In the days that followed, Ronald and Heloise’s feared incident never materialized.
Having sneaked out to the port to register an identity for entering Springs, Heloise came to the riverside district as Philis, and naturally ended up living with Ronald.
There were no unnecessary inquiries from the Investigation Bureau, nor any additional investigations from the Church.
The only change that did exist,
was perhaps the tiny increase in rent Ronald had to pay the landlady due to Heloise’s arrival, which was still within reasonable bounds.
On the afternoon of the third day, after everything was arranged,
Heloise, who believed she should fully immerse in her new identity, followed Ronald out of the boarding apartment on the third floor.
"Mr. Ronald, are we heading to the Ginkgo Leaf?"
Like a little follower, Heloise walked behind Ronald with a smile. The young girl now wore a cotton blouse and a black wool coat, her smooth black hair tied into a high ponytail hanging behind her head, revealing her clear forehead.
After a few days of close contact with Ronald,
the current Heloise showed none of the weakness of before. Her delicate skin glowed with a touch of red, and the dimples on her cheeks appeared now and then. A pair of snow-white hands confidently rested on her hips, a purple waist chain swaying with her slender waist, and she also draped a brown cape commonly worn by reporters over her shoulders.
As soon as they hit the streets, many gazes were immediately drawn to them.
Ronald, bearing those complicated looks from around, said to Heloise with a hint of resignation in his voice,
"Yes, that’s the Ginkgo Leaf. You’re now my apprentice, so it’s necessary for you to get to know my daily work life. And remember not to act like you do at home."
Hearing Ronald’s cautionary tone, Heloise quickly closed the distance between them and then playfully asked,
"Home, what about at home?"
"And, Mr. Ronald, I heard you’re acquainted with the nobility of the Nicholas family, when will you take me to meet them?"
"Next time, definitely next time."
"What do you mean definitely next time? We’ve been idle at home together every day, haven’t we!"
"There’s a carriage coming, I’ll go hail the carriage!"
Ronald really had no way of dealing with Heloise at the moment.
Under the girl’s relentless teasing, he quickly went to the roadside to hail the carriage.
The daily commute was unremarkable.
Taking the carriage from the riverside district, it didn’t take long to reach the adjacent business district.
Ronald, as a high-level professional hired by the merchants’ guild.
Even if people saw him walking into the guild with a beautiful girl, nobody gossiped about it. They went straight through the office buildings along the street and arrived at the rear where the courtyard was located.
Heloise seemed very familiar with this place.
Although Ronald led the way, she showed her understanding of the guild’s building layout, without even looking around curiously.
"Philis, have you been here before?"
"When traveling merchants come to Springs, they sometimes need to deal with business here."
Following her somewhat ambiguous response,
Ronald understood the meaning behind Heloise’s words.
Among the identities she had used before, there must have been a traveling merchant who visited the headquarters of the Ginkgo Leaf Business Alliance, so her familiarity was to be expected.
Arriving at the office, Ronald habitually sat in his chair, opened the cabinet, and looked for the books he kept there, while Heloise finally showed some interest and started looking around the office.
The two of them tacitly stayed in the office, not disturbing each other.
A quarter of an hour later, Ronald’s work assistant appeared at the office door with documents in hand.
Seeing Hailoys in the office, Karin’s eyes showed a clear surprise.
But Ronald was sitting at the office desk, silent, she pondered for a few seconds, then walked up to him,
"Mr. Ronald, this lady is...?"
"She is Philis, my apprentice. If all goes as expected, she should be by my side every day," Ronald immediately provided an answer.
Following Ronald’s introduction, Karin turned her head, her gaze resting on Hailoys.
"Yes, just call me Philis."
At that moment, Hailoys displayed a very gentle demeanor, even taking the initiative to walk up and bow slightly to Karin.
"I am from a small place where the teacher hails from. People from small places lack experience, so if there’s anything you need, just order me directly."
Seeing such a docile figure in Hailoys, Karin didn’t say much more.
She knew the commercial guild valued Ronald’s presence greatly.
Even with the addition of this young lady, the bigwigs of the guild would surely choose to accept her.
No, that’s not right...
Perhaps they would even be pleased...
Her gaze resting on Hailoys, Karin could of course see what an attractive and charming girl she was. Once this information reached the higher echelons of the guild, they would only be glad to have learned more about Ronald’s preferences.
"Well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Philis."
"I’ll organize and report your matters, but before that, I hope you could fill out this basic information form."
Karin moved proficiently.
As she spoke, she pulled a form from the documents she held and placed it on a side table in the office.
"Miss Philis, can you read and write?"
"Of course." Hailoys casually took a pen from Ronald’s desk and bent over the table, "Do I need to fill out everything?"
Karin immediately began to guide her:
"Name, age, and place of birth... these basics are all mandatory, but since you’re Mr. Ronald’s apprentice, there’s no need to write your personal history..."
After handling Hailoys’s information entry.
Karin confirmed a few things with Ronald and then left the office on her own.
And the quiet atmosphere of the office was maintained until the time just before closing.
When Ronald packed up his books and was pulling Hailoys out from under the office desk, the closed office door was knocked from the outside.
Knock, knock, knock ——
"Mr. Ronald, I’m coming in."
However, this time she knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before pushing it open to enter.
After scanning Ronald and Hailoys briefly, Karin wrinkled her nose, then walked over to the office desk.
While setting down the organized documents she was carrying, she also started to explain,
"Mr. Ronald, I’ve completed the information entry for Miss Philis."
"We’ve listed her under your name, so apart from not being paid an official salary, she should have no issues receiving the basic membership benefits of the guild."
"Also, today the guild has a matter we would like you to attend to, so we hope you can have a look."