Chapter 188: Money Makes the World Go Round
“Oh come on, what’s there to rush about?”
Armand smiled at Anna like he always did. That warm smile made it hard for Anna to say anything harsh, even if she wanted to. She just bit the straw of her juice and softly sipped a few times.
“Mr. Armand, could it be that you don’t like Miss Evelia?”
Anna narrowed her eyes, but since Armand was wearing sunglasses, she couldn’t really see what kind of look he had in his eyes at the moment.
“Everyone in my manor was carefully chosen by me. How could there be any talk of liking or disliking?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“Do I? Is there something else behind your words? Haha, you know me, I’m just a fool who only knows how to fight. How would I understand those complicated things?”
As an important figure in the knight order, Armand didn’t really enjoy it, but he still had to talk to people.
When talking to nobles, it’s all about being careful with your words. Every sentence could have a trap in it. If you aren’t fully focused, you’ll get lost in the conversation.
In theory, as the commander of the knights, Armand should be good at “reading people’s thoughts,” but—
—Well, he was just a fool.
The moment he remembered how the nobles always talked about him being a “simple-minded idiot,” he felt at peace.
How could a fool understand those roundabout, tricky words? All he had to do was quietly sip his tea and listen. The only thing he needed to be careful of was not laughing out loud when people said strange things.
So phrases like “I don’t get it,” “I didn’t know,” and “I didn’t understand” became great shields for Armand. Whenever things got tricky, he’d just play dumb and make peace with himself.
Not having to think too much was actually pretty nice.
When Armand showed that “I don’t know what you’re talking about” face again, Anna wanted to say more. But then she remembered, after all, this was a private matter between Miss Evelia and Mr. Armand. As a friend, the best she could do was help a little. Saying too much might just annoy them. So she shut her mouth and looked at the writer next to her, who was still busy signing books.
To be fair, Clund really was a responsible author. Even though he clearly wanted to run away, when he saw the big pile of different editions of ‘The Maid’s Knight’ that Anna brought, he decided to seriously sign each one. For this loyal fan, he even drew little doodles of the characters from time to time when he was in a good mood.
Anna looked at the hard-working Clund, then glanced at Evelia in the distance. It was a little surprising that Evelia liked romance novels, and she really was reading one.
If Miss Evelia liked reading novels...
Then maybe… just maybe... she could try a gentler, more indirect approach?
“Mr. Clund.”
With that thought, Anna squatted next to the author who was still signing books and gave him a big smile.
Usually, when someone smiles like that, it means they’re up to something.
“...Hello, miss. Do you need something else?”
The moment Clund heard Anna call him, he quickly finished signing the last few books, stacked them up, and put them into the bag Anna brought. He was really hoping there wouldn’t be any more trouble.
“Can I talk to you over there for a moment?”
Anna gave Armand a little wave and then led Clund to a tree nearby. This mysterious behavior made Clund feel a little uneasy.
“Do you take commissions for writing?”
“Huh?”
Clund didn’t quite catch what Anna said and adjusted his sunglasses.
“It can actually be considered a spin-off of ‘The Maid’s Knight’, because I want you to write a story where the main characters are also a knight and a maid.”
Since Anna couldn’t directly interfere with how Evelia and Armand felt about each other, she thought of this idea instead.
—If Miss Evelia likes romance stories, then let’s write one just for her.
A great story always pulls people in. And if the characters are in a situation similar to her own, it might really touch her heart.
If Miss Evelia imagined herself as the main character of that novel, maybe she would start to long for love too, just like the girl in the story.
And maybe Mr. Armand would also be affected. There are many ways to get someone to read a story. Once he sees a story where the characters are very similar to himself and Miss Evelia, he’ll probably be interested and want to read more.
What comes next depends on the author.
It needs to be sweet. Really, really sweet. So sweet it makes your teeth hurt! That way, they’ll both start to understand what love feels like!
Even if it doesn’t have a huge effect in the end, Anna, as someone who loves romance (“sugar addict” for sweet love stories), would still be happy to have a novel like this to enjoy in the meantime.
“A story about a maid and a knight? Hmm…”
But Clund looked a bit unsure.
He knew the value of “striking while the iron is hot.” He had thought the same thing himself, while his current series was popular, it was the perfect time to write more books of the same type and make some good money.
But as an author, even if he was writing for money, he still wanted to write stories he enjoyed and could write smoothly. He didn’t know why Anna was suddenly asking for this kind of story. He just felt a bit stuck, because he wasn’t sure if he could write the kind of story she wanted.
Also… the biggest reason was, Clund was afraid that if he didn’t write it well, it could hurt both his income and his reputation.
“Mr. Clund, do you not want to write it?”
“Uh… well…”
Looking at how Anna had bought so many of his books, she really was one of his loyal fans. In a way, he was the kind of author who really cared about his readers. If something was within his ability, he would try to write what they asked for. If it didn’t fit the main story, he would even write bonus chapters and release them separately.
But taking on a whole new book project so suddenly… he still didn’t really want to.
“Miss, as you may know, we writers can’t always match everyone’s expectations. I’m very happy that you shared your fun ideas with me, but…”
Clund hesitated awkwardly, and in the end, he chose to gently turn her down.
“But sorry, miss. I don’t think I can write the kind of story you’re hoping for. I don’t want my ideas to be tied down by one person. I understand your passion, but I really want to write my own stories—”
Clink.
Before Clund could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt something heavy in his hand. At the same time, he heard the exciting sound of coins clashing together.
“Let’s just say this is a private commission, Mr. Clund.”
Anna had pushed her coin pouch into his hands. The weight of it made Clund’s heart tremble a little.
“Th-this… Miss, isn’t this a bit too much?”
Clink.
Without hesitation, Anna dropped another pouch of coins into his hands. Clund’s arms sank even lower.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t very strong, or maybe it was because this was the first time in his life a reader had handed him so much money, real gold coins, too! His legs gave out a bit, and he squatted right down, as if the weight of those coins had pressed him to the ground.
“Just go ahead and write it, Mr. Clund. The payment is more than enough. I’ll even take care of the investment. Since the weather’s hot, take this money and enjoy some cold juice. Once the book is done, I’ll also cover the marketing and promotion. You just focus on writing. I won’t rush you. Just write a sweet, romantic love story like the ones you’re good at.”
As she spoke, Anna took out some more paper money, folded it neatly, and tucked it into Clund’s shirt pocket. She gently patted his shoulder.
“You can do it, can’t you, Mr. Clund? I really love your books.”
Anna said this with a smile as warm and kind as an angel’s. She leaned forward to look at Clund, and the bright sun above her head shone with a blinding light.
The heavy gold coins sparkled in the sunlight. Clund, squatting there with all those coins in his hands, looked up at Anna—
And it was like he saw a goddess.
To be exact, the goddess of wealth.