I Think My Husband Might Be a Murderer - Chapter 7

Johannes Schultz stepped back again, as if he had never come close in the first place.

I took a breath at his indifferent action and exhaled with my reply. “But I don’t even have the professional certification your house is looking for.”

He scoffed. “Even if someone applied with such credentials, House Schultz wouldn’t hire them.”

When I tilted my head in confusion, the Young Duke continued, “House Schultz doesn’t recruit servants in the first place.”

“What? Then what about the job postings…?”

“They’re for show.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that I only became more puzzled.

“Then are you saying there are no servants at the mansion?”

“Of course not.”

His slightly exasperated voice came back. A faint crease formed above his brow, as if to say, ‘Is that even a question?’

“And yet, you’re offering to hire me. From a household that posts recruitment notices but never actually hires anyone?”

“That’s right.”

While I was still dazed, he spoke again in a calm tone, his manner perfectly composed, “Looks like you’ve gained another secret you’ll have to keep, Miss Prim.”

Is that why he mentioned it—to bring me in as a servant? Why?

As I hesitated in silence, I heard his low voice.

“I’ll pay you well. More than the Russell Marquess family.”

“…Do you even know how much they’re offering?” I reflexively asked back. There was absolutely no malicious intent. I was genuinely curious, and the words just slipped out.

Of course, I understood that nobles possessed fortunes beyond the imagination of commoners.

But the royal family had recently revoked House Schultz’s financial privileges.

Does this man even have that kind of wealth?

The salary offered by the Russell Marquess family was such a massive amount that it would seem huge even to other nobles.

Granted, there were conditions—I had to win over the old Marchioness’s favor and last at least three full months.

As if reading my expression, he answered, “Even with the royal family having revoked our financial authority, House Schultz isn’t anywhere near broke, not enough for you to worry.”

He smiled lightly as if it were nothing, but his words subtly pointed out the rudeness of my assumption and doubt.

“Ah…”

Thinking a bit more about it, it really had been a foolish question.

“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”

Even if the Russell estate was said to be the wealthiest, House Schultz surely had far more than what was visible in their accounts.

Losing access to short-term interest was just a minor inconvenience. The royal family couldn’t bring down a powerhouse like House Schultz in one blow.

When I apologized, he murmured softly, “Your father spoke very highly of you.”

“……”

“What do you think?”

It was absurd, but Johannes Schultz almost looked like a man sincerely asking me to work for him.

Could it be that Father truly did something huge for this man? It wouldn’t have been financial help, so maybe he saved his life.

That thought made me feel that outright rejection might be impolite.

I turned my head to the west.

The sun was nearly set now, the crimson disk dipping behind the towering mansion in the distance.

Evanstein Castle, the residence of House Schultz.

It wasn’t far from home. A thirty-minute carriage ride at most.

The Russell offer came with a high salary, but the round-trip took six hours, and the old Marchioness’s temper was infamous.

This wasn’t the time to nitpick.

I shifted my gaze to the lilies piled atop Father’s coffin, and the cigarette case left there like an ornament.

‘What should I do…’

Truthfully, my answer was already clear.

If Johannes Schultz wasn’t pitying me, and if he wasn’t offering the job merely out of his bond with my father…

If he truly received great help, then turning this down would be foolish.

I had to seize the opportunity.

Turning my gaze from Evanstein Castle, I looked directly at him.

“Then I’ll accept it gratefully, without hesitation.”

***

The walk home after my father’s funeral, I thought, would be filled with emptiness and despair.

But reality turned out quite different from my expectations.

I had many mixed emotions, but if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be: dazed.

With the biting night sea breeze brushing past, I recalled what had just happened.

The salary Johannes Schultz offered me was far beyond my expectations. It made the offer from the Russell Marquess household seem absurdly low.

“One million Berks.”

Even thinking about it again, it was a ridiculous amount.

“And it’s weekly pay. That’s enough to cover living expenses and keep studying pharmacy without pause.”

The job would be demanding, but with proper time management, it should be doable.

To be honest, I was surprised when I first heard the salary. I wondered if I was receiving special treatment just because I was Petty Officer Prim’s daughter.

But that turned out to be a misunderstanding.

When I told the Young Duke that the amount felt too much, he replied calmly:

“It’s similar to what other employees of House Schultz receive. The details will be explained by the butler, Fret Gunner, on your first day.”

I didn’t know how other noble households paid their staff, but it made me regret not earning some credentials earlier.

First, I had to notify the Russell Marquess household that I wouldn’t be coming…

“Edith, you’re back!”

Lost in thought, I jumped when someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

It was Mrs. Pensler.

I had arrived home without realizing it. I quickly pulled her hands down. They were ice cold, she must’ve been waiting outside for a while.

“It’s freezing. Why are you out here so late? You should’ve gone to bed.”

“It’s not cold. I couldn’t sleep without knowing you were home safely. Besides, we won’t be seeing each other often now.”

She waved her hands and spoke with a worried face. She still thought I would be commuting to Boeln.

“Ah, well—”

“Did you send your father off properly? I was so worried, sending you alone like that… They said only family could attend the funeral.”

She led me inside. The house was warm, it seemed she had lit the stove long ago.

“Edith, sit here and wait. I’ll bring some tea.”

It was best to keep quiet until Mrs. Pensler finished speaking. I was used to it—she was a natural talker.

And even after she brought the tea, she went on for a while with her concerned words.

Only after her chatter began to die down could I finally speak.

“Ma’am, I have something to tell you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I met someone at the funeral who introduced me to a job. It’s nearby, so I won’t be going to the Russell estate after all. The pay is decent too…”

“What are you talking about?”

I thought she’d be happy, but Mrs. Pensler frowned instead. She looked at me as if I were foolish.

When I gave her a puzzled look, her brow furrowed even more.

“Edith!”

Her voice turned unusually serious.

“You’re quite pretty, honestly. Just this fall, how many men sent you marriage proposals?”

Then she launched into a string of worried remarks: how could I trust someone I’d just met, what if they had bad intentions, and so on.

I hadn’t expected this reaction, so I didn’t know how to respond.

The truth was, I had accepted a job at the ducal estate through the Young Duke’s offer. But I couldn’t tell her that, so I endured her scolding for a long time.

“Really… I’ll be fine. I’m not that reckless, ma’am.”

After vaguely assuring her that it was a trustworthy person and she didn’t need to worry, I was finally able to leave her house.