If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 84

“O-oh, it’s been a while.”

Catherine hurriedly looked around.

If Henry was here, then Count Locke Rivern, whom he followed around, must surely be nearby.

Unlike Raymond, the good-natured master who rarely intervened, his older brother always made her feel small under his imposing presence. Lying was especially difficult under his cold gaze.

Even though he had a house nearby, he often visited to see his niece, which made her uncomfortable.

She didn’t know what he was doing, but not seeing him for months had been a relief. Now, it seemed he had returned.

Catherine sighed, realizing that smuggling would be difficult for a while.

But Locke, who should have been near Henry, was nowhere to be seen.

He was a head taller than most, so it was impossible to miss him. Had he gone somewhere else?

Come to think of it, Henry, who had stopped her, looked unusually anxious.

“Catherine.”

“Yes.”

“Has anyone new arrived at the plantation? Specifically, a young woman.”

At Henry’s question, Catherine immediately thought of Leona.

A newly arrived young woman.

Even though he hadn’t described her appearance or any other details, she had a strong hunch that she was the one he was looking for.

‘How does he know?’

Catherine tensed and quickly started thinking.

If she admitted it, they might come to the plantation looking for her, and if they found out she had disappeared, they would surely try to track her down.

It was better to deny it now and later claim that she had considered the governess a guest if they questioned her.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“The Count is looking for someone.”

Hearing that Locke was searching made Catherine even more convinced that she shouldn’t mention Leona.

“I’m sorry. There haven’t been any new arrivals at the mansion or the plantation.”

“Think carefully. Are you sure you haven’t missed someone?”

“Hiring workers is under my jurisdiction, so I know better than anyone. No such person has come to our plantation.”

Catherine firmly denied it. After all, that woman would be dead by tonight. There was no way they would find her.

Henry’s face darkened as he listened. Next to him, Liv looked at her in confusion, unable to grasp the situation.

“This was our last lead…”

Henry muttered in frustration, but the more desperately they searched, the more Catherine felt she had to keep her silence. If they found out she had harmed the person they were looking for, retaliation would surely follow.

“Then, is there a general store in town where women might shop?”

“There is, but no one keeps track of who comes and goes. Even if they did, they wouldn’t share that information.”

“Why not?”

“Women often buy private items. If they thought someone would remember them and tell others about their visit, they wouldn’t go in the first place.”

Leona had recently gone into town to buy new clothes, so someone might remember her. Though she likely hadn’t revealed where she came from, it was still best to minimize any leads.

“I see.”

“I have work to do, so I’ll take my leave. I’ll see you next time at the mansion. Let me know when you’re visiting, and I’ll inform the master.”

Catherine subtly fished for information, wanting to know when they planned to come.

“No need. I’ll be busy for a while, and neither the Count nor I will be visiting soon. Just let him know we’re both doing well.”

“Understood.”

Hearing that they wouldn’t be visiting the mansion anytime soon, Catherine felt reassured. By the time they returned, there would be no trace left.

She forced herself to suppress the smirk forming on her lips.

Feigning regret, she watched Henry leave with a slumped posture and even offered a parting apology for not being of help. As soon as he was out of earshot, she let out a sneering chuckle.

“Are you sure it’s okay to lie like that?”

The moment Henry was out of sight, Liv turned to her with wide eyes.

“What’s the problem? She’ll be gone soon anyway.”

Scoffing, Catherine carefully selected the most tight-lipped coachman available. Of course, the fact that he was the cheapest was a big factor in her choice.

“Take me here.”

Having obtained the warehouse address through Liv, her destination was clear.

If necessary, she could even use Liv as bait.

There was a reason she had brought Liv along instead of coming alone.

“Ouch!”

The cheap two-person carriage jolted violently over a small pothole, nearly launching them into the air.

Catherine’s head hit the ceiling multiple times from the impact. Compared to the smooth ride of the mansion’s carriages, this was a disgrace.

