"...My late father, you see. He was a fine person in every way, but he was too soft-hearted. He wouldn't mind running over a slave with a wagon."
Eli approached the pillar and poked the slave's stomach with the tip of his cane.
"You'd better accept that the game is over. It's time to go back to your respective places."
Red saliva dripped from the corners of Etienne's mouth from the pain that felt like his insides were being gouged out. As he writhed in agony, Eli smiled even more brightly. Looking at the other person's face, Etienne felt fear for the first time. The devil existed in Urcheka, and here as well.
"Joseph, doesn't the sound that slave bastard makes sound similar to the sound a chicken or a dog makes over there? Isn't it?"
As the confrontation broke out, Eli's staff dug even deeper into his abdomen, and Etienne struggled with all his might not to lose consciousness. And in his heart, he searched for Shioana.
The one who could save him now was not God, but only her.
***
Dahlia's face was filled with worry as she took on the task of monitoring and looking after Elizabeth in Highbell at Eli's request.
'I mean, it feels really unsettling.'
Dahlia, who had become accustomed to helping her mother look after her younger sibling since childhood, knew quite a bit about pregnancy and childbirth. Elizabeth, who had been gagging since spring, was found to be pregnant.
However, the problem was that her condition was not very good. Even though the period of morning sickness had long passed, Elizabeth could not eat well and bled frequently.
'At this rate, she's going to lose the baby.'
Not everyone who became pregnant gave birth. Early miscarriages were common, and occasionally they occurred in the middle of the pregnancy. She also frequently witnessed cases where something went wrong during childbirth.
In Elizabeth's case, she was physically weak, so the conditions were not favorable for the child to perform well.
'It would be nice if at least the Lord came more often.'
Eli visited Highbell only rarely, and whenever he came, he did not stay for very long. Elizabeth’s complexion would improve briefly only when the Lord visited, but once he left, she was so distressed that she could not even sleep properly.
Although Dahlia had come here as an observer, she found herself strangely concerned about Elizabeth. Both her marriage to the Lord and the fact that she was carrying his child were bothersome and annoying, yet she had no idea how she had come to harbor such feelings.
Dahlia, having left the groceries in the kitchen on the first floor, hurried up the stairs.
"Madam, I bought this for you."
Elizabeth smiled weakly at Dahlia, who appeared to be holding a well-washed pomegranate.
"I've been wanting to eat a pomegranate since yesterday; how did you know?"
Elizabeth was too weak to even eat the pomegranate properly. Having no other choice, Dahlia scraped out the seeds and handed them to Elizabeth.
"...Dahlia, thank you so much for being so kind to me."
Elizabeth, chewing on a pomegranate in her mouth, expressed her gratitude. However, Dahlia could not say a word at the sincere tone of her voice.
It was she who went up to the capital, bribed the employees of the Marquis of Demory, and followed Elizabeth. Although she had acted on Lord Eli's orders, Dahlia did not think for the slightest that such an action was wrong.
'What do you know, born with a silver spoon in your mouth? I hate people like you.'
Due to poverty etched into her very bones, Dahlia instinctively detested wealthy aristocrats. Although it revealed an inferiority complex toward what she did not possess, she could not fully contain such feelings.
'But I don't know about the other nobles, but the Madam is not a bad person.'
She was different from the nobles who treated her like weeds. From their first meeting until now, Elizabeth has always taken care of Dahlia.
'You can't even take care of yourself properly.'
It was difficult to look straight into the face of the sick Elizabeth, who was lying ill, because she had entered into a fraudulent marriage and was unaware that she was destined to be abandoned immediately if she did not bear a son, yet somehow it seemed as though she bore some responsibility for all of this.
Dahlia vividly remembered Elizabeth’s face as she walked through the gleaming gates of the Marquis of Demory, for she possessed eyes like a clear sky, completely free of worldly worries. Jewels twinkled atop her brilliant silver hair, and, befitting the precious only daughter of the Marquis, everything she possessed was of great value.
'She's not the type to stay in a place like this…'
Dahlia looked around the cramped bedroom and lifted her head up for no reason.
