Selling the Main Character’s Shares

The doctor scanned his surroundings with hawk-like eyes and came with a variety of ointments made from crushed herbs and began to start treating me meticulously.

Perhaps it was because they lived here together, but his wife was also extremely quick-witted and moved efficiently. Although she didn’t say much, considering that she had proactively prepared a pair of low-heeled, comfortable shoes for me, it seemed to be so.

As someone who was hired in order to tend to the injuries of the knights who trained here, there was no need to doubt their skills.

Although it was enough to just have escaped safely, it was truly fortunate for me to be able to see a doctor.

At this point, it could be said that everything was proceeding smoothly.

Everything except for one thing, the fact that I’m completely broke.

‘Now what should I do?’

I pondered over this troublesome variable while watching the doctor’s hands applying a pair of white bandages to my leg.

I should obviously compensate the knights’ resident doctor for giving treatment at such a late hour. However, I had no way to pay him for my treatment since I had fled without any of my preparations.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a shame. Oh, if only I hadn’t been caught by Periot when I was organising the money!

Huh? Wait a minute.

Haven’t I clearly just sold off a bunch of ‘stuff’?

After carefully scanning my surroundings, I mouthed the word ‘window’, in an almost silent whisper.

Then the system window popped up with a dazzling light.

「Total shares sold: 1600 shares」

‘Oh!’

It had increased by 600 units ever since I had met Leonon, the Holy Knights’ Commander. Unlike the other instances, it constantly announced cheesy comments noisily, so it was only to be expected.

Since I had this much shares, then it’ll work out somehow, right? I shouted earnestly in my heart, filled with a desire to be saved, just this once.

‘M-Money!’

However, nothing changed.

Is this not it?

“Exchange, cash exchange…!”

“Pardon?”

I whispered as quietly as possible, but the doctor, who was devoted to my treatment, immediately raised his head.

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head casually, but my heart was already full of disappointment. I had said it out loud, with the risk of shame, but nothing had happened.

There was nothing that could be used as income right now.

If this is the end result, then tonight’s place of residence has already been automatically decided.

…I’ll be homeless.

Of course, it’s better to have to withstand the cold wind than to be dragged back to the Duchy with the crazy Duke.

That’s right, it’s still better than that!

‘No matter what, I’ll have to take my own measures first.’

Although I was curious about what was happening to me, that wasn’t the most important issue right now.

Starting from today, I would have to worry about becoming homeless, so what was the point caring about stocks? You couldn’t exchange it for money anyways.

‘Ah, seriously, what the hell should I do right now?’

As I was secretly pulling my hair out in anxiety, the door inside the treatment room opened as a little boy and girl peeked their heads out.

The girl’s round eyes that looked at me curiously, as if she were fascinated, were cute, so I smiled slightly as the doctor’s wife, who was standing next to me, approached them in a hurry.

“You guys are still awake…?”

The doctor also coughed dryly, and spoke in embarrassment.

“These are my children. They’re only a year apart in age, so they always get into trouble together.”

“Heavens, they’re so cute…”

The moment that thought came to mind and I was about to coo at how cute the children were, I stiffened.

Wait. Come to think of it, I also had a so-called ‘maternal house’ too!

The reason I didn’t immediately think of Louis Mayred, my older brother, was because he was considered as a complete stranger to me.

As soon as I had possessed this body, I was exiled… no, I had left for the North and couldn’t communicate with the County. During those two years at the Duchy, we had only exchanged a few letters.

Perhaps we weren’t as close as other people. The only memory I had of my older brother, Louis, was the way he had thoroughly examined Duke Periot with his eyes throughout the whole wedding.

Well, they were still my only family anyway!

‘The last letter I received said that the County had moved to Aurea region.’

If it was Aurea, then it wasn’t too far from the Duke’s estate. Filled with hope, I rolled up my dress with my sweaty hands.

Although it’d be very shocking to find that your younger sister, who you haven’t met for two years, suddenly came to find you, they wouldn’t kick out their one and only biological sibling.

“Now, it’s finished.”

While my heart was filled with hope, the treatment had already ended.

“As long as the wound doesn’t get infected, you’ll be fine. Just in case something unexpected happens, I’ll bring you some extra medicine.”

The doctor handed me a small packet of pills in an envelope with a friendly smile.

