In a previous life, I heard that Maletta’s sister died of starvation at the Rambouillet Relief Center. Ariadne intended to show her to Maletta. If you don't listen to me properly, I'll leave you here. You will meet the same fate as your sister.
“I want to go to a place where there are more sick and difficult people. Is there anything I can do?”
“There is a bathing service for sick people…”
“Then, let's do that.”
***
There was a reason why the official was speechless. It's a good word, but the bath service was horrendous in reality. In the long, isolated corridor, the sick, who seemed to have no chance of recovery, were lying on dirty straw mats. The shadow of death hung thickly over their thorn-like bodies. There were no facilities, supplies, or people to properly care for them. No matter how bad the finances were because it was operated solely on the Queen’s budget, the situation was so terrible that it can be safely regarded as maliciously building a shell and deliberately starving the poor.
“This is why the manager didn't want to let me in.’
Unlike Ariadne, who was immersed in her thoughts leisurely, Maletta’s expression was pale. It was only two years ago that Isabella rescued her from this mess. Memories in hunger, cold and fear of dying were vividly reviving. Maletta frantically scanned the area for the sick child with red hair. What will Maletta do when she finds her sister whom she abandoned two years ago? Ariadne was also looking for a sick person with red hair.
‘Is it that child?’
When Ariadne began to approach the little girl among the sick, Maletta was taken aback.
“May Lady, wait…!”
Thinking that she had to leave before she ran into her sister, Maletta turned blue and grabbed Ariadne’s wrist. The cuffs exposed outside the clothes and Maletta’s hand, that is bareskin, touched each other.
***
Flash!
Intense dizziness came, and I thought that lighting and hazy clouds flashed through my head, but Ariadne ‘saw’ something in her head.
‘I can only take one person. Which of the two of you should I take?’
It was Isabella. Isabella was standing outside the Rambouillet Re;ief Center, where the sick were housed. Standing in front of her was Maletta, her younger sister, who is more scruffy, and skinny, freckled girl with the same red hair as Maletta.
‘ Who is smarter and who works harder?’
The skinny girl pleaded with Isabella.
‘Lady, we have been growing up together since childhood. We will work hard, so please reap with us!’
Isabella had a sad expression on her face.
‘There is only one seat. Tell me why I should choose you, no why I should take you both.’
Little Maletta pushed the skinny girl beside her and knelt in front of Isabella. Almost prostrating herself on the floor and holding her hands together, Maletta called out to Isabella imploringly.
‘Lady! Sancha has bad hand habits and has an incurable cough!’
Sancha looked back at Maletta with a shocked expression. Maletta gritted her teeth and turned away from Sancha.
‘If you take only one person, it's definitely me! She’s too young to be of any help, and she’s as weak and feeble as a young mouse! I will work like a cow! Take me with you, Young Lady!’
Isabella was looking intrigued.
‘Are you ambitious?’
“I’ll work hard, Lady!\
“Okay, let's do it with you.’
Isabella slowly took Maletta and turned around and began to leave the patronage of the Rambouillet Relief Center. Sacha was really horrified at the fact that Maletta had left her and cried out in a fit of panic.
“Sister! Sister!’
After that, I heard the sound of Maletta’s haste.
‘Shh! Stay still! I’ll send it to you when I go to that house and get my salary! I’ll collect the money and take you out of the Relief Center. At least one member of the family needs to do well for everything to go well. Understand? Just waiting patiently!’
***
“Miss, My Lady?”
Maletta was shocked and shook Ariadne’s shoulder. Ariadne felt bad that Maletta touched her without her permission, so she slammed Maletta’s hand and made it shake. Maletta hurriedly lowered her hand and asked Ariadne again.
“My Lady, are you okay? I was surprised to see you suddenly stop moving and harder.”
“How long have I been like that?”
“It was very short, maybe 2-3 seconds?”
“That’s it.”
What did I recall of the past? Is it true or not? It was time to check. Ariadne, pretending not to know Maletta, approached the red-haired girl lying dead among her paupers and knelt it down beside her. Ariadne, who pretended to be friendly and wiped the girl’s forehead with a damp cloth, asked quietly.
“How are you feeling?”
The face turned over was that of a child of about 12 or 13 years old. Even though her breasts were still growing, she looked so haggard that her cheeks were sunken. The freckled girl opened her light green eyes and looked back and forth at Ariadne and Maletta.
“Has your family ever sent you any help since you entered the Rambouillet Rescue Center?”
The freckled girl lashed out desperately. Maletta’s expression grew darker and darker.
“Do you have an incurable cough?”
This girl’s trashing became more intense. Maletta’s face was now as pale as if a male grim reaper had come to meet her.
“Maletta? Do you know this child?”
“Excuse me… That is…”
The freckled girl shot Ariadne’s sleeves with all her might, sending eyes full of hatred and resentment towards Maletta, who was taken aback by the subject she barely had the strength to nod.
“Help… Please, help me, Miss…!”
***
“No matter who the Cardinal is, special treatment is impossible.”
The official shook his head. These were the words that came out when Ariadne asked to save Sancha, a girl with freckles. Ariadne was the daughter of the second most powerful man in San Carlo, but this was just a bright apricot. Her powerful father did not love her and cared nothing about her except for her minimal investment in using her as a tool. However, she had no money or power in her own name. She had no money, so she couldn't even call her doctor. She came back to her death, but she was still a bird in a cage with no choices for herself.