Catherine muttered curses under her breath every time the carriage shook, grumbling about how this was why she needed money.

She was sick and tired of poverty.

That was why she had desperately scraped together every bit of money she could.

Even after becoming the head maid and securing a stable livelihood, she couldn’t let go of her greed.

Neigh—

Even the horse pulling the carriage stomped its feet noisily as it came to a halt.

“We’re here.”

The carriage stopped in an area lined with granaries. Since it wasn’t harvest season yet, most of them stood empty with their doors wide open.

“What kind of driving is this?”

Fixing her disheveled hair in irritation, Catherine tossed a few coins to the coachman. Since she needed a ride back, she only handed over half the agreed fare for now.

“Go to the West. Compared to that place, this was a smooth ride.”

“That’s because that area is full of crazy men on horseback. This is the South.”

“Women talk too much.”

Clicking his tongue at her nagging, the coachman mounted his horse and drove off without a backward glance.

“H-huh? Where are you going? You’re supposed to wait!”

Catherine hastily lifted her skirt up to her calves and chased after the carriage, but all she managed to do was get covered in dust.

“What kind of bastard is that?”

She fumed until the carriage disappeared from sight.

“What should we do now, Head Maid? We need to be back before dinner.”

Liv, looking flustered, glanced back and forth between the empty road and Catherine.

“What else? We’ll just have your uncle give us a ride. I told him I was coming today, so he should be guarding the warehouse. And of course, he’ll have a carriage.”

Catherine’s voice wavered as she spoke. Contrary to her expectations, there wasn’t a single carriage parked outside.

“What? He’s not here yet?”

“Maybe he just stepped out for a moment. Let’s check the warehouse first.”

“Fine.”

A short while later, Catherine and Liv stood before an empty warehouse. The door was half-open as if someone had left in a hurry, but when they peered inside, all they saw were scattered sacks—no sign of life.

“Are you sure this is the place? You’re not mistaking it for another?”

“No, this is definitely it. There shouldn’t be any other warehouses. And look, those sacks—they belong to my uncle.”

Catherine opened one of the sacks and confirmed that the warehouse belonged to Scat.

The tobacco leaves inside were undoubtedly the ones she had skillfully mixed herself.

Ever since that damned count freed the slaves, it had become increasingly difficult to find workers willing to steal tobacco leaves for her. Previously, plenty of people had been willing to break the law for an extra penny, but now they were being cautious.

Since it was no longer easy to steal goods under the overseer’s nose, she had resorted to mixing discarded tobacco leaves with the stolen ones and selling them off. Once dried, they were indistinguishable to the untrained eye.

Raymond had insisted they couldn’t be sold and should be disposed of, but to her, they were all the same.

The buyers didn’t seem to notice, and neither did the people making cigarettes from them.

Catherine felt no guilt.

This revenue stream could be cut off at any moment. Recently, due to the war, tobacco prices had surged, attracting more buyers to the plantation. However, that also meant more eyes watching.

There was no telling when the war would end, and embezzlement was becoming increasingly difficult.

It was time to wrap things up.

As long as she remained the head maid, she would always find a way to take what she wanted.

And if nuisances like Leona disappeared, nothing would get in her way.

But where were they?

The fact that neither Scat nor Leona was here unsettled her.

“Are you sure this is the only warehouse?”

“Yes. Uncle said to come here if something urgent happened. This is the only place I know. Otherwise, we’d have to go to his house, but it’s quite far from here. And we don’t have a carriage.”

“There’s no way he took that wench to his house.”

“Right?”

“Let’s go outside and look—”

Bang!

Suddenly, the surroundings plunged into darkness with a loud noise.

The warehouse door had been shut from the outside, and only the sound of approaching footsteps echoed within.

“Who’s there?”

Liv’s voice trembled with fear as she clung to Catherine’s clothes.

“W-who is it?”

Catherine drew the dagger strapped to her waist.

Sssss.

As the lights flickered on, a sharp blade pressed against her jaw.