If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 85

Under the dim light of the portable lamp, Catherine’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Bill?”

The man holding a knife to her was none other than Raymond’s closest aide. When Raymond had inherited the plantation and come here, he had brought this man with him, though no one knew exactly what he did.

She had tried to use the prettiest maids to pry information out of him, but all attempts had failed. Even now, after several years, she had never seen him converse with anyone except Raymond.

Though different from Locke, he was just as unsettling.

Like Evan, he sometimes left the plantation, but he was usually at Raymond’s side. Realizing this, Catherine anxiously glanced around.

Was the master here too?

Except for the light from the lamp shining on her face, everything else was shrouded in darkness. She couldn’t tell how many people were there.

“W-why are you doing this?”

She hadn’t even dreamed that someone was following her. Even the drugged butler wouldn’t have woken until much later, so by now, they should have only just noticed Leona’s disappearance and started searching.

How had they caught on to her so quickly?

“So this is where the stolen tobacco leaves were being stored.”

Another lamp flickered on, and a familiar voice rang out.

With his long strides, he closed the distance in an instant.

At the sight of Raymond, Catherine squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.

“Catherine, I don’t believe I’ve ever treated you unfairly. So why did you do this?”

“M-my lord, this is a misunderstanding. Stealing tobacco? I only came here today for the first time. This is this girl’s uncle’s warehouse. Isn’t that right?”

Unable to move freely with a knife at her throat, Catherine tugged at Liv’s sleeve.

“Y-yes! This is my uncle’s warehouse. He said he trades with other plantations.”

“That’s impossible. Only registered traders can sell tobacco leaves, and none of them store goods in external warehouses like this. Also, each plantation’s leaves have distinct qualities, making it easy to determine their origin. If you lie again, I will cut out your tongue. Keep that in mind.”

At Raymond’s words, Liv shrank back, hiccupping in fear.

Catherine immediately understood that his threat was not an empty one. She could also tell that he was absolutely furious.

She began thinking of a way to escape.

And just in time, she had the perfect scapegoat beside her.

“I have committed a grave sin. This maid’s uncle approached me and threatened my family. He said he would harm them if I didn’t steal tobacco leaves. I had no choice. She was spying on me the whole time, so I couldn’t tell you.”

Catherine pointed at Liv, her eyes welling with tears.

“N-no! That’s not true! The head maid said she wanted to sell something, so I introduced my uncle to her. I didn’t even know it was tobacco leaves! And spying? That’s ridiculous!”

Liv, pale as a sheet, stared at Catherine in disbelief, but Catherine avoided her gaze and clung to Raymond instead.

“I was forced into this, but I will take responsibility for my crimes. I will repay all the losses I caused. Please, just spare my life.”

“She’s lying! It was the head maid who stole the tobacco leaves! And when the governess figured it out, she ordered my uncle to kill her. My uncle didn’t want to do it, but she said she would kill her herself instead if he refused, so he had no choice but to bring her here!”

Before Catherine could stop her, Liv blurted out everything in terror—including unnecessary details about Leona.

Catherine’s head spun.

“Is that true?”

“Yes! Before that, she even tried to frame the governess by planting stolen goods in her room. There’s a maid named Joan—ask her!”

“That’s not true! This maid is lying! I never ordered her to do anything! She resented that woman and harassed her on her own!”

Catherine needed to buy time. Most of the mansion’s maids were on her side. Joan, too, would side with her rather than a powerless girl like Liv.

“Head Maid, why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean? I’m only telling the truth.”

“Enough.”

Watching the two of them bicker, Raymond, who had remained silent, finally cut them off.

“We’ll soon know who is lying. But more importantly, where is Lady Leona?”

“I don’t know.”

Catherine shook her head.

“I-I don’t know either.”

Liv also shook her head.

For once, both of them were telling the truth. They didn’t accuse each other or offer excuses.

“Then why did you come here? And without bringing anything with you?”

