Chapter 28

Part 4 – The Law of Total Madness

The first thing Judith did as soon as she received 1 million gold at once was to pay three months’ worth of debt from the nursing home in advance.

750,000 golds disappeared all at once, but her heart was so light that she felt like it was flying.

Only those who have been in debt know the feeling of liberation when the debt disappears even for a few months.

‘Just 2.95 million left!’

When you pay back a debt, you will feel proud.

In particular, the joy when the first digit is reduced is beyond words. When the number of units changes, the number of rounds usually doubles.

Her mother, who collapsed when Judith was 16, traveled to and from nursing homes for two years.

Apart from the nursing home, she paid back the money she had for medicines and medical care, before becoming an imperial knight.

Now all that’s left is the debt of the nursing home.

Arpa Nursing Home, who had been waiting for her in consideration of the circumstances, began to send frequent reminders soon, but things changed slightly when she became an imperial knight.

From ‘How can I trust and wait for this?’ to ‘Then I will believe and wait’.

The disadvantage is that it is impossible to work concurrently, but accommodation and food expenses are paid. Moreover, your identity will become clear and your credibility will increase.

It was a good thing for Judith, who had nowhere to go.

‘That’s why I can’t give up my status as an imperial knight.’

A grace period in which you can pay the money you owe right away tomorrow, next month.

Judith was buying the grace period under the title of an imperial knight.

Her salary cut was also lighter than expected.

In the worst case, she was prepared for her salary to be cut by nearly half, but when she opened the letter, it was only a 20 percent pay cut.

This is because, after Deschamps investigated the assault case to the end, he only applied the crime of assault on a senior knight.

Of course, she couldn’t say, ‘Sir Deschamps, you’re a little unlucky, but you’re helping me with my life.’

After everything was done, Deschamps politely apologized to Judith and the new knights.

Judith accepted the apology with difficulty.

In any case, Judith seemed so happy that she could do a somersault on the bare ground.

If you pay 200,000 gold each as your salary cut, your debt after three months will be reduced to a whopping 2.35 million gold.

It’s going smoothly.

It’s going very smoothly.

‘If I sell the rest of the land, it’ll work out somehow, but why hasn’t the landowner contacted us?’

Judith turned away from the bank’s window.

“Judith, are you done?”

“Yeah. Thanks for holding on.”

Violet, who was yawning from over there, approached with a gentle smile.

Even though it took quite some time to remit money to the nursing home, Violet waited without a word of complaint.

“Thank you. Do you have everything?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go have fun!”

Violet jumped up and patted Judith on the back. 

“You only have an hour left to go out. Are you okay?”

“Phew, of course. I’ll show you how much fun I can have in an hour!”

Violet said so and dragged Judith out. Judith giggled and followed in her footsteps.

It’s been a long time since a large sum of money came in.

I remember the time when I went window shopping that made violet sullen, so I decided to go out…

‘I’m glad I recommended it.’

Looking at the excited Violet, Judith thought so wholeheartedly.

If you have money in hand, you can be generous in a store.

The opportunity to buy something if you have money.

That in itself was precious to Judith.

In times like these, overspending was the number one priority, so there were fewer gold coins brought on purpose.

It was the hat shop that the two who had been walking around here and there stopped at for the longest time.

Hats with animal ears were in fashion in the capital these days.

‘How can you have rabbit ears on your hat? Why did you make this? Who’s going to wear it?’

Judith put down her rabbit ear hat and shook her head.

Then Violet took off her own hat and shouted.

“Wow! That’s so cute! Judith! Try it on!”

“……no.”

“Why? It would look good on you.”

“I don’t want to die.”

“Don’t do that. Try it on!”

“I don’t want to pay for this!”

“Oh, you really don’t like it…”

Of course, you can spend more than 10 times if you really have the money, but there can’t be such a pushover in the world.

‘Is this kind of cute in other people’s eyes? Are my eyes weird?’

***

Judith chose a wide-brimmed bonnet with a plump face.

“Are you going to buy that?”

“No, I’m just looking.”

She said so, but Judith held the bonnet for quite some time.

The cream-colored hat gave a rather elegant feeling for something sold on the street.

It seemed like it would be perfect to use when going on a vacation away.

Should I buy it?

It’s not that I don’t have money. But…

‘That’s enough. This isn’t the time for me to buy things like this.’

Salsano silk threads, peacock feathers, and the hat seller that talked a lot, but in the end he couldn’t change Judith’s mind.

When she tried to put down an object she liked, a part of her heart was bitter, but it was a feeling she often felt.

Judith put down the cream-colored bonnet that she had in her hands for a long time and asked.

“Violet, where are we going next?”

“…well, I’d like to see more hats.”

“All right. I’ll be waiting.”

