In any case, our visit to Kelly’s family led to us all talking while sitting on chairs lined up outside the house. The weather was good and it was warm, so spending time outside was pleasant.
“Will you let me do the talking, Agnes?” Lord Nazel asked from the seat next to mine.
“Y-Yes. Please go ahead.” I hurriedly nodded. It would be easier for Kelly’s family to listen to us if the explanation came from Lord Nazel, the margrave and Kelly’s employer.
“Now then...” Lord Nazel straightened his posture and started explaining the purpose of our visit to Kelly’s family. They all just listened to him, overwhelmed by the refined nobleman before them. He had an air of class about him even while sitting on an old, wooden chair out in the open.
Since Geni and Charite were pretty conspicuous, people from around the neighborhood had come over and seemed to be observing us from afar, but they were too afraid to come close.
“We came here because we heard about Kelly’s marriage interview. She said she’s against the idea, but if you have a reason for recommending it, I would like to understand it as her employer.”
As they listened to Lord Nazel, Kelly’s parents and brothers were visibly shaken and stood up.
“At the moment,” Lord Nazel continued, “Kelly is employed as the head handmaiden in the estate of the Margrave of Sutrena. She’s indispensable to both my wife and me. If Kelly herself wished it, I would gladly send her off, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, so I’d like you to drop talks of the marriage interview.”
Kelly’s entire family looked rattled.
“Th-That...” Kelly’s father took a step forward. “That would be a real problem for us! If that were to happen, we would...” His expression was one of distress and he looked at Kelly with imploring eyes. “Kelly, our very livelihood is at stake here! If you care about your family, you have to accept!”
“Your livelihood?” I said, feeling puzzled.
It seemed that this was also Kelly’s first time hearing any of this, as she looked at her parents with questioning eyes behind her expressionless face. Apparently, none of this had been included in her parents’ letters.
Kelly’s father fell into an awkward silence, and her mother started talking in his place.
“My husband and our stupid sons have accrued debt. When they were in a bind with no way to pay it back, a kind gentleman appeared. He offered to pay off their debt if he got Kelly as his bride.”
“So that’s how it is. Incidentally, what kind of person is this prospective husband?” Lord Nazel asked.
Kelly’s brothers answered one after the other.
“He was a rich-looking man in his fifties.”
“He specifically said he wants our sister as his wife. He could be after someone to be his caregiver in the future. Oh, but then, there will be no one to take care of our parents in their old age. Let’s make sure our sister comes over to our place too.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
How had they come to such a conclusion?
Why are Kelly’s brothers one-sidedly deciding her future? I was left slack-jawed. Every word that came out of their mouths was selfish; they weren’t thinking about Kelly’s feelings in the slightest. We couldn’t communicate properly, or it would be more accurate to say that they had no intention of listening to our side at all.
I don’t even know where to start commenting. So Kelly grew up surrounded by these kinds of people. I can only wonder how tough her life must have been. If Kelly’s entire family was the same, she must have had no one on her side. During my time in the House of Evantail, I’d also been alone with no one supporting me, so I was very familiar with the pain of living helpless and isolated.
Actually, since Kelly lives in Sutrena, it would be impossible for her to take care of her parents because of the distance, right? Since the rest of her siblings still lived at home, wouldn’t it be better if they all just worked together? In any case, I understood that they still intended to rely on Kelly.
“If you don’t mind me asking, could I know the reason behind your debt?” Lord Nazel remained composed even at a time like this. In comparison, my mouth was hanging half open.
“Gambling,” one of Kelly’s brothers replied without even a hint of guilt.
“Huh...?” I muttered unconsciously. The debt isn’t because of necessary expenses but gambling? I didn’t see that coming. My mouth was about to stay hanging open again, but I forced it shut with sheer willpower.
“The other day, we visited the capital with our dad for the first time in a while. A stranger approached us saying he knew a fun game and took us to a gambling house. We were all winning until halfway through, but then we lost big at the very end.”
At the end of the day, gambling was designed so that the house always won...or so I’d once read in a book at the manor. It also said that letting guests win up to a point was a strategy used by gambling houses.
They must have been easy targets. But why should Kelly have to go through a marriage interview to pay off debts they accrued through gambling? Why was this family trying to push its own mess onto Kelly like it was perfectly normal? She had nothing to do with this. Kelly is diligently working in Sutrena. This is just wrong.
I peeked at Lord Nazel. After listening to the end, he nodded solemnly.
“I understand the situation. However, I can’t hand over our valuable head handmaiden if that is the reason.”
“Wha—” Kelly’s parents and brothers gasped.
“But I can offer you a job instead. It depends on the amount of debt, but if some of Kelly’s brothers take this job and work diligently at it, you should be able to pay off your debt, even if it takes some time.”
Lord Nazel’s suggestion sounded like a good plan. Some farmers lived without using currency and relied on bartering, so they had little cash at hand. Kelly’s family was probably the same. From what Kelly had told me, her family only did the bare minimum amount of farmwork required to make a living; they weren’t growing many vegetables to ship to the capital. It would be better for them to split up, with some people working different jobs and the remaining ones tending to their field, instead of everyone focusing on planting crops to sell. That way, they should be able to earn money while maintaining their current lifestyle. There were many of them, so dividing the labor would be more efficient.
I’m concerned about Kelly’s gloomy expression, though. Her expression hadn’t changed even after Lord Nazel had proposed finding a job for her family.
I looked up at Kelly, who was standing next to me.
“Are you okay?” I whispered to her. “You should sit also if you’re feeling unwell.”
“No, I’m all right. You don’t need to worry about me, Lady Agnes... I’m worried for a different reason.”
“What kind of reason?”
“Although Lord Nazel has made them a very kind proposal, my family will probably turn him down. It hurts to watch.”
“What do you mean?” I was curious, so I asked Kelly to explain.
But Kelly’s father spoke up before she could reply.
“Instead of going to all that trouble, it would be easier if Kelly just got married!”
“Huh?!” I said unconsciously once more.
“He’s right. Even if we work, it will take years for us to pay off our debt!”
“Are you not worried about your family, sis? How heartless. Are you going to abandon us?!”
I wanted to throw those words right back at them. I was gradually approaching my boiling point.
I can’t hold myself back anymore. Just who do these people think Kelly is? Their slave?
With my fists clenched, I stood up to speak in place of the silent Kelly. Lord Nazel might be able to smoothly calm things down even if I didn’t do anything, but I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“What’s wrong with you people?! You dare call yourselves Kelly’s family?! Don’t you love your daughter, your sister? Kelly did enough for you when she was little.”
Lord Nazel looked at me in surprise.
“C-Calm down, Agnes.”
“How can I stay calm?! These selfish people are trying to force my precious Kelly into a marriage interview with some rich stranger for their own benefit!”