“That’s…”

“The head maid came to check whether my uncle had smuggled Lady Leona away. She planned to kill her herself, after all.”

Liv revealed Catherine’s crimes in an attempt to save herself.

As Raymond’s expression hardened, Catherine prostrated herself on the ground.

“It’s a false accusation. I came here to beg for Lady Leona’s release. The owner of this warehouse took her by force after seeing her witness the transaction. I was trying to stop him because I feared he would sell her somewhere suspicious.”

Liv’s mouth fell open as she watched Catherine spew blatant lies without hesitation.

“So you both don’t know where she is? Only the owner of this warehouse does?”

“That’s right.”

“Then do you know where he might have gone? You said he was your uncle?”

Liv, shrinking under Raymond’s cold gaze, quickly nodded.

“If not home… Ah! He might have gone there.”

“Where is that?”

“That…”

As Raymond pressed for an answer, Liv’s gaze gradually lowered. A terrible premonition settled over her.

***

The sky was awash with crimson dusk.

The streets, which should have been quiet at this hour, buzzed with murmurs.

On days when the slave market opened, the area would be crowded from midday, but today, only the brothels and taverns were in business, so the streets should have remained silent until dark.

Who was making such a commotion at this hour?

Curious gazes peeked out from behind curtains and down from windows.

As expected, a woman was running, pursued by a group of men.

It wasn’t uncommon in this part of town to see women fleeing—sometimes those sold at the slave market, other times those forced into the brothels.

However—

This woman’s beauty was beyond ordinary. As she ran, her waist-length brown hair streamed behind her, framing an exquisite face. With a smooth forehead, large almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and full yet delicate lips, she possessed a noble and striking beauty unlike anything seen before.

Even Rosaline, the most famous beauty in the area, couldn’t compare.

Several brothel owners, watching from their windows, hurriedly dressed and rushed to their doors.

None of them knew who owned this woman, but they were all prepared to negotiate at any cost.

“Catch her!”

Georgiana ran barefoot through the streets, her soles raw and bleeding.

In her mind, she swore that she would rather die than be caught.

Despite Catherine’s threats not to sell her, the man who had watched over her all morning had ultimately decided otherwise. He hadn’t even bothered to properly shut the warehouse door before hastily bringing her here.

The streets were different from the clean ones she had walked before—filthy and ominous. Garbage and waste littered the alleys, barrels of liquor stacked carelessly in corners.

It was a place just like Humblum.

Before her eyes, hell had reappeared.

She had known that resistance would only worsen her situation, so she had bided her time, lowering her gaze submissively from the moment she was brought here.

Seeing her resignation, the man who had been prepared to gag her hesitated, then tucked the cloth back into his pocket.

“Good. No need to waste energy. If you cooperate, things will be easier for both of us. I’ll untie you once we’re inside.”

She had no intention of cooperating, but she nodded with a downcast expression.

“The slave market isn’t open today, so this is the only place I can take you. If I keep you in the warehouse for another day, that wretched woman will come to kill you herself. These thugs might not even pay properly, but…”

A place worse than the slave market.

As the man grumbled to himself, Georgiana steeled her resolve even further.

‘Fear will be my downfall. I left my home with a purpose. I cannot let it end here.’

She kept her head bowed but rolled her eyes, searching for a way to escape.

The buildings lined the streets in neat rows, brothels and taverns occupying both sides. Their windows were draped with curtains, offering no space for her to hide.

If she ran into one of those establishments, escape would become even harder.

“Please, let me go. I’ll pay you more.”

Georgiana pleaded as pitifully as she could, her eyes brimming with tears.

The man flinched at the sight of her sorrowful face.

“No, it’s an amount you wouldn’t be able to earn even if you worked for years, so don’t even think about making pointless negotiations. If that were an option, I wouldn’t have brought you all the way here.”

Avoiding her gaze, he led her toward a strikingly grand building—the most conspicuous one on the street.