"What do you mean, 'save the estate'? In this harsh world, it’s hard enough just to survive on my own. Forget it, let’s just run away now."

Penelope’s leg twitched instinctively.

"No, what kind of nonsense is that? The estate only has ten days' worth of emergency food left! Are you saying we should all die together? Where's your conscience?"

Her two inner voices clashed violently.

Unaware of the storm raging inside her, Sir Kane silently stood guard behind her.

In the end, Penelope stayed where she was.

Not because of some grand reason, but simply because she had nowhere else to go even if she ran. Abandoning the estate also pricked at her conscience.

How much time had passed? Finally, it was Penelope's turn.

Exhausted, she opened her mouth.

"I'm the acting lord of Halo Territory. I would like to speak with the branch manager."

She presented her identification, stamped with the estate’s seal. The bank clerk looked her over from head to toe, his expression making it clear how burdensome he found her request.

That attitude didn’t improve when she met with the branch manager.

"I understand you’ve come from Halo Territory. What business does the acting lord have with me?"

Penelope got straight to the point.

"I want to take out a loan from the Imperial Bank."

"Ah, as expected."

His tone suggested he had anticipated this.

The branch manager glanced over a document filled with dense numbers, his manner strictly businesslike.

He was examining potential revenue streams from Halo, though it was little more than a formal exercise.

Halo Territory's sources of income were no secret.

There were the taxes collected from villagers each autumn and the revenue from herb farming.

Halo grew red herbs in spring, blue herbs in summer, and green herbs in autumn, selling them for income. But this year, the harvest had been an utter failure.

Despite her embarrassment, Penelope kept her back straight and waited. For her and her people, this was their last lifeline.

After scanning the document indifferently, the branch manager raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"Six years ago, Halo Territory was approved for a loan. If you put up the farmland as collateral again, we can lend you 100,000 gold."

"100,000 isn’t nearly enough. Can’t you make an exception this time?"

"No matter how much you plead, the farmland in Halo Territory doesn’t have enough collateral value for more."

"But if you could just consider it this one time—"

The branch manager cut her off sharply.

"I think you’re misunderstanding something. The bank lends money based on profitability. Just because a noble asks for money doesn’t mean we hand it over."

His words came with a condescending tone, as if he were lecturing her from above.

There was a grinding sound as Sir Kane clenched his teeth in frustration.

"It’s not like this was unexpected."

Penelope swallowed her rising anger and spoke calmly.

"I'll put up the lord’s castle as collateral. Is that still not enough?"

"The lord’s castle?"

The branch manager’s eyes sparkled with interest. Offering the lord’s castle was tantamount to declaring she would give up the estate entirely.

"My lady, that’s—"

Sir Kane’s voice trembled as he started to speak, but Penelope raised a hand to silence him.

"Sir, please don’t say anything here."

If they didn’t secure the loan today, the villagers wouldn’t survive until spring.

No, someone might starve to death in less than two weeks. The estate’s largest source of income had already dried up.

If that happened, the villagers would scatter in search of a way to live.

Most of them would end up as slash-and-burn farmers, vagrants, or mercenaries, only to meet untimely deaths. That was the typical fate of the impoverished who lost their homes.

"……"

Sir Kane clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, lowering his head in resignation. He was well aware that the estate’s finances were teetering on the brink of collapse.

But the branch manager wasn’t about to wait for them to wallow in despair.

“So, how much are you looking to borrow?”

Penelope's head shot up. For the first time, a glimmer of hope lit up in her eyes.

Swallowing hard, she opened her mouth.

“One million gold. Please lend me one million gold.”

“One million… Hmm…”

Although surprised, the branch manager didn’t think it was an unreasonable amount.

The prospect of swallowing up a northern estate for a mere million gold made his eyes gleam with greed.

‘Even if I only seize the estate’s valuables, I can recoup the principal in no time,’ he thought.

The idea of leveling the estate and building a luxurious villa for nobles promised further profit. The fact that Halo Territory was near a grand duchy only added to its allure.

Still, the branch manager hesitated to give a definitive answer. His twisted desire to drag things out and unsettle the noblewoman in front of him was stronger.

‘If I take over the lord’s castle, this haughty woman will have nowhere to go,’ he thought, relishing the image.

It was then that Penelope delivered her ultimatum.

“The repayment term will be one year.”

“Very well. One year. The interest rate will be 10%, payable monthly,” the branch manager said with a sly smile, extending his hand.

Penelope bit her lower lip hard.

“Damn it. Even the interest rate is insane.”

The inflated interest rates were another ripple effect caused by the heroine of the original story. Even so, the Imperial Bank was considered lenient compared to others.

Lowering her gaze, Penelope stared at the branch manager’s outstretched hand before standing up.

“I want the loan disbursed in Imperial gold coins.”

For the first time, the branch manager’s expression showed a hint of dismay.

The Emperor’s death had triggered a cascade of economic turmoil, with skyrocketing prices being a prime example. Paper currency was depreciating daily, while gold coins, melted from solid gold, retained their stability.

But giving such a precious resource to the acting lord of Halo felt like an enormous waste.

“My sincerest apologies, but there aren’t many gold coins stored in our vault. Bank-issued promissory notes are widely accepted, even in the north, so I’ll provide the loan in notes instead.”

“If you won’t give me gold coins, I’ll take my business to Tembel Bank,” Penelope retorted.

Her words hit the branch manager like a bolt of lightning.

‘Tembel Bank?!’

Tembel Bank was the Imperial Bank’s greatest rival.

If their unscrupulous and avaricious president caught wind of this, he might lend Halo’s acting lord not just one million gold, but two million.

‘With a one-year repayment term, that would be a windfall.’

The branch manager was confident Halo Territory wouldn’t repay the loan within a year. Forget the principal; they might not even manage the interest.

It was the naïve mistake of an inexperienced noblewoman with no grasp of economics.

‘She probably thinks she’ll be able to pay back one million gold easily,’ he mused with derision.

In a few months, she’d realize otherwise. She’d come to understand they didn’t have the means to earn even a single penny on their own.

He sneered inwardly.

‘Piece by piece, I’ll seize the estate as collateral, until the entire territory belongs to us. And who knows? Maybe I’ll claim her too.’

The branch manager’s smirk grew wider.

‘What’s with that look?’

Penelope instinctively recoiled, a shiver running down her spine. Sir Kane glared at the branch manager with icy eyes.

“I must have been mistaken about our gold coin reserves,” the branch manager said smoothly, masking his agitation. “Give me an hour—or better yet, let’s finalize the contract immediately.”

In less than an hour, the branch manager handed Penelope a heavy pouch filled with gold coins.

Sir Kane silently slung the pouch over his shoulder, and Penelope gathered the loan documents.

“Safe travels. I look forward to our next meeting,” the branch manager said as he personally escorted them to the door.

Sir Kane heaved a sigh as he placed the pouch of gold coins onto the carriage. His expression made it clear he regarded the coins as more of a burden than a blessing.

‘At least I secured the loan,’ Penelope thought, her heart pounding wildly as she stood motionless for a moment.

Her knees felt weak, like she’d just been electrocuted.

‘God, I thought my heart was going to explode.’

She had pressed on out of sheer stubbornness, never truly believing she’d succeed.

Somehow, she’d overcome one of the greatest obstacles in this desperate situation.

From the manager’s satisfaction, it was clear he thought the repayment term of one year was ideal.

Even Penelope couldn’t deny that if someone else had claimed they could repay one million gold in a year, she would’ve thought they were insane.

‘For now, I have the money. Now… where do I go from here?’