“Then while you’re waiting, can you get me some cutlets? There’s a place around here that sells figs and cutlets with ham and cheese. Let’s buy three and share it with Calipa.”

“What do you mean ham and cheese cutlet?”

“Try it and don’t whine”

Violet handed over a coin.

“Louis and Raymond don’t have a share.. Poor things.”

“Whoa… Judith, in fact, there’s an old legend that ham and cheese cutlets are only shared among women…”

“Do not lie.”

Violet had the ability to stretch her nose.

“What the.”

Judith chuckled.

The cutlet shop was not too far away.

When Judith returned after buying three bags of cutlets as requested, it was after Violet had finished shopping.

She greeted her by dangling a paper bag with a hat.

The two women headed for the palace with a leisurely walk.

“I want to eat shaved ice with fruit juice.”

“Isn’t it going to be winter soon? It’s going to be expensive.”

“In the winter, you can just get snow, and all you need is juice, so money is not a problem.”

“……!”

Judith had a new realization.

“I’ll have to sell shaved ice in the winter.”

“Who’s going to eat it?”

“I can sell it to you.”

“I won’t buy it!”

During their casual conversation, they arrived at the Imperial Palace.

Violet pulled out two cutlet envelopes Judith was holding in her arms.

Then, as if filling in an empty space, she pushed in an envelope in a bag.

“It’s for the cutlet errand.”

“What?”

Judith blinked twice.

….No way.

Judith hurriedly unpacked the bag.

Sure enough. In the paper bag, there was a cream-colored bonnet hat tied around with a ribbon.

It was the hat that she wore for a long time before and repeatedly put it down.

“…Violet.”

“I already bought my hat last month. You fell for it, right? You were surprised, right?”

“…….”

Wanting to see her friend impressed, Violet had a twinkle in her eyes.

Judith touched the cream bonnet for a long time. Then, with a slightly different mind, she smiled brightly and opened the gates of tomorrow’s hell.

“Violet, let’s triple our training from tomorrow.”

“What? No! Isn’t this the time to be touched?”

“I’m so touched. That’s why.”

“Lie!”

Violet didn’t believe it, but Judith was sincere. The laughter didn’t stop.

“Thank you so much.”

Judith hugged the hat.

“I’ll save it and use it, really, really preciously.”

Maybe it’s a hat she cherished so much that she’ll never be able to use it.

With such a feeling on her mind, Judith smiled broadly.

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She didn’t know why the amount of training increased 3 times, but Judith looked so happy that Violet couldn’t argue.

Judith wore and took off the wide-brimmed cream bonnet several times.

“Do I look good?”

“It looks good on you.”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

***

There are times when imperial knights have to voluntarily return during holidays. That time was in the evenings.

Since the 4th Prince Eden called Judith around sunset, going out was a luxury that could only be enjoyed during sunrise.

Judith placed the wide-brimmed cream bonnet hat on the bedside table.

For the time being,  she thought she would be full just by looking at her hat.

The 4th prince’s palace, where she headed after changing into uniform, was impressive with a small pond that was neither big nor small.

It was different from the main palace with delegations or the emperor’s shiny palace. It was a place that gave the impression that it was being managed neatly.

“Dame Judith, welcome.”

“I greet you, your Majesty the 4th Prince.”

Judith bowed her head. Prince Eden waved his hand.

“Don’t be so stiff, come here and sit down.”

“It’s all right.”

There’s no knight who really sits down while the prince is also seated.

Judith’s polite decline was an essential hurdle. Perhaps that’s why Eden didn’t make a fuss about it for long either.

“I heard the Knights were noisy.”

“I apologize for the concern.”

“No, it’s Giryu. I’m just having fun watching him flustered… at first, I heard that you were involved in something. Is everything fine?”

“Yes. It’s the captain who was considerate.”

“I’m glad.”

Eden got to the point without further ado.

“I called you today because I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Please feel free to say anything.”

This is what she expected as soon as she heard the call from the fourth prince.

The Prince couldn’t have called her to play a joke.

“I’m going on a journey in two days. I’m not going to bring too many people.”

The royal family’s outing can be as grandiose as they want.

In some cases, only a few escorts and servants are taken out, while even a procession was used to take the prince’s horse to the one who will take care of it. It was different depending on the situation.

“The Duchy of Noscana at this time has a magnificent sight, and the flowers of Hedicium make my heart warm just by looking at them… so…”

“Yes.”

“I want you to escort me.”

“I see. Leave it to me.”

Judith answered without hesitation.

Because she expected it to be something like this.

‘It’s the easiest way. close enough…’

If you were a knight, you couldn’t ask the prince to do it yourself.

However, it was not difficult to expect it to come out this way because Judith was an Ether master and Eden was the prince who knew of her skills before anyone else.

