The news of Layla staying in the inn spread like wildfire. People knew that someone with a lot of money was steering into the local 'luxury' inn and had brought the whole place out.

It made people feel envious, and a lot of them decided to rob her and take her things away.

The inn owner heard all these rumors and was afraid that her inn would suffer greatly because of what was about to happen soon.

She did not have enough power or resources to stop these people. The only thing she could do was try her luck before these people came and robbed her customer.

That way, she would be safe and rich, even after what was about to happen. And none of the rumors would hurt her long-term.

'My customer also looks like she has a hefty bank account. I should get her to sign me as a benefactor so I can keep using her funds. It won't be difficult to get someone like her to sign some papers under the guise of them being a condition of staying at my inn.'

The innkeeper had seen many nobles before, and as a general rule, she knew that the more beautiful a noble was, the dumber they would be.

It was because nobles loved beautiful things and people and wanted to possess them. The most common way to ensure this happened was to keep these people ignorant and guessing their future.

That meant allowing them everything they wanted but not giving them any means to achieve this themselves.

All beautiful nobles lived in glided cages before they were ultimately sold off. And the young and wealthy noble in her room won't be an exception.

It won't surprise the innkeeper that this was the last trip this girl could take outside alone. She was approaching the age where the nobles were married off to others.

So, the innkeeper waited until dinner before she brought up the agreement.

The older lady had paid the attorney a lot of money to keep his mouth shut and draft this contract. She had also made it bound by magic so that it would hold.

Once it was time, the innkeeper collected all the dishes and brought up the topic she had been dying to discuss.

"Miss, you have been staying in this inn for a day, so you must sign and complete the paperwork to stay here.

Here, this is the contract that we usually have the customers sign to ensure their safety and that they do not cause us any trouble. Please sign at the bottom. Ah, don't worry about a thing! This is not a shady business deal I am proposing to you. This is all official."

The innkeeper quickly assured Layla about this since she could see suspicion in the young female's eyes.

"Can I see the contract?"

Layla asked, and the innkeeper felt a shred of doubt for the first time.

She did not like how confidently Layla had asked to be handed this contract. That usually meant that she knew how to read and write.

"Y-You know what? Second, I do not need to have a distinguished lady as you sign it. We can extend your stay without a contract-"

"It's fine. I will sign the contract if you show it to me. Or is it something you cannot show me? Is this some kind of trick I should be aware of?"

Layla asked jokingly, but the way she spoke sent goosebumps down the innkeeper's back.

Suddenly, the innkeeper was hyper-aware of what she had to do, and she quickly tore up the agreement before Layla could get her hands on it.

"I told you that this is nothing. You should not feel bothered by something like this. Should I get more soup for you? I will get some soft bread as well-"

The lady tried to make a move and head out, but she could not move when she tried to. Her body felt frozen, and she struggled to move her hands and meet.

Layla easily walked over to her and plucked the torn contract out of her hands.

"When I asked you to let me see it, you should have shown it to be. There was no need to be this shy with me."

Layla spoke as she grabbed the torn papers and quickly put them together to see what the maid had brought her.

The maid watched in horror as Layla glanced over the appears. But her horror turned into confusion as soon as she noticed the grin on Layla's face.

"I see! This was a good plan to get a lot of money quickly. But do you know I would have given you money if you had asked me for some? I am not such a bastard as to hold my money back when someone needs it."

The innkeeper suddenly looked hopeful that she would survive this encounter unharmed. Layla was a noble, and a single word from her could be enough to cause trouble.

Even if this town valued strength above all, Layla's unique appearance and her money would be enough to attract attention.

So, it was truly a stroke of luck that the innkeeper was forced into this situation, and the noblelady even gave her a way out.

"No matter how much money you ask me for, I can give it to you. All you have to do is sign here and write an amount. Once this is done, I will hand you the money you requested. Go on! There is no need for you to hesitate."

The innkeeper felt her hesitation melt under Layla's tempting words. Before she knew it, she had reached out to grab that pen and jolt her name on that bottom line.

With this, the innkeeper sold her life to Layla, but she did not even realize it.

"Good! With this, our deal had been completed. It is nice to have you with me, innkeeper. I hope you pay up your dues soon."