Chapter 50, After Gina Disappeared – Part 2 

Translator: Lizz

 

But Gina didn’t come back even after several days.

 

The workshop had already become dependent on Gina, and once the employees finished the sewing tasks they had been assigned, they didn’t know what to do next.

They asked the master for instructions, but he didn’t know what Gina had been doing or how far she had gotten.

 

The mistress had also left most of the household matters to Gina.

Gina couldn’t cook no matter what, so that was the mistress’s job, but Gina had been handling all the other chores.

They had been saving the chores for Gina to do when she returned, but the master complained about the messy rooms, so the mistress reluctantly started doing the housework slowly. However, she quickly gave up, unable to handle the unfamiliar tasks.

 

Katio also grew irritated by Gina’s absence, since she had always taken care of everything.

“…Guess I’ll go pick her up. She probably wants to hear some sweet words. Come to think of it, I haven’t been giving her much attention lately.”

With that, he finally got up.

 

The master and the mistress, who had been arguing frequently, agreed and joined in the search around town with Katio.

As a result, they learned that Gina, carrying a shabby bag, had gone to apologize to Katio’s fiancée, Keicherie, and had stood in front of the gate for a while.

However, the person who told Katio and the others this looked at them with a contemptuous gaze.

 

“…Poor Gina-chan. She was supposed to marry a certain someone, but they start considering it for real, that someone got blinded by money and married another woman. To make things worse,  she was sent to check on the mood of that fiancée, only to be turned away at the gate. She would’ve been happier if she’d accepted a proposal from a better man. She’s a hard worker, and with her looks, she could’ve had her pick of suitors!”

 

Katio and his parents lost their temper and grabbed the speaker, but people around them stopped them before it escalated further.

They noticed that the people nearby were also giving the master, his mistress, and Katio cold looks, so they quickly left.

 

The master and his mistress said,

“We’ll try asking around elsewhere, so you go talk to your fiancée.”,

and Katio headed to her house.

 

“I’m glad you came to see me.”

Looking at his fiancée, who seemed to be in a cheerful mood for some reason, Katio began to speak.

“…Actually, Gina has been missing for a few days. I heard she came here. Do you know anything?”

 

Katio saw Keicherie’s eyes sparkle for a moment.

“…Oh. Is that so? How worrying.”

She said it in a voice that didn’t sound worried at all.

 

Keicherie sipped her tea gracefully. Her manner irritated Katio.

“Gina, who was like family to me, is gone! Why are you so nonchalant about it!?”

He shouted without thinking, and Keicherie glared at him sharply in surprise.

“‘Like family’ means she’s not actually family, right? Then isn’t it her own business where she goes?”

Keicherie snapped back.

 

Katio was stunned by her retort, but then quickly grew furious. His words like ‘I’m worried’ were actually just lip service.

 

“Aren’t you worried about Gina!?”

“Of course not. She’s not family. Why should I be worried? It’s not like she’s your sister. Honestly, I’m glad she left. She was just going to get in the way of our newlywed life.”

 

Keicherie declared firmly in response to Katio’s shouting.

Katio was left speechless, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief.

 

“…How can you say something so cruel!”

“…What’s so cruel about it!?”

Keicherie finally exploded.

 

“She’s not your sister! She’s not even related by blood, just a freeloader! So if she stepped aside and left the house because you’re getting married and I’m moving in, that’s perfectly reasonable, isn’t it!? On the contrary, why are you so desperate to find her? She didn’t ask for money and left quietly. You should be happy about that!”

 

Katio fell silent after being shouted at.

He had grown used to the obedient Gina, so Keicherie’s hysterical outburst irritated him. He felt the urge to threaten her into silence, but she was the daughter of a powerful merchant in the area. If he did something like that to the valuable source of wealth he had finally secured, the engagement would surely be broken off.

 

On top of that, this was her house. If he slapped her, he could be beaten and thrown out by her strong bodyguards.

He clenched his fists and endured in silence.

 

Seeing Katio like that, Keicherie sighed and re-crossed her legs.

“Just forget about her. You and I are getting married. That girl wasn’t family, just a freeloading nuisance. She knew her place and left. Isn’t that a good thing? You should be happy too.”

 

With those words, it became clear that Keicherie had played a part in Gina’s departure.

Most likely, when Gina came to apologize, Keicherie had threatened her and persuaded her to leave town.

After all, she was wealthy; it would’ve been easy to give Gina hush money and send her away.

 

Hiding his inner anger, Katio gave Keishorie a flattering smile and replied, “Yeah, you’re right.”

 

After leaving Keicherie’s house, Katio met up with his parents and shared his theory.

Since Keicherie’s family was involved, they couldn’t search carelessly.

However, it was clear that Gina had nowhere to go.

 

“She’s probably hiding out in the next town. I’ll go get her. Then we can hide her somewhere Keicherie won’t find her.”

When Katio said that, his parents nodded in agreement.