"Dahlia, are you crying?"
"Ah, no. It's just that I got pomegranate juice in my eye."
She got up from jer seat and walked towards the window, and the street was already getting dark. Just like Dahlia's current mood.
***
Even as her physical wounds healed, Shioana's mood did not recover in the slightest. As the physical pain subsided, evil thoughts began to take over her. Now, there was nothing she could do as she pleased.
"Miss, I made some pudding. Please have a taste."
"Martha, I'm sorry, but I really have no appetite."
It was hard to bear, as it felt like all of this was truly her fault. Etienne tried to break free from this relationship time and time again, but it was she who inevitably held him back.
"I thought love was all okay."
At the sound of Shioana's lonely voice, Martha, who was preparing snacks, stopped what she was doing.
"Martha, I thought everything would work out well because I loved him. Isn't it ridiculous when you think about it now? It's so pathetic that I can't forgive myself."
Even though she knew full well how much Eli hated Etienne, she couldn't let go of these feelings. If, by any chance, they were to be discovered, it would be Etienne who would suffer the greatest damage.
"I only thought about myself."
There wasn't a single word Eli was wrong about. A girl who didn't know how to look out for the family, was selfish, and was beyond childish. That description was exactly what suited her right now.
"Miss, please don't say such things. You haven't done anything wrong."
Martha, who was tightly hugging Shioana, patted her back with her thick hand.
"We need to take care of our health first so we can plan for the future, don't we?"
Martha whispered softly into Shioana's ear, who seemed to have lost the blazing flame of life.
"I have enough money saved up to leave Regbell and still have money left over. As soon as you two recover, I will get a carriage. So please, young lady, do not lose hope."
Martha knew Shioana better than anyone. She possessed a nature that would break rather than bend. To save the young lady, the only way was to stay with that slave.
"...Martha."
"Don't say anything. It would be a big problem if anyone found out."
"I want to eat pudding."
“Good idea.”
Martha, who was watching Shioana eat the pudding, pressed her fingertips against the corner of her eye.
'Get well soon, young lady.'
Martha was determined to protect Shioana's love, even if something bad were to happen to her. That was the way to keep the promise she had made to the late Lady, and at the same time, it was her sincere feelings for Shioana, whom she had raised like a daughter.
***
Eli's bizarre antics were endless. One day, he visited Shioana and made her sign a letter regarding Anne.
"What is this letter?"
It was a letter with no content, but she felt very uneasy about signing it.
"Shioana. I really can't tell if you're stupid or smart."
Eli squeezed the pen into her hand tightly.
"You won't lose a single thing."
For some reason, it felt like something completely different from what was said would happen, but there was nothing she could do now. In the end. As she signed, Eli stroked his chin with a look of satisfaction.
"The roses outside are in full bloom, so let's have tea outside today."
Drinking tea with Eli was suffocatingly difficult. Her heart ached again at the sight of the red roses. The season had returned when she had been caught by Etienne sitting down and crying after being pricked by a thorn. As the garden filled with the scent of roses, Shioana's face grew increasingly dark.
"Right, Siona, you've forgotten about slavery now, haven't you?"
As she elegantly sipped her tea, she remained silent for a moment at Eli's question. He was now forcing Shioana to act submissively. He had been threatening to kill Etienne the entire time if she did not comply. In this situation, there was only one answer he wanted to hear.
"Actually, we weren't really close. There weren't many people I hung out with in Regbell."
Her tongue got twisted when she tried to lie, so the words wouldn't come out well.
"I suppose this place is enough to drive even a sane person crazy. I can understand that, too. Since my late father and I are always busy, that must be why you did such a ridiculous thing."
Whenever Etienne was mentioned, Eli would lose his temper and get angry, but for some reason, he responded calmly.
"So, I have nothing to do with that slave anymore."
She desperately hoped that Eli would believe this clumsy lie.
"Well, now that it's just the two of us in the world, whom else would I trust? Don't you agree? Try this caramel. Mrs. Veil sent it especially for you. There was even a card inside saying she missed you. She is truly a kind person. Don't forget to say hello when you see her later."
“Brother.”
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