The moment the man turned around, I was sure he was upper class. His speech, his attitude, and even the smile on his lips were completely different from the back alley men I knew.
He said.
“What’s going on?”
“Hey, you dropped this.”
“...Ah, this. Thank you very much. If it weren’t for Young Lady, I would have been in big trouble.”
He placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed slightly.
I fiddled with the hood I had pulled down, not knowing what to do. The nobles never bow down to the commoners. Perhaps the man mistook me for someone of the same class, despite my simple clothes.
“I wanted to thank you, but would you mind if I bought you dinner? I know a nice restaurant.”
“Oh, no. Okay, okay. That’s not what I came here for.”
I kept stuttering like a stutterer. It wasn't because I fell in love at first sight or anything.
I had never been taught how to talk to people of higher rank and especially did not know a single word to deftly refuse such a polite request.
Yes, I admit my vanity. It was the first time someone called me a Young lady, and I didn't want to disappoint the people who thought so highly of me.
“Please don’t refuse.”
The man tried to persuade me again, but my mind was set. If we talked for a little longer, he would realize where I came from and that I wasn't the kind of person who should be so concerned.
I rolled my eyes, trying to choose the words to say in refusal, and then my eyes met the man's.
At first glance, it was overshadowed by his soft and gentle voice, but the man's gaze felt somehow cruel.
This man would never lose anything, my instincts whispered to me.
Beware of people like that. The voices of pickpockets came rushing in like lightning. If you meet someone like that, avoid or run away. Otherwise, you will end up getting robbed.
My heart started beating faster and faster. The next moment, I turned away from the man and started running.
The man seemed to be reaching out to grab me, but he couldn't reach me. I slid into the crowd like a quick cat.
Zachary slowly lowered his hand that was trying to grab the woman. The woman, who had been running without even realizing that her hood had been removed, looked back at the end of the road.
And the very next moment, he disappeared into a dark alley. It was a split second. He looked down at the purse the woman had given him and laughed.
Unfortunately, it seemed like she wasn't someone who could be persuaded with money. It was as if the information he had leaked on purpose was meaningless.
“Sir Zachary.”
The knight who approached from behind gave a short bow.
“Sir. I report on behalf of the search party. We checked both the east and west streets, but we haven’t found anyone who even resembles the person in question.”
Zachary didn't seem to hear even half of what was being said. However, since he was used to that indifferent reaction, the knight continued his report as if it were nothing special.
“But the informant once again confirmed that she was last seen in a carriage going to Saxony. The Duke said that if she was not identified within two days, he would issue a public warrant for her arrest.”
Only then did he come to his senses and his crooked gaze flew straight to the knight.
“...My brother?”
“It’s not an excessive measure. It’s encouraging that items that have never been revealed before have been discovered.”
“I understand that you are tired, but aren’t you being too hasty?”
Zachary turned his head again in the direction where the woman had disappeared.
She was a woman whose blue eyes could not be hidden even with her hood pulled down. He asked as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
“Did you say the first informant’s name was Archie?”
“Yes. 23rd Avenue Georges...”
“Pay the reward as soon as you ask for it.”
“Give him gold... By any chance, Sir, are you looking for it?”
"...Well."
He shrugged. The woman's appearance was plausible, but his judgment was premature. He was watching the world go by with a half-observant eye.
But now that he had come face to face with it, he felt embarrassed to treat it as a joke anymore. He whistled briefly.
“No matter how much I think about it, I’m really lucky.”
I sat down at my desk after taking a warm bath. Whenever I tried to calm my mind for a moment, I kept thinking about what had happened at the market earlier.
The man's face, his eyes, and the hand that was trying to grab me. I ran away in a daze, but it was a part that I had a hard time understanding why I did it.
I never stole anything, and he was the most polite person I've ever known, man or woman.
In any case, it was certain that he was not someone you would meet twice. Sasha of the back alley, the daughter of Mama Olga.
Instead of dwelling on it, I decided to look at the letter Archie had warned me not to read.
Mama Olga had warned me that my curiosity would one day lead me astray, and perhaps I should have listened to her advice a little more closely.
But I had a right to know what Archie was plotting, or if he had other intentions.
I opened the envelope carelessly and almost tore the letter in two. The letter was very short.
[Thomas.
To the faithful servant of God. The clothes made with the yellow thread you promised are finished, so come and get them whenever you want. The seasons have changed since last time. I received the box of grapes you sent.
I'm sorry for being biased toward the garden. My luck has been cut in half. I'll meet you again and resolve the regret I had a long time ago.
The person carrying the letter is the daughter of an old friend of mine. She has recently lost her guardian. Please take care of the child at the temple for the time being.
Seasons starting with three syllables, Archie, from the first to the seventh.]
At first glance, it seemed like a normal piece of content. However, with each repeated reading, the ominous feeling grew clearer.
There seemed to be some kind of conspiracy lurking in this letter. Was it just my imagination that the difficult-to-understand phrases seemed like secret codes?
I stared at the letter with all my might, but that didn't mean I could read its hidden meaning right away.
The worst thing that could happen was that Archie reported me as a necklace thief. Mama Olga said it was mine, but it might actually have been stolen from some noblewoman's pocket.
Actually, that was a more believable story than the story that I might have a real family, a wealthy family.
Olga just wanted to give me hope when I was left alone.
If the letters above were really just empty greetings and Archie was just asking for something for me, it would be a really embarrassing misunderstanding. But it was necessary to be on guard.
After about thirty minutes of struggling, sitting at the edge of the desk, I managed to imitate Archie's handwriting.
I pushed aside the crumpled and mangled papers and took out a clean sheet of stationery. Then I copied down only the passages that seemed safe from Archie's letter.
[Thomas.
To the faithful servant of God. The seasons have changed since last time. I have received the box of grapes you sent me.
The person carrying the letter is the daughter of an old friend of mine. She has recently lost her guardian. Please take care of the child at the temple for the time being. Archie.]
I put down my quill and read the letter carefully once more. I planned to take this letter to the temple as soon as the sun rose tomorrow morning.
If Archie had reported me as a necklace thief, it would be the knights, not the priests, who would come rushing in. If there is no sign of that after watching for a few days, it would not be too late to go back to the temple.
No matter what, being able to stay in the temple was the best option.
The temple would teach you how to write, and maybe even give you a job. It wouldn't be a bad idea to just walk the path of being a servant of the gods.
Not only is it not shameful, but it also has the advantage of giving you pride in yourself.
I put the letter in an envelope and sealed it with melted red wax.
The life I know starts very early in the morning. It is almost a prejudice to think that being poor means living a lazy life. Even if you are late for the dishwashing, it will be taken over by someone else.
What this means is that I have a knack for waking up earlier than anyone else.
I pulled my hood over my head before the sun rose and went down the stairs very carefully.
From the morning I left Georges, I had the feeling that someone was following me.
Well, it was understandable. Before, the most I had ever touched was six silver coins, but now I had enough money to buy a shabby house.
Just keeping close to fifty gold coins in my possession felt like a great sin.
The temple was just across the street. There was no gatekeeper, but an old man was cleaning the main gate. He greeted me first as I approached.
“Good morning. Today is not a holy day, so what are you doing at the temple?”
“Someone asked me to deliver a letter to Father Thomas.”
“A letter? Is it yours?”
The old man looked at me and the letter with suspicious eyes. He seemed to want to look inside the hood. I could feel his persistent gaze studying the shape of my nose and lips.
“He asked me to give it to him. Please pass it on, and if you leave the reply at the green sign shop in the square, I will come pick it up.”
“Just wait a minute, kid.”
The cleaner tried to grab my arm.
I held onto my hat tightly so it wouldn't come off and stepped back. My guarded attitude made him hesitate and add an excuse.
“Would you like to come in and wait a moment? There’s some hot tea here. Drink it and I’ll come find the priest right away.”
“I told you, I’m not the owner of the letter. And the tea is fine too.”
"But..."
The gazes of the homeless people crouching on the frozen street slowly poured in our direction.
There was nothing good in prolonging the struggle. I slowly backed away and gained distance. When I was sure the man couldn't catch me, I turned around and started running.
