The question suddenly arose as to why Ines and Carson had gone to see Charlotte on a rainy night. And what was the point of bringing a member of the family with them?
Charlotte had said that she wanted to ride a train at least once in her life. Of course, since she was being dragged away as a criminal, she wouldn’t be able to feel the romantic atmosphere she had described.
“I got to ride a train.”
“Yes.”
“I thought I might never be able to ride one.”
Ines tapped her hand on the back of her hand. It was a movement that seemed like comfort, or maybe encouragement. She looked at the hands held by the two for a moment and then continued.
“But Ines, there’s something I really want to ask you.”
“...”
“Why are you being so kind to me? We’re friends, but we’ve only known each other for not so long.”
Ines shook her head.
“Time doesn’t matter.”
The words she whispered were sincere.
“Charlotte, I want to know your maiden name.”
“My maiden name?”
“Yes, your original name.”
She hesitated and rolled the words in her mouth. Her attitude was cautious as if she would have to start everything over again the moment she said the name.
“I’m Charlotte, Charlotte Macfadyen. It’s been so long since I’ve said it, it’s a little... awkward.”
“Macfadyen, that name really suits you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, so Miss Charlotte Macfadyen, lives under that name now. Make your life completely yours now.”
After marriage, if your status changes, divorce is naturally decided if only one of you wants it. So now she was free from violence. Charlotte smiled brightly.
“Will you do the same?”
“Yes, I will. I won’t let anything hurt me.”
Ines nodded. Then Charlotte smiled a mischievous smile that she had never seen before.
“A train ride and a nobleman’s status is not a bad deal.”
The two hugged tightly and parted ways. They might never meet again. But the time they spent together was not important. As Carson had said, the only thing that mattered was that they had someone they could think of.
Ines went out and instead of returning home, she directed the carriage to the market. Since Ines’ disappearance had turned the house upside down, Susan had never wanted to leave her alone. Ines had no choice but to move around with Susan because she needed something. She could get most things in the house, but she couldn’t get the iron wire. At the general store that sold various iron tools, Susan asked in an anxious voice,
“Why on earth are you trying to buy something like this?”
Naturally, Ines made up a suitable excuse.
“The lord will soon vacate the estate. I wanted to make a rope to connect the armor and the sword. I thought it would be meaningful to make it myself.”
“But why are you buying this much?”
“This is the first time I’ve made it. I might fail.”
It was a very precious thing, but guns had already been invented in that era. There were no longer any knights who wore heavy armor. However, the rope connecting the armor and the scabbard still had a symbolic meaning.
The rope prepared for a man going to war contained the wish that he would never let go of his sword and survive safely.
“That’s why you needed such a crude iron rope.”
Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t plan on giving it to him as a gift. However, the reason she bought this wire was to make a device for a noose.
A noose is a device that is made by twisting a rope into a loop shape and tightening it when pulled. The reason she knew how to make a noose was, ironically, because she had been caught in it many times.
In Romfield, when the guards got bored while working in the forest, they would make a noose to catch prisoners.
When a prisoner was hung in the air with a noose tied around his feet, they would laugh among themselves. Naturally, they instinctively had to move more.
However, once they were caught, the rope would tighten even more as they struggled to get out. The guards’ laughter, which grew louder, was still vivid in Ines's heart. And when the noose broke, the guards would have the prisoners fix it.
If it was made of rope or string, it didn’t hurt much, but if it was made of iron, it didn’t.
Some prisoners were never able to walk straight because their injured ankles weren’t treated in time.
Currently, all hunting using nooses is prohibited in the Keynes Empire. It was because it was religiously wrong for an animal to suffer for days while being caught in a noose and die. It was even worse for animals, but it was not true for the prisoners of Romfield.
Ines, who had chosen something she liked, set out again.
However, from that moment on, she began to feel strange gazes. At first, she thought it was just the gazes of people passing by. However, the gazes were so persistent that the back of her head stood on end.
The gazes followed her without fail whenever she walked quickly. The hot sensation she felt behind her was clearly chasing her.
