Lady Class - Chapter 34

Rackley quickly set aside her worries and focused on the tasks she had for the day.

The finances of the Winner County were no longer her concern.

She accepted the situation and realized that the world would continue just fine without her. For some, that thought might bring despair or a sense of futility, but to Rackley, it felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

‘I don’t have to be the one.’

Thinking that way allowed her to take a step back and observe everything from a more detached perspective.

She stopped by various shops to conduct market research.

If she received the overdue dignity maintenance funds, the amount would be quite large—but still not enough to buy property or launch a major business. Even if she married and became part of another noble family, she needed to have something of her own.

Just as her father had unexpectedly brought in a successor, she needed to be prepared to stand on her own if she were ever pushed aside.

That was why her recent visit to the southern villa had been so meaningful.

Maggie preserved many ingredients by pickling them. While cold regions struggled with food storage, she had learned that hot, humid areas had their own challenges—food spoiled quickly, making proper preservation crucial. Maggie used various techniques to store fruits and herbs.

She dried them, soaked them in oil, or pickled them in sugar or salt. Sometimes, she used grain syrup, which had been boiled down for a long time, as a substitute for expensive sugar.

Among her discoveries was a sweet and salty vegetable preserve made from leftover vegetables, tomatoes, and herbs—something Rackley had never tasted before.

Managing an estate required understanding how servants worked and how ingredients were procured. That was why she had quickly noticed how Maggie’s methods differed from those in the capital.

If ingredients were sealed in separate jars, it meant only one type of food could be eaten at a time, or multiple jars had to be opened, increasing the risk of spoilage. However, by mixing different ingredients in a single jar, a variety of flavors could be enjoyed from just one opening.

One particularly interesting technique involved salting fish, preserving it in oil, and storing it pre-cooked.

“Do you have any fish?” she asked.

“You’ll have to check the market for that,” the store clerk replied.

When a noble-looking woman like Rackley asked about fish in a grocery store, the clerk gave her a puzzled look.

She visited both the largest grocery stores and small alleyway shops.

“So, places like this exist too.”

As she studied which products were popular and which were less favored, she failed to notice someone approaching from behind.

“Kyaa! Ouch! That hurts!”

A sudden shrill scream behind her startled Rackley. She turned around quickly and saw that Daniel Holton, clad in a black cloak instead of the royal knights’ usual red, was gripping a commoner woman’s wrist.

The woman struggled to pull her arm free, her face flushing red as she looked around the shop and cried out.

“What are you doing?! He’s a pervert! Somebody help me!”

‘What on earth is happening?’

Shocked, Rackley looked back and forth between Daniel and the woman.

Hearing the commotion, people gathered around.

The sight of a tall, neatly dressed man in a black cloak firmly restraining a woman’s wrist immediately soured the onlookers’ expressions.

Perhaps they saw him as some arrogant nobleman harassing a woman, because one man stepped forward.

“What the hell are you doing? You must be some rich gentleman, but let her go right now!”

“Help me! This man suddenly—!”

Daniel Holton furrowed his brows, his stance turning wary as he faced the man. Feeling ignored, the man shouted to the crowd around him.

“Call the guards! This scoundrel is harassing a woman! He needs to be taught a lesson!”

“That’s right! Let go of her immediately!”

The atmosphere grew heated as people picked up wooden clubs or sturdy iron skewers, ready to use them as weapons.

Rackley placed a hand on Daniel’s arm.

“Daniel, brother?”

For a brief moment, her eyes met Daniel’s. Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a black cloak pushed through the crowd.

“Whoa, Sir Holton! What’s going on here? What’s all this commotion?”

“Are you with him too?”

“Ah, no, we’re here on official business. What happened, Sir Holton?”

“I caught a pickpocket in the act.”

Daniel’s voice was cold, but the woman burst into tears and protested.

“No! I was just browsing the shelves when this man suddenly approached me and started making advances. When I told him I wasn’t interested, he grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me away… sob.”

“Oh dear!”

The crowd turned their glares toward Daniel.

He could have simply revealed his status as a knight, yet even the middle-aged man accompanying him hesitated, looking troubled.

Rackley spoke up in Daniel’s defense.

“That’s not true. I was here too, and there was no such commotion.”

“You—you just called him ‘brother’! You’re with him, so how can we believe you?! Please, someone help me! My arm hurts!”

“Come here, quickly.”

A sturdy-looking woman stepped forward, grabbing the accused woman’s arm to pull her away. However, she failed to free her from Daniel’s grip and instead accidentally tugged on the strap of the woman’s bag.

The bag flipped open, spilling its contents onto the floor—small wallets and coin pouches tumbled out.

“Oh my! That’s my purse!”

“H-Hey, my money! That pouch was in my inner pocket!”

“She really was a pickpocket!”

“The guards are coming! Don’t let her escape!”

As it became clear that the woman was indeed a thief, the crowd’s attitude shifted instantly, breaking into a frenzy. Only after the city guards arrived was Daniel finally able to step out of the store.

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“A man this handsome wouldn’t do something like that.”

“My apologies.”

As the crowd awkwardly dispersed after apologizing, Rackley looked up at Daniel. Though he turned his gaze away, the tips of his ears were flushed red.

The middle-aged man who had been dealing with the guards approached and gave Daniel a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“Ah, I thought you could handle a pickpocket on your own, but I didn’t expect someone this stiff.”

He laughed good-naturedly and then turned to greet Rackley.

“Are you all right, my lady? We met once at a banquet, didn’t we?”

“Oh, you’re Sir Daniel’s superior!”

“This area can be dangerous. You shouldn’t be walking around alone. If it weren’t for Sir Holton, your pocket would have been emptied. He suddenly said he had a bad feeling that someone he knew was about to get pickpocketed, so he left his post to keep an eye on you—only to almost get himself into trouble instead.”

According to him, Daniel had been watching over Rackley and ended up being misunderstood because of it.

Daniel avoided Rackley’s gaze, frowning.

“That’s unnecessary talk.”

“He’s just embarrassed,” the older man said with a chuckle. “Anyway, I still have work to do, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The middle-aged man pulled his cloak over his shoulders and disappeared down a narrow alley.

“Thank you for your help.”

Rackley turned to Daniel and expressed her gratitude. He simply stared at her.

His cold blue eyes locked onto hers, and Rackley smiled awkwardly.

Daniel, a man of few words, often had a habit of silently watching her like this. She never quite got used to it.

“Where have you been?” he finally asked. “You said you’d stay in touch, but there was no word from you. I waited.”

“A friend lent me their villa, so I took a short break. I’m sorry I didn’t send word.”

“I’m not asking for an apology.”

Daniel sighed as if frustrated and fell silent. Rackley waited for him to continue, wondering what he wanted to say, but just then, the distant chimes of the clock tower rang, marking the hour.

Checking the time, Rackley gasped in surprise.

“Oh no! I have an appointment with Irina. What should I do? I’d like to keep talking, but I have a prior engagement…”

Flustered, she hurriedly apologized. She glanced around to get her bearings when Daniel spoke in his deep, steady voice.

“Winner. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Ah…”

Daniel was always serious and reserved, and whenever he looked at her like that, Rackley felt as though she were shrinking, like a child.

Kahn, too, was calm and composed, but standing before him made her heart race. With Daniel, she felt the urge to step away.

Lowering her gaze, a request suddenly came to mind.

“Um… Would you be able to accompany me to the banquets again?”

“…Were you planning on going with someone else?”

At Daniel’s unexpected question, Rackley’s face grew hot.

Come to think of it, in all the chaos, she had never told Daniel that he no longer needed to be her partner.

“Ah… My stepmother has arrived, so the situation has changed…”

“I see. Understood. I will accompany you.”

Rackley hesitated, unsure how to explain further, but Daniel accepted without needing to hear more.

Since the rumors had already spread, there was nothing to hide, yet she still felt embarrassed choosing her words.

“Thank you. My stepmother wanted to accompany me to find a marriage candidate, but it seems she’s been busy with other matters.”

“I will escort you to your meeting place first.”

Even though she had told herself she wouldn’t let it bother her, speaking about her stepmother still took courage.

But Daniel, seeing it as someone else’s problem, treated it as a trivial matter. Without further comment, he stepped ahead, leading the way.

Instead of taking the main road, he turned into an alley. After making two turns, Rackley recognized the path—it wasn’t far from her destination.

Throughout the walk, Daniel remained silent, and Rackley was too busy keeping up with his long strides to ask anything.

Even without knowing where her meeting place was, he walked in the right direction. As they neared the café where she was supposed to meet Irina, Rackley was about to speak when Daniel spoke first.

“Do you really have to find someone to marry?”

She realized then that his question was a continuation of their earlier conversation.

“Most likely, yes. There’s a new heir now… I’ll have to marry into another noble family.”

Daniel had a habit of asking these things at the most unexpected moments, making Rackley laugh.

But the words that followed froze the smile on her lips.

“Then, what about me?”

Rackley stopped in her tracks, utterly taken aback. Daniel turned to face her, his expression calm.

“Daniel… brother?”

“I wouldn’t want to marry into the Winner family, but if you come to the Holton family, I’ll take responsibility for convincing the elders.”

Rackley was too shocked to speak. She couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.

Why would he need to convince the elders? She blinked in confusion, trying to grasp his meaning.

As if clearing fog, the realization slowly dawned upon her—but before she could react, Irina’s voice called out from behind Daniel.

“Sir Holton?”

Irina beamed at him.

“Rackley, I was wondering why you hadn’t come inside yet, and then I saw you and Sir Holton from the window.”

Rackley let out a silent breath of relief—thank goodness Irina had appeared.

“Sir Holton, if you’re free, would you like to join us for tea?” Irina offered.

“No, I still have work to do,” Daniel replied firmly.

Rackley felt another wave of relief at his response. This conversation could end here, for now.

Daniel was an important and dear person to her, even if he could be a bit awkward. She didn’t want to reject his proposal rudely. If she had to refuse, she wanted to do it in a way that wouldn’t hurt him.

She needed time to think about how to decline him gracefully.

She thought she had bought herself some time—until Daniel coldly rejected Irina’s invitation and then dropped a bombshell on Rackley in a commanding tone.

“Winner, put me on the list of your marriage candidates as well.”