I unpacked my things over three days. I sold Olga's house to an old woman I had been eyeing for a very low price.
I didn't want to do it, but I had no other choice. I didn't have enough money to leave without selling.
Before handing it over to the old woman, I searched the house thoroughly and found three brass spoons and a small silver teaspoon. When I turned them all into money, I had quite a large sum of money.
I spread false information to people, saying that I was going to leave in about ten days because I hadn't received the money for the house.
Everyone knew I was selling my house, and a single woman was easy prey.
Especially, I was always being taunted as the Princess of the back alley, so I was easy prey for them to devour at any time. The pride of my neighbors was a shield that protected me.
The next morning, after I had finished organizing all my belongings, I left the house before daybreak, carrying only a leather suitcase in my hand.
“Sasha, honey.”
As if he knew, Archie was waiting for me at the entrance to the back alley.
He approached me with brisk strides, paying no attention to my cautious attitude.
“What's going on?”
“Are you really going to leave here?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“Yes. That’s true, but...”
It was Archie's habit to talk this way.
He looked at my face suspiciously, then smiled with yellow teeth. Then he handed me a pouch full of gold coins from his bosom.
“I think I underpaid the price of the necklace I bought last time.”
The bag was very heavy. It seemed to hold at least twice the thirty riyals I had originally received for the necklace.
I couldn't figure out why he suddenly felt so generous, but it was a lot of money to not accept because I felt uneasy. I stuffed the money bag into the bottom of my suitcase.
Archie asked secretly.
“But where are you going?”
“I’m going to try to go up to the capital for now. I’ll stay there and try to find a job or something.”
“If you don’t have anywhere to go right now, how about taking refuge in the Saxony temple for a while? I can write you a letter of introduction.”
Saxony was a town about six hours away by carriage from here. Archie's suggestion wasn't bad.
But there was something insidious and brimstone-like about his proposal. I shrugged, trying to keep my expression from becoming uneasy.
“Do you have your letter of introduction now?”
“Yes. I wrote it down in advance. I don’t know when you’ll leave...”
He took out a crumpled envelope from his bosom, and the letter was sealed tightly with wax.
“When you get to the temple, give it to Father Thomas. He’ll be happy to give you a room. There’s also some personal information written on it, so don’t read it.”
“I will. Thank you.”
"What."
Even if it hadn't been for Archie's recommendation, I would have stopped in Saxony anyway, since no carriage would take me directly to the capital.
Even if the sturdy horses ran without stopping, I would have to change mounts five times, and Saxony was the first stop.
I grabbed my bag tightly and headed to the trolley.
Let's wait a moment. A shabby carriage approached, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Where are you going?”
“All the way to Saxony.”
“Just give me 5 ram in silver.”
I handed the coachman the coins I had prepared in advance and climbed into the luggage compartment.
The luggage compartment was sparsely occupied by people who had already boarded the train. I took the seat closest to the entrance.
My heart raced at the thought of going up to the capital. I can't quite explain it, but it felt like a new beginning was unfolding before me.
Maybe I would find my real parents in the capital. I had already sold the necklace, which was one of the clues, but I still had the dress.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to track down the craftsman who made that dress in the capital.
Two thoughts sometimes bothered me.
What if I went to see my parents and they had forgotten me? Or what if they hadn't lost me, but had abandoned me from the start?
Whenever such thoughts suddenly occurred to me, I felt discouraged. Sometimes I thought that there was no need to go find my real family.
It was much better to imagine that they missed me and cherished me than to seek them out and find out what a nuisance I was to them.
After much thought, I decided to stay in Saxony for a few more days. I was still not ready to find my real family, and it was also dangerous to go up to the capital without thinking.
According to Mama Olga, the capital was very large, expensive, and rife with human trafficking.
I woke up from a brief doze, feeling anxious and nervous, and found that the carriage had already entered the center of Saxony.
I double- and triple-checked that I hadn't left anything behind and jumped out of the cargo hold.
Just as I got out of my carriage and mingled with the crowd, knights rode past me on horseback.
I kept sneezing because I was covered in dust. Was it because I encountered the knights as soon as I arrived? The atmosphere in the town seemed different than usual. It felt like security was a bit tighter.