Ines suddenly stopped walking and looked back. At that moment, she saw a dark figure hiding in the darkness.
“Susan, don’t look back and listen carefully. I think someone is following me.”
Ines said to Susan secretly.
“Could it be Sir Joseph?”
Susan’s face was filled with fear. She wanted to tell the escort right away, but she couldn’t say it right away because she was afraid that the one following her would notice.
Ines deliberately slowed down her pace. And when the time was right, she hid herself in an alley where the inside was pitch black. The escort, who had been following her, followed Ines into the alley without knowing what was going on.
“What’s going on?”
“Shh, wait a minute.”
When she suddenly disappeared and disappeared from sight, eyes that had been following her appeared from somewhere. It was unbelievable that it was Zemern who moved so stealthily and quickly.
“Catch that man.”
As soon as Ines’ order was given, the escort quickly jumped out and grabbed Zemern’s arm. He let out a “Ugh.” and slammed his body against the wall of the building next to him. Ines approached him.
“Zemern Winningstone, why are you following me?”
Zemern took a deep breath as Ines walked toward him. The expression seemed almost ecstatic at first. Goosebumps came over Ines, who had no choice but to stop walking towards him. Zemern, despite having his arms tied, raised his lips and smiled wryly.
“What do you mean? I just came to the market to do some business.”
“This is a coincidence?”
“Then you’re saying I secretly followed Young Lady?”
When he tried to put his free hand into his pocket, the escort pushed him harder against the wall. People murmured and gathered around him.
“Ugh, look at this.”
Zemern slapped his hand against the wall as if demanding to be untied. When the escort searched his front pocket, a cloth pouch came out.
“Tobacco leaves. These are rare items that can only be found in this market, so I came to buy them myself. Isn’t it illegal to buy cigarettes?”
The escort snatched the cloth pouch and searched inside thoroughly. When he confirmed that there was nothing inside, he nodded. She immediately gave the order to release Zemern. As he said, there was no reason to detain him like this.
“If this is a coincidence, as you say, I hope we won’t meet again by chance.”
Zemern, who was released, raised his hand and stepped back. He didn’t forget to bow his head sadly to show respect. As they were walking away from him and approaching the carriage, Susan spoke as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, Miss, by the way, something very strangely happened a while ago.”
“What?”
“When you came back from going out, the coachman went out again to change the carriage wheel.”
“But?”
“I left something in the carriage at that time, so I went to look for it. And there was a dark man in the carriage.”
“..”
“But the thing that was strange about him was that he had his nose pressed against the carriage seat like he was sniffing something. It was so horrible that I screamed and he pushed me away and ran away.”
Ines gritted her teeth. At Romfield, he had sniffed at Ines’s head and neck. Every time she had felt the urge to tear out all her hair.
“He was so fast. I didn’t tell you because I thought he was some random vagrant. But now I see he was about the same size as that guy. I can’t be sure, though.”
Ines clenched her fists and her green eyes flashed.
‘You’re urging orders,’ was the thought that came to her mind.
However, he dismissed the issue by saying that he had lost his way because of the heavy rain and that he had suddenly heard a loud noise and had entered the direction of the house where Charlotte lived. He also said that he had no obligation to explain why he had brought a member of the family with him.
No matter how much of a court they could not dare to demand an explanation of everything the royal family did.
Ines agreed with him only in writing. It must have been Carson’s consideration, as he did not want to bring her to court. No God could be as merciful as Carson.
After Charlotte calmed down a bit, Ines asked about the punishment given to her.
“I didn’t hear the details. They just said I had to go to the temple and do odd jobs for five years.”
Becoming a temple maid meant that she could no longer maintain her noble status.
It was an accidental crime, and her husband didn’t die, and it was self-defense, but it seemed like a really heavy punishment. However, the laws of the Keynes Empire were much harsher on women than on men, especially for crimes committed by a wife against her husband.
She suddenly wondered what kind of punishment her husband had received, but she didn’t feel like going out of her way to find out.
“The temple’s name was Edmont.”
“Edmont? It’s a temple in Sanskrit.”
