No, no, if you went in there you wouldn’t get torn apart, but I definitely would.
Lulumia grumbled in her heart.
She had seen with her own eyes those magic automatons being thrown into the furnace for Recovery, left as nothing but severed limbs and broken bodies.
Even with their eyes spilling out, they would wail and scream inside the furnace, pleading that they still had value.
It was a true scene of hell.
Right, let’s check Eno’s status panel.
Then, Lulumia froze in place.
What was with this ridiculous brightness?
It was as if she were exposed to the noonday summer sun, her eyes nearly blinded.
The flames burning from Eno’s body were brighter and grander than any she had ever seen.
Golden fire reached the ceiling, even passing through the model’s surface.
Almost instinctively, she stopped walking.
Eno assumed Lulumia was recalling her fear of being dismantled and stopped as well.
It was only then that Lulumia realized her slip and resumed moving forward.
Unable to help herself, she inched a little closer to Eno.
Even when she touched the flames directly, there was no sense of burning.
The flames were clearly only a visual effect, not real.
Though she didn’t know what the flames represented, this scale was just absurd.
Lulumia thought as she squinted against the nearly blinding golden glow and glanced at Eno’s panel.
[Name: Eno]
[Titles: ‘Immaculate Holy Child’, ‘Mad Blood Princess’, ‘Grand Saint Spirit of Water’s Recognition’, ‘Genius of Effort’, ‘The Betrayer’…]
There were other titles displayed as ‘□□’, but with her current stats, she couldn’t see them.
Lulumia didn’t think she knew much about Eno, so being able to see more than one entry probably had to do with her plummeting Mind Value.
The lower her Mind Value, the more she could see.
Come to think of it, both ‘Mad Blood Princess’ and ‘The Betrayer’ sounded highly problematic.
Combined with these terrifyingly huge flames, it was clear Eno wasn’t someone to be trusted lightly.
While Lulumia pondered, the two of them arrived at the door to the head of the magic workshop, Ryan’s office.
Eno simply exchanged a few words with the automaton at the door and was immediately permitted to enter.
It was still that overly bright floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight streaming in so fiercely that newcomers couldn’t even see what was inside the room.
This time, though, Ryan wasn’t sitting behind the desk; he stood by the door to welcome them, breaking into a fawning smile as soon as he saw Eno.
His bald head was especially comical.
“Your Holiness, what brings you here without any prior notice? Could it be that you fancy the magic automaton I recommended before? If so, just say the word and I’ll send it to you at once— Why is she by your side?”
Ryan nearly screamed, stammering as if he’d seen a ghost.
“She, this, this… Lord Eno, don’t tell me this wretch tried to borrow money from you as well? Rest assured, I’ll give you a satisfactory explanation at once— I’ll notify the Recovery Room now—”
“Let’s sit and talk.”
Eno turned her palm to Ryan with an impassive expression and sat down on the sofa.
“I’m here today to buy her. Name your price.”
“Huh?”
This time Ryan really looked as though he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight, jaw nearly hitting the floor.
His face was a mask of disbelief, mouth wide enough to fit an apple.
“Your Holiness, are you sure you want to buy this piece of junk— I mean, this little cutie?”
After Eno glared at him, Ryan quickly changed his words.
He loved money, but he wasn’t stupid.
From their positioning, it was clear Eno doted on Lulumia.
Yet for someone of Eno’s status to choose a useless automaton as her companion—he was really worried Eno had been sweet-talked and deceived by Lulumia.
If that were the case, his magic workshop would be finished.
Cold sweat trickled down Ryan’s forehead.
He tidied his clothes and sat across from Eno, pretending at gentility.
“Your Holiness, in all professional honesty, I must warn you. This magic automaton has many structural issues. First, she doesn’t know the etiquette of nobles or the church, isn’t used to polite speech, her magic abilities are subpar, and she hasn’t even mastered the most basic serving skills.”
“She used to be called an angel or the perfect magic automaton, but that’s just a rumor spread by outsiders. In fact, this little cutie can neither take care of your daily life nor protect your safety, and is too young to even be a vase…”
Eno picked up her teacup and nodded calmly at Ryan’s earnest warnings.
“Yes, I’ve already had people investigate. I know.”
Then why would you pick this brat!
Ryan was on the verge of losing it.
As if offending the Fourth Princess wasn’t enough, now this little troublemaker was going to involve the church as well?
He shot a murderous glare at the stiff-faced Lulumia, then kept trying to dissuade them.
“She also owes a lot of money, and her reputation is in tatters. Just the other day, her creditors came to me in a group. If you take her, your own reputation will suffer. Our workshop has many better automatons— let me show you!”
“No need. I’ll pay her Debts.”
“—Hiss—”
Just what kind of spell did you cast on Her Holiness?
Ryan’s face turned a remarkable shade of blue and white, his expression wonderfully dramatic.