I grabbed Archie's letter of introduction and my bag tightly and headed straight for the temple. But the closer I got to my destination, the more dark suspicions began to creep up on me.
Is it really okay to stay at the place Archie introduced? Since they are priests who believe in God, the worst will not happen, but Archie's kindness made me feel uneasy.
Especially since he is not the type of person to help someone for no reason.
Mama Olga used to tell me to be careful of kindness without conditions. That was a trap that would pay back tenfold later.
I ended up opening the door to the inn across the street, not the temple.
“Would you like a room?”
The sad-looking hostess greeted me, wiping her hands on her apron. Despite the shabby exterior, the interior was quite neat.
“Is there a room with a window? One that faces the temple across the street?”
“Rooms with windows are a little expensive. They cost 25 ram per night.”
"It's okay."
“Yes. How many days will you be staying?”
“I’ll stay for a week, no, ten days. Should I pay a deposit?”
“Then that would be good.”
I counted the coins I had set aside in advance and dropped them onto the landlady's thick palm.
I took the key the landlady handed me and climbed the old, narrow stairs.
As I opened the door with the flat key, I couldn't help but smile in relief. I felt like I had finally arrived at a safe place.
The bed was evenly padded with cotton, without any dents, and the blanket smelled clean.
As I wanted, I could see the entrance to the temple very well from the window. From here, I could quickly see what tricks Archie was doing in the temple or whoever was coming to get me and escape.
I opened my bag and looked through the things I had brought: two summer clothes, a winter coat, fur gloves, three pairs of socks, and a small knife that was one of Olga's keepsakes.
I didn't bring a single towel, because the ones Olga and I had used were too worn out.
Anyway, since I was planning to stay in Saxony for at least a week, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a few necessities. And while I was out, I might as well have some dinner.
Judging from the room rates, the food at the inn wasn't cheap, and even if I tried to save money, I'd always run out of money.
I took out the valuables from my bag and tied them tightly to my thigh. I divided the purse containing the gold coins into three parts.
I put one between the worn-out cotton in my bed, one in my luggage, and the other on myself. This way, I won't lose all my money at once.
I stuffed my bag under the bed and went out of the hotel.
“Go see the apple cider made in the fall. It tastes really good.”
“Buy pumpkin pie with cinnamon.”
“Freshly caught fish from the morning is only 5 pesos if you buy it now!”
As it was the time leading up to the New Year's festival, the streets were bustling with tourists and street vendors.
Passing through a few shops, I bought two rough cotton towels, a handkerchief, a hooded robe that covered half of my face, a simple navy blue dress, and even a box of tea leaves.
I don't know about anything else, but the one-piece dress and the tea leaves were purely to appease my vanity.
Although my heart was heavy with the thought of having splurge, I had no intention of throwing away the new dress, the first one I had ever owned without having it sewn on.
What a vain girl I was. Mama Olga was right to get rid of all the mirrors in the house.
I felt extremely satisfied when I put on a thick robe over my new navy one-piece dress. I pulled the hood down low to cover my face, and the people who were glancing at me disappeared.
I walked lightly into the nearest general store. Aside from the clerk, the only customer in the store was a man wearing a hat.
“Welcome, sir! What are you looking for? Come on, take your time and look around!”
“I’d like to buy a quill, ink, stationery, and wax. Do you have any?”
“If that’s the case, we have a separate product. I’ll bring it out right away, so could you please wait?”
"Sure."
The clerk pushed aside the stack of boxes and went into the storage room at the back of the store.
I was imagining that the knights Archie had sent might be chasing me, and since I had nothing better to do, I watched the man carefully.
Although he was strikingly handsome, he didn't look like a knight. Above all, he didn't seem to have the slightest interest in me.
The man placed a platinum coin on the counter and went out.
I don't know what the man was looking at, but if it was platinum coins, it would be enough to buy this entire store and still have some left over.
What was even more surprising was that a bag of money was left where the man had left.
I was so shocked that my legs froze. But the next moment, I grabbed the pockets and hurriedly left the store.
Fortunately, the man was not far away.
“Excuse me, over there!”
I gasped and grabbed the man's hand.
I didn't want to do it, but I had no other choice. I didn't have enough money to leave without selling.
Before handing it over to the old woman, I searched the house thoroughly and found three brass spoons and a small silver teaspoon. When I turned them all into money, I had quite a large sum of money.
I spread false information to people, saying that I was going to leave in about ten days because I hadn't received the money for the house.
Everyone knew I was selling my house, and a single woman was easy prey.
Especially, I was always being taunted as the Princess of the back alley, so I was easy prey for them to devour at any time. The pride of my neighbors was a shield that protected me.
The next morning, after I had finished organizing all my belongings, I left the house before daybreak, carrying only a leather suitcase in my hand.
“Sasha, honey.”
As if he knew, Archie was waiting for me at the entrance to the back alley.
He approached me with brisk strides, paying no attention to my cautious attitude.
“What's going on?”
“Are you really going to leave here?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“Yes. That’s true, but...”
It was Archie's habit to talk this way.
He looked at my face suspiciously, then smiled with yellow teeth. Then he handed me a pouch full of gold coins from his bosom.
“I think I underpaid the price of the necklace I bought last time.”
The bag was very heavy. It seemed to hold at least twice the thirty riyals I had originally received for the necklace.
I couldn't figure out why he suddenly felt so generous, but it was a lot of money to not accept because I felt uneasy. I stuffed the money bag into the bottom of my suitcase.
Archie asked secretly.
“But where are you going?”
“I’m going to try to go up to the capital for now. I’ll stay there and try to find a job or something.”
“If you don’t have anywhere to go right now, how about taking refuge in the Saxony temple for a while? I can write you a letter of introduction.”
Saxony was a town about six hours away by carriage from here. Archie's suggestion wasn't bad.
But there was something insidious and brimstone-like about his proposal. I shrugged, trying to keep my expression from becoming uneasy.
“Do you have your letter of introduction now?”
“Yes. I wrote it down in advance. I don’t know when you’ll leave...”
He took out a crumpled envelope from his bosom, and the letter was sealed tightly with wax.
“When you get to the temple, give it to Father Thomas. He’ll be happy to give you a room. There’s also some personal information written on it, so don’t read it.”
“I will. Thank you.”
"What."
Even if it hadn't been for Archie's recommendation, I would have stopped in Saxony anyway, since no carriage would take me directly to the capital.
Even if the sturdy horses ran without stopping, I would have to change mounts five times, and Saxony was the first stop.
I grabbed my bag tightly and headed to the trolley.
Let's wait a moment. A shabby carriage approached, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Where are you going?”
“All the way to Saxony.”
“Just give me 5 ram in silver.”
I handed the coachman the coins I had prepared in advance and climbed into the luggage compartment.
The luggage compartment was sparsely occupied by people who had already boarded the train. I took the seat closest to the entrance.
My heart raced at the thought of going up to the capital. I can't quite explain it, but it felt like a new beginning was unfolding before me.
Maybe I would find my real parents in the capital. I had already sold the necklace, which was one of the clues, but I still had the dress.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to track down the craftsman who made that dress in the capital.
Two thoughts sometimes bothered me.
What if I went to see my parents and they had forgotten me? Or what if they hadn't lost me, but had abandoned me from the start?
Whenever such thoughts suddenly occurred to me, I felt discouraged. Sometimes I thought that there was no need to go find my real family.
It was much better to imagine that they missed me and cherished me than to seek them out and find out what a nuisance I was to them.
After much thought, I decided to stay in Saxony for a few more days. I was still not ready to find my real family, and it was also dangerous to go up to the capital without thinking.
According to Mama Olga, the capital was very large, expensive, and rife with human trafficking.
I woke up from a brief doze, feeling anxious and nervous, and found that the carriage had already entered the center of Saxony.
I double- and triple-checked that I hadn't left anything behind and jumped out of the cargo hold.
Just as I got out of my carriage and mingled with the crowd, knights rode past me on horseback.
I kept sneezing because I was covered in dust. Was it because I encountered the knights as soon as I arrived? The atmosphere in the town seemed different than usual. It felt like security was a bit tighter.
