If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 46

Turning her head sharply, Georgiana saw Isabella waving from across the street. Despite always appearing to be strictly adhering to proper etiquette, at moments like this, she seemed almost girlish.

Of course, even that innocence was likely an act. Even if it wasn’t, there are times when certain types of innocence can be cruel.

Georgiana gave a polite nod and tried to leave, but Isabella’s maid ran up to stop her.

Before she knew it, Isabella and Ruenda had crossed the street and were standing in front of her. Their dresses, inflated with petticoats, seemed to block the entire road, even though it was just the two of them.

It felt as if the food she had just eaten was stuck in her throat, leaving her feeling uncomfortable.

“You said you had an appointment, so I guess it’s over now.”

“Yes.”

“Once again, Mr. Limberton isn’t around.”

Though she feigned looking for him, it was clear that Isabella was secretly pleased that he wasn’t with her.

“Locke also had an appointment.”

“So, you don’t have anything to do now. Why don’t you come with us?” Isabella’s eyes sparkled as she pulled Georgiana’s hand.

“No, I’ve been pushing myself since this morning, and after eating, I just want to rest. Please, enjoy yourselves without worrying about me.”

Georgiana politely refused. Even just this brief interaction was exhausting, and she didn’t want to waste any more energy.

“But still—!”

Isabella seemed genuinely surprised by the refusal, her eyes widening. It was clear she wasn’t used to being turned down or not getting what she wanted. Her face showed clear embarrassment.

“Thank you so much for the invitation, but maybe next time.”

Of course, there wouldn’t be a next time. Once docked, they would go their separate ways.

Though it would be a lie to say that the sight of Isabella’s face didn’t bother her at all, Georgiana ultimately turned down the invitation and hurried away.

She could feel their stares burning into her back, but she made sure to walk with her head held high and her posture straight.

Just as she was about to reach the dock, passing through a small square, a shadow loomed over her, and someone yanked her into a dark alley.

“Mmmph!”

The man who grabbed her reeked of alcohol, reminiscent of the smell that always surrounded Willow, and his body gave off a foul stench. The familiar scent of misfortune made her entire body shudder with revulsion.

Georgiana struggled desperately, but when another man joined in, she was helpless.

‘Locke!’

Even with her mouth covered, she screamed his name in her mind over and over.

They dragged her to a warehouse as filthy as the slums of Humblelum. A man who had been pacing near the entrance quickly opened the door when he saw them.

Before long, Georgiana found herself gagged with a dirty cloth and tied up with ropes.

There was only a small window on the opposite wall, leaving no way out. Despair filled her eyes.

Who would do such a thing, and why?

She wanted to ask, but her gag prevented even the smallest whimper from escaping.

Fortunately, one of the scrawnier men inside the warehouse seemed nervous, glancing repeatedly toward the door and opening his mouth, allowing Georgiana to grasp the situation.

“Andy, should we really be doing this? I don’t think kidnapping someone like this is a good idea.”

“What’s the problem? We’ll get a lot of money just for kidnapping this woman. How could I refuse?”

“Still, this is the last island where we can stay. What if we get kicked out of here too?”

“We’ve already been paid plenty, and if we succeed, they’ll give us even more. We’ll be able to move somewhere else.”

The man with the large scar on his face tossed a money pouch in the air and caught it with a smirk.

“Even so, she’s clearly a noblewoman. It makes me uneasy. And haven’t you noticed those suspicious-looking people who’ve been on the island for a few days now?”

“That’s why we need to take the money and run.”

“Exactly, Gilbert. Stop worrying and just keep watch until morning. The woman’s maid said to hold her until the ship leaves tomorrow morning. All we need to do is collect the money and we’re done.”

“That’s true. But why would a young girl have so much money?”

“She must have more than she knows what to do with if she’s paying us for a job like this. She came looking for us early this morning, after all.”

The two men laughed, waving their money pouches.

Georgiana, who had been eavesdropping, was horrified.

A woman had ordered them to lock her up? And a young girl with a maid?

She immediately thought of Isabella.

There was no one else on the island who would do this to her. The mention of morning confirmed that this had been planned before she even arrived on the island.

So that’s why Isabella had been so eager to spend time with her.

