Chapter 50 – Young Girl in Debt, Maar

Even though we’ve driven away the thugs, what I saw in my eyes was a disastrous scene.
The tables and chairs was scattered about on the terrace and several porcelain plates inside the store were broken.
The shop girl was sobbing while crouching down.
“The scoundrels aren’t here anymore, it’s alright”
Princess called out to her and she wiped her tears.

“I’m sorry for showing you something unsightly”

She made an awkward face unlike just before.
She hardened her smile and stood up, and started rearranging the chairs and tables.
She’s clearly forcing herself.
“Like I said before, I am related to the Nobility. There should be something I can do. If it’s all right with you, you can consult with me…”
Said the Princess, but ….
“No. I can’t trouble the guest any more than this”
“But …”
“……. I’m sorry. Would you please leave for now?”
You don’t need to pay, she bluntly rejected.
She probably judged she’s at her limit of serving customers now.
However,
“Like I can just leave. We’ve forced them away today, but they’re going to come back”
“………”
As I said that, the girl’s face became crumpled.
“I … I know that! But, but…”
She then sat down hard.
“What should I do ….!”
The tears that had been welling up finally broke containment and she made a loud cry,uwaaaaaa.

“…. I don’t have a father”
After we set the girl down on a chair and waited for her to stop crying, she began to tell us her life’s story.
“I heard that he was killed by a monster before I was born”

The girl’s name was Maar.
Being left by the father whose face she never even saw, she was raised by her mother and grandfather, and the three of them ran a café.
At that time the shop was in a different town and slightly bigger.

“Then one day scary people came and said ‘Your father left unpaid debts, pay up now'”
“Was there a noble’s seal?”
“There was. Grandfather rushed into the courthouse saying that there must have been some mistake, but they didn’t even pay him any attention. ‘There’s not even any need to examine’ they said”
“Woah, that’s horrible”
I muttered, and Princess said …
“Probably, the name written on the bond belonged to a rather high-ranking personage. Examining it means doubting that person. Most government officials are conservatives, they’d want to avoid stirring trouble …”
Maar nodded in agreement.

The debt can’t be paid even if they sold the shop, but there someone lent a helping hand.
“An Ivan castle town merchant, master Perry”
The rich trader Perry offered this to Maar and her troubled family:
‘I want to employ your mother as my servant. In return, I will shoulder your debt’
“He even prepared a new shop and a house to live in the castle town. Mother and Grandfather jumped at the offer”
And thus Maar came to the castle town.
However, the store he prepared was …
“No customers would ever come here”
It was rightly a low-income tenement house.
It was deserted, as if the prosperity of the city’s center was a lie.

But Maar did not give up.
Maar set out to town to advertise, she refined her smile and her service, her Grandfather made teas he was skilled in.
That way the shop saw prosperity of its own for some time.

But even that took a nosedive.

“There was a message from master Perry”
Maar gripped the cuffs of her apron tightly and said, trembling.
“It said … Mother ran … from work …. *sob*. That is …. Definitely impossible …. *sob*!”
Because mother ran away, the debt takeover was annulled.
The debt collectors from just now would come to the shop everyday, and finally customers became reluctant to come.
Her Grandfather could only earn the cost of food by working away, and now all Maar could do was imitate him and run the store, to at least get money flowing into the house.
Once ingredients stopped coming in the shop would have to close and Maar had to find other places to work in.
“…. There’s no way Mother would run away … Even if the work was hard and she ran, why didn’t she come and see me. Why did Father’s debt come out after ten years!? Lies, all of them lies… *sob*!!”

“—— Do you have a copy of the bond?”
Said the princess calmly.
…. She looks very angry.
“I have, … but”
“Don’t be afraid of their name. Nobles that make the people suffer using their name …. They will have to answer for this outrage”
Maar ran inside the store.
She then handed the princess a rolled up parchment tied with a ribbon.
Princess took it and scanned the contents.
…. No matter which noble had their name on it, she’s the country’s princess.
If it’s a matter of names, she definitely won’t lose.
Or so I thought, but…
“————”
What’s the matter?
The princess’ face turned more and more pale.

“…. t, this is … This is impossible …”
“— So it’s impossible after all …”
Maar sat down hard in with a face like she’s given everything up.

“… Nobody could go against Princess Rosé’s seal, can they …”
“HUWHAAAAAAAAATTT!?”
My voice was heard all throughout the neighborhood.