“Um, excuse me…”

I couldn’t raise my head and stuttered.

“W-What about the medical expenses…”

“Sorry?”

My heart ached when I tried to bring up the fact that I didn’t have any money on me. The gold coins that I wasn’t able to bring out of the mansion still remained in my eyes as I salivated over them, but now it was just a pie in the sky.

As I silently fiddled with the jewel-encrusted necklace around my neck, the doctor looked at me with an increasingly bewildered expression.

“This is all I have right now…”

It was difficult to meet his gaze, so I just bowed my head and spat out my words with difficulty, but a long arm suddenly appeared from behind me.

“Thank you for accepting a patient so late into the night. Will this be enough?”

Before I knew it, Commander Leonon was right beside me. In place of me, he handed something shiny to the doctor.

Heavens. It was a gold coin, which exceeded the cost of the treatment over a dozen times.

“T-There’s no need! I can’t even accept something like this from other people, not to mention the Commander!”

Before I could even say anything, the round-eyed doctor shook his head in amazement. However, Leonon pushed it further into his hands.

“It’s not only compensation for the treatment, but also other things, so please accept it.”

“Sorry? What are you talking about…?”

At that moment, the doctor’s wife approached us quickly and bowed her head, saying.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about today.”

Ah.

Only then did I look at myself.

From my disheveled hair that didn’t match my luxurious attire, the torn hem of my dress, and my bare feet which were littered with scars. It was a sight that would seem suspicious to anyone.

Leonon responded with a heavy look at the doctor and his wife who were nodding their heads, then smiled back at me affectionately.

“Then, shall we go?”

After asking to be excused once more, my feet were suddenly lifted gently upwards.

“Kya!”

As soon as the exclamation came out of my mouth without me realising it, the loud sound of a bell rang.

Ding dong!

 「‘This area’s hype king’ enthusiastically buys 200 more of your shares.」

Then, as if it had been waiting, the selling of shares began to start up again.

Ding dong!

「Young and rich, tall and handsome… Can I leave a stain on you, who has no flaws?」

Ding dong!

「‘This area’s hype king’ purchases an additional 100 shares.」

「Please report it as soon as possible. This man is a criminal. He stole my heart ♡」

Here we go again.

I rubbed my face reflexively at the loud ringing of the bell.

“Are you alright?”

As if examining me, Leonon asked tenderly.

“Yes, of course.”

The insanely cheesy comments kept pouring in nonstop, but I just smiled and ignored all of them.

The only thought in my mind was that even if I died, I’d make sure that those same mistakes I had made before could never be repeated again.

***

“I really don’t know how to thank you.”

While Leonon’s escort went off to retrieve the horses left for the knights, I bowed my head several times in front of Leonon to express my gratitude.

The world suddenly looked so beautiful after I met such a kind person after having to deal with Emma Chambers, who had a hoard of servants behind her and was anxious to devour me, everyday.

“I will definitely pay you back for the medical expenses.”

“Don’t worry about that. Rather than that, is there a place you can go to for now?”

“Ah, that…”

Leonon waited for my answer with a friendly face.

“Actually, I have family in Aurea, so I’m probably going to go there…”

When I cautiously started to speak, he nodded his head as if he knew of the place.

“If it’s Aurea, then you’ll be able to reach there by morning if you travel all night from now. However, it’s not a journey that would be easy for a lady to embark on alone, so I’ll accompany you there.”

“Sorry? Oh, there’s no need. You don’t have to!”

It wasn’t just me who was perplexed by the sudden remark, but also the escort, who had gradually approached us.

“Then what about the knights’ branch meeting then, Commander?”

Come to think of it, didn’t he also say that he couldn’t attend the Duke’s banquet because of some urgent matter?

“Although I’m sorry, it seems like you’ll have to go to the meeting by yourself. I’ll fill out the appointment form to make you my representative in order to ensure you won’t be discriminated against on your right to speak up.”

I was so flustered that I waved my hands in refusal. It was enough of him to have already taken me this far, but I couldn’t be even more indebted to him.

“How could I possibly trouble you to that extent…!”

“I won’t feel at ease if I don’t do so.”

However, Leonon was adamant.

What is this? Why are you doing this?

He was so kind that my feeling of anxiety suddenly started to rise again.

