I had boldly sworn that I would become a woman who loved money. But I had overlooked one very important fact.
Serna didn’t have any money.
Though her financial situation wasn’t as disastrous as Kim Yumi’s had been, it was still a mess.
The only good news was that she had no debt and still owned a merchant ship that brought in regular income. Oh, and I should probably count this massive old mansion too. Honestly, I was a little grateful that Serna hadn’t handed the ship over to that bastard Kellen as well.
The mansion was big enough to make anyone jealous, but without timely repairs, it had started to fall apart. After the servants had left because they weren’t being paid, only a few rooms remained usable: Serna’s room, Anna’s, and the butlers. The rest were unfit for living.
“Ugh. Still, who else gets to live in a house like this? Imagine having a place like this in Gangnam.”
The dust stirred by my movement tickled my nose and made me cough. I shut the door to a small, uncleaned room.
I had walked through the mansion and checked all the rooms, but not one of them was in decent condition.
As I slowly made my way back to my room, I noticed a door not far from Serna’s. Judging by the gold trim and the large size, it probably belonged to her father.
The hinges groaned loudly as I opened it. It hadn’t been used in a long time. Still, compared to the rest of the house, this room was in relatively good shape.
The first thing that caught my eye was a portrait. A man with eyes like mine and a woman with the same hair color stood side by side.
“Are they her mom and dad?”
Most likely, they were Serna’s parents. The Count and Countess of Troid.
Looking at the painting made me think of my real parents. Were they dead by now? Had my mom heard anything about me? What happened to the debt I left behind? I was just an irresponsible runaway.
Serna, your life now belongs to someone like Kim Yumi. A foolish woman who, like you, had once fallen in love and ended up with nothing but a broken heart. But if you’ll let me, I’d like to make this life better. I want to live with dignity, comfort, and wealth.
When the time comes and you return to your body, I want you to smile.
Just give me your blessing. I promise I’ll make it worth it.
“Miss, where did you go?”
“I just took a walk. Where are you off to?”
“Oh, I need to make dinner, but we’ve run out of ingredients. I was heading to the market.”
When I returned, Anna had changed into her everyday clothes. Her outfit was patched in several places with mismatched fabrics. It hurt to realize that she had been enduring this poverty alongside Serna.
“Anna, should I come with you?”
“What? Oh, no, Miss. The coachman only comes once a week, so there’s no carriage today. I can go on my own. You should rest.”
“It’s fine. I feel like walking anyway.”
“But still…”
“I’ll change clothes. Just wait a bit.”
Since I had decided to live as Serna, I needed to learn more about the Aether Empire. All I had were her memories, and they were mostly filled with that idiot Kellen.
While Anna stood there uncertainly, I opened the wardrobe to find something to wear. I couldn’t believe what I saw.
“Anna… is this really all I have?”
“Yes… It’s been a while since you bought anything new, so most of it’s probably out of fashion or too worn out to wear.”
“It’s not just worn out. It’s practically falling apart.”
Was it just me, or did these clothes look even more worn than Anna’s? Aside from one red dress, everything looked like something a homeless person at Seoul Station might be wearing. The problem wasn’t just that they were old. They were dirty.
“Did I refuse to do laundry or something? Wow.”
“You said you couldn’t wash them because they still held the warmth of Count Pyro…”
“I actually said something that ridiculous?”
“Miss, please mind your words…”
“Sorry. Could you wash all of these after we get back? Every single piece?”
It seemed Serna had lived in what would be the equivalent of Gangnam in Seoul. We hadn’t walked far past the main gate before crowds of people filled the streets. She must have been a noblewoman living on prime land.
Just selling the Troid mansion would bring in a fortune. For a moment, I thought about selling everything and running away. But no. I had a bigger goal now.
It was a good thing I had listened to Anna when she told me to wear a cloak. Someone might recognize me. There was no need for a shabby-looking girl to walk around in a place like this saying, “I’m the daughter of Count Troid.”
“Anna, how much farther to the market?”
“We’re almost there. It just takes longer on foot than by carriage.”
As she said, we soon arrived at a lively market. It was a little different from the markets I remembered in Korea, but the atmosphere felt familiar and comforting.
Brightly colored fruits, perfectly baked loaves of bread, steaming dumplings. We walked past the stalls, and I saw jewelers with glittering stones, mannequins dressed in balloon-sleeved dresses that were all the rage in the empire, taverns with flashy signs getting ready to open, and a bank closing for the day.
“Miss, I need to buy some meat. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?”
“Go ahead.”
As Anna left, I found myself standing in front of a boutique. Unlike the rags I wore, the dresses on display were made of fine satin. Inside, noblewomen were chatting and laughing with the designers.
Maybe Serna once sat there too, chatting with noble friends while waiting for new dresses. Making plans to try out new dessert shops, gossiping about which noble’s son was the most handsome.
That kind of life. A youth neither Serna nor I ever got to enjoy. A part of life we had both missed, one we could never get back.
While I was lost in thought, a shop employee suddenly opened the door and shouted with a scowl on her face.
“Get out of here. Right now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why is someone like you loitering in front of the store? You’re scaring off customers.”
“I’m just waiting for someone…”
“Then go wait somewhere else. Why stand right here?”
Her sharp voice made me shrink back a little.
Inside, the noblewomen held their fans to their mouths, whispering and glancing between me and the employee. From their smirks, it was clear they were the ones who told her to chase me away.
“Can’t I even look around?”
“Not when you look like a beggar. The noble customers are uncomfortable. This is bad for business.”
But I was a noble too. I couldn’t just take off my cloak and declare, “I’m the daughter of Count Troid.” That would be too cruel to Serna.
Serna was already a laughingstock in the empire. A pathetic girl who had clung desperately to Count Pyro. A noble house that had lost its wealth, honor, and power. A name with nothing behind it.
But that didn’t mean I had to just sit there and take this. No one had the right to humiliate me like that, no matter how I looked.
“What if I actually am a noble? What if I’m a wealthy merchant?”
“Yeah right. In those clothes? Spare me. Just get lost. Don’t ever come near this place again.”
“Fine. I’ll buy everything in this store.”
“What?”
“I said I’ll buy everything.”
The employee narrowed her eyes in suspicion, clearly doubtful of what she had just heard. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t every day that someone dressed like this walked into a luxury boutique and said they would buy every single item. Honestly, if I were her, I would probably give me the same look.
It seemed our ongoing argument caught the attention of the noble ladies inside. I noticed them standing up, curious about what was going on.
“How much is it? Just tell me the price.”
“It would be well over ten thousand trangs. You are saying you will buy all of it?”
“Yes. I want it all.”
Hearing my confident answer, the employee must have felt something unusual. She suddenly shouted for the designer and rushed into the shop.
Soon, a middle-aged woman came out with her. She had sharp eyes, wore tidy clothes, and had her short hair styled like a textbook designer. Her butterfly-shaped glasses and thin frame gave her a strict and professional appearance.
“You said you want to buy everything in the store?”
“That’s right. Will it take long?”
“We use only the highest quality materials in the entire empire. Our designs and fabrics are good enough to be supplied to the royal family.”
The designer lifted her glasses slightly as she spoke, clearly proud of her work. But behind her words, I could hear the hidden meaning.
“Can someone like you really afford this?”
And it made sense. Where would I find that kind of money? House Troid was so poor it couldn’t even afford to pay its servants. Only Anna and the butler remained.
Still, with my face hidden under the robe, I could say whatever I wanted without being recognized.
“I already said I’ll buy it all. That’s why I’m here.”
“The total will be at least ten thousand trangs, maybe more. Are you sure you’re able to handle that?”
The designer glanced over me from head to toe. Then, with a smirk on her lips, she let out a short laugh. The noble ladies seemed to enjoy the scene. Their giggles echoed through the shop.
“I see. If that’s how you treat paying customers, maybe I should take my business elsewhere.”
“Wait, that’s not what I meant…”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already lost interest in buying from this place.”
“Miss, there you are.”
I raised my chin and copied the confident tone and posture I had seen in rich women from Korean dramas. I tried to sound as refined and commanding as possible.
Right then, Anna returned with the meat she had gone to buy and called out to me. Perfect timing. Thank you, Anna.
As soon as they heard her call me “Miss,” both the employee and the designer looked at each other in surprise.
“Please come inside. There are too many people watching us right now.”
“Our staff made a terrible mistake. May we offer you some tea? We will wrap the clothing and have it delivered directly to your home.”
So this was what it felt like to be part of the upper class in a society built on status. A moment ago I was treated like trash. Now I was being treated like royalty. Anna, still unsure of what was going on, stood beside me and looked between the employees and me with confusion.
“Let’s go. I am too upset to stay here any longer.”
I made my voice sound calm and elegant, then turned away, pulling my robe a little lower. The boutique employee quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“I am so sorry, Miss. I did not know. Please forgive me. Could you give us a little of your time?”
The same woman who had just told me not to come near the store was now bowing in apology.
It was ridiculous. All of this over money. All of this over status. I was the same person, but they changed their behavior so easily depending on what they believed I was worth.
“I don’t actually have the money to buy anything here.”
“What did you say?”
“The poor woman you called a beggar and the lady you just called ‘Miss’ are both me.”
“…”
“Isn’t it funny? I’m still the same person, but you treated me like dirt one moment and like a noble the next.”
The cold tone in my voice made the employee flinch. If she had worked here long enough, she probably understood exactly what I meant.
“I’ll be back one day. I hope you are still working here when that happens.”
If I had the money for real, I would have bought everything just to make my point.
Anna seemed to understand what had happened without me explaining. She looked even more upset than I was.
“Miss, I’m so sorry.”
“Anna, you have nothing to apologize for.”
“I should have taken better care of your clothes. This happened because of me.”
“Don’t say that. They’re the ones who behaved horribly.”
“What?”
“Don’t even breathe in the direction of that store. I don’t want their bad energy anywhere near you.”
Anna frowned and began to scold me for using such crude words.
But for some reason, the air of the empire didn’t feel so unfamiliar today. Being rich doesn’t guarantee happiness. But not having money always brings misery.
That’s the kind of world is it and honestly, no difference from Korea.
