Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“Mother, did you set aside the money to pay the taxes for the jewelry you ordered from overseas? If the deadline passes, brother’s knights will be contacted, and he’ll be upset. Are you okay with that?”
“Oh my! I… I can’t remember when the deadline was.”
Hytine Hazel began calculating the date, gnawing on her fingernails. If her son, Kelliard, was contacted, he would be furious, accusing her of embarrassing the knights.
Soon, the couple left, their faces pale. Right now, dealing with the situation they had created was more important than getting angry.
“Sister, what are you doing? Are you threatening them?”
“Rettie.”
“You can’t even reassure them, but you’re trying to exploit their weaknesses? What kind of behavior is that?”
She crossed her arms and glared at me disapprovingly.
“What about you?”
“What? I have nothing to hide.”
Her confident expression made me raise an eyebrow in genuine curiosity. I tilted my head slightly, genuinely curious.
“Your engagement is likely to be announced soon. Don’t you need to go see your fiancé?”
“…Huh?”
“Will your fiancé still want to be engaged after he learns about the Count Hazel’s financial situation? Wasn’t the reason they maintained the engagement because of Hector and my marriage?”
Rettie chewed on her lip.
“Go quickly. Before it’s too late.”
She seemed to have a lot to say, her lips moving, but she eventually just glared and disappeared. Only Tepine remained where they had been.
“Lady Amelia. Are you alright?”
I nodded.
“I have no reason to be anything but.”
I forced a smile as I accepted the invitations Tepine offered.
I had a glimmer of hope that Hector, the male lead of the novel, would not break off the engagement. After all, I had been by his side, preventing problems for a long time. However, I hadn’t been unprepared.
I knew my family would react like this if the engagement was broken off as it was in the original story. I had investigated everything beforehand, just in case they tried to force me into an unwanted marriage.
‘They’ve let it slide for now.’
But the future is the problem. My family will definitely try to scheme.
“I need to go.”
I murmured, looking down at the thick stack of invitations.
***
I pulled my black robe over my head and silenced my footsteps.
The narrow alley had no streetlights, and the only light came from the moon.
I walked silently through the winding alley. I had to navigate the branching paths without getting lost to reach my destination.
I felt a subtle, silent vibration and exited the alley. There, hidden in the darkness, was a space barely large enough for one person. A small bar table was set up, with iron bars blocking the center.
I approached the bar table and knocked three times.
“…You’re back again.”
A languid male voice came from behind the bars. A click, and a light turned on, revealing a man in a black robe pulled up over his head, just like mine.
“There’s no place faster or more accurate than this.”
“I’m just that good.”
The man, Ronen, smirked, raising one corner of his mouth.
This place was a place to buy and sell information, and money was the only currency. If I provided him with information of equal value, I could obtain the information I desired.
This place, and the information broker Ronen, was more reliable than most guilds.
He had a cigarette dangling from his lips. The scent was unique, suggesting it wasn’t an ordinary cigarette. Perhaps it was laced with a sedative…
“So, what’s the merchandise today?”
“Here.”
At Ronen’s words, I placed a small note on the bar table.
A pale hand emerged from the hole designed for passing goods, taking the note.
“Ohh, an affair between the High Priest and the Empress. If this information is true, it’ll be a huge scandal.”
“My information has never been wrong. It’s real.”
“Hmm, you’re right about that.”
The man crumpled the note and tucked it into his pocket, then rested his chin on his hand and stared at me. His face was hidden by the hood connected to his robe.
I could only guess that his eyes were red from the occasional glimpse of them.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I’m uncomfortable with his silent, observing gaze.
“Just… I wonder how you manage to get your hands on such high-level information.”
“That’s something I should be asking you. What about my request?”
“Here.”
Ronen didn’t look away from me, only moving his hand. Soon, a thick bundle of paper landed on the bar table. The information I had requested. Plan B. Candidates for my future husband who would keep me safe from Hector and his family.
I felt the heavy weight of the paper in my hand and skimmed through it, deciding to review it thoroughly later. Ronen’s information was quite expensive, but the results were more than satisfactory. Besides, finding information that Ronen would be pleased with was easy for me. I put the paper in the bag it came from.