I heard a man shouting something behind me, but I didn't look back.
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He said.
“What’s going on?”
“Hey, you dropped this.”
“...Ah, this. Thank you very much. If it weren’t for Young Lady, I would have been in big trouble.”
He placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed slightly.
I fiddled with the hood I had pulled down, not knowing what to do. The nobles never bow down to the commoners. Perhaps the man mistook me for someone of the same class, despite my simple clothes.
“I wanted to thank you, but would you mind if I bought you dinner? I know a nice restaurant.”
“Oh, no. Okay, okay. That’s not what I came here for.”
I kept stuttering like a stutterer. It wasn't because I fell in love at first sight or anything.
I had never been taught how to talk to people of higher rank and especially did not know a single word to deftly refuse such a polite request.
Yes, I admit my vanity. It was the first time someone called me a Young lady, and I didn't want to disappoint the people who thought so highly of me.
“Please don’t refuse.”
The man tried to persuade me again, but my mind was set. If we talked for a little longer, he would realize where I came from and that I wasn't the kind of person who should be so concerned.
I rolled my eyes, trying to choose the words to say in refusal, and then my eyes met the man's.
At first glance, it was overshadowed by his soft and gentle voice, but the man's gaze felt somehow cruel.
This man would never lose anything, my instincts whispered to me.
Beware of people like that. The voices of pickpockets came rushing in like lightning. If you meet someone like that, avoid or run away. Otherwise, you will end up getting robbed.
My heart started beating faster and faster. The next moment, I turned away from the man and started running.
The man seemed to be reaching out to grab me, but he couldn't reach me. I slid into the crowd like a quick cat.
***
Zachary slowly lowered his hand that was trying to grab the woman. The woman, who had been running without even realizing that her hood had been removed, looked back at the end of the road.
And the very next moment, he disappeared into a dark alley. It was a split second. He looked down at the purse the woman had given him and laughed.
Unfortunately, it seemed like she wasn't someone who could be persuaded with money. It was as if the information he had leaked on purpose was meaningless.
“Sir Zachary.”
The knight who approached from behind gave a short bow.
“Sir. I report on behalf of the search party. We checked both the east and west streets, but we haven’t found anyone who even resembles the person in question.”
Zachary didn't seem to hear even half of what was being said. However, since he was used to that indifferent reaction, the knight continued his report as if it were nothing special.
“But the informant once again confirmed that she was last seen in a carriage going to Saxony. The Duke said that if she was not identified within two days, he would issue a public warrant for her arrest.”
Only then did he come to his senses and his crooked gaze flew straight to the knight.
“...My brother?”
“It’s not an excessive measure. It’s encouraging that items that have never been revealed before have been discovered.”
“I understand that you are tired, but aren’t you being too hasty?”
Zachary turned his head again in the direction where the woman had disappeared.
She was a woman whose blue eyes could not be hidden even with her hood pulled down. He asked as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him.
“Did you say the first informant’s name was Archie?”
“Yes. 23rd Avenue Georges...”
“Pay the reward as soon as you ask for it.”
“Give him gold... By any chance, Sir, are you looking for it?”
"...Well."
He shrugged. The woman's appearance was plausible, but his judgment was premature. He was watching the world go by with a half-observant eye.
But now that he had come face to face with it, he felt embarrassed to treat it as a joke anymore. He whistled briefly.
“No matter how much I think about it, I’m really lucky.”
***
I sat down at my desk after taking a warm bath. Whenever I tried to calm my mind for a moment, I kept thinking about what had happened at the market earlier.
The man's face, his eyes, and the hand that was trying to grab me. I ran away in a daze, but it was a part that I had a hard time understanding why I did it.
I never stole anything, and he was the most polite person I've ever known, man or woman.
In any case, it was certain that he was not someone you would meet twice. Sasha of the back alley, the daughter of Mama Olga.
Instead of dwelling on it, I decided to look at the letter Archie had warned me not to read.
Mama Olga had warned me that my curiosity would one day lead me astray, and perhaps I should have listened to her advice a little more closely.
But I had a right to know what Archie was plotting, or if he had other intentions.
