do we really have to pay off that debt? I don't think you would do it just for me."
The debt owed by the Lord.
Rockefeller had no obligation to pay it off.
"Of course not. We're not a charity, so why would we pay it off?"
"Then, why are you paying it off on our behalf?"
Rockefeller opened his mouth calmly.
"In order to become the Lord here, or more precisely, to win the hearts of the people, it's unavoidable. And through that process, there will naturally be room for improvement in your relationship."
"Will our relationship really improve?"
"I'm not sure. But if we abandon them, they'll have no choice but to fall into the abyss. There will be no one in this world to support a powerless, debt-ridden Lord in a remote area."
"That's... true."
"If that's really what you want, then it's a good thing."
"It feels strange."
"Strange or not, it's your choice. I told you clearly, if you want to get involved, get involved with someone else. This is your choice."
"That's... more than I thought."
"Then take that girl. I won't stop you."
As the conversation went on, Andrew didn't feel particularly inclined to do so, but at the same time, he didn't dislike the idea.
"Anyway, you've thought about it, Rockefeller."
"Yes, that's my plan."
Money was the most sensitive and all-encompassing issue for people.
And the savior who solved it.
"All the people here have lost all their gold because of the Lord. Now, their gold is tied up in meaningless scraps of loan certificates."
"So, you're going to solve all that?"
"If I do, I'll definitely win their hearts."
Before Andrew, who had unknowingly opened his mouth, could even exclaim in admiration, someone appeared from inside the shop, and it was also someone who would welcome Andrew's visit.
"Andrew, bro!"
Joshua, who had been working on goldsmithing in the shop, came out and warmly welcomed Andrew, who had come without notice.
"When did you come? You didn't even say you were coming!"
"It just happened. Joshua, you've grown a lot too. I hardly recognize you."
"I'm so glad you came! I've been wanting to see you so much!"
After a passionate greeting, Rockefeller got up from his seat and chimed in as they enjoyed a warm atmosphere.
"Although it wasn't planned, since Andrew came like this, let's have a fancy dinner tonight."
"Of course!"
The joy was short-lived.
Andrew asked about the youngest sibling who was not present.
"By the way, is Lucia doing well?"
"Lucia has grown a lot too. She's not the naive girl you used to know."
"Is Lucia 9 years old now?"
"Yes! She's good at covering her face now. Soon we'll have to send her off to get married?"
"That's going a bit too far."
"Hahaha!"
As Rockefeller watched the two siblings with satisfaction, he was lost in thought.
'Family is indeed a good thing.'
"Andrew, since we're talking about it, why don't you go see Lucia? As Joshua said, she's grown a lot."
Andrew asked.
"Then what about the shop?"
"I'll take care of the shop. You two go and come back."
While Andrew, who had come to Carter Bank, was enjoying a warm atmosphere, Stella, who had returned to her hometown, was quite confused by the unprecedented atmosphere.
'The way people look at me has changed too much. What on earth happened?'
The people in the castle were giving her cold stares, making it hard to believe that she was the daughter of the Lord, and only a few servants who had been loyal to the Lord treated her as the Lord's daughter.
But even that felt different from before, which Stella, not being a fool, could easily notice.
Following the servant's guidance, Stella went to see the Lord and saw her father, who had aged significantly.
"What, why did you come without saying anything?"
Lord Chester was surprised to see his daughter, who had come without any notice.
In response, Stella wanted to hear about the situation here first.
"Father, what happened? I heard about it from Mr. Hamilton's urgent letter. How much debt have you accumulated?"
The Lord frowned.
"That Hamilton told you unnecessary things. I should go and teach him a lesson!"
"Father! This is not the time for that! What happened during this time?"
When her daughter, who should have been at the Officer's Academy, came down to her hometown and questioned him, the Lord began to explain the past events in a crawling voice.
The day the castle was turned upside down because of the loan certificates he had written.
The Lord, who had barely won over the seers, was able to suppress the riot of the castle people by force.
However, since not all the castle people had moved at that time, it was easy to block, and the continuous riots gradually grew in scale. At its peak, most of the castle people even came to the Lord's Castle to hold a sit-in.
In a situation where the castle was on the verge of collapsing, the Lord had no choice but to face the creditor group, consisting of castle people, due to the persuasion of the overseer.
The representative of that creditor group was, of course, Rockefeller of Carter Bank, who had lent the Lord the most gold. Rockefeller, leading the creditor group and representing the angry castle people, made several suggestions to the debt-ridden Lord.
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I think there is a chapter missing. Or the numbers were mixed up.
ReplyDeletenvm I saw that there has been a change to ch65. Thanks!
Deletethe brothers are so annoying
ReplyDelete