“I will take you to the vicinity of the Duke’s castle without any difficulties.”

“Thank you. I feel reassured to hear that. My brother will be happy too.”

“……Yes?”

Judith’s voice faltered for a moment.

In an instant, her spine felt cold.

“My escort, as always, will be Captain Giryu, and this time I’m asking you to be someone else’s escort, my brother’s who’s coming with me.”

Brother?

Eden has three older brothers.

Albert the First Prince.

Edward the Second Prince.

Finally…

The third prince who I killed with my own hands.

‘I can’t.’

This can’t be true.

No matter how twisted inside the god Karnak is, he will not bring the fate he has drawn to her.1

There was a moment when Judith, who did not kill people even though she cut off other people’s limbs for money, crossed the line for the first time.

The 3rd prince, William Oscar Veritas.

‘I can’t.’

However, as if shattering Judith’s hopes, Eden said in a sweet and gentle voice.

“In two days, my brother William and his wife will accompany me.”

Everything felt distant.

Her heart was beating uncontrollably.

Maybe she heard it wrong.

How could that be?

Her chest was pounding as if she was seasick.

William. 3rd Prince William.

“That’s….”

That’s absurd.

Judith, who was about to say that, barely bit her lip. The words almost came out unconsciously. That’s how honest she was.

She chose her words carefully.

“I don’t know if I deserve it…”

“Is it because of the Knights? Don’t mind it, no matter what Giryu says, it’s okay if I let it.”

That wasn’t the problem. But how can she say it’s okay!

It seemed that quite a while has passed since the return, but has not.

Judith felt keenly that she had returned only after seeing the full moon after her return.2

She couldn’t help but feel it. On the day the third prince was killed, a new moon appeared. It was the darkest night of her life!

Judith murdered the third Prince William.

At the same time, she was also killed.

If one had to pick the most unqualified person in the world to be William’s escort, it was undoubtedly her.

‘I want to say no.’

Judith truly thought so.

She had never refused a mission.

Rather than thinking it was wrong, she ran and saw the road in front of her.

I did what I was told to do.

Because there’s nothing in my damn life I’m better at than struggling.

It really was 26 years where she had no time to regret or look back because of money.

“My brother will be accompanied by a wizard as a personal escort. There will be only a small number of separate bodyguards. It will be safer when we pass the Duchy of Noscana.”

“……”

“You don’t have to be so nervous. There’s no way you can make a mistake with those skills.”

Mistake.

Judith almost burst out laughing.

Judith knew very well the wizard accompanying him as a personal escort. Maybe she knew him better than the 3rd Prince himself.

‘I killed him first because he was in the way.’

It can only be said that it is a joke of fate. A way to remind her of her past sins.

She can’t say no.

It’s inevitable.

There is no space to step back and walk on the edge of the cliff to secure credit and accommodations.

She knows better than anyone that the only thing left is forward.

“I understand. I will give my life to protect His Highness the Third Prince.”

Eden looked at her with a beaming face and tilted his head.

‘Hmm…?’

He was sure it’s the angle and distance that made her face look especially stiff.

Thinking so, Prince Eden allowed Judith to leave.

Judith walked out of the palace as soon as she finished saying goodbye.

When she came out, the sun was already setting.

Judith sighed as if the ground would collapse only after he was completely away from the palace.

‘I want to quit.’

When you live while earning a living, there are times when we all feel the same emotions.

It’s not a matter of business. Should she just hand in her resignation letter tomorrow? Maybe  the answer is to give up.

Such irrational ideas rose up.

‘Should I really quit?’

Impulsive thoughts seemed tempting today.

Judith meant it.

She wanted to ask Rayman to go to a restaurant, eat well, sleep in, and think about the future later.

‘I really want to quit!’

Genius or whatever they praise her, but in the end she just earns a monthly salary.

As long as she remains an imperial knight who takes money from others, the temptation to retire will not disappear.

‘Sell the land and retire to a quiet place…’

Fanciful daydreaming has become more attractive today.

However, she will not be able to make a letter of resignation that she had never written before and pack up tonight.

There was no way to control her disturbed mind.

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TL Notes ( ´ ▿ ` )

Manhwa chapters: 20-21

Hii I’m so sorry for being almost an entire month gone (╥_╥) School’s been hell and now there are protests going around bc living costs a shit ton so yeah, it hasn’t been rly fun. The chapter is extra long bc K*kao seems to hate everyone and cuts the parts in between chapters, also the reason why chapter 27 was a bit short.

Other news: I’ve started looking through the Marry My Husband raws. I might do a couple of chapters and release them later once I have a good amount accumulated. How will I balance two novels at the same time, no damn idea but I’ll have to＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／