Eno turned and smiled at Lulumia.
“How much do you owe those people?”
“I… I don’t know,” Lulumia answered stiffly.
Only on this topic did Lulumia really lose her nerve.
The original owner had been too cowardly, juggling debts from every direction until she’d completely lost track.
Though she kept telling herself it wasn’t her own debt, only the original’s, even she couldn’t quite believe that anymore.
“See! She doesn’t even know how much she owes. She’s pure trash—”
“Chairman Ryan, are you questioning my judgment?”
“No, absolutely not! I’m just explaining— she owes five thousand gold coins just to Her Highness the Fourth Princess!”
Eno: “……”
In that instant, the tension in the room thickened as Lulumia noticed Eno’s frozen expression.
The air itself seemed to halt at the mention of “five thousand gold coins.”
Lulumia even saw Eno’s hand tremble slightly as she held her teacup.
Fortunately, Eno’s composure was superb.
She quickly recovered, put down her teacup, and murmured in a low voice.
“Five thousand gold coins… and owed to the Fourth Princess…”
To be honest, even as the Immaculate Holy Child, she couldn’t cough up five thousand gold coins.
First, she was only a candidate for Holy Child, not the real thing, so she couldn’t just use the church’s resources as she pleased.
Second, she came from a poor background, unlike the Fourth Princess, who had been born into luxury.
Finally, she wasn’t even from the capital; she was a Holy Child candidate selected from a border district of the Kingdom of Ounheim and didn’t have much real influence here.
With her current means, she could, at best, scrape together seven hundred gold coins, and that was after emptying her savings and using every bit of privilege she had.
Besides, the other party was the Fourth Princess, so she couldn’t use her own status to press for leniency.
Everyone knew the Fourth Princess of the Kingdom of Ounheim was special.
She was both the Fourth Princess of the “Kingdom of Ounheim” and the Seventh Princess of the neighboring Serran Empire, with royal blood from both countries.
This time, Cinderella had come to the Kingdom of Ounheim just to visit her aunt, the current Third Princess Consort.
To go even deeper, in the Serran Empire, Fourth Princess Cinderella was a legitimate daughter and had a claim to the throne.
In the Kingdom of Ounheim, she was only a nominal Fourth Princess—the current King had only three children—so if the Fourth Princess were wronged here, the Serran Empire would respond with force, and the Kingdom’s reputation would take a serious blow.
It could escalate into a diplomatic incident.
Eno gently tapped her finger on the table, head tilted in thought.
At this point, it was probably best to give up.
Eno looked over at the primly seated Lulumia—five thousand gold coins was far beyond her reach.
—But that’s what a normal person would do.
Eno was different.
The harder the task, the more she wanted to see it through. If she couldn’t even do this, wouldn’t that mean she was inadequate?
She straightened up, blue eyes shining with determination.
“In that case, Chairman Ryan, go inform the Fourth Princess. I’ll pay Lulumia’s Debt back slowly. For now, I’ll pay five hundred gold coins, and the rest I’ll have the church send to her, with interest as usual. Until I finish paying, Lulumia must remain unowned and will be under my temporary care. How about it?”
“This…”
Ryan swallowed hard. The pressure Eno gave off was no less than the Fourth Princess’s.
“Adoption definitely won’t do. Adoption means her ownership transfers to you, but in principle, the Fourth Princess is her legal owner. I can’t explain this to her… How about we call it a lease? That way, I can justify it publicly.”
“A lease…”
Eno considered for a moment and finally looked to Lulumia.
Just like a real foster father adopting a child from an orphanage, she seriously and solemnly asked Lulumia.
“What do you think?”
“I…”
I hate this feeling of being bought and sold.
Lulumia thought so in her heart, but couldn’t say it aloud.
Unlike when she first entered, Eno’s argument with Ryan had changed her impression of Eno considerably.
This blue-haired girl was only fifteen or sixteen, yet she gave off a sense of security—like someone you could trust to handle anything—like finding a safe harbor in a world where you had no one.
If Lulumia had to describe it, she’d say the feeling was like the protection a father gives a child.
Maybe she didn’t have the means, didn’t have the money, but she’d do everything she could to grant her child’s wish.
Of course, this was only Lulumia’s imagination. In her past life, her parents divorced early, and she never experienced fatherly love.
How strange—almost thirty, yet feeling protected by such a girl.
Was she just too sentimental, or was it the environment?
Transported to another world and owing others a fortune, chased around like a stray dog—then someone appeared and said she would protect her.
Anyone in her position would likely feel unprecedented affection for Eno.
If, when she was wronged as a child, someone like Eno had spoken up for her instead of telling her to keep her head down and avoid trouble, maybe her personality would be completely different.
No, I’m just being too sentimental.
I only got tricked by Amy a couple of days ago.
How could I fall for it again?
