Shioana, who had been keeping watch on all sides, slowly made her way out of the alley. She was on her way to collect money after delivering the sewing materials she had worked on all night. She hadn't eaten much and was tired, so her steps were slow.
"...Ha."
The sunlight was so blinding that she covered her forehead with her hand and squinted.
It had been half a year since she crossed over to Tabria, the capital of Urcheka.
Buildings lined both sides of the canal in this area, where an inland port had developed. A 'boom' sound rang out from a ship passing under the raised drawbridge. The lukewarm, humid air brushing against her cheeks hinted at the summer here.
'Everything is different from Regbell.'
The bustling people and the strange languages heard all around—all of this felt terribly unfamiliar.
And her shabby appearance like this, too.
Shioana, who had paused for a moment to look down at the frayed hem of her old dress, shook her head.
“This is not the time.”
Once she received the money, there was a mountain of work to do.
She had to buy the groceries Martha had asked for and cut some fabric to make Harriet's clothes. Just as she picked up the basket she had placed on the ground and was about to take a step, Shioana spotted a carriage speeding toward her.
It was already too late to avoid it, and startled, she just crouched down. She covered her head with her hands to prepare for the impact of the horses' hooves that would mercilessly trample her.
Heehee!
The sound of a horse neighing was heard, and in that moment, Shioana thought of Martha, Harriet, and the hometown she had left behind.
'They say that before you die, you think of what is most precious.'
As she trembled, she thought of Etienne, who had smiled at her. Shioana's precious lover, who had tormented her by refusing to show his face even in her dreams. His red eyes were vivid.
'...Etienne.'
Maybe I can go to his side this time.
“You can’t get up right now!”
"...?"
As Shioana lowered her hand at someone's shout, she could see the horse, which had stopped right in front of her, exhaling hot breath. After lowering her hand and checking her body, she found no serious injuries.
“It’s okay.”
As she hurriedly tried to get up, the coachman hurled insults at her again.
"Stop making a scene and get out of the way! Whose carriage is this that you are blocking the road?!"
Shrinking her shoulders at the coachman's shout, she cautiously extended her arm. The clothes she had worked on all night with Martha fell out of the basket and rolled all around.
As she picked it up while lying face down, the coachman whipped the floor hard.
"They say blackmailers are rampant, but how dare they!"
Befitting the capital of Urcheka, there were all kinds of people. Wealthy merchants, noble aristocrats, and lower-class people like her. There were also criminal gangs who committed crimes such as pickpocketing, and the self-harming extortionists mentioned by the coachman who mainly extorted money by intentionally jumping in front of moving carriages.
"Th-it's not like that."
Shioana spoke in awkward Urcheka while hiding her flushed face. Just because she was dressed in such shabby clothes, she was not so broken as to do such a thing.
"Then what are you?"
Just then, someone who had gotten out of the open carriage asked her. At the sound of a slightly familiar voice, Shioana reached out and took out the tattered headscarf.
"..."
Shioana looked up at the owner of the shoes who had stopped in front of her as she crouched. She could not see his face clearly because he was facing away from the sun, but she could tell that he was extremely wealthy.
Because the trousers wrapping around the long legs over the shiny boots and the pearl-decorated cravat sparkled over the cream-colored waistcoat.
"How dare a worthless worm like you look someone straight in the eye!"
The coachman approached the stranger and rebuked her. Shioana quickly bowed her head low, clutching the sewing she was holding.
"I didn't see the carriage coming clearly. I, I'm sorry."
"So, you are not a self-harming blackmailer?"
"...Oh, no."
Shioana raised her head to see clearly the owner of the strangely familiar voice. At her gesture, the other person stepped back a step.
As if showing a straight face.
"...Ah."
Shioana, whose gaze was fixed on the man's red eyes, only let out exclamations of admiration like a fool.
'Etienne.'
Her heart was beating faster than when she was nearly hit by a carriage, and she could barely breathe. She raised her hand and pressed it against jer chest, staring into his eyes for a long time.
'That can't be true...'
Since my Etienne died in the fire, this man certainly can't be Etienne, so why do I feel this way?
"Sir, shall I take her away and teach her a lesson? That vermin is a real headache these days. To think she jumped into Duke Bernhard's carriage—she's got the nerve!"
The coachman gripping the whip kept huffing and puffing, and the Duke raised his hand to stop him.
'...Duke Bernhard.'
It was a high-ranking noble family that even she, living in the back alleys, had heard of. Wasn't it said to be a force that held Urcheka in its hands, and even related to the Emperor? In short, an existence with absolutely no connection to her.
Even so, Shioana could not take her eyes off him.
"You look like you're under a spell?"
“S-sorry.”
Just then, a noble lady fanning herself got off and stood right beside Duke Bernhard.
"Your Excellency, do you believe what these women say? Even if she isn't a blackmailer, isn't she pulling this kind of stunt to win Your Excellency's favor?"
"...Hmm."
"Your Excellency, let's hurry back to the carriage. Please? The performance might start."
The woman linking arms with the Duke acted very coquettishly, and the two of them were about to leave Shioana behind.
She must have committed a grave offense by looking at the Duke's face without knowing her place.
'But there is absolutely no reason to be insulted like this.'
Shioana, clutching her shabby dress, spoke with great difficulty, as if squeezing out a voice.
"I am certainly at fault for not looking around, but the carriage that ran so fast is also clearly at fault. I have also suffered immense damage."
It’s not just the Bernhard family’s carriages that can travel on the streets.
"...Ah?"
The Duke, who had stopped at her words, looked down at the crouching Shioana and slowly began to speak.
"If you come to the Bernhard Mansion, I will personally compensate you for the damages."
The sound of the Duke's shoes echoed across the floor where Sina was sitting as he turned around.
'...I should have held back.'
She tried so hard not to draw attention since coming here, yet to cause such a commotion against Duke Bernhard of all people.
'Do you think you are still a young lady of the Evgenia family?'
The loud noise of the carriage quickly faded away, and Shioana, left alone, trembled while clutching the cloth bearing clear shoe prints.
***
Tabria was a well-organized city divided into several districts, where residents lived according to their social status. Sina lived in District 8, where the lower classes gathered.
"I'll have to move soon..."
Shioana let out a long sigh as she looked up at the multi-family house, which had a hideous exterior that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Having completely shaken off her gloomy mood before entering the front door, she pushed it open, and Martha, who was holding the baby, sprang to her feet.
"Miss! I was worried because you were late. I told you I would come."
“Nothing happened, right?”
"Young Master Harriet was a bit fussy. His fever isn't going down easily."
Shioana, having roughly washed her hands, took Harriet and held her in her arms. The blonde, blue-eyed baby blinked as if recognizing her.
"What's wrong with Harriet? Martha, could you please tidy up the things I bought?"
Shioana, sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly stroked Harriet's hair.
"Did you not receive the money properly today?"
Martha looked into the shopping basket, which was not even half full, and asked.
"I'm sorry. Something came up in the middle, so I couldn't use some of the work I had done."
Shioana knew Martha would be shocked if she told her she had almost been in a carriage accident, so she just made up a vague excuse.
"What does that matter? As long as the young lady is safe, that is all that counts. Please wait a moment. I will prepare dinner for you soon."
As Martha, breathing heavily on the small stove, began to hum a tune, Shioana smiled faintly. Looking only at Martha, this space seemed just like Regbell.
"Harriet, you need to get better soon."
She muttered softly as she watched the baby babbling while holding her finger.
It still didn't feel real that she was in the Urcheka slums. In the past six months, Shioana's life had changed completely.
Not long after her father passed away, the barn collapsed in a fire. Then, there was a huge commotion because Eli suddenly disappeared.
"Miss. It seems the Viscount has been in an accident."
No matter how hard she inquired, she could not hear any news of Eli. At the same time, demand letters arrived, and a menacing man frequently barged into Regbell.
"The arrogant Viscount didn't pay back the money he borrowed."
It was a promissory note that Shioana had never seen before, and the amount written on it was beyond imagination.
"I am looking for Viscount Evgenia for now, so I ask for a little time."
Shioana, bearing the burden of all the Evgenia family's problems, was wasting away. And then Count Noah reached out a hand to her.
"Shioana, this is too difficult for a woman to handle. So please leave it to me."
He offered to handle the situation and asked to move the wedding date up. However, Shioana not only had no desire to marry in the midst of such turmoil, but also did not want to marry anyone.
"I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."
For the first time, she conveyed her intentions while looking directly into Count Noah's eyes.
Count Noah, having withdrawn his friendly smile at Shioana's refusal, handed her a document. It stated that if Eli failed to repay the money he borrowed from the Noah family, he would hand over Regbell entirely.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment