The overseer sometimes visited Rockefeller without regard to time.
They occasionally came when there was an important or urgent matter within the territory.
Then Andrew, who had a puzzled look on his face, asked.
"The overseer?"
"Yeah, the person who came might be our overseer."
"No, why would the seerscome here?"
"Well, the local lord here can't fulfill his duties anymore. So, at some point, the overseers started coming to see Rockefeller hyung."
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course. Who's paying the seers' salaries now? The local lord here is in debt. So our bank is taking care of theseers' salaries instead. If the estate becomes chaotic, our business won't work."
Hearing this, Andrew immediately knew that the lord's situation was worse than he thought.
How bad must the situation be for the bank to take care of the overseers' salaries?
'It seems they really have gone bankrupt. No wonder his expression was so bad all the way back.'
At the same time, he became worried about her.
'I wonder what she's doing now. I hope it hasn't turned out too badly.'
In the meantime, Rockefeller was facing an unexpected guest who had come to his mansion.
As he had expected, his intuition was correct.
'I knew something like this would happen.'
"What brings you here at this hour, Miss?"
Wearing a deep robe hood and coming alone, she was Stella, the lord's daughter.
"The bank is closed. I have a lot to discuss with you about my father's debt. Do you have time?"
Her visit was somewhat expected.
Rockefeller decided not to stop her from coming.
"Of course. Ah, since you've come this far, why don't you join us for dinner? Our family was just about to enjoy dinner, and Andrew is here as well."
Rockefeller didn't forget to say this.
"You're very lucky, Miss. If you haven't had dinner yet, please join us. You can discuss the matter with me at the table."
Stella was quite flustered by the sudden dinner invitation.
However, considering the timing, she reluctantly accepted.
After all, she needed to talk to him.
"Won't your family be uncomfortable if I join?"
"There's nothing to be uncomfortable about. It's an honor for us to have dinner with you."
"Well... I hope I'm not intruding on your family, but I'll attend the dinner since I have something to discuss."
"Please come this way. I'll guide you."
The mansion was a very nice place for commoners to live.
No wonder people are crazy about money.
Wouldn't everyone be crazy to enjoy such overflowing happiness?
'It's more spacious than I thought. The furniture is not ordinary, and everything is luxurious.'
Following Rockefeller's guidance, Stella arrived at the reception room and couldn't help but be surprised by the dining table with a prepared meal.
They appeared to be commoners on the outside, but they were no different from small nobles.
'It seems they've made a lot of money from the bank. I didn't know Andrew's family lived like this.'
The prepared dishes were very luxurious.
The people here must not have prepared all the food.
Even though she didn't know, it seemed obvious that they had hired someone with good skills.
'How did you get here?'
The most surprised by her arrival was Andrew.
He was so surprised that he stood up from his seat and asked Stella.
"Why did you come all the way here?"
"Well... I suddenly received an invitation."
As Rockefeller gave Stella the seat next to Andrew, he said:
"I apologize in advance for any shortcomings in our hospitality since this seat was not prepared in advance for you."
"No, I'm fine."
When she came, Joshua and Lucia also got up from their seats.
"Joshua Rothsmedici, it's nice to see you again, Miss Stella."
"Joshua, you've grown so much. I hardly recognize you."
"Yes, thank you."
Joshua greeted her politely, and Lucia, who was next to him, also greeted her cutely.
"You're Stella, right? I've heard stories about you from Joshua. He said you're kind and pretty. I'm Lucia Rothsmedici. Please call me Lucia."
"So you're Lucia. I've heard a lot about you from Andrew."
"I'm so happy that Andrew talked about me."
Shortly after, they began to enjoy their dinner in a rather awkward atmosphere.
However, Stella, who couldn't eat comfortably due to her father's debt issue, brought up her father's story during dinner.
"I think I mentioned this before."
Rockefeller had anticipated this, so he already knew what she would say.
He was just waiting patiently.
In a manner befitting a representative of his household, Rockefeller responded to her words with the most amiable smile he could muster.
"Yes, please tell me."
"Is there no way to resolve my father's debt? No, the debt of the local lord here?"
Rockefeller, who thought he had filled his stomach enough, lightly wiped his mouth with a napkin and responded to her words.
"The story is the same as before. Our Carter Bank lent gold coins to the lord, and the lord must repay those gold coins properly."
"I know that, but the interest is too burdensome. Right now, because of the interest, the rest of the lands have been mortgaged as well. Isn't this a bit too much?"
Isn't it too much?
It was a phrase that bank owners hear every day.
Rockefeller began to speak with a serious expression in a different atmosphere from before.
"The interest issue is our rightful claim for lending gold coins to the lord. We also took risks when we lent that much gold, so naturally, we should be compensated for it, shouldn't we?"
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Imperial Dalants Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with Dwarven Sovereigns Tier ($18). For every $15 collected on Ko-fi, I will release an extra chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Happy reading!