I opened the envelope carelessly and almost tore the letter in two. The letter was very short.
[Thomas.
To the faithful servant of God. The clothes made with the yellow thread you promised are finished, so come and get them whenever you want. The seasons have changed since last time. I received the box of grapes you sent.
I'm sorry for being biased toward the garden. My luck has been cut in half. I'll meet you again and resolve the regret I had a long time ago.
The person carrying the letter is the daughter of an old friend of mine. She has recently lost her guardian. Please take care of the child at the temple for the time being.
Seasons starting with three syllables, Archie, from the first to the seventh.]
At first glance, it seemed like a normal piece of content. However, with each repeated reading, the ominous feeling grew clearer.
There seemed to be some kind of conspiracy lurking in this letter. Was it just my imagination that the difficult-to-understand phrases seemed like secret codes?
I stared at the letter with all my might, but that didn't mean I could read its hidden meaning right away.
The worst thing that could happen was that Archie reported me as a necklace thief. Mama Olga said it was mine, but it might actually have been stolen from some noblewoman's pocket.
Actually, that was a more believable story than the story that I might have a real family, a wealthy family.
Olga just wanted to give me hope when I was left alone.
If the letters above were really just empty greetings and Archie was just asking for something for me, it would be a really embarrassing misunderstanding. But it was necessary to be on guard.
After about thirty minutes of struggling, sitting at the edge of the desk, I managed to imitate Archie's handwriting.
I pushed aside the crumpled and mangled papers and took out a clean sheet of stationery. Then I copied down only the passages that seemed safe from Archie's letter.
[Thomas.
To the faithful servant of God. The seasons have changed since last time. I have received the box of grapes you sent me.
The person carrying the letter is the daughter of an old friend of mine. She has recently lost her guardian. Please take care of the child at the temple for the time being. Archie.]
I put down my quill and read the letter carefully once more. I planned to take this letter to the temple as soon as the sun rose tomorrow morning.
If Archie had reported me as a necklace thief, it would be the knights, not the priests, who would come rushing in. If there is no sign of that after watching for a few days, it would not be too late to go back to the temple.
No matter what, being able to stay in the temple was the best option.
The temple would teach you how to write, and maybe even give you a job. It wouldn't be a bad idea to just walk the path of being a servant of the gods.
Not only is it not shameful, but it also has the advantage of giving you pride in yourself.
I put the letter in an envelope and sealed it with melted red wax.
***
The life I know starts very early in the morning. It is almost a prejudice to think that being poor means living a lazy life. Even if you are late for the dishwashing, it will be taken over by someone else.
What this means is that I have a knack for waking up earlier than anyone else.
I pulled my hood over my head before the sun rose and went down the stairs very carefully.
From the morning I left Georges, I had the feeling that someone was following me.
Well, it was understandable. Before, the most I had ever touched was six silver coins, but now I had enough money to buy a shabby house.
Just keeping close to fifty gold coins in my possession felt like a great sin.
The temple was just across the street. There was no gatekeeper, but an old man was cleaning the main gate. He greeted me first as I approached.
“Good morning. Today is not a holy day, so what are you doing at the temple?”
“Someone asked me to deliver a letter to Father Thomas.”
“A letter? Is it yours?”
The old man looked at me and the letter with suspicious eyes. He seemed to want to look inside the hood. I could feel his persistent gaze studying the shape of my nose and lips.
“He asked me to give it to him. Please pass it on, and if you leave the reply at the green sign shop in the square, I will come pick it up.”
“Just wait a minute, kid.”
The cleaner tried to grab my arm.
I held onto my hat tightly so it wouldn't come off and stepped back. My guarded attitude made him hesitate and add an excuse.
“Would you like to come in and wait a moment? There’s some hot tea here. Drink it and I’ll come find the priest right away.”
“I told you, I’m not the owner of the letter. And the tea is fine too.”
"But..."
The gazes of the homeless people crouching on the frozen street slowly poured in our direction.
There was nothing good in prolonging the struggle. I slowly backed away and gained distance. When I was sure the man couldn't catch me, I turned around and started running.
I heard a man shouting something behind me, but I didn't look back.
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