“Oh...”
Charlotte smiled brightly as if she had just remembered.
“That’s right. I had forgotten. The Edmont Temple in Sanskrit. Then... I can catch a train on the way there.”
No matter how much of a court they could not dare to demand an explanation of everything the royal family did.
Ines agreed with him only in writing. It must have been Carson’s consideration, as he did not want to bring her to court. No God could be as merciful as Carson.
After Charlotte calmed down a bit, Ines asked about the punishment given to her.
“I didn’t hear the details. They just said I had to go to the temple and do odd jobs for five years.”
Becoming a temple maid meant that she could no longer maintain her noble status.
It was an accidental crime, and her husband didn’t die, and it was self-defense, but it seemed like a really heavy punishment. However, the laws of the Keynes Empire were much harsher on women than on men, especially for crimes committed by a wife against her husband.
She suddenly wondered what kind of punishment her husband had received, but she didn’t feel like going out of her way to find out.
“The temple’s name was Edmont.”
“Edmont? It’s a temple in Sanskrit.”
“Oh...”
Charlotte smiled brightly as if she had just remembered.
“That’s right. I had forgotten. The Edmont Temple in Sanskrit. Then... I can catch a train on the way there.”
Charlotte had said that she wanted to ride a train at least once in her life. Of course, since she was being dragged away as a criminal, she wouldn’t be able to feel the romantic atmosphere she had described.
“I got to ride a train.”
“Yes.”
“I thought I might never be able to ride one.”
Ines tapped her hand on the back of her hand. It was a movement that seemed like comfort, or maybe encouragement. She looked at the hands held by the two for a moment and then continued.
“But Ines, there’s something I really want to ask you.”
“...”
“Why are you being so kind to me? We’re friends, but we’ve only known each other for not so long.”
Ines shook her head.
“Time doesn’t matter.”
The words she whispered were sincere.
“Charlotte, I want to know your maiden name.”
“My maiden name?”
“Yes, your original name.”
She hesitated and rolled the words in her mouth. Her attitude was cautious as if she would have to start everything over again the moment she said the name.
“I’m Charlotte, Charlotte Macfadyen. It’s been so long since I’ve said it, it’s a little... awkward.”
“Macfadyen, that name really suits you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, so Miss Charlotte Macfadyen, lives under that name now. Make your life completely yours now.”
After marriage, if your status changes, divorce is naturally decided if only one of you wants it. So now she was free from violence. Charlotte smiled brightly.
“Will you do the same?”
“Yes, I will. I won’t let anything hurt me.”
Ines nodded. Then Charlotte smiled a mischievous smile that she had never seen before.
“A train ride and a nobleman’s status is not a bad deal.”
The two hugged tightly and parted ways. They might never meet again. But the time they spent together was not important. As Carson had said, the only thing that mattered was that they had someone they could think of.
Ines went out and instead of returning home, she directed the carriage to the market. Since Ines’ disappearance had turned the house upside down, Susan had never wanted to leave her alone. Ines had no choice but to move around with Susan because she needed something. She could get most things in the house, but she couldn’t get the iron wire. At the general store that sold various iron tools, Susan asked in an anxious voice,
“Why on earth are you trying to buy something like this?”
Naturally, Ines made up a suitable excuse.
“The lord will soon vacate the estate. I wanted to make a rope to connect the armor and the sword. I thought it would be meaningful to make it myself.”
“But why are you buying this much?”
“This is the first time I’ve made it. I might fail.”
It was a very precious thing, but guns had already been invented in that era. There were no longer any knights who wore heavy armor. However, the rope connecting the armor and the scabbard still had a symbolic meaning.
The rope prepared for a man going to war contained the wish that he would never let go of his sword and survive safely.
“That’s why you needed such a crude iron rope.”
Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t plan on giving it to him as a gift. However, the reason she bought this wire was to make a device for a noose.
A noose is a device that is made by twisting a rope into a loop shape and tightening it when pulled. The reason she knew how to make a noose was, ironically, because she had been caught in it many times.
In Romfield, when the guards got bored while working in the forest, they would make a noose to catch prisoners.
