"—Hold on to it for now. I've already returned most of what my irresponsible parents borrowed. But give me some time to consider things through."
"That's fine. Take your time."
The four of them looked at each other one last time before heading off to complete what they were tasked to do.
Part 3
In a certain high-class residential district within the Empire's capital, that occupied a vast area of land. Since long ago, rows of luxurious mansions have been built on this land, erected in the style of the past. Walking by these mansions would bring out a feeling of historical nostalgia. One could certainly guess that the type of residents that live here were most likely aristocrats.
The mansions of aristocrats were a sign of their status. One could see it as a waste of money, but if not extravagantly decorated, they would likely become subjects of ridicule.
Furniture, jewelry, clothing, mansion, courtyard—all of these things needed to be maintained in order for one to have status amongst the upper class of society. For aristocrats, who were continuously establishing connections and cliques, it was necessary to display their wealth. Living in a plain mansion was enough reason to be ridiculed and looked down upon. Because of this, aristocrats that were interested in politics and power had to constantly decorate their bodies and holdings. Realistically speaking, this was similar to the display of strength between military forces. It was a privilege reserved for the powerful.
These were the things one would see when looking around.
Even within the capital this area was one of the most well-regulated districts, where everything was nice and quiet. However, if you observed carefully, the quietness could be a bit unnerving. This was due to the lack of human presence.
In truth, the majority of these mansions were unoccupied and empty. Due to the events set in motion by the Blood Emperor, the majority of their owners ended up being unable to sustain the expenditures of living in this district.
Among these empty mansions, there were still a few that were being used. Unlike before, the gardening was kept very rough and there were no longer servants waiting outside.
It was in one of those mansions that Arche's family lived. She was welcomed home by her parents, who bore the proper appearance of typical nobles with the rightful bearings and fancy clothes.
"Ooh, welcome home Arche."
"Welcome back."
Before properly replying, Arche turned to look at a delicately crafted piece of glasswork which had been carefully carved into the shape of a cup. It radiated an air of great expense.
Arche's face twitched due to having never seen it before.
"—This is?"
"Oh, this is Artist Jan's—"
"—I'm not asking that kind of question. This is something we didn't have before, why do we have it now?"
"That's because it was purchased just this morning."
That was her father’s casual reply, using the same tone as if he was saying something like ‘Good morning’. Hearing this, Arche's body started shaking.
"—How much?"
"Hmm... I think it only cost around 15 gold coins. Cheap, isn't it?"
Arche drooped her shoulders in despair. She had originally planned on using the deposit from
her current job to pay off a part of the debt, and now she found that it had risen even more.
"—Why did you buy it?"
"As aristocrats, if we can't even purchase things like this, we'll become the laughingstock of everyone."
Hearing the prideful laugh coming from her father, anger started to shine through Arche's eyes.
"—We're no longer aristocrats."
Arche's father's expression hardened at the sound of those words and his face turned completely red.
"That's wrong!"
Arche's father forcefully slammed his hand against the table. Due to the sturdiness of the table, the glasswork was not affected by the blow. Although Arche wouldn't have minded if it broke, her father probably wouldn't have felt any regret. It only costed fifteen gold coins, that’s what her father would think.
"As long as that piece of shit upstart dies, our family can instantly gain back its status! Members of our family have been nobles of the Empire for over a hundred years. It is absolutely unforgivable to end our line. This is an investment for our revival! Also, this display of power is to show that fool that we haven't given up!"
How foolish.
That was Arche's opinion of her father, who was currently out of breath due to his anger. The "fool" probably referred to the Blood Emperor. For someone like him, Arche's family wasn't even worth consideration. If they really planned on regaining their nobility, this definitely wasn't the method to use.
Being trapped in their own small world, they wouldn't be able to see what was happening outside.
Arche helplessly shook her head.
"The two of you stop fighting."
Seeing her laid-back mother, Arche decided to call it quits with her father.
Shortly afterwards, her mother stood up and passed a small vial to Arche.
"Arche. This is perfume, bought just for you."
"—How much?"
"Three gold coins."
"Is that so... thank you."
While calculating in her heart the eighteen gold coins that got wasted, Arche said her thanks to her mother. After accepting the tiny vial that contained a very small quantity of perfume, she placed it into her bag.
It was hard for Arche to look at her mother with such a cold gaze. At least perfumes and makeup had more practical uses than glasswork.
Properly dressing oneself up and attending high-class parties were a means for nobles to mingle together and make connections. If one considered marriage, pregnancy and childbirth to be a woman's happiness, then it was important for daughters of nobility to decorate themselves, at least from a noble's point of view.
However, even if that was the case, in their current situation, Arche's simply couldn’t afford to be this wasteful. Also, three gold coins were enough to feed a normal family for a whole month.
"—I've said this countless times already, keep spending to a minimum. Only buy what you really need."
"Exactly, that's what I said! This was necessary!"
Feeling tired of arguing, Arche simply stared at the flushed face of her father. Having to continuously remind them of such simple things was becoming too much for her. She could only blame herself for all of this. If she had used force to resolve these things in the beginning, it wouldn't have ended up this way. Also, she wouldn't have brought trouble to 'Foresight'.