Since It's My First Time Being a Lady, I'll Cause Some Trouble - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Lady’s First Time Making Mistakes — Episode 29
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“Money!”
I kicked through the door and shouted as I entered.
“The promised day has arrived, so it should be ready, yes?”
Calderon clicked his tongue loudly as I collapsed into a chair.
“What kind of brute comes demanding payment like some loan shark collecting debts? Where do you get such crass manners…?”
“What? You think I’d make this fuss over pocket change? I need a proper, hefty sum ready.”
The bartender set two large Money Pouches on the counter. They were so heavy that instead of the usual jingle of coins, they landed with a solid thump.
When I opened one, countless Gold Coins glittered inside. The other was identical.
It was enough to quit my maid’s work, return to my hometown, buy a house, and live comfortably without lifting a finger.
“I told you, didn’t I? I pay generously for my work.”
“…Uncle, did I ever tell you I loved you?”
“Don’t be like that. I only have my wife.”
Calderon spoke with firm propriety, appealing to his steadfast loyalty. Then he placed a Velvet Box larger than his palm beside the Money Pouches.
“What’s this?”
“Look for yourself.”
“…Don’t tell me this is the advance payment for another job?”
I fixed him with a narrow-eyed glare, and he laughed, denying it.
I opened the box, and a large yellow jewel revealed itself.
“Insane. How many carats is this?”
What yellow stone could this be? Citrine?
It was roughly the size of a baby’s fist, maybe even a touch larger. I had no idea what kind of jewel it was, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. Even in the dim light, it sparkled like a star.
As I gazed at it, slack-jawed, Calderon mentioned that the client had given it to him as an expression of gratitude.
“A Diamond, he said.”
“A… Diamond? Well, that would explain it… Wait, a Diamond? You said Diamond?”
My eyes widened as I looked back and forth between the jewel and Calderon.
“Hey! Hey! What are you doing biting it?!”
Calderon shouted in fury and seized my wrist holding the Diamond.
“Who bites a jewel to verify it? It’s not gold! And you’ll break your teeth doing that!”
“Then how am I supposed to tell if it’s real?”
“With the Appraisal Certificate, of course!”
“I didn’t know there was one! You should’ve shown it to me right away!”
I examined the Appraisal Certificate carefully. I could hear his unspoken thought: ‘She’s decent-hearted, but quite mad.’ I ignored it.
When I finished reading the certificate, I couldn’t suppress my amazement.
Wow, so the client really was the Second Prince! No wonder he’s handing out something like this as a success bonus!
And at the same time, a fleeting thought crossed my mind: ‘If you have such treasures, why not sell them and use the proceeds for the state’s coffers instead of making your Subjects suffer?’
But the outcome turned out well, so I’ll let it slide this time.
“Uncle, I have another job for you.”
I placed the Money Pouches and the Diamond box into the Backpack I’d prepared while explaining what had happened at the Prison.
“Protect the doctor at the Prison Medical Facility. And secure the Medical Records.”
The guards might not know, but the doctor who examined them would surely suspect the cause of death. And by professional duty, there would be a record of it as well.
If the hidden puppet master killed Goden’s family, then the doctor who knows their symptoms and cause of death could also be in mortal danger.
“What about Marquis Nezer? Won’t he be targeted too? Is that alright?”
“From what I know, Count Batori lent him Private Soldiers.”
Thanks to that, I had a hard time leaving the manor with an excuse.
After asking for a few other minor favors, I shouldered the Backpack.
Though it felt like my shoulders might break, I told myself it was the weight of life, the reward of honest labor, and that made it bearable.
Now I need to run my errands.
* * *
The newspaper reporter Kalam had one concern.
He had plenty of material—treason, crime, taxes, and such—but the content was too similar to what other Newspaper Companies were running. There was no distinction.
Even with the same subject, sales figures rose and fell depending on how deeply one could dig into the details.
If he couldn’t win on specificity, it was better to pursue an entirely different angle.
‘But I can’t stray too far from what’s currently the major issue either…’
A Quality Press journalist had his pride; he couldn’t fabricate absurd stories like the yellow press did.
He left the Newspaper Company and walked. His plan was to stop by a Tavern and listen for any potential stories worth reporting.
As he passed a Carriage parked nearby, the Coachman called out.
“Pardon me. Are you perhaps a newspaper reporter?”
“Yes, I am. But may I ask what this is about…?”
“That’s fortunate.”
The Coachman knocked on the Carriage door as he spoke.
I was about to ask what he meant when the door suddenly swung open and two arms shot out.
Kalam was yanked in by his collar before he could resist—it happened in an instant.
“W-who are you? Why are you kidnapping me? I’ve got a gun!”
His body trembled, but he puffed out his chest with false bravado, his voice pitched loud.
The kidnapper—or so he thought—told him to stay quiet, but his fear-addled ears heard nothing.
“Who dares suppress the freedom of the press? I’d rather die than see justice vanish from this world!”
In that instant, the cold barrel of a gun pressed against his forehead.
“I said be quiet.”
The irritated, low voice issued its warning again. Kalam stopped screaming and trembled like an aspen leaf.
“Please don’t kill me. I have people who depend on me—I mean, there are… there are dependents, and such.”
“I’m not a kidnapper. Calm down.”
Only then could Kalam make out who was sitting across from him.
A young woman with black hair and golden eyes.
“W-who are you?”
* * *
I managed to steady the floundering journalist and introduced myself.
“Ulfina Nezer? The Ulfina Nezer? The one who shot the traitor Penri, the… well, he’s not even a Marquis anymore, is he? That one?”
He asked, bewildered.
My duel with Penri had been covered not only in the Social Gazette but in the newspapers as well. So even among commoners, those who paid attention knew of it.
Kalam studied me with suspicious eyes.
“But why did you kidnap me?”
“It’s not kidnapping—I wanted to request an interview.”
I corrected him.
“Are you aware that prisoners died in the Prison this afternoon?”
“What? No, I wasn’t.”
“I wanted you to write a story about it. We’re heading to the Marquis’s residence now.”
After returning to the Prison, the Marquise had sent word to the Marquis at the Batori Territory. He obtained permission from Count Batori and brought Private Soldiers with him, posting them throughout the estate.
When I asked if it wouldn’t be better to flee to the Batori Territory instead, he said no.
‘The Batori Territory is close to the Imperial Capital, but the roads are quiet, making an ambush likely. And even if we escape safely, whoever’s behind Goden’s death will assume we’ve fled because we know his identity.’
To be wronged like this when I don’t even know who we’re up against!
I had assumed that becoming a nobleman’s daughter meant eating fine food, wearing expensive clothes, and living at ease. But look at me now.
‘Could she have run away in advance, knowing this would happen?’
……That couldn’t be.
If she’d known, she would have taken everyone with her. She wouldn’t have abandoned us without loyalty.
……Or would she?
In any case, the Marquis ordered the Butler to bring the journalist at once. I had slipped out of the estate using the excuse that I needed to visit the Guild and knew a reporter.
“Um, but……”
Kalam opened his mouth hesitantly.
“If you’d explained, I would have understood and come along. Why did you have to take me like this was a kidnapping?”
“It’s top secret. If someone saw or heard us talking, word might leak out. And time is of the essence—it was faster to put you in the Carriage first and persuade you on the way.”
The Marquis hadn’t explicitly told me to bring him in secret, but I was sharp enough to read the spaces between his words.
“And you pointed a gun at me just now……”
“I’m sorry about that. I was trying to calm you down and it just happened. Don’t worry—there were no bullets in it. The safety wasn’t even off.”
Even at my excuse, Kalam’s expression remained uneasy.
When I pulled out some Gold Coins from my Backpack and pressed them into his hand, he apologized for daring to resist so hastily.
Money really is king.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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