Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The flames in the fireplace crackled, casting Heloise’s shadow on the mottled wallpaper.

She held a letter with a gold-embossed wax seal between her fingers, gently tapping it on the oak tabletop.

Reid took the letter, the parchment rustling in his hands.

He unfolded the paper, softly reciting the client’s name, the tip of his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth as if savoring some sort of poison:

“Lena Noval…”

The content of the commission was not difficult to understand—the old Duke of Noval in Gran City was about to abdicate, and one of the prerequisites for inheriting the title was to be married.

However, Lena Noval, as one of the candidates, was still single.

Reid’s task was simple: to play the role of a respectable noble fiancé until the title of duke was settled.

But this contract…

Reid squinted, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the paper.

He read word for word, and the terms of the contract seemed ridiculously lenient for a noble’s agreement—

Half of the payment in advance, weekends off, overtime pay, and full payment of the remaining dues within a week, regardless of who received the title of duke.

He could even imagine the twisted expressions of those high-and-mighty gentlemen upon seeing this document.

Isn’t this some kind of charity?

Heloise observed Reid’s reaction with great interest, lighting a slender cigarette, the smoke swirling around her red lips.

“What’s wrong? Scared by such favorable conditions?”

She chuckled softly, the smoke twisting in the dim firelight.

Reid did not answer but appeared to be deep in thought, even forgetting about the cigarette Heloise had just lit.

In reality, Reid’s attention was entirely focused on a system interface visible only to him in mid-air.

200 points?!

Reid’s pupils slightly constricted. Is this the stingy system I know?

Having dealt with this system for two years, Reid was well aware of its nature.

This reward was ridiculously outrageous!

To put it into perspective, Reid had painstakingly saved for two years just to accumulate a single draw.

This one commission’s reward was enough for Reid to draw twice.

Something’s off…

The system’s rewards were typically tied to the client’s status and the difficulty of the commission. Even considering the client’s unusual identity—

Even the duke himself shouldn’t be worth this much.

“The duke has administrative authority,” Heloise’s voice pulled him back to reality.

She leaned forward, her red lips partially visible behind the smoke: “As a ‘well-behaved little dog,’ asking her for a citizenship certificate shouldn’t be difficult.”

“You can’t just curl up here and be an illegal resident forever, can you?”

Heloise’s tone was unusually gentle, even carrying a hint of… concern?

A chill ran down Reid’s back. Heloise is actually thinking about me?

—No way.

Heloise suddenly flashed a shark-like smile:

“What? Did you think I would say that?”

She flicked the ash from her cigarette, the ashes landing precisely in the wine glass on the table with a faint hiss.

“Of course it’s because… I get a cut from this deal.”

I knew it…

The slight touch of emotion that had risen in Reid’s heart instantly vanished.

But upon further reflection, Heloise made a valid point.

Reid’s gaze returned to the contract, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the document.

The texture of the parchment reminded him of too many unpleasant memories—the moldy mats in the basement, the mattress that was cold in winter and hot in summer, and the suffocatingly long rainy nights in the Victoria Kingdom.

Every time he tossed and turned at night, the rough fabric would rub against the calluses on his fingertips just like now.

“Citizenship certificate…”

These three words rolled off Reid’s tongue.

In the Victoria Kingdom, without this small piece of paper, even breathing felt like stealing.

In Gran City, illegal residents like him could only curl up in cheap apartments’ attics or damp basements.

Although Reid had a gold coin from this month’s pay in his pocket, according to Gran City’s prices, this amount was enough for an ordinary worker’s living expenses for half a year.

But his identity as an illegal resident made even the most basic consumption a luxury.

Legitimate shops required a citizenship certificate to purchase tobacco, while decent hotels required a guarantor for check-in.

Reid examined the contract’s terms closely, and at that moment the document stated in black and white: “Party B may occupy a guest room of the Noval Family, equipped with a private bathroom and a fireplace.”

He could almost imagine the sensation of warm water cascading over his shoulders.

Rather than the current situation, where he had to wait until the tavern closed to hastily fill a tub with water after each wash.

Reid could even recall the last time his body had soaked in a bathtub, which was in the palace of the Augustus Empire…

That thought abruptly cut off his memories.

Improving his living standards was secondary; more importantly, it was Reid’s identity.

Once the Victoria Kingdom discovered illegal residents like Reid, they would be sent to a concentration camp for several months, waiting until enough people had gathered before being deported back to their home country.

Not to mention the environment in concentration camps; even prisons would seem like paradise compared to them.

He had seen an illegal resident dragged into the police station, that person’s desperate eyes mirroring his own when he crawled out from under the coal ship years ago.

Reid had risked his life to escape but could not return to that hellhole.

Reid’s finger lingered on the compensation column of the commission.

“One hundred gold coins…”

This sum was enough to buy a small building in Gran City or a sizable piece of land in the suburbs.

More importantly, this money could allow him to escape the constant fear of his current life.

If he could complete this commission, successfully obtain a citizenship certificate, and coupled with that hundred gold coin windfall…

Reid could only imagine how luxurious his life could be.

“So, if you’ve thought it over, just sign your name.”

Heloise’s voice echoed in Reid’s ears again.

Reid knew this was a trap, but it was at least a trap with cheese.

With a citizenship certificate, he could walk under the sun openly; with that hundred gold coins, he could forever escape this life of risking everything for survival.

More importantly, the glaring 200 points reward on the system interface.

Even if this commission was truly fishy…

A smile crept onto Reid’s lips; he had already made up his mind not to be that helpless prince of misfortune anymore.

Fate was to be grasped in his own hands.

“Alright, I accept.”

Reid looked down at the already signed name in the party A column of the contract.

“Lena Noval”

Each letter seemed to have been measured out, the strokes clean and tidy, without a trace of hesitation.

It didn’t look like the flowery script of a noble lady but more like some official document’s signature.

Reid could even tell that after signing, this client had definitely pressed down a piece of blotting paper lightly, which was why the ink hadn’t smudged at all.

It seemed this client was more complicated than he had imagined.

Reid picked up the ink-dipped quill and signed his name beside hers, and Heloise’s red lips curved into a beautiful arc.

Watching Heloise’s smile, Reid remained cautious.

Generally, for jobs like this, the intermediary, Heloise, would surely take a significant cut.

“What percentage will I get?”

“Seventy percent.”

“Why only seventy percent?”

Heloise lazily extended a finger and shook it in front of Reid: “No, darling.”

“Seventy percent is mine.”