Chapter 67, After Gina Disappeared 2 – Part 2

Translator: Lizz

The master raised his head as if trying to pull himself together and said to the stunned Katio.

“Katio. Starting tomorrow, you’re entering the workshop.”

Katio was astonished.

It was true that he had been trained to some extent as the heir to the workshop.

But he had always relied entirely on Gina and had never properly apprenticed.

Even with the clothing shops they had business with, he could only manage superficial connections.

The master had originally possessed the skill level worthy of owning a workshop, and though he had long since stepped back from the front lines, he still retained knowledge of clothing.

But Katio, who had been lazy and never studied properly, didn’t even have that.

Just like the master who had left everything to Gina and done nothing himself, Katio had also foisted everything on Gina. And he hadn’t even realized it.

Katio tried to use searching for Gina as an excuse to refuse, but the master saw through it and glared at him.

“If not, I’ll disown you. …You’re the heir. Either way, you can’t escape training. Until I’ve spoiled you since Gina was around, but you’re already getting married. You can’t avoid it anymore!”

Faced with that terrifying glare, Katio reluctantly nodded.

“…Hey, what about Mother?”

Trying to change the subject, Katio asked, and the master frowned.

“She said she had no intention of doing housework, so after I shouted at her a few times she went back to her family home. …If she plans to not do housework and stay there, I’ll divorce her.”

Katio was speechless.

How had things come to this just because Gina was gone? He stood there in stunned silence.

Both the master and Katio wanted to search for Gina properly, but the obstacle was Katio’s fiancée, Keicherie.

It was almost certainly Keicherie who had driven Gina out of town.

If they carelessly filed a missing person’s report with the guards and she took offense, or worse, became furious and broke off the engagement, it would be disastrous.

They didn’t know how much money had been paid to Gina, but convinced themselves that if she had no money she would have no choice but to return. So instead of filing a report, Katio went with the master to Keicherie’s house and appealed to her parents about their predicament.

Keicherie felt no guilt, since she hadn’t driven Gina out but only helped her escape. Still, because it was her beloved fiancé in trouble, she asked her father to lend them money.

She also promised to help gather capable employees.

Having escaped immediate hardship, the master grabbed the reluctant Katio by the scruff of his neck, taught him all the knowledge he could, and made him practice with the needle.

“Listen, even if Gina comes back, you’re the heir and you can’t avoid this kind of study. I regret having spoiled you too much, so I’ll drill you thoroughly. —Let me tell you, my own apprenticeship was far harsher, about ten times worse than what I’m making you do. I’m keeping it at a level where even a good-for-nothing like you won’t give up, so be grateful.”

With such unreasonable words, he forced lessons onto Katio.

But for Katio, who had lived an easy life until now, it was too much to bear.

He kept going to his fiancée under the pretense of checking in on her.

…Though even that gradually became a lie.

Keicherie was a strong-willed young lady.

At first she was delighted to have taken Katio from Gina, but she grew tired of his insensitive arrogance, and arguments between them became more frequent.

Katio was a spoiled only son, and the one always by his side had been the obedient Gina.

Katio grew irritated with Keicherie’s spoiled princess behavior. At first he endured her harsh words with a forced smile, letting them slide, but eventually he couldn’t stand it anymore and argued back, leading to quarrels.

He had used visiting Keicherie’s house as an excuse to escape, but gradually he began to dislike going there, only pretending to go while actually skipping out.

The mistress of the house, thinking it was about time Gina had returned, showed up and was shocked to find the home in ruins.

The master glanced at her and declared, ‘f you intend to come back into this house, start with cleaning and laundry. If you don’t like it, then divorce. I don’t have the means to keep a useless freeloader.’

The mistress reluctantly nodded.

Even at her family home she had been met with disapproving looks, constantly asked ‘When are you going back?’, and felt unwelcome.

She had been treated as a guest for only a few days, and when she stayed longer she was forced to do housework while enduring endless snide remarks. So she decided that living here was still the lesser evil.

Katio’s slacking was discovered by the master.

Caught idling about, he was grabbed by the scruff and dragged back home.

“If you do it again, you won’t be allowed in this house. You’ll have to live at Keicherie’s family home.”

The master threatened, and so Katio begrudgingly continued his training, getting shouted at every day.

‘If Gina comes back, everything will return to normal.’

That was what everyone believed as they went about their daily chores.

…But Gina never returned.

And the situation only grew worse with each passing day.