Now, as a magic automaton, she had no human rights in this country.
If she didn’t want to be viewed as a product, she would have to become stronger.
Only then would people’s perceptions change.
She had to take charge of her own destiny.
Meeting Eno’s questioning and slightly guilty blue eyes, Lulumia took a deep breath and replied, calm but resolute.
“I’ll pay off this Debt myself.”
“You can pay it?”
Ryan’s voice jumped an octave, his greasy face full of derision.
“What are you going to use? Even if we sold you and your creator Xiang together, it wouldn’t be enough to pay the Fourth Princess, yet you talk about paying off Debt.”
By the end, Ryan was almost laughing in anger.
To someone like him, who worshiped money, Eno’s proposal was perfect: pay off the Debt and get rid of Lulumia, the money pit.
Eno, too, looked troubled.
“Just the Fourth Princess’s five thousand gold coins is no small sum, never mind what you owe others. I said I’d take responsibility, so of course I should see it through.”
“No, I mean it. The Fourth Princess and I have a bet. Let’s wait until tomorrow for the result.”
Ignoring Ryan’s sneers, Eno tried to say more, but seeing the unwavering emerald eyes of Lulumia, she swallowed her words.
Eno often made that face when she’d made up her mind—once she decided, she’d charge ahead, no matter what.
That’s very much like me.
Let’s give it a try.
Feeling oddly pleased, Eno dropped her tense expression for a helpless smile, standing up to make the final decision for Lulumia.
“Ryan, let’s go with Lulumia’s proposal for now. If it doesn’t work, we’ll do what I said. Since the Fourth Princess will be here tomorrow, I’ll be there as the responsible party.”
“Uh…”
At this point, even if Ryan was unwilling, he could only grit his teeth and agree.
“With Your Holiness guaranteeing it, of course I trust you. Let’s wait for tomorrow’s result.”
“Mm.”
Nodding faintly to Ryan, Eno spoke in a much lighter tone than when she came in, “Remember to tell me about the bet when we get back.”
“Wait.”
Lulumia tugged on Eno’s sleeve.
Eno’s pretty face first showed confusion, then realizing Lulumia wanted to whisper to her, she cocked her head and knelt to listen.
“Uh…”
When the words reached her lips, Lulumia hesitated again.
Just thinking about what she was about to say made her blush, her voice shrinking to a mosquito’s whisper.
Forcing herself to sound calm, she said,
“Eno, before I pay off this Debt, I want to ask you to lease me first.”
To say that to a beautiful girl was unbelievably embarrassing, like selling herself.
“Hmm?”
Eno first looked at Lulumia’s delicate face in surprise, then slowly realized what she meant.
Gradually, her lips curled upward, and a teasing glint appeared as if savoring something sweet.
Even though Lulumia tried her best to hide her shame, the tightly pressed lips, trembling lashes, flushed cheeks, and her refusal to meet Eno’s eyes betrayed everything, making her all the more charming.
With such a lovable, adorable little girl blushing and shyly whispering for you to “buy” her, who wouldn’t be overjoyed, wanting to scoop her up for a kiss and grant her every wish?
Lulumia, of course, noticed Eno’s reaction and forced herself to finish.
“When I’ve made some money, I’ll pay you back the leasing fee.”
She hoped there’d be no misunderstanding.
Lulumia really wasn’t pretending to be cute to seduce Eno—she was genuinely thinking about her own future.
But to Eno, these words had a different meaning.
She saw only Lulumia’s independence—a strong, pitiable little girl struggling to survive.
Eno frowned and said unhappily, “Do you look down on me? I can afford this; you don’t need to pay me back.”
“That’s not what I mean!”
Lulumia was so anxious her voice nearly broke.
“We have to agree on the leasing price now, in case he changes his mind. Best if it’s fixed, so it won’t change later.”
“Heh? Our workshop is always fair. Do I look like someone who’d jack up the price? Originally, your creator Xiang would have to be present for this contract, but I’ll make an exception today. As long as you pay a two hundred gold coin usage fee up front, after that the rent is one gold coin per month, fixed for a hundred years, no after-sales service.”
Ryan was so amused by Lulumia he simply fetched a pile of contracts from the desk and set them on the tea table.
Lulumia was a money pit, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of her. This way, if she caused trouble, he couldn’t be blamed.
As for the two hundred gold usage fee, though he’d lose his shirt compared to the cost of making Lulumia, considering the several thousand, even ten thousand, gold coins she owed, this was already the best way to minimize his losses.
The buyer was a candidate for Holy Child—he didn’t dare play tricks.
“Your Holiness, what do you think?”
“Me, hmm…”
Looking at Lulumia beside her nodding desperately like a little chick, her small face turning red, Eno couldn’t help but find it amusing.
She composed herself, doing her best to keep her composure as the Holy Child, and brought the matter to a close.
“Deal.”