When a prisoner was hung in the air with a noose tied around his feet, they would laugh among themselves. Naturally, they instinctively had to move more.
However, once they were caught, the rope would tighten even more as they struggled to get out. The guards’ laughter, which grew louder, was still vivid in Ines's heart. And when the noose broke, the guards would have the prisoners fix it.
If it was made of rope or string, it didn’t hurt much, but if it was made of iron, it didn’t.
Some prisoners were never able to walk straight because their injured ankles weren’t treated in time.
Currently, all hunting using nooses is prohibited in the Keynes Empire. It was because it was religiously wrong for an animal to suffer for days while being caught in a noose and die. It was even worse for animals, but it was not true for the prisoners of Romfield.
Ines, who had chosen something she liked, set out again.
However, from that moment on, she began to feel strange gazes. At first, she thought it was just the gazes of people passing by. However, the gazes were so persistent that the back of her head stood on end.
The gazes followed her without fail whenever she walked quickly. The hot sensation she felt behind her was clearly chasing her.
Ines suddenly stopped walking and looked back. At that moment, she saw a dark figure hiding in the darkness.
“Susan, don’t look back and listen carefully. I think someone is following me.”
Ines said to Susan secretly.
“Could it be Sir Joseph?”
Susan’s face was filled with fear. She wanted to tell the escort right away, but she couldn’t say it right away because she was afraid that the one following her would notice.
Ines deliberately slowed down her pace. And when the time was right, she hid herself in an alley where the inside was pitch black. The escort, who had been following her, followed Ines into the alley without knowing what was going on.
“What’s going on?”
“Shh, wait a minute.”
When she suddenly disappeared and disappeared from sight, eyes that had been following her appeared from somewhere. It was unbelievable that it was Zemern who moved so stealthily and quickly.
“Catch that man.”
As soon as Ines’ order was given, the escort quickly jumped out and grabbed Zemern’s arm. He let out a “Ugh.” and slammed his body against the wall of the building next to him. Ines approached him.
“Zemern Winningstone, why are you following me?”
Zemern took a deep breath as Ines walked toward him. The expression seemed almost ecstatic at first. Goosebumps came over Ines, who had no choice but to stop walking towards him. Zemern, despite having his arms tied, raised his lips and smiled wryly.
“What do you mean? I just came to the market to do some business.”
“This is a coincidence?”
“Then you’re saying I secretly followed Young Lady?”
When he tried to put his free hand into his pocket, the escort pushed him harder against the wall. People murmured and gathered around him.
“Ugh, look at this.”
Zemern slapped his hand against the wall as if demanding to be untied. When the escort searched his front pocket, a cloth pouch came out.
“Tobacco leaves. These are rare items that can only be found in this market, so I came to buy them myself. Isn’t it illegal to buy cigarettes?”
The escort snatched the cloth pouch and searched inside thoroughly. When he confirmed that there was nothing inside, he nodded. She immediately gave the order to release Zemern. As he said, there was no reason to detain him like this.
“If this is a coincidence, as you say, I hope we won’t meet again by chance.”
Zemern, who was released, raised his hand and stepped back. He didn’t forget to bow his head sadly to show respect. As they were walking away from him and approaching the carriage, Susan spoke as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, Miss, by the way, something very strangely happened a while ago.”
“What?”
“When you came back from going out, the coachman went out again to change the carriage wheel.”
“But?”
“I left something in the carriage at that time, so I went to look for it. And there was a dark man in the carriage.”
“..”
“But the thing that was strange about him was that he had his nose pressed against the carriage seat like he was sniffing something. It was so horrible that I screamed and he pushed me away and ran away.”
Ines gritted her teeth. At Romfield, he had sniffed at Ines’s head and neck. Every time she had felt the urge to tear out all her hair.
“He was so fast. I didn’t tell you because I thought he was some random vagrant. But now I see he was about the same size as that guy. I can’t be sure, though.”
Ines clenched her fists and her green eyes flashed.
‘You’re urging orders,’ was the thought that came to her mind.
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