Judging from my experiences when enduring two bleak years in a desolate mansion with only enemies surrounding me everywhere, there was a high probability that this was part of a plan.

If he happened to recognise who I am…

“Although it’s easy to ask the knights to get a carriage, there isn’t enough time to confirm the identity of the coachman. I can’t send off a lady all by herself in that sort of situation.”

“That’s true, but… I understand. Then I’ll go and fetch a carriage.”

Huh?

I stopped thinking and stared blankly at the back of the escort who had already run far away.

Then, when I slowly turned my gaze around again, I was met with a pair of warm eyes staring back at me.

“Don’t think of it as being a nuisance. It’s the right thing to do as a human being, isn’t it?”

A bright and clear smile popped out flawlessly.

Oh, my eyes…

It was a smile that made me feel ashamed of myself for having such absurd suspicions.

In the end, I barely managed to answer back in a small voice.

“…Then, I’ll shamelessly accept your help… Thank you.”

As if he had finally heard what he wanted, Leonon gently raised the corner of his lips again.

Ding dong!

「‘This area’s hype king’ has bought an additional 300 shares!」

「Huh? Where did our Commander go? There’s nothing but a bright light in my eyes.」

Although there was a cheesy comment every now and then, I couldn’t help but agree deeply with them now.

Despite it being so late at night, the knights were able to quickly fetch a carriage. The escort and all the other knights all came out with a disciplined salute and even watched over and protected the carriage while Captain Leonon and I climbed into the carriage.

As if they had known that the Holy Knights Commander Leonon was to ride it, the carriage was extremely large and comfortable. The seats were spacious and soft, and there were even several cleanly washed cushions that made it seem as if I would even be able to sleep in there.

What kind of luxury is this? How nice…

The human heart is just this fickle. Although I had even been able to bear being homeless just a while ago, now that I was able to sit comfortably with my legs outstretched, I suddenly thought that it would be nice if I could live luxuriously like this.

Now, there was only one thing left that bothered me.

That is, Commander Leonon, who was desperately squeezing his large body into a corner of the carriage.

“Why are you doing that? Please sit comfortably.”

“It is comfortable.”

He told a blatantly obvious lie and added quickly.

“Make sure you’re comfortable since we still have a long way to go. You can get some sleep if you’d like.”

It was a very kind consideration. In addition, I was so grateful for his handsome appearance that filled my vision as he sat across from me, so much so that even if he wasn’t the incarnation of kindness, nothing would be lacking.

If I could meet the maids who had clamoured and said he was an angel one day, I would personally present myself as a witness to testify to that.

He really was an angel…

Anyways.

‘I don’t think he has a close relationship with Periot.’

I secretly sighed in relief.

Of course, I had suspected that to some extent. Since I didn’t remember seeing the Commander of the Holy Knights at our grand wedding reception.

Although there may have been unavoidable circumstances that prevented him from coming, the maids in the mansion would’ve known if the two of them were close friends.

Truthfully, I was wondering whether or not it’d be better for me to be honest about who I am and what my current situation was to a person who would help me to this extent.

However, if this was revealed to the public, there could be a big difference between helping the Duchess escape without knowing that she was the Duchess and helping the Duchess to escape whilst being aware of who she was, so I just decided to keep my mouth shut.

I didn’t want the person who did me such a generous favour to get into trouble.

However, it would be good to confirm it clearly.

“Excuse me…”

I rolled my eyes silently then opened my mouth cautiously.

“I’m sorry, what should I do? To think you had such an important meeting that even made you miss attending the banquet…”

“It’s really alright, so don’t worry about it. Since it’ll be enough just for my subordinate to attend. In fact, I don’t really like banquets, so I deliberately followed them to the meeting.”

“It’s rare for a banquet to be held in the North, so was it perhaps held at the D-Duke’s mansion?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow, I’m sure it was really luxurious, right?”

Although I had clearly been there too, I just continued to shamelessly waste my saliva.

“I’m sure it was. Since the Head of the Periot household had returned safely.”

“You seem to be… very close to that family.”

I continued on calmly.

“Seeing as how you were invited to such an event.”

“I was classmates with Duke Periot, the Head of that household, when we attended the knights’ academy in our youth, but…”

Leonon, who had been thinking for a while, soon smiled and added.

“We don’t interact much though.”