It was a painfully transparent scheme.

Georgiana clenched her teeth, determined to survive and make sure Isabella paid for this.

“But you know, I’ve never seen a woman like her before.”

One of the men, the one called Andy, approached Georgiana. He had the roughest appearance of the three. Though she tried to pull away by rocking her chair, she was powerless to stop him.

“The maid was pretty too, and so was the woman with her.”

“How could you tell she was pretty when her face was half-covered?”

“You can just tell. It’s like knowing someone’s young just from hearing their voice. You can tell someone’s beautiful just by looking at their eyes.”

“But I bet this one’s even prettier.”

The man roughly grabbed Georgiana’s chin.

“Mmm! Mmmph!”

Georgiana shook her head, trying to avoid his touch.

“Andy, stop. Whatever else we do, we can’t harm a woman.”

Fortunately, the skinny man grabbed Andy’s arm, pulling him away from her.

“What’s the big deal?”

“Don’t you remember what happened the last time someone messed with a noblewoman? You might not remember, but I saw a man’s limbs get chopped off on the street for doing something like that. Look, we just need to hold her until the ship leaves tomorrow. We’ll get paid either way.”

“I suppose…”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Let’s just leave her alone.”

Reluctantly, the other men pocketed their money and snipped off a lock of Georgiana’s hair with a pair of scissors.

“Fine, I’ll go get more money from the lady. Make sure you keep an eye on her.”

“Yeah, yeah, just be careful.”

“You’re like a wife nagging me.”

With a dismissive wave, the men slammed the door shut behind them and left.

Only then did Georgiana finally exhale the breath she had been holding.

The remaining man lingered around her, eventually loosening the ropes that bound her. As the circulation returned to her limbs, a tingling sensation spread from the places where the ropes had cut into her skin.

“Don’t worry, miss. I’ll untie you by noon tomorrow. Just pretend you never saw us. If you don’t, Andy might do something to you. I won’t be able to stop him.”

Georgiana nodded vigorously to show she understood.

This man was her only hope. If she upset him, she had no idea what her future held.

The man, seeing that Georgiana wasn’t resisting, seemed relieved and took a seat far away from her.

“They weren’t bad guys to begin with. They used to be soldiers, but when it looked like the war was going to be lost, they deserted. They had too many siblings to support, so they couldn’t afford to die. After leaving the army, they had nothing else they could do, and that’s how they ended up like this.”

The man sighed heavily, as if he cared for his companions.

Georgiana quietly absorbed the information he shared. It was always good to know as much as possible. Meanwhile, she glanced toward the small window to the side, gauging the direction and time by the position of the sun.

It was now around 3 p.m., and the warehouse faced northeast. The ship was to the southeast, so she would need to head down along the coastline to return.

The stench of empty crates lying around made it clear that this was a warehouse for storing fish.

How could she escape from this place?

The outside was eerily quiet, so there didn’t seem to be any hope of calling for help.

Even if she wasn’t tied up, there wasn’t much she could do in this desolate place. She sighed, feeling hopeless, but then noticed the jagged edge of a discarded wooden crate.

It wasn’t sharp enough to cut through the ropes like a knife, but with some effort, it might be able to wear them down.

She bided her time, waiting for the right moment.

The man, who had been yawning in the dull silence of the warehouse, eventually turned his chair toward Georgiana and began nodding off.

Even though he seemed to be asleep, Georgiana tested the ground with her foot a few times, making sure he didn’t react before carefully inching her chair forward. The ropes had been loosened enough that she could move her body more freely than before.

By the time she reached the crate, it felt like hours had passed.

With all her concentration, Georgiana began to rub her bound wrists against the broken wood. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up slicing her skin instead of the rope, so she proceeded with extreme caution.

After an hour of effort, just as the ropes were about to give way, the sound of footsteps echoed, and the two men returned to the warehouse.

Georgiana quickly sat back in her chair, adjusting her position so the ropes wouldn’t be visible.

Fortunately, the men were too engrossed in their conversation with the remaining man to pay her any attention.

Only the skinny man seemed to notice that her position had changed slightly, but after tilting his head in confusion a few times, he returned to their discussion.

Outside, the sun had already set, and darkness was falling.