58: Piled-Up Trust
A small figure pushed open the door and entered the inn attached to the ranch.
Their hair was silver. They wore a dirty coat and a casquette pulled low, obscuring their face.
The knees of their trousers were patched, one even torn, revealing skin beneath. A rather shabby appearance.
“Excuse me, but we don’t accommodate walk-ins. Do you have a referral?”
The innkeeper, alone at the reception counter, politely asked the ‘boy’ to leave, seeing no reservation and noting their attire.
The ‘boy’ chuckled softly.
“—I’m not a ‘walk-in.’”
“…Excuse me?”
The figure removed their hat, revealing beautiful, moonlight-silver hair tied back in a bun.
This was clearly not the shabby—almost “back alley”—boy the innkeeper had imagined.
His eyes widened, and he straightened up.
“Lady Adelheid…? M-my apologies!”
“No, it’s fine. It’s good to know my disguise skills haven’t gotten rusty.”
She—Adelheid von Vanderwaals—smiled, and the innkeeper inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
The simple act of removing her hat made it impossible to understand why he had mistaken her for a vagrant just moments ago.
Come to think of it, he had seen glimpses of her silver hair.
Even so, perhaps it was her clothing, or the aura she projected… everything about her had screamed back-alley dweller.
But now, regardless of her attire, she looked every bit the young head of a powerful ducal family.
Adelheid put her hat back on, concealing her hair, and approached the counter, facing the innkeeper.
“I have some business here. I came on a rented horse, so I’d like you to take care of it. I won’t be staying, but I’ll need a room and a bath. And could you pack me a lunch, something I can eat outside?”
“Certainly. Right away.”
He bowed respectfully, mentally repeating her requests—no stay, room, bath, packed lunch—and committing them to memory.
Then, she took a small leather pouch from her pocket and emptied its contents into her palm.
While it resembled a coin purse, it was probably a divided pouch for making specific payments smoothly, different from a regular wallet.
The innkeeper was slightly surprised by this display of commoner-like behavior, considering he had never seen the ducal lady—no, the head of the family—pay for anything herself.
However, the color and the clinking sound of the coins she produced were anything but common… they were all gold.
“By the way, congratulations on your youngest daughter’s engagement.”
“Ah… yes. You’re well-informed.”
He nodded.
“Allow me to offer my congratulations. I heard her fiancé is much younger. She waited for him to come of age, didn’t she? He seems like a sincere young man.”
“Thank you. I was against it at first, but after meeting him, I realized he was quite mature for his age… It’s a relief to have her settled.”
She placed the gold coins from her palm onto the polished wooden counter.
“Um… is this…? There’s still a considerable balance remaining in the Vanderwaals’ account…”
Large clients like the Vanderwaals and the Eustasia Knights paid a lump sum in advance. The inn would deduct charges from that, and when the balance ran low, they would contact the client’s accountant for replenishment.
This saved the clients the trouble of paying for each transaction and allowed the inn to manage its finances smoothly.
However, it also created opportunities for the inn to commit fraud, and for clients to skip out on payments.
――Of course, clients who would tolerate unfair charges didn’t enter into such agreements with nobles or organizations.
Conversely, attempting to evade payment would not only violate kingdom law but also expose a weakness to political rivals… The few instances of attempted fraud had invariably resulted in the downfall or effective absorption of the offending family.
“It’s a congratulatory gift.”
A slender, white, delicate finger picked up a gold coin and placed it back on the counter.
Then another, stacking it on top of the first.
“Speaking of which, you spared no expense on the wedding dress.”
A third gold coin was added to the stack.
“Well… she’s my precious daughter, so…”
“I envy your daughter.”
Chuckling, she added a fourth gold coin.
The innkeeper recalled her history: how she had lost her mother at a young age, and then her father suddenly due to illness, becoming the head of the ducal family.
He remembered her as a charming, fairy-like child, visiting the ranch frequently and learning to ride from her governess… Ciel. The two of them, riding together, looked like true sisters.
――However, seeing her riding bareback and even practicing mounted archery, he had wondered what she was aiming for.
Working in hospitality, you met a lot of people.
And some guests left a lasting impression.
The former fairy picked up a fifth gold coin.
“I hear the shop you commissioned is quite reputable.”
“Yes. She’s a foreign tailor, but very skilled. I hear she’s the exclusive tailor for a certain noble family… The fact that she’s a woman was also a deciding factor.”
While he understood it was simply a tailor’s job, as a father, he was still hesitant to have a strange man touch his daughter’s body.
While the female tailor’s touch seemed a bit strong, and his daughter had been flustered, he doubted she would do anything inappropriate with the father present.
Besides, even the initial fitting was clearly top-notch work, impressive even to him, with his discerning eye, accustomed to dealing with nobles.
The fifth gold coin was placed on the stack.
“A pure white dress… the lace will look beautiful.”
“Yes.”
She nodded with a smile.
“It cost fifty gold coins, didn’t it?”
“Yes…”
She nodded with a smile.
And then she froze.
“…Lady Adelheid.”
He finally managed to speak, and she laughed, adding a sixth gold coin to the stack.
“Yes?”
“…How did you… know the price of the dress…?”
He hadn’t told anyone.
No, it must have been the design.
While pure white was a standard color for wedding dresses, he hadn’t told anyone about the extensive use of lace. That was meant to be a surprise on the day.
And certainly not the price.
He hadn’t told anyone, as he didn’t want to be seen as the kind of vulgar person who bragged about how much they spent.
While he had dismissed the lace as a common detail, the fact that she had guessed the exact price suggested she was certain.