I had also placed requests with the guild and was looking into any and all gatherings of nobles.
‘I need the information first so I can use it to my advantage at the gathering.’
The novel only described the main plot and the protagonists’ stories, so it was useless for me.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and closed the bag, but I suddenly felt a gaze. I raised my head and met Ronen’s eyes. His face wasn’t fully visible because of the robe, but his head was tilted slightly towards me.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
I raised an eyebrow and asked. Ronen couldn’t see my face because of the robe, but I instinctively made an expression.
“Just…”
“…”
“I was wondering why you need information about those men. Are you…”
Ronen seemed to be staring at the bag where I had put the paper a moment ago.
“Getting married?”
I chuckled. He hadn’t been particularly curious about my identity until now, so this was an unexpected reaction.
“Of course not. This is information my client requested.”
“Ah.”
His head nodded, and the hood of his robe swayed.
“What will you request next?”
“Nothing yet. I’ll come back if I need something else.”
I couldn’t always meet Ronen just because I came here. Today, I was able to meet because I had made a separate appointment when I previously requested information. If I was unlucky, we might keep missing each other until I placed a request. But I didn’t have anything else to request yet…
‘Even if it means going through that hassle, I’d still look for Ronen.’
As far as I knew, there was no better information broker than him.
“Client information, you say?”
“Yes. You seem to be very curious today, Ronen?”
Most of the time, we just exchanged what we needed and left. Sometimes, when we had time, we chatted.
I rested my left hand on the bar table and tapped the iron bars with my right hand. That was roughly where his eyes were.
“Are you bored today?”
As soon as my playful question ended, I felt Ronen smirk.
“Mel, if you’re getting married…”
‘Mel’ was the alias I used when I came to Ronen or used the guild.He touched the back of my left hand resting on the bar table.
“Add one more person to that information.”
“…What?”
Ronen’s hand, which had been on the back of my hand, gently grasped my wrist.
“I’m a good person, too.”
I chuckled at the corner of his mouth as he smirked.
He must be really bored today. He’s making jokes he normally wouldn’t.
“This information is for my client, not me, and if you want to marry me…”
I smirked back, mimicking him. The, something slid down my shoulder, arm, and then poked its head out of my sleeve.
“Hiss, ssssh.”
“You’d need to get permission from these guys, too. Are you okay with that?”
The snake, which was the thickness of a finger, emerged from the end of my sleeve. It flicked its forked tongue and hissed, hitting Ronen’s hand with its head as if it didn’t like him holding my hand. It even pretended to bite his hand with its sharp fangs.
“Oh dear.”
Ronen’s hand pulled away at the snake’s appearance.
“Sorry, Ronen. These guys are jealous.”
These guys. It meant that I had more than one snake. Ronen shrugged.
“You carry dangerous children.”
He said it with a tone of pity, but there was no hint of regret in his voice. It was a joke from the start.
“They’re my bodyguards.”
I raised my left hand and lightly kissed the head of the snake that had poked its head out.
“Good job, Slinky.”
“Hiss, ssssh.”
[I’m happy, Mel!]
The snake, Slinky, wagged its head happily and then climbed back up my arm towards my shoulder. It was an unfamiliar feeling at first, but now I didn’t care.
“You tame snakes. You have unique tastes, Mel.”
“Only as unique as your cigarettes.”
I smiled silently at the unique scent of the smoke.
Ronen laughed softly, seemingly pleased with me matching him word for word. He then flicked the cigarette he was holding crookedly between his teeth onto the floor.
‘He should stub out his cigarette properly.’
Most importantly, he shouldn’t throw it on the street. My manners from my past life came to mind unconsciously.
‘Well, there’s nothing flammable there anyway, and it’s Ronen’s space, so it’s fine.’
I wasn’t going to interfere with him throwing it away in his own room.
“Do you like all snakes?”
Ronen seemed interested in the snakes I handled this time.
“Mostly.”
It wasn’t that I liked them, but I could communicate with them. I didn’t talk to them like humans, but I communicated through their actions and eyes. Moreover, I could feel their thoughts in my head.
