Savior’s First Lady

Additionally, Mr. Andwarf had even signed as a guarantor for some of the bonds.

‘Then my father’s business went bankrupt, and the entire family was left out on the streets.’

Mr. Andwarf took on my father’s debt, trying to juggle money here and there, until he eventually died of overwork.

They said that Mr. Andwarf never once blamed my father until the day he closed his eyes.

“This is not the time for this, please come this way. I’ll prepare some tea.”

Lydia led me to the kitchen. She took out old crockery and served tea. Although it was cheap tea, it was brewed with care and its pleasant aroma quickly put me at ease.

Lydia placed the teacup down and sat across from me.

“Thank you so much for sending the money, Miss. The entire family is genuinely grateful.”

Marrying a famous person sometimes means experiencing surprising events.

I met Eden while fleeing from the convent and working at an inn. Then there was that incident.

After that, I quickly married Eden. The news of our marriage spread to everyone, and the luxury hotel where the reception was held even had its name printed in the newspaper.

No one in the convent cared for me, but for some reason, they gathered the letters sent to me and forwarded them to the hotel.

Thanks to those letters being delivered by hand, I received a bundle of them the day after the reception.

Most were threatening letters and debt collection notices from the loan shark Burke. However, there was one letter from Lydia among them. It had arrived two months before the wedding.

Anyway, Lydia’s letter was heartfelt.

She wrote about how the whole family was working day and night to pay off the debt, but they desperately needed money for something urgent.

She asked if I could lend her some money temporarily if I had any to spare.

Additionally, she mentioned that her youngest brother, Yusuf, was suffering from an unknown illness and was very sick.

“Thank you? It was something I had to do.”

A pang of guilt for Eden stung my chest. I would pay it back, but still.

“By the way, Lydia, we were like sisters when we were young. Why call me Miss? Our family has been ruined for a while now. Besides, you’re four years older than me.”

“You’ll always be a miss, Miss. That doesn’t change.”

Lydia spoke firmly.

“How is the rest of the family?”

Lydia hesitated.

“Yusuf is still very sick. He’s sleeping now. He’ll be very happy if you could see him later.”

Lydia has one younger sister and one younger brother. The youngest, Yusuf, was a very cute baby who was very attached to Bryn.

“Mother is out working. Thanks to you, she was able to reduce her workload a bit and regain her health. Oh, and Silin still rarely comes out of her room. I’ll let her know you’re here, and if she wants to, she’ll come out.”

These are the people who took on my father’s business debt. They’ve endured hardships while still addressing me as Miss with utmost respect.

Despite their struggles, they would send me handkerchiefs made from scrap fabric or knitted shawls every winter.

“Thank you for holding on all this time. It must have been tough.”

“I sent the letter to you on the off chance that you were in a noble residence… but I didn’t have high hopes.”

I nodded awkwardly.

Lydia had no idea how I received her letter or that I had actually fled from the convent.

“So, what was the urgent need for money?”

Lydia hesitated.

“First, I want to clear up any misunderstandings. I had no idea you were marrying someone as famous as Sir Eden. I sent the letter requesting help before the marriage announcement came out. I didn’t intend to latch onto you just because you married a wealthy man. I genuinely meant to pay back the money.”

“I know. You’re not that kind of person. If you were, I wouldn’t have sent the money.”

Lydia nodded slightly.

“Thank you for believing me. Actually… I’ve been working three jobs every day up to now.”

Even in this area, there are cafes in the big city that stay open late into the night. They’re similar to 24-hour cafes from my past life.

Lydia worked part-time as a waitress at one of those cafes in the morning.

In the afternoon, she was a local teacher. And at night, she worked as a bartender.

I knew she was managing all three jobs. She even took care of her siblings in between. She only got about four hours of sleep a day.

I always felt guilty about Lydia’s lifestyle.

Although she was older than me, Lydia was the daughter of my father’s subordinate. She was one of the people I had to take care of.

That’s why I sent the money to pay off the debt without consulting Eden. It was right after we got married.

‘But in the dream, the future me ignored Lydia.’

I didn’t want to boast about a clumsy good deed. In truth, it was more of an act to alleviate my guilt.

Lydia tried to keep in touch with me, but the me in the dream simply replied, ‘I don’t owe you anything, so don’t contact me.’

I was worried Eden might find out about the money I sent and didn’t want to reconnect with past acquaintances unnecessarily.

The future me was depressed. It was only natural that I couldn’t think logically.

‘A benefactor, the scent of a benefactor.’

I looked at Lydia with a peculiar expression.

The truth is, this family is anything but ordinary.

Because, in the future, Lydia and Silin would become remarkable talents.

‘First, Lydia. She would grow into a legendary figure, the youngest female accountant and advisor to a famous merchant guild.’

Lydia was actually a genius with an extraordinary talent for numbers. She would win several arithmetic competitions in the future.

Eventually, Lydia would become a very competent accountant.

< I was extremely poor. But thanks to the money sent by the daughter of my father’s old boss, I was able to receive proper vocational education for the first time. Without her help, I would have given up on everything. >

Lydia said this in an interview in a newspaper article.

Who else could that daughter of the old boss be? Of course, it was me.

When I read this article in the dream, I was… homeless. The shock of reading such content in an abandoned newspaper was profound.

I considered going to Lydia for help. But the whole world despised me.

I was ashamed to reach out to Lydia, who had now become successful, and thought I wouldn’t receive any help anyway. I was the one who had cut ties first out of shame.

‘I want to punch my dream self for severing ties with such a good connection.’

As I was thinking this, I noticed a book under a piece of fine clothing that looked like a mending job on the table.

“Lydia, isn’t this a textbook? Basic Accounting?”

Lydia was startled.

“Ah, Miss… that’s…”

Lydia stammered.

“I’m sorry. I should have been honest from the beginning. Actually, I got into an advanced vocational school for accounting.”

“That’s amazing, Lydia. What’s the name of the school?”

“It’s Rockwood Vocational College. It’s a prestigious institution with a long history. They have an excellent scholarship program. I received a full scholarship. To maintain the scholarship, I have to reduce my work hours to study… I was so close to paying off the debt. But I couldn’t cut down on Yusuf’s medication costs…”

It was just like the future I knew, but I pretended not to know.

“But isn’t Rockwood Vocational College only open to men?”

Rockwood Vocational College is a kind of commercial school that produces top-notch accountants and managers.

The problem is that, at this point, Rockwood only admits male students.

So, Lydia would disguise herself as a man and use a relative’s name to enroll at Rockwood.

After much hardship, she would successfully complete her studies and then take the accountant’s exam under her real name and pass.

The reason I couldn’t tell Eden about Lydia was because of this.

Eden was a holy knight who revered justice and righteousness. I didn’t want to involve him in this slightly illegal matter.

However, I also didn’t want to block Lydia’s path. I wanted to leave things as they were until it succeeded.

‘Now that I know things are working out well, that’s enough.’