"Well, what's the point of worrying? The job is already done..."
Shioana, speaking softly, stared at Etienne, who was looking at the raindrops.
Etienne's broad shoulders caught her eye first. The arms extending from them seemed thicker than her own. As the year turned, Etienne had grown taller. She had to tilt her head back even more to look at his face.
His slightly rain-soaked bangs clung to his smooth forehead, and his red eyes, which Martha hated, were filled with the sight of fields. Her gaze was finally caught by his moist lips beneath his sharp nose.
Shioana, who had been absentmindedly staring at Etienne for a while, cleared her throat.
'What.'
No one was watching her, but she quickly turned her head away, feeling embarrassed for some reason. Martha's usual nagging rang in her ears, cutting through the sound of the rain.
"Miss, don't get too close to that rascal. What if some bad rumor spreads? Besides, who knows what kind of dirty thoughts a strong man might harbor?"
From their first meeting, Martha had been utterly disgusted by Etienne, and over time, her opinion remained unchanged. Every time, Shioana would become furious and retort, telling her to stop talking nonsense.
'I'm sorry, Martha.'
It seemed that the impure feelings were not of the slave but of her.
From some point on, she had become increasingly concerned, and her heart would react whenever she saw Etienne's face.
It was Shioana's secret that she couldn't tell anyone.
'Who is so handsome?'
Although she hadn't met many people, she knew that Etienne had a distinctive appearance. And that he usually deliberately kept his face hidden.
'As if you were trying to show it only to me.'
So she deliberately avoided calling his name unless they were alone. She wanted to keep it to herself, and she wanted to call him by his name alone.
"You know, Etienne."
He quickly took his gaze from the field and looked at Shioana. There was none of the usual affectionate air. But she ignored him, approaching him and tiptoeing.
"...?"
Shioana reached out, looking into Etienne's eyes, filled with a puzzled air. Her hand immediately brushed Etienne's cheek and the corner of his eye.
Startled by the sudden contact, he took a step back, and Sina, who had been staggering, pressed closer to him.
As she was almost hugging his chest, Simona's lips started to flush.
As Etienne, surprised, was about to say something, Shioana quickly pushed his bangs back and moved her body.
"I was just trying to clear your head."
Shioana turned her back quickly and fanned her face with her hand. The sensation of his firm body touching her, which was completely different from hers, was so vivid that she thought her heart would burst.
"...Hah."
Etienne held his breath for so long that a long sigh escaped his lips. Her fingers had touched his forehead, burning as if on fire. His chest, where Shioana had held him, itched like a bee sting.
"Etienne, I guess I have to go back."
An unfamiliar feeling dug into their hearts like falling rain.
***
Fortunately, Shioana was able to arrive on time for etiquette class. She didn't have time to change out of her rain-soaked clothes, so she greeted the teacher a bit disheveled.
"Miss Evgenia, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Beatrice Hooper, your etiquette teacher. You can call me Mrs. Hooper."
Mrs. Hooper, with her red hair neatly tied up, said she was a Viscountess who had lost her husband in the war. The first class ended briefly with introductions over tea.
"From now on, Miss Evgenia, you can leave your classes entirely to me."
"Mrs. Hooper, please be careful on your way back."
The way Eli kissed the back of Mrs. Hooper's hand was perfect, worthy of a book of etiquette. As the carriage carrying her pulled away, the smile on Eli's face vanished without a trace.
"Shioana, don't you have something to tell me?"
Shioana's face paled at her brother's cold voice. She wanted to make some kind of excuse, but her mouth wouldn't open.
"Didn't I tell you to wait quietly in your room since today is your first class?"
Eli was most annoyed by the disruption to his plans. The most important issue for him now was his younger sister, right in front of him.
'I have to make her into a pretty lady and sell her for a high price...'
She dared to show up to her first class in a wet dress, disgracing her family's reputation. Shame washed over Shioana as she looked down at her still-dry dress.
"Brother, that's a short walk..."
Her voice was full of tears as she held back her tears.
She didn't want to get on Eli's bad side. He was her only older brother, and he was closer to her than anyone else.
"You're about to become an adult. How long are you going to act so childishly?"
“I’ll do better in the future.”
"That's only natural. You'll have to pay for your mistake today."
Eli, who had summoned Joseph, ordered her to be locked in the basement of the annex. At his words, Shioana pleaded, waving her hands. She was fearless, but next to the rain, the room in the basement of the annex was what scared her the most.
"I was wrong. This won't happen again."
"Joseph, drag her to the fence and don't give her a single crumb of bread all day long! If anyone disobeys, I will whip them myself.
All the employees bowed their heads at Eli's threat. Only Martha cried, "Oh, Miss."
Joseph grabbed Shioana's arm and locked her in the basement.
"Joseph! Please don't lock the door. I won't go out, yes?"
Although she pleaded, Joseph locked the door with his thick locks.
"...It's okay."
Shioana, now alone, leaned against the wall, trying to appear calm.
"It's been a while."
As she opened her mouth, the musty smell of the underground filled her mouth.
The last time she was locked up was when she was about ten, because she was caught secretly reading Eli's book. Her memory was vague.
In the basement, there was only a worn, narrow bed and a moldy desk. Shioana, who had gone through the iron-barred window, looked outside.
Because it was underground, the sky was not visible, and ants were moving busily in a single line somewhere.
“When will I ever be able to be free like that?”
Maybe she'll be a little happier if she leaves her father and Eli.
Shioana sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the dust rising into the air. The book clearly said that all living things are precious.
"Why do I feel like that dust?"
She felt invisible to her father and a thorn in Eli's side.
How long had Shioana been crouching like that?
Thump!
Suddenly, pitch-black darkness descended outside the window. Lightning flashed, followed by a thunderous crack that seemed to split the sky. The flashing lights and crashing noise filled Shioana's eyes with fear.
“No, no!”
She covered her ears and began to tremble.
This place was said to have been used to imprison prisoners long ago. Several prisoners died while imprisoned, and their ghosts are said to haunt the place at night.
"No. There's no such thing as a ghost."
Her eyes, muttering to herself repeatedly, were fixed on the rattling door. Every gust of wind shook the old door as if it were about to shatter.
"Martha, Martha, get me out of here."
She took out the only name she could rely on in this house, and she lowered her head.
But she can't ask Martha to do it. If she did, Eli would drag Martha out and beat her.
'She won't be able to stand that kind of beating.'
Shioana started chewing her nails and kept muttering that it was her fault.
"It's all my fault, I'm trapped like this."
If she had followed Eli's words, this wouldn't have happened.
Just then, the iron bars on the window creaked. Unable to bear the fear any longer, Shioana began to scream.
Ah!
A thumping sound followed from under the bed, and then someone's hand suddenly shot out. Shioana believed it was the ghost of someone who had died here, coming to take her away.
“No, no!”
Shioana, who had risen from her bed, quickly pressed herself against the opposite wall. Lacking the courage to look at the other person, she kept her eyes tightly shut.
She felt the ghost of the intruder standing near her. The cold air that passed through her made her teeth chatter.
'You must never open your eyes.'
As Martha said, if you make eye contact, your soul might be eaten.
But when the opponent makes no movement, she starts to wonder.
'This scent...'
The familiar scent of body mixed with the smell of rain allowed her to slowly open her eyes.
"Uh, Etienne."
She doesn't know how he got in, but he was definitely there. It must have been a rough ride, because Etienne's arms and face were covered in scratches.
She felt a sigh of relief at the fact that he wasn't a ghost, but at the same time, she felt fear.
"If you get caught, you'll be in big trouble."
In fact, it may not end with getting scolded.
'Eli won't let you live. Obviously.'
Working at Regbel, some of the employees often suffered unexpected accidents.
Although Martha said that she didn't need to know the details as a child, Shioana knew that these events were not unrelated to Eli's violence.
'I have to stop that from happening.'
Shioana, her body trembling, barely managed to move and pushed Etienne's shoulder.
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