She chuckled softly.
Like a fairy—the kind that played tricks on people.
The tailor he had commissioned for his youngest daughter’s dress was from a country famous for its fairy tales—stories of fairies sometimes helping people, sometimes leading them astray.
The image of a tiny, beautiful girl with butterfly wings was only one aspect of fairies.
They were different.
Creatures that operated on a different logic than humans.
A seventh gold coin was added to the stack.
She leaned on the counter, clasped her hands, and smiled.
“Geckos are everywhere.”
Yes, they were.
They were at the ranch, and they weren’t uncommon in town either.
The people of Eustasia were practical and generally tolerant of geckos. They were considered beneficial creatures, as they ate insects.
However, some people disliked them, and it wasn’t unusual for them to be chased out of houses.
This inn also had guests who disliked geckos, so they tried to remove them from the premises.
He felt like he had encountered a ‘wall lizard’ indoors.
As if a pair of ever-watchful black eyes were staring at him.
The innkeeper cautiously looked up and met her gaze—deep blue eyes, like a clear yet bottomless lake.
She toyed with an eighth gold coin and spoke.
“I have a request.”
“…Yes. Please, tell me what you need.”
There was no other answer.
The Vanderwaals were valued customers.
They had been patrons since the previous generation, and both the family members and their servants were well-mannered, paid well, and never caused any trouble.
He had never been subjected to any unreasonable demands.
He had even thought that the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals” were just a nasty rumor…
And yet, now, with summer just around the corner, a chill ran down his spine.
The eighth gold coin was added to the stack.
Two more remained.
“First, as a matter of course, I ask for your discretion… I’m here incognito. You understand?”
“Yes, of course.”
He nodded respectfully.
“Especially… make sure my sister, Leticia, who has been a frequent visitor recently, doesn’t hear about this.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He hung on her every word, his entire body straining to listen, nodding emphatically to show he was paying attention.
“Keep this from the ‘Vanderwaals family’ as well.”
“E-excuse me? …Yes, understood.”
He almost asked her to repeat herself, then quickly corrected himself.
“Don’t record any of this. The payment… is here.”
She gestured to the neatly stacked tower of gold coins.
It was clearly excessive for a single day’s use. The innkeeper braced himself for the coming request… the ‘favor’ she was about to ask, taking it as a silencing fee.
She added a ninth gold coin to the tower and spoke.
“I need to borrow a shovel and a bucket.”
“…Excuse me? I… don’t quite understand…”
A shovel. A bucket.
What kind of code was this?
Sensing his confusion, Adelheid clarified in a calm tone,
“Take it literally. A shovel for digging, and a bucket for carrying water.”
“Of course, we can provide those immediately. This is a ranch, after all.”
As he responded, the innkeeper mentally reviewed his inventory, deciding to provide a brand new set to avoid any offense.
“And then…?”
She held the tenth gold coin in her hand and blinked.
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
――He didn’t understand.
A shovel. Was she going to bury a body? —No, even if he was being paid for his silence, no one would be foolish enough to borrow tools for such a purpose here.
And what about the bucket? Was she planning to plant trees and water them?
Seeing his bewilderment, Adelheid, who had been acting so confidently, chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“…Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard… that I can’t feel at ease unless I do this, even with someone I’m familiar with.”
She moved away from the counter, and the sunlight from the window, no longer obstructed, illuminated the tower of nine gold coins, making them gleam.
“…But why such a large sum…?”
――Intimidation and bribery.
Intimidation alone should have been enough.
…Especially for such a… trivial request.
Perhaps this was the only way ‘Adelheid von Vanderwaals’ could operate.
However, he still felt the amount was excessive, and he inwardly puzzled over it.
It might not be a significant sum for a noble, but the ‘request’ itself was… surprisingly… mundane.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
She picked up the tenth gold coin and gently placed it on top of the stack, completing the golden tower.
As she shifted her position slightly, perhaps coincidentally, the sunlight caught her eyes, and she squinted.
Her face was momentarily cast in shadow by the backlighting.
Even so, he could tell from her voice that she was smiling.
“It’s a congratulatory gift.”
――Come to think of it, she and her governess, Ciel, had once helped his youngest daughter, still a child then, learn how to care for horses.
He had seen them many times since then.
His youngest daughter, entrusted with the care of Lillie, the prized horse gifted by the previous head of the Vanderwaals, had been so enthusiastic.
While his eldest daughter had married early and his second daughter helped with the family ranch and inn, Adelheid had only been around for a short time.
Aside from the innkeeper himself, his youngest daughter was probably the one most familiar with her.
“…Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”
Out of respect, not fear, the innkeeper bowed deeply.
Then, he carefully picked up the tower of gold coins, almost reluctant to dismantle it, and quickly stored it in the safe.
“Allow me to show you the way.”
He came out from behind the counter and led the way.
She followed, her attire boyish, yet her movements graceful.
“A shovel and a bucket, you said. Leave everything else to me.”
“Yes.”
The Vanderwaals had a reservation for tomorrow. Two of their horses were to be prepared…
And—the First Prince, the Knight Commander, and the Chief Physician had also reserved or requested horses…
A distinguished group.
While she wasn’t staying and didn’t plan to enter the ranch itself, he had been informed that the Eustasia Knights would be securing the perimeter.
Something was going to happen tomorrow.
Today’s preparations were likely for that.
He honestly had no idea what she was planning.
But if it was something she was doing…
…no matter how ‘unconventional’ it seemed…
He felt it was worth cooperating.
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