“Well, sir. In that case, I will give that girl my share of food for today.”
Ariadne’s portion of food was half a loaf of dry bread and clean water. Ariadne ordered Maletta to boil dry bread in boiling water and make it into a mieum and feed it to Sancha. That was all I could do. Ariadne felt a dark helplessness. However, Sancha seemed to be really starving, and after a day or two with little food, she gradually became vigorous, like a kitten she had picked up from the street.
“Melatte, come over here and see.”
While staying at the nun’s accommodation, Ariadne thought over and over again about the ‘fantasy’ from before. When he asked Sancha a question as he had seen in the vision, the devil was right in, and Maletta’s frightened reaction, the ‘illusion’ seemed to show what actually happened in the past.
“Hold my wrist like before.”
Maletta hesitantly grabbed Ariadne’s wrist once more, but this time nothing happened. It seemed that skin to skin contact did not always result in illusions.
***
After giving Sacha her share of food, Ariadne quickly grew pale. She said she had to take care of the mountain tea, and the official sent Ariadne back to the food line. It seemed that she was afraid that the compassionate young lady would be stabbed by another poor sick child while continuing to serve baths in the Great Hall.
‘Ah, Im hungry.’
Ariadne stood in the food line and gulped at the soup she was serving. Normally, the soup would not be edible even if she was given to it, but now even the fat floating on the surface looked too tempting. However, there were several owners in the country, and the poor in the Relief Center were very serious about food. Ariadne, who finished serving the morning meal without even touching the soup, hadn't eaten a single meal since the evening before. Leaning under the shade of a tree in the Relief Center, she tried to before her hunger for a while. Then, one of the apples suddenly appeared in front of Ariadne’s eyes.
‘Who?’
Looking at the owner of the hand, it was a handsome boy with radiant blond hair and milky features. He was holding out an apology, wearing a satin court costume.
“Want some?”
It was Prince Alfonso. He was a young boy, still growing, like a fresh willow branch, much younger than Ariadne remembered him, he was somehow out of touch with reality. He was already dead by Cesare’s hands. Ariadne reached out and accepted the apple he handed her. The hand holding the apple and the tip of the finger receiving the apple touched each other, and Ariadne shuddered when she felt the warmth. The past really came back. He was still alive and moving as he was before her sins had been committed.
“You look hungry…”
He smiled a bit embarrassed. He showed clean white teeth between his big mouth. Ariadne was aware that the boy in front of her was the Prince, but she answered in a plain language.
It was her instincts as a woman in her 30’s who had gone through all of the prenatal battles.
“Thank you.”
Wiping the apple on her sleeve, she took a big bite. Wow! The apples were sweet. On the third day of starvation, she felt the sweetness on the top of her tongue, and it was hard to bear the Prince. The juice is so refreshing. After one bit and two bites, the apple was left with only the skeleton in an instant. It was only then that Ariadne remembered that the Prince was in front of her eyes. Embarrassed, she hurriedly made an excuse.
“I starved for three days, but thanks to you, I got refreshed.”
To cover up her embarrassment, the emphasis was placed on for three days, but Prince Alfonso stared at her with good eyes, whether he knew or not.
“I hear you're giving away food to a sick child.”
“Ah… I happened to see it.”
“I think it’s great. I couldn't give up on my food.”
Ariadne involuntarily laughed bashfully. I didn't know it, but it was a smile like a pear flower.
“So do I.”
For some reason, it was embarrassing to pretend to be nice in front of Prince Alfonso. She was not bold enough to pretend to be innocent in front of the man she had killed.
“I gave up the bread at the Relief Center because it was tasteless, I wouldn't have given it if it was delicious.”
What came out instead was a strong pretender. Prince Alfonso asked Ariadne with a slightly surprised expression.
“Doesn't the bread at the Relief Center taste good?”
“It’s so prickly. There is no milk or butter at all, it just tastes like wheat and salt.”
“I see…”
Prince Alfonso laughed bitterly. It seems that the Relief Center did not give him the real food there. She didn't bother pretending to know he was a Prince, and there was silence for a moment. She wasn't in the mood to apologize for killing him. Fortunately, the Prince asked again.
“How long are you here?”
“Until tomorrow.”
If Isabella had not been mean, Ariadne would have gone home yesterday, the third day, so she wouldn't have met Prince Alfonso today. The Prince asked kindly.
“Are you going to keep giving food until then?”
“Well, I was going to eat it until today, but thanks to someone giving me an apple, i think i can do it for two more days.”
Ariadne grinned. Prince Alfonso frowned slightly in distress, then pulled out a cookie wrapped in his handkerchief from his pocket and held it out.
“I wish it was something to eat a little more, but… all I have is this.”
Ariadne accepted the cookies wrapped in a handkerchief. On the edge of the handkerchief was embroidered with ‘AFC’ in small letters with gold thread. These were the initials of Alfonso de Carlo.
“I will eat well. Thank you.”
The golden-haired boy asked, looking at the tall, skinny girl taking her food with a handkerchief. As the afternoon sun went down from its zeniths, the sunlight shining brightly illuminated the boy and girl.
“What’s your name?”
“Ariadne. Ariadne de Mare.”
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