Chapter 52

I returned to the inn and restaurant to resign from my job.

"Sorry for the sudden notice. Here, these are the sweaters for you and your wife. I don't need any money. Please take them."

"Thank you. Did something good happen? Your face looks much brighter. It's a shame that Maria is leaving, but if it means Maria will be happy, there's nothing we can do. Here, consider this a parting gift."

With that, the wife handed me a little more money than the cost of the sweaters.

"God is kind to those who work tirelessly. Good luck."

"Thank you. I've been taken care of."

Nonna was picking up seashells on the beach.

"Mom! I found a beautiful shell!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, what a beautiful shell. You should keep it as a treasure."

Jeffrey offered to take us on his boat, but we decided to go through the checkpoint even if it meant a longer route to Cádiz.

My Nonna and I ended up living in the town of Cádiz with Jeffrey. It seems Jeff hasn't told his brother or Lord Sedric about me yet.

"It might cause trouble if word of you gets back to Lord Sedric. You can live here as you wish, taking care of the sheep."

Jeffrey says that, but I wonder if it will be that simple. Jeffrey was probably sent to Lord Sedric's territory because of his character and abilities. If he's involved with me again...

Jeff's world, where I can't do anything about it.

I think a lot, but I can't find an answer.

However, ten days later, a man with surprising news came to our small house. The man, who only gave his name as Mike, said he had come from the royal castle on a fast horse. Nonna and I were listening in the kitchen, separated from the living room by a door.

Jeff's voice was stiff after hearing Mike's story.

"I only came here eight months ago on the Prime Minister's orders?"

"The Prime Minister agreed after being persuaded by my superior. You know the excellence of the medicine from the Shen Kingdom, right? Our country can only buy what their ships bring, and the decision to get the medicine we want is in their hands."

Could the foreign burn medicine that Lady Eva mentioned before be from the Shen Kingdom? And who is Mike's superior?

"Why me? There must be many suitable candidates among the civil servants."

"Hmm, let me be frank. This is for Lord Asher and for Victoria."

Nonna and I, who were listening in the kitchen, held our breath.

"There's no guarantee that nothing will happen if the two of you stay here together. My direct superior thinks that Victoria should disappear completely for a few years until the situation cools down."

Jeffrey's voice became even lower.

"You had me under surveillance?"

"To ensure your safety. If Lord Asher wants to live with Victoria, going to the Shen Kingdom is the best option. Consider negotiating with them to secure and arrange the shipment of the medicine. Wouldn't it be great if the Ashbury Kingdom, Victoria, and Lord Asher could all be happy? Don't you think so too?"

He raised his voice clearly and spoke to the kitchen.

"Excuse me," I said, then entered the living room.

"Victoria, I'm sorry for the sudden news. The ship from the Shen Kingdom will soon dock and then depart, so we need to catch it. The next one won't be for a year. Victoria, you are considered dead. It would be problematic if you were spotted by any of Hagar's acquaintances in this duchy."

"That's... true."

Mike nodded at my response.

"That's why we need the two of you to go to the Shen Kingdom, and we want Lord Asher to study the medicine and arrange for its export."

"Anna, what do you think?"

"I think it's a wonderful offer. I have no complaints if we can all go together. Mike, can Nonna come too?"

"Of course."

Mike continued.

"The expenses for the three of you to travel and stay will be covered by the state."

"The state will cover the expenses for three people?"

"Yes. The Asher family offered to cover all the costs related to Jeffrey, but the Minister of the Interior was concerned that all the valuable knowledge and connections with the Shen Kingdom would be held by the Asher family."

Jeffrey, still not convinced about the surveillance, grumbled but agreed, "If Anna is okay with it." Mike smiled and took out many documents from his bag.

"Victoria, or should I say Anna. This is Anna's new identity document, this is the marriage report for the two of you, and this is the document for your child. Since the state is covering the expenses, we need to formalize the adoption. Since your real name is unknown, the name section is left blank. Please fill it in yourself. Can you do that? I don't have time to go back and forth between the capital and here, so I'm counting on you."

(I see, they know everything about me.) I thought. It was as if they were saying, "You, fill it in yourself, you can forge it, right?"

"Yes, I understand. Should I write Anna Dale?"

"No, as part of the Asher family, please write Anna Asher. The ship from the Shen Kingdom is expected to dock in two to three weeks. You must board that ship. Plan to return in about five years. I'll come to collect the documents at ten o'clock tomorrow."

Mike spoke quickly and left.

"Anna, are you okay with this?"

"It's an incredible offer. We can go to a country we could never go to on our own, and we won't put Nonna or you in danger. Isn't that wonderful?"

Right? I looked up at Jeff, and he started laughing.

"When we met on the beach, you looked so down. I was worried that you were mentally and physically exhausted, but it seems you're doing better now."

I see. I must have looked so down to others. I tried to act cheerful.

"To be honest, I was so lonely every day that I thought about going back to Hagar's special forces many times. But I couldn't do it because I couldn't take Nonna there."

Jeff sighed.

"Even though you didn't know about the assassination order, you were thinking about that. I'm really glad you didn't go through with it."

"I think I was mentally exhausted. I should have realized that I might be killed as an example, but I didn't."

"Nonna saved your life."

"Yes."

Nonna slowly came into the room. Jeff walked over to Nonna, picked her up, and played with her. At first, Nonna had a blank expression, as if saying, "Sure, do whatever you want," but eventually, she couldn't hold back and started laughing.

"Nonna, will you be my daughter?"

"Will Jeff be my dad?"

"Yes. Anna will be my wife and your mom."

"Okay."

Nonna answered immediately.

When I read the documents I was given, it said that I was a commoner born and raised in Cádiz, adopted by a baron, and then married to Jeff.

How much does anyone know that Anna is Victoria? I need to confirm that with Mike tomorrow.

That night, I stayed up almost all night filling in my and Nonna's official documents with names. Jeff was so interested that he kept looking over my shoulder, so I had to kick him out.

It takes a lot of concentration to write the names so that they look exactly like the printed ones.