I nodded inwardly. In my heart, however, I even wanted to react explosively.

Right, right. That’s how it should’ve been. How could you, such a sunny and angelic Commander, interact with such a crazy Northern Duke?!

“I heard that he’s married now. Although I couldn’t attend the wedding.”

He even locked that very wife in a room full of handcuffs! My mind was going in circles!

“I see.”

However, since I couldn’t tell what he was really thinking in his heart, I quickly nodded my head with an awkward smile and ended the topic.

I feel a deep sense of relief in my heart.

After that, the conversation continued flowing like water. It was even more comfortable since the other person wasn’t trying to openly dig up information about me, nor was there any unpleasant curiosity either.

Thanks to this, I also learned quite a lot about Leonon.

The fact that he was brought up in the official residence of the Ecrestus Holy Knights, and the fact that that residence belonged to Leonon’s family, the Berhardt household, so on and so forth.

The more we talked, the more I realized that he had been brought up in a decent and well-balanced manner in a harmonious and bright family.

“Ah, so you have an older brother. I also have an older sister who’s married. She got married to Viscount Xavier last year.”

“Sorry? Ah, I-I see.”

“It’s natural for you to be surprised. As expected, it wasn’t a political marriage. Since my older sister had made it stubbornly clear that she wouldn’t get married unless it was to someone who she truly loved. Still, my parents are very glad that she’s met such a good match like Viscount Xavier.”

Furthermore, I even felt a kind of awe when I heard this.

To think that the eldest daughter of the Berhardt family, who had said she would never get married, ended up marrying a viscount. It was something that would’ve been impossible in the world of aristocrats, no matter how much they loved each other.

It was a story that showed just what kind of mindset his parents had.

I always wondered why he was helping me so much, but I finally understood.

Having grown up with such upright parents, it would be as natural as breathing for him to show such generous kindness and mercy to the weak.

As expected, not just anyone can take on the role of being the Holy Knights’ Commander…

It was the moment I became drunk on this comfortable and peaceful atmosphere and closed my eyes without realising it.

‘Ah, I’m bored.’

“Oops.”

I hurriedly opened my eyes in embarrassment.

“Are you bored? Sorry. I won’t sleep then.”

“What?”

Leonon tilted his head.

“What are you talking about…?”

Just how long do you want me to wait?’

“Heok!”

I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands at the unbelievable sight. Otherwise, it was very likely for me to scream. I was so shocked that my whole body even started trembling.

I could definitely hear a voice… but Leonon’s lips hadn’t moved at all.

T-Then who the hell did this voice belong to?!

“What’s the matter with you?”

Thinking that something unusual had happened, Leonon leaned his upper body toward me.

However.

‘Ah, I can’t take this any longer. Sorry, don’t be too surprised.’

Boom!

Suddenly there was a loud roar of thunder, and a flash of light burst before her eyes.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

I screamed as I closed my eyes tightly and instinctively covered my head.

“Wh-What was that?! Commander, are you alright?!”

Whoosh.

My surroundings were silent.

“C-Commander?”

However, there was no reply.

This can’t be happening…

When I opened my eyes cautiously, there was no one on the other side.

“Commander Leonon…!”

I kept calling out to the man who had been sitting in front of me just a few moments ago, no, should still be sitting right in front of me.

However, instead of an answer, only the faint whistling of the chilly wind blew through the carriage. Before I knew it, the wheels of the carriage which had been moving constantly had come to a standstill.

The only thing that covered the whole place was darkness that was so thick, not even an inch ahead of you could be seen.

Both the moonlight that had been gently shining through the window, and the light from the lamp outside with the coachman, had vanished.

“Heup…”

It was the moment when I was so terrified that I even forgot to take a breath.

Knock knock. 

The sound of a knock on the door.

I instinctively hid myself in the corner that was the farthest away from the door. My whole body trembled at the thought of someone bursting through the door to harm me at any moment now.

However, what came, was instead, a voice full of laughter.

“Hi, Lorella.”

The deep voice seemed to belong to a young man, and sounded pleasing to the ear, seemingly as if it had nothing to do with the gloomy darkness.

“It’s nice to meet you, my chosen main character.”

My body stiffened quickly, as if trapped, frozen in ice.

Wh-Who are you?

I never said I would do something like be the main character…!