Savior’s First Lady

He finally answered.

“The current police chief’s term is about to end. He is awaiting reappointment.”

“And?”

“He has a political rival. That rival happens to be an old acquaintance of Burke.”

“Are you saying that rival might have taken bribes from Burke?”

“That’s something they will investigate. I merely made a suggestion to the chief. ‘Wouldn’t you achieve what you want if you made a significant contribution?’ For example…”

“Catching the notorious loan shark Burke whom no one else could apprehend?”

“Your comprehension is impressive.”

This man isn’t just a cool and charming figure with anger management issues. This man is…

‘A cunning strategist.’

I swallowed dryly. I didn’t realize in my dream how formidable my husband could be.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

Eden said.

“I understand that Burke extorted money from you. So, who did you give the remaining gold coins to? If you’re ready to talk, I’d be glad to hear it.”

I carefully smiled, a smile mixed with apology.

“I gave the money to the family of my father’s business partner…who are also my friends.”

Now that Lydia’s admission to the vocational college was secure, I judged it was safe to explain to Eden about the Endwerpen family.

“I’ll repay that money by saving on living expenses or by working. The Endwerpen family, my friend’s family, also promised to repay as much as they could once their situation improved. By the way, their debt was to a bank, not a loan shark, so it’s different from my situation.”

Eden’s expression didn’t change as he listened to my explanation.

“So, it was nothing significant in the end.”

“…Nothing significant?”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Were you afraid I’d ask for the money back that I gave to that family?”

He hit the nail on the head. My cheeks reddened slightly.

“Partly that, and also, saying that I let a loan shark extort money from our family and paid off other people’s debts would make me seem crazy.”

My voice was starting to get a bit emotional.

“But the Endwerpen family is like my own family. So, I felt responsible.”

“Is there anyone else you need to repay?”

“No, really. No more debts. I’m clean now!”

“Having some debt doesn’t make a person dirty. You say the strangest things.”

Eden sounded exasperated.

“Then it’s settled.”

“…Is that all?”

I blinked. No matter how you look at it, losing such a large sum of money would naturally make someone angry. He could have demanded repayment. At the very least, he could have made a big deal about it.

Isn’t that how people usually react?

“Of course, it’s not all.”

“Ah, I knew it…”

“There should be a document on the table. Can you bring it to me?”

I was sitting on the sofa. Eden had placed a bag and a document envelope on the side table.

I handed it to Eden.

“What’s this?”

“A promissory note between Burke and your father. As you can see, the interest rate is excessively high. The maximum interest rate allowed by law is 8%. But he illegally charged over 14%.”

“I remember. My father’s business struggled before he passed away. Someone introduced him to the loan shark Burke to secure emergency funds.”

My father did his best to settle the business. He tried to pay the employees’ severance and repay all debts.

He used all the remaining money to send me to a convent, leaving nothing for himself.

And eventually, he died alone in a hospital.

“At the time of your father’s death, the principal and some interest calculated at the legal maximum interest rate were already paid off.”

My hand twitched.

“But Burke said I still owed interest.”

“That’s what he claimed. Forcing someone to pay more than the legal interest rate is illegal. Burke has been extorting debtors using violence rather than legal means.”

“Then…”

“I’ve discussed it with my lawyer. Burke will go to prison, and you will get back the money he illegally extorted from you.”

I felt a lump in my throat. I clutched the document tightly, trying not to get my hopes up.

“Can I get back all the living expenses he took?”

Burke had taken 1600 gold coins from me, which was a year’s worth of living expenses.

“You’ll get more.”

“More, more?”

“You’ll also get back the excessive interest your father paid.”

I followed Eden’s gesture to the last page.

It listed an amount of 2400 gold coins.

“A total of 2400 gold coins…”

My mind went blank.

I automatically calculated in my head.

That’s over 220 million won in Yoon Sihyun’s world.

“That’s how much you’ll be getting back.”

“There’s no way Burke will give that money. Even if he returns the living expenses, he’d still owe several hundred gold coins more.”

“I already secured his agreement.”

“How did you…?”

“I came to an agreement. In the interrogation room.”

My father’s money. The inheritance he couldn’t leave behind. Eden retrieved it and returned it to me.

“I hope this brings you some comfort from the loss of your father.”

I felt tears welling up.

Did Eden beat up Burke because of me?

Such an agreement, it’s really too, too…

“You’re amazing.”

I looked at Eden with eyes glistening with admiration.

“You were so bold, perfect. Amazing. I’m so happy! Thank you, Sir Eden!”

Although my eyes of admiration seemed to make him slightly uncomfortable, so what?

I grabbed Eden’s hand. His hand flinched.

“In what way?”

“For handling Burke for our family.”

For the record, our family currently consists of Eden and me, just the two of us, so he made half of the household very happy.

“…Our family?”

“It’s not someone else’s family, right? Is it?”

His voice, which came out a moment later, was slightly husky.

“We will proceed with this through my lawyer as quickly as possible, so you should get the money back within a month. I guarantee it.”

I nodded vigorously, a smile spreading across my face.

Eden withdrew his hand. Our hands brushed lightly.

“I’m not used to saying this.”

Eden spoke softly.

“Thank you, too. For organizing the house. And for dinner.”

“It’s nothing. It’s not difficult at all.”

With Yoon Sihyun’s skills, cooking is now just a joyful task for me.

“If you want, I’ll always make you a warm dinner, Sir Eden. Just for my husband.”

“…”

Eden was silent. I was so elated at the thought of getting my father’s money back that I didn’t know what to do with myself.

I felt like I was floating on a cloud all evening.