I grabbed Archie's letter of introduction and my bag tightly and headed straight for the temple. But the closer I got to my destination, the more dark suspicions began to creep up on me.
Is it really okay to stay at the place Archie introduced? Since they are priests who believe in God, the worst will not happen, but Archie's kindness made me feel uneasy.
Especially since he is not the type of person to help someone for no reason.
Mama Olga used to tell me to be careful of kindness without conditions. That was a trap that would pay back tenfold later.
I ended up opening the door to the inn across the street, not the temple.
“Would you like a room?”
The sad-looking hostess greeted me, wiping her hands on her apron. Despite the shabby exterior, the interior was quite neat.
“Is there a room with a window? One that faces the temple across the street?”
“Rooms with windows are a little expensive. They cost 25 ram per night.”
"It's okay."
“Yes. How many days will you be staying?”
“I’ll stay for a week, no, ten days. Should I pay a deposit?”
“Then that would be good.”
I counted the coins I had set aside in advance and dropped them onto the landlady's thick palm.
I took the key the landlady handed me and climbed the old, narrow stairs.
As I opened the door with the flat key, I couldn't help but smile in relief. I felt like I had finally arrived at a safe place.
The bed was evenly padded with cotton, without any dents, and the blanket smelled clean.
As I wanted, I could see the entrance to the temple very well from the window. From here, I could quickly see what tricks Archie was doing in the temple or whoever was coming to get me and escape.
I opened my bag and looked through the things I had brought: two summer clothes, a winter coat, fur gloves, three pairs of socks, and a small knife that was one of Olga's keepsakes.
I didn't bring a single towel, because the ones Olga and I had used were too worn out.
Anyway, since I was planning to stay in Saxony for at least a week, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a few necessities. And while I was out, I might as well have some dinner.
Judging from the room rates, the food at the inn wasn't cheap, and even if I tried to save money, I'd always run out of money.
I took out the valuables from my bag and tied them tightly to my thigh. I divided the purse containing the gold coins into three parts.
I put one between the worn-out cotton in my bed, one in my luggage, and the other on myself. This way, I won't lose all my money at once.
I stuffed my bag under the bed and went out of the hotel.
“Go see the apple cider made in the fall. It tastes really good.”
“Buy pumpkin pie with cinnamon.”
“Freshly caught fish from the morning is only 5 pesos if you buy it now!”
As it was the time leading up to the New Year's festival, the streets were bustling with tourists and street vendors.
Passing through a few shops, I bought two rough cotton towels, a handkerchief, a hooded robe that covered half of my face, a simple navy blue dress, and even a box of tea leaves.
I don't know about anything else, but the one-piece dress and the tea leaves were purely to appease my vanity.
Although my heart was heavy with the thought of having splurge, I had no intention of throwing away the new dress, the first one I had ever owned without having it sewn on.
What a vain girl I was. Mama Olga was right to get rid of all the mirrors in the house.
I felt extremely satisfied when I put on a thick robe over my new navy one-piece dress. I pulled the hood down low to cover my face, and the people who were glancing at me disappeared.
I walked lightly into the nearest general store. Aside from the clerk, the only customer in the store was a man wearing a hat.
“Welcome, sir! What are you looking for? Come on, take your time and look around!”
“I’d like to buy a quill, ink, stationery, and wax. Do you have any?”
“If that’s the case, we have a separate product. I’ll bring it out right away, so could you please wait?”
"Sure."
The clerk pushed aside the stack of boxes and went into the storage room at the back of the store.
I was imagining that the knights Archie had sent might be chasing me, and since I had nothing better to do, I watched the man carefully.
Although he was strikingly handsome, he didn't look like a knight. Above all, he didn't seem to have the slightest interest in me.
The man placed a platinum coin on the counter and went out.
I don't know what the man was looking at, but if it was platinum coins, it would be enough to buy this entire store and still have some left over.
What was even more surprising was that a bag of money was left where the man had left.
I was so shocked that my legs froze. But the next moment, I grabbed the pockets and hurriedly left the store.
Fortunately, the man was not far away.
“Excuse me, over there!”
I gasped and grabbed the man's hand.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment