Shioana's hand trembled as she clutched the documents. She already owed a considerable amount to the loan shark, but this was an amount she could no longer handle.
'Shioana, you know that you are included in Regbell, right?'
That was nonsense.
The unmarried woman is indeed under the protection of her father and brother, but Count Noah now treated her as property.
'Actually, even this is far from enough.'
Shioana struggled to open her strength while holding the promissory note.
‘I will definitely pay you back.'
With her father gone and her brother missing, someone had to take responsibility for this matter anyway. Apparently displeased with her answer, Count Noah cornered Shioana against the wall.
'Sioa, everything would be resolved if you just held my hand, so why are you trying to choose the hard path?'
His posture was threatening, as if his hot breath would engulf Shioana at any moment. She avoided eye contact and spoke.
'Because I'm looking for Eli hard.'
'I am talking about us right now, Shioana, regardless of Viscount Evgenia.'
'...Ah.'
'How long will you keep turning a blind eye to my face? I have put so much effort into you, and yet you treat me like this?'
Startled, Shioana raised her head and read the madness in Count Noah's eyes.
And it was Martha who woke her up that night while she was sleeping.
'...Martha?'
'Shh, be quiet and come out quickly.'
Without knowing the reason, the two crossed the fields under the cover of night. Martha did not say a word until they boarded the carriage prepared in advance in Highbell and headed to the harbor. That silence was so terrifying that Shioana found it difficult to even swallow.
'I cut your hair and dyed it, young lady.'
It was only after changing Shioana's appearance slightly on the ship heading to Urcheka that Martha cautiously spoke.
"I happened to overhear that.'
It was when Martha, who had dozed off doing chores in the kitchen, was stretching. The Noah family's coachman and servant were standing at the back door of the kitchen chatting away.
'To think she rejected my lord... she really has the nerve. Shouldn't she be grateful for a marriage like that coming from a poor household like this?'
'I know, if she had been obedient, it wouldn't have gone as far as a forced wedding...'
'The debt is piled high anyway, so she's practically being sold off rather than getting married.'
It was hard to believe the story Martha heard while holding her breath.
Count Noah had arranged a forced wedding, and it meant that the entire family would soon fall into his hands.
'If it weren't for Martha, I would have married Count Noah.'
Whenever Shioana thought about that time, she felt a surge of nausea. It was difficult to leave Regbell, where Etienne, her everything, was buried.
The baby in her arms was wheezing, as if struggling with the fever.
"Harriet, we agreed to go to Regbell later once we're healthy."
The baby, who couldn't even understand words, sucked his finger at her words.
Tears welled up in her eyes at the pitiful sight of her nephew, who had lost his mother as soon as he was born.
"Miss, you look unwell again."
"Martha, I told you not to call me Miss."
"But how could I do that?"
Shioana looked around the space, which was far too cramped for the three of them to live in, and held back her tears.
***
In District 1, the most central part of Tabria, only the palace where the Emperor stayed and high-ranking nobles could enter and exit.
They were called 'those blessed by Urcheka' and were characterized by their red eyes. Employees in Zone 1 received a higher weekly wage than those in other zones and were treated better even within the same social status.
In the second-floor office of Duke Bernhard’s mansion, which was the second most magnificent of all the districts after the Imperial Palace, the Duke rested his boots on the desk and fiddled with an empty wine glass. Alfredo, the old butler who had come at the summons, bowed respectfully.
"Your Excellency, did you call me?"
"We're running out of alcohol."
All the books in the office had been thrown away, and liquor bottles were placed on every bookshelf. On the desk, gloves and hats were scattered haphazardly instead of documents.
Alfredo let out a silent sigh as he examined the important letters and documents lying on the floor. He was a figure who had served since the time of the previous Duke Bernhard, and had grown old alongside this family. Having watched the current Duke in his younger days, he could not help but worry.
"Your Excellency, I apologize for the presumptuousness, but wouldn't it be better to cut down on drinking a little? The doctor said..."
"Old man, I'll pass on the nagging, just bring me some alcohol."
"Your Excellency, I understand."
As Alfredo left, the Duke threw the glass he was holding against the door. He smiled faintly at the crashing sound of the glass shattering into pieces. For the broken glass resembled his life.
"...This."
He clutched his heart and was rummaging through a drawer when someone came in and quickly grabbed his arm.
“Here it is.”
He found the medicine bottle and placed it in his hand; the Duke swallowed it and then brought the wine bottle to his lips.
"Taking medicine while breathing is a dangerous behavior."
"If you're going to act like old man Alfredo, get out of here right now."
Seeing the anger rising in Duke Bernhard's flushed face, the opponent raised both arms and hurriedly stepped aside.
"Your Excellency, Duke. If you dismiss me, how will you obtain the information?"
"You rat."
He was wiping the liquor from the corner of his mouth when the other person passed by, causing him to plop down into a chair. Cedric was the second son of the Count Conrad family and had known the Duke since childhood. With silver hair and blue eyes, and a rather amiable appearance, he was popular wherever he went.
"I will submit a report."
Cedric took a small piece of paper from his pocket and read it quietly.
"Residing in Zone 8, living with a child and mother. Presumed to be a foreigner. That is all."
"...Ha."
The Duke set the bottle he was holding down on the desk and was momentarily speechless. Cedric, who had been watching the scene with interest, whistled.
"Why are you showing such interest in someone? Especially to a self-harming blackmailer living in a slum."
Duke Bernhard was someone who practically dominated Urcheka's social circles. However, Cedric knew very well that he showed no interest in anyone. So, it was only natural to be puzzled that he had ordered an investigation into a young woman living in the slums.
"She dares try to scam me, so I can't just sit by and watch, can I?"
Cedric nodded after handing the note he had investigated to the Duke.
That was correct.
To think she dares pull such a pathetic stunt against the head of the Bernhard family, who is said to be able to bring down even a flying bird.
"That is absolutely right, Your Excellency."
"Cedric, please stop calling me 'Your Excellency' when it's just us."
"I will obey your command, Etienne."
He frowned at Cedric, who was speaking neither informal nor formal language, strangely.
Duke Bernhard immediately rose from his seat and roughly ran his hand through his blonde hair, which was glistening under the light. Then, he crumpled the note he held in his hand violently.
***
The small house in District 8 was noisy from the morning. It was because the baby, who was not even a year old yet, had been raging with a fever all night. Even after wiping the body with a lukewarm towel and giving the fever-reducing syrup bought yesterday, there was no improvement.
"Martha, what if something happens to Harriet at this rate?"
"Miss. I think you need to see a doctor."
At the mention of a doctor, the two looked at each other and swallowed. They were told that there wasn't a single decent hospital in District 8, and that they would have to go to District 5 to receive reasonably good medical care.
Also, although Martha and Shioana lived here, strictly speaking, they were not Urcheka people.
'It will cost five silver coins to meet the doctor just once.'
Because of the exorbitant prices in Urcheka, they couldn't even dare to think about taking Harriet to the hospital. Feeling frustrated, Shioana muttered to herself.
"If I borrow money from the landlord..."
"Miss. That is not allowed. You know that very well..."
"Yeah, Martha. I know that well."
They have no idea how much they suffered because of Eli, who borrowed money indiscriminately. However, since the two of them are barely making ends meet day by day, they could not save up for hospital bills. They disposed of their mother's belongings and all of Regbell's assets that Eli had not even realized were used to pay off the debt.
When the two of them crossed over here, all they had was a little money that Martha had saved.
"Let's at least go to the hospital in District 8 for now."
"There..."
As Martha tried to dissuade Shioana, she saw Harriet's face turn bright red and nodded.
“I will prepare.”
The place the two people visited was an animal hospital. Since District 8 was close to an inland port, it was a place mainly frequented by animals being bought and sold. Also, people would occasionally visit if they were not well-off enough to go to a hospital.
It was hard to consider this place a hospital, as it reeked of animal waste right from the entrance.
“First of all, money.”
As they entered, a woman who appeared to be a nurse held out her hand. When Shioana cautiously held out the money, the nurse slipped it neatly into her pocket.
"Sir! The patient is coming in!"
At the same time as the booming shout, the sound of coughing echoed from inside the examination room. When she cautiously stepped inside, an elderly man was puffing away on a cigarette. It was the cheap cigarette said to be popular among sailors these days. She was displeased that a doctor, who was supposed to be seeing patients, was smoking, but the urgent matter right now was bringing Harriet down.
"Doctor, the baby is very sick. Could you please take a look?"
"Damn it, Matilda! The patient is a baby. I have to take this sickle."
"What did you say? I wasn't told anything like that."
As the nurse grumbled, Shioana quickly paid more.
"Martha, bring Harriet over here."
As she quickly placed Harriet down on the doctor's desk, the man narrowed his eyes. The baby was very small and appeared to be struggling to breathe. His flushed skin was red, making it obvious to anyone that he was ill.
"Looks like he was born early."
Shioana's eyes widened at the words of the doctor, who stubbed out his cigarette.
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