Etienne came to the Caspian Empire alone a year ago. Without any connections, he wandered aimlessly.
He didn't know what to do or where to go, and he didn't even bother trying.
What's the point of living like this?
He was ashamed of the life he had lived so shabbily.
In the midst of all this chaos, Etienne was nearly hit by Count Evgenia's carriage. It was just another common street accident.
But the Count, who was afraid of being accused of hit-and-run, brought him to Regbel.
'I had no plans to stay here.
He was planning to leave soon because of Eli's violence and verbal abuse, but he ended up staying.
Maybe it was because he was more tired than when he was wandering the streets and didn't need to think about anything else, or maybe there was a bigger reason he didn't realize.
One thing was certain: the presence before his eyes was terribly annoying.
'It's not enough to pity me...'
It wasn't funny that she was acting like she was his friend.
Though she was sullen beneath him, her gaze and touch were always gentle. He vividly remembered the trembling of Shioana's shoulders as she offered him soup, even though he had been brutally beaten and couldn't swallow meat.
"In seven days, I'll be seventeen."
As he looked back at her, there was red water on her pale cheeks, as if she had been crushed with roses.
As if Shioana's excitement had been contagious, his earlobes also turned red.
"By the way, how old are you?"
Even though they walked together, the two rarely spoke. He still kept quiet, and Shioana didn't ask him anything.
He bent down in response to her question, picked up a branch, and quietly wrote a number on the ground.
"...What? Eighteen years old?"
Shioana, her eyes wide, stared intently into his face.
It wasn't surprising that he was two years older than her. He had grown more than Eli in a year, so it wouldn't be out of place to call him a man.
He didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged.
"You don't have to look at me like that. Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you'll be treated like an older brother."
Shioana, who had been glaring at me with a sullen face, immediately turned around.
"...Ha."
Looking down at Regbel, a long sigh escaped her lips. The bushes tumbled haphazardly over there, wasting her time, and it would continue to do so.
"I wish you could talk."
Etienne's eyes deepened as he listened to Shioana's soliloquy while looking at the distant mountains.
***
She thought winter was coming, but it quickly became midwinter.
There wasn't much to do in Regbel, buried in snow, except read books.
Although Martha was generous and devoted to Shioana, she always had a lot to do. Her father never returned to Regbel in the winter, and Eli also stayed in Highbel for long periods.
But this winter was different. Shioana wasn't alone.
“Look at this”
Shioana, sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace, opened a book with drawings of curious animals. The man sitting next to her bowed his head toward the book.
"What's that reaction? Isn't it amazing? If I actually saw a beast with such a long neck, I might faint."
The man, who had glanced at the painting, just stared at the blazing fire with his usual indifferent eyes.
'It's like a wild cat that's hard to tame.'
The man het father had picked up wasn't easy to read. While he seemed affectionate, at times he acted like a stranger.
Besides, although he was an employee, he never acted servilely.
Eli resented such an attitude, calling it presumptuous, but Shioana didn't mind. She could tolerate it as long as he kept within reasonable limits.
'Anyway, you'll do whatever I say.'
Moreover, she was able to have a conversation with someone, not just talk to herself. Of course, there was the problem of his not speaking.
"...Hmm."
Shioana moved closer to him and tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise at her gesture.
"What are you so surprised about? Did I catch something to eat?"
Despite Shioana's joke, his expression remained stern. Regardless, she continued.
"There's something I've been wanting to say since last time."
Shioana wondered what his name was. Sometimes she'd call him "you," but that wasn't enough.
Where was his hometown? How did he come to wander the streets? Whose eyes did he resemble? What did his voice sound like? Shioana wanted to know.
Shioana never told anyone about this curiosity. And so, one by one, secrets began to arise, ones she couldn't even confide in Martha.
"Name. If you don't have one, can I make one up for you?"
Shioana, who had been silent for a moment, quickly added an excuse.
"No, it's weird to keep calling me 'you'. Even among employees, there's no one without a name."
Shioana spoke incoherently, fearing that her confused mind would be revealed.
He observed the emotion in her blue eyes, then snatched the book from Shioana's hand. He slowly turned the pages and began to point at each letter.
"Etienne?"
Only when Shioana slowly called his name did he return the book. She felt both joy at learning his name and a strange feeling.
"You. Can you read?"
She had never heard of a lowly slave wandering the streets being able to read. Martha herself couldn't even write her own name.
"No, I'm not trying to ignore you, I'm just a little surprised."
Shioana swept the ball away, wondering if she was giving the other person a hard time like her father or older brother used to do.
"Etienne, what a nice name."
At her whisper, Etienne turned his head again and stared at the fire.
Hearing his own name after such a long time felt strange.
In fact, there was no reason to tell her. No, perhaps he shouldn't have told her. He was currently hiding, avoiding someone's eyes.
But he didn't like it when Shioana, and not anyone else, called him by that strange name.
While Etienne was lost in thought, her swaying body fell towards him.
"...!"
He was so surprised that he almost jumped up from where he was sitting.
Soft brown hair tangled around his shoulders, and the soft breath that flowed past Shioana's lips tickled his ears. Etienne looked down at his master's sleeping face, his expression clouded with confusion.
***
When the following spring came, small wildflowers began to bloom in the wasteland.
'A lady with a tanned face will never find a good husband. She should just sit quietly at home and do nothing.'
Eli was always strict, but Shioana, who had been confined to her home all winter, couldn't possibly obey him. She ran around everywhere, avoiding Eli's gaze.
"Etienne, come quickly. I think I just saw a rabbit over there."
Shioana, who was running in a hurry, stopped and looked back at him.
Her face, on the verge of transition from girl to woman, was bathed in the sunlight of Regbel. Beneath her unkempt brown hair, a bright smile dazzled the eyes.
"What's with that stupid look? Come quickly."
As she started running again, Etienne hurried after Shioana.
He thought she wanted to go rabbit hunting, but it seemed she wanted to explore rabbit holes. At such moments, Etienne could barely contain his laughter at her childish demeanor.
"It definitely went into that hole. It was a gray rabbit, and its feet were this big."
A very excited Shioana described the rabbit's appearance to him, and he simply nodded silently. Then, dark clouds quickly gathered over the vast field, and Etienne, looking up at the sky, reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Etienne! What's wrong?"
Caught by him and dragged somewhere, Shioana found herself standing at the entrance to a shallow cave. And then, heavy rain immediately fell upon the field.
"What the heck is going on all of a sudden?"
Shioana looked bewildered as she watched the pouring rain. If the rain didn't stop soon, she might be in trouble.
"Etienne, this rain won't last long, will it?"
Etienne, standing a short distance away from her, looked up at the sky and shrugged. Shioana, reading his gaze, looked at him with despair.
"It's not like the rain will stop."
This afternoon, the teacher Eli had hired to teach Shioana etiquette was scheduled to visit the mansion.
"I thought I'd have plenty of time to get back before class."
Her shoulders slumped in dejection.
Eli, who already hated Shioana, wouldn't let her off easy this time. Lately, Eli has been nagging her about her behavior and appearance.
It was then that Etienne wrapped a pure white cloth around her shoulders.
"When did you prepare something like this?"
The thin fabric was filled with Etienne's signature scent.
The warm, spring-sun-filled scent calmed Shioana's spirits a little.
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