The Necrosis’s Collateral

Since 20 years ago, it was common for nobles to divorce based on their wishes.

The old kingdom had fallen, and noblemen were willing to leave their families just to save their titles as nobles.

By the time Ellaine was born, Marquiss Harris Davies and his wife were also divorced.

Shortly after her birth, her father abandoned her mother. Davies needed a wife who came from an imperial noble family.

Her mother who had nowhere to go could only take Ellaine to the convent.

Her mother always advised her about her father For people like your father, a wife is like clothes. Its easy to change.

Little Ellaine admitted that fact without much sympathy. Growing up and living with her mother at Daybreak Monastery is all she knows. Her mother was sickly with heart disease, and by the time Ellaine was 8 years old, her mother had died. And she was left alone in the world.

She continued to live in the monastery, and although she was lonely, she was able to eat and study. As long as she lived, she thought that her father did not exist.

She never complained about living as an orphan, she felt that the life she lived was worthy and calming.

Her life was completely peaceful before being destroyed by her father she never knew. Her feelings are full of fathomless resentment and detestation.

The news of her mothers death actually reached the ducal of Necrosis.

”Now there are 16,000 gold coins to pay, and I suddenly became your daughter? ” A teenage girl is shocked when an official letter is shown in her face to arrest her.

The ducal of Necrosis was a prosperous family throughout the empire. From the most expensive real estate in the capital to the smallest shops in the countryside, there is no place where their influence doesn touch.

They were a greedy wolf family. The family that consumed everything.

The familys eldest son, Oliver, was the one who captured Ellaine.

”You are now Lord Davies last remaining blood. Congratulations on becoming a Marchioness. First, sign here. You must pay for all the debt your father owed. ”

At Ellaines only 15 years of age, she became a Marchioness with nothing but an absurd amount of debt.

Ellaine sat on the floor carelessly, forced to be bound by her cursed blood and bad luck. The succession ceremony to replace the seat of the Marquiss took place right then and there.

She was locked up in a corner of the vast Necrosis land where women, like Elisa, who had become a contract maid, were brought in.

Women in her situation are called collaterals.

Not only her who became collaterals, there were dozens of young women who had the fate of her, made slaves because of their family debts.

All the women belonged to Oliver, the eldest son of the Necrosis family. Oliver was their first master, and if he died, ownership of the slaves would be transferred to another member of the family.

***

After capturing the young girls, Oliver hands the collaterals to the head maid for the division of labor.

Luckily the head maid put Ellaine to work in the laundry.

She wasn too surprised when she had to do laundry, she even did well. But what often makes her think is the debt she suddenly has to pay.

”What are you looking at, come on, move your hands! There are still 4 buckets of laundry waiting for you. The more you like to laze around, the more your tasks will pile up! ”

The maid shouted at her, pulling her out of her reverie.

Even though she is a Collaterals but her position is no higher than a maid. So they work under the supervision of the maids.

Ellaines hand moved with a deep sigh, but quite.

Its been one year since her move to the land of Necrosis. Even though she was paid every month, the debt didn decrease.

Just as she had just finished two buckets, a cute, pale-skinned girl came to the laundry.

Ellaine recognized her face. She was a girl who came a few months ago and was called, ”Lyra ”. She was also placed in the laundry with her.

Lyra came late because she had to do some gardening in the Necrosis Mansions yard.

”Are you okay? You look weak lately. I thought you were dying. ”

”Im fine. Not sick anymore. ” Ellaine answered while silently sorting through the collection of all the dirty items in the mansion.

Dealing with laundry is a pain she has to go through. The terrible stench she had to inhale every day made her fall sick several times.

”Working in two halves is really exhausting. I even felt like dying, but gardening really helped me reduce my debt. ”

”Thats all we can do. Even dying is difficult because of debts. ”

Lyra came over and tapped Ellaines shoulder and asked.

”You suggested that I look for additional work. But I don know how much debt you have until you have 3 additional jobs? ”

Elisha answered expressionlessly while shaking off the laundry.

”16,000 gold coins. ”

One silver coin could be used by a commoner family to eat in a week. Ten silver coins is equal to one gold coin.

Out of everyone in the mansion, Ellaine was the girl who owed the most to The Ducal of Necrosis.

”Haahh! Thats really bad. Even if you spend your life working here, you still won be able to pay it back. Thats an unreasonable debt if you
e a commoner. What family are you actually from? ” Lyra widened her eyes when she found out how much debt Ellaine had.

16,000 gold coins could buy a fairly large land.

”This is a debt my father hasn paid. ”

”…Debt? That much?! ”

”10 years ago my father applied for a loan of money to the Necrosis Family to build his territory. But because the interest was too high, of course my father couldn pay it off until his debts piled up that much. ”

Instead of her father who died, the responsibility including the debt fell on Ellaine.

Lyra was silent for a moment after Ellaine finished speaking.

”So you are a noble. ” Only a noble would be willing to spend a lot of money just to buy land.

”Although I have never seen my father, but I used to be the daughter of a Marquiss. That was before the old kingdom collapsed. Now, I am Marchioness. ”

Lyra gawked with wide eyes not expecting that the girl who had been doing laundry with her was a noble.

She was truly amazed to see a noble lady doing laundry with such humility.

”Does your beauty originate because you come from a noble family? A cute face with shiny silver hair and pure white skin. Seeing you here is truly a terrible fate. ”

Being pitied by a girl who had the same fate as her made Ellaine want to laugh.

”At least Im grateful that Oliver was kind enough to let me pay off my debt this way, otherwise he might have asked me to sell my body. ”

Hearing Ellaines story made Lyra feel like a lucky girl.

”I owe you 1,000 gold coins. Although the amount is still too much for me, but at least my situation is better than yours. ”

”Is your father also in interest and can pay it like my father? ”

”I don know if its worse than your dad or not. But my dad sold me here because hes addicted to gambling. ” Lyra replied flatly.

”You
e being sold?! Gosh, thats a lot worse than I thought. ”

”Despite being sold but Oliver let me out of here after paying 1000 gold coins… Tch, if I knew this I would have killed him when I had the chance! ” Lyra looked furious as she remembered the time she was sold to the Necrosis family.

”…. ” Ellaine was silent when the cute girl suddenly said a cruel thing.

”Even if we work all day, well only earn one silver coin… Although this is quite expensive for the contract maids fees, its still not enough to get us out of here. ”

”Pay off the debt of 16,000 gold coins… When can I pay off the debt? ” That thought often bothered her when she was at work.

”Ah, have you ever heard of someone paying off collaterals? ”

After their long conversation, Ellaine finally took her eyes off her task and looked into Lyras eyes.

She is really interested in the story, but she is aware of her condition and tries not to expect the impossible. ”My debt won be repaid, it will take me 444 years. Thats without dying. Thats how long it will take me to pay it all off. ”

”Hah? ” Lyra was surprised when Ellaine answered her question with something else.

”Even though its a true story, but I don believe there is someone who can pay my debts. Even for a marquiss its a huge sum. ”

Ellaine explained it calmly. Even though he has worked for a year, his debt has not decreased.