PBUY Chapter 01

 01

Nellie stared up at the ceiling.

A large chandelier glittered brilliantly above her. The woman sitting across from her, clearly the interviewer, wore a dress that looked far from ordinary, and her demeanor came off as rather stern.

"You said you’ve done this kind of work before, right?"

"Yes, that's right!"

Nellie quickly nodded and responded.

"I cared for a bedridden lady for three years."

"And what brought you to the city?"

"After the lady I was caring for passed away, I lost my job."

The late Mrs. Hudson, whom she had most recently cared for, was considered fairly wealthy back in Nellie’s hometown. But after her only son left for the city, she had no one to look after her. Nellie ended up becoming almost like a granddaughter to her.

But when Mrs. Hudson passed away, Nellie lost both her cozy little room and her job, because, as if waiting for that moment, her son immediately sold off the house.

"So, once you earn money, what do you plan to do with it?"

"I want to open a café… somewhere with a view of the Newdane Harbor."

The elegant-looking woman nodded at Nellie’s answer.

"Alright. Can you start tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

To get accepted after just one interview, without having to run around different agencies?

If her grandmother were watching from heaven, she would surely have said, "Well done, Nellie!"

But Nellie hadn’t even found a place to stay yet…

As she hesitated, the woman added.

"What about the day after tomorrow?"

"I can do that!"

Nellie exclaimed confidently, and the previously stern interviewer offered a gentle smile.

"Good. I’ll give you the address, please report there for work."

"This isn’t the house?"

Nellie asked, clearly caught off guard. She had assumed she would be working here, after all, even the job posting listed this address.

The woman gave her an awkward smile.

"…I live nearby."

Although the sentence lacked a clear subject, Nellie instinctively picked up on the implication.

Was this… a scam?

Come to think of it, the woman had never actually said who Nellie would be caring for.

Nellie swallowed nervously and asked.

"Who exactly will I be looking after?"

"You’ll know when you see. You’re the fourth one."

The woman stood up and added.

"I really hope you’ll stay long. We’ll pay you top wages for this neighborhood."

Nellie was practically ushered out of the house. In her hand, she held only a slip of paper with an address written on it.

[Fitz Street, No. 331]

The sunlight blazed overhead. She was scheduled to start work the day after tomorrow, and there was no time for luxury like thinking things over. First, she needed a place to stay.

***

Only after spending the entire day searching did Nellie finally manage to find a boarding house. It was less than half the size of the room she'd once had with Mrs. Hudson, yet the rent was outrageous.

"Sixty Dils. No less. Breakfast is served on the first floor at six sharp every morning. If you're late, you miss it. Dinner’s at eight in the evening. So, are you taking it or not?"

With no better options, Nellie nodded reluctantly.

Due to the flood of people coming into the city in search of work, finding a decent room was like trying to pluck a star from the sky.

And starting tomorrow, she had to go to work, caring for someone she knew nothing about. She didn’t even know if it was a man or woman, young or elderly.

Lying in bed, Nellie found herself imagining who her future charge might be.

"Hopefully… it’s an old lady with plenty of years still ahead of her…"

That way, she could eventually open her dream café in a lovely spot overlooking Newdane Harbor.

The next morning.

Nellie woke up early and set off for her destination.

She clutched the slip of paper with the address tightly in her hand.

Fitz Street was about a thirty-minute walk away at her pace.

As she got closer, the roads became wider, the houses bigger, and there were fewer people on the streets.

When she saw a mailbox labeled "No. 332," Nellie turned her head, then the house next door must be No. 331.

What stood before her was a solid white mansion, towering like a fortress.

A small lawn stretched out in front of it, neatly trimmed and well cared for.

Seeing how well-maintained it was, she figured they must have a gardener.

Taking a deep breath, Nellie climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

She knocked twice. A slow reply came from inside.

"Yes?"

It was a man’s voice, his age hard to guess.

After a moment’s wait, the door creaked open slowly.

Peeking through the gap, a man revealed himself with a guarded gaze.

He was strikingly handsome, with a pale face and sharply defined features. A large scar above one eyebrow gave him a distinctive look.

Nellie assumed he must be the gardener or perhaps the caretaker of the mansion.

After all, she had been expecting to take care of an elderly woman.

"Who are you?"

The man looked down at Nellie and asked in a quiet voice.

"Hello, I’m Nellie McKay. I’ve come to start working today."

"Work?"

Apparently, the man hadn’t been told anything by the woman who had interviewed her.

Nellie still didn’t know what exact relationship the interviewer had with the person she was supposed to care for. Regardless, she smiled with the same warm expression she used with Mrs. Hudson.

"I was told there’s someone in this house I’ll be caring for, um…"

Nellie struggled to recall the name of the older woman who had conducted her interview.

"Mrs. Gerard?"

"Gerard?"

"Then… Jefferson…?"

"……"

"Jenkins?"

The man looked at her suspiciously, as if hearing those names for the first time.

"Ah! Mrs. James! That’s who I interviewed with…"

"Mrs. James?"

The handsome man frowned and muttered under his breath.

"She’s gone and done something useless."

Nellie quickly pulled her résumé from her bag.

"If you take a look at my résumé…"

She tried slipping the slightly crumpled sheet through the narrow gap in the door.

But the man pushed her hand away firmly, making it clear he wouldn’t allow any intrusion.

"It’s not necessary. Please leave."

"Excuse me?"

"There’s no such person here. I said leave."

"And what gives you the right to say that? I need to meet the employer in person first."

Nellie leaned forward, trying to peer through the crack in the door. But the man was quicker.

"I said, there’s no job."

He yanked the door shut, not caring that Nellie’s face was still partly in the way.

"Ahh!"

Her cheek got caught in the door, and Nellie just barely managed to yank her face back in time before she cried out.

"You almost hurt me! You can’t just slam the door like that! Hey!"

But there was no response from inside the firmly shut door, even though he must have clearly heard her yell.

"What the hell?"

Nellie shouted in frustration in front of the firmly shut door.

"What kind of inconsiderate jerk slams a door in someone’s face?!"

A startled dog somewhere nearby began barking, "Woof! Woof!"

"You barbarian! You’ve got not a shred of decency! Go rot in hell, you lunatic!"

She muttered under her breath while rubbing her stinging cheek.

"Does he think he owns the place or something?"

She stomped her foot in anger, but the house beyond the closed door remained completely silent.

Short of smashing the front door down with an axe, it seemed impossible to get inside.

And truthfully, though it was a long story, Nellie had once broken through a front door with an axe. So it wasn’t exactly outside her skill set…

But then, what about her pay for today?

Nellie didn’t want to waste even a single day’s wage.

Fuming, she decided to march back to the mansion where she’d had the interview. She was going to tattle.

Boarding a tram from Fitz Street, Nellie arrived at the mansion in no time.

She took a sharp breath to steady her nerves, then knocked on the door.

A refined voice answered from inside.

"Yes, who is it?"

"It’s Nellie McKay. I had an interview with you, Mrs. James."

"Is something the matter?"

Mrs. James briefly furrowed her brows before relaxing her expression.

"I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, but I was turned away at the door without even getting to meet anyone."

Nellie made sure to emphasize that she had been thrown out.

"What? But they’re always at home. Was no one there?"

Mrs. James asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"There was definitely a man there. Looked like a gardener…"

"A gardener?"

"Yes. That crazy, I mean, that man told me there was no one to care for and that I should leave."

"……"

"In the process, we had a bit of a scuffle, and I ended up getting this bruise on my face."

"He’s sensitive, yes, but he’s not the type to hit anyone…"

Well, no. He didn’t exactly hit her. But Nellie was still hit, by the front door.

Hi~ If you enjoy the translation and would like to support me or this site, feel free to visit my ko-fi by clicking here~