"How is Harriet doing, Sir?"
Shioana's voice trembled as she clasped her hands together. Harriet had seen the light of day after barely seven months. Considering that Harriet's mother was said to be half-dead by the time the child was born, his very birth was a miracle.
'The poor young lady passed away without even seeing the young master's face.'
Dahlia, the maid who had brought Harriet to her, also died of illness not long after.
"It’s all the same whether it’s a human or an animal; since it was born early, his internal organs couldn’t have developed properly, so if he survives until the age of three or four, he's lucky."
The doctor clicked his tongue as he palpated Harriet's belly and chest with his heavily calloused hands.
"I don't think so. It's a child that hasn't even been able to crawl properly yet."
As she bowed her head while denying the doctor's words, tears dripped onto the floor.
"Please, I beg of you, sir."
"We can lower the fever, but that is only a temporary measure. To get proper treatment, you will need to see a doctor in District 5."
“Please ask me anything.”
The doctor grumbled and put the feverfew-infused water into Harriet's mouth. Then, after looking at the shabby-looking Shioana and Martha, he came out holding a potted plant.
"Since this is a fever herb, if your child is sick like this, steep the leaves and flowers in hot water for 3 minutes, let it cool, and then give it to him."
“Thank you.”
Shioana stammered at the excessive kindness given the cost. Martha, too, remained speechless, holding the flowerpot blankly.
Since arriving in Urcheka, no one had shown them any kindness. Shioana, Martha, and Harriet, having no money and no reliable head of the household to protect them, were at the very bottom of District 8.
'Disgusting foreign bastards.'
'She looks young, but seeing that she's already had a child, you can tell what kind of person she is. Don't you agree?'
She heard unspeakable insults from someone she didn't know well. Because of the situation, it was difficult for them to find work.
"Make sure to raise the money and show yourself to the District 5 council member again."
"Yes. Exactly like that."
Shioana, holding Harriet in her arms, bowed several times deeply. The animal hospital, which had felt dirty and crude, now looked as sacred as a temple.
"Miss, it seems the young master's breathing has become a little more relaxed."
“Yes, I’m really glad.”
Her fluttering breathing stabilized, and Harriet, who had been unable to sleep due to pain, closed his eyes. As she thought she had survived the terrible ordeal, the tension in her entire body released. On the way home holding the baby, Shioana's mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of finding money.
A few ways to solve the money problem immediately came to mind.
'Did that man say that if I married him, I wouldn't have to worry about money?'
At some point, a man kept pestering her. He was a butcher, a very large man with an even louder voice. Naturally, she had no intention of getting married, but her shoulders hunched forward at her changed circumstances.
'Because it costs a lot of money to treat Harriet.'
Otherwise, it was only the nobleman she met recently in a carriage accident.
Shioana came home, left Harriet with Martha, and got ready to go out.
"Where are you going?"
"I was going to ask for money."
“...No.”
Martha shook her head before even hearing the explanation. She was a young lady raised with care since she was a baby.
"No matter what anyone says, please go to the Count's house now, Miss."
At Martha's words, a look of misery crossed Shioana's face. It was not that she didn't understand how Martha felt, but Shioana was desperate right now.
'I abandoned things like responsibility, duty, nobility, and pride a long time ago.'
"Martha. There's nothing to worry about. I'm not going to meet the butcher or the landlord."
Martha frowned as she recalled the grim face of the landlord and asked.
"Then who is going to give us money?"
"...There is."
After leaving home, Shioana asked a passing merchant to take her on a cart to District 4. Shioana could see how quickly the scenery changed as the districts shifted. After all, District 6 was completely different from the filth-covered District 8.
"...Wow!"
Siona, who got off in Zone 1, dropped her mouth in astonishment.
Even on the day she first went to Highbell after having lived only in Regbell her whole life, she wasn't as surprised as she is now. It felt as if this place wasn't Tabria.
"No. So District 8 isn't like Tabria."
A gateway was built between pillars that seemed to reach the sky, and the imperial palace visible in the distance was gilded. This place, said to have brought together every famous architectural technique from around the world, was exotic and striking.
"Duke Bernhard's mansion is..."
There was no need to look for it for that long.
Because she didn't have to pass through the gate, she could read the large sign bearing the Bernhard family name.
Standing beyond the black iron door, Shioana silently fiddled with the front of her dress. She thought she had cast aside her pride, but she felt terribly ashamed, wondering if it was all just words.
'If I say I came to collect compensation, how brazen would he think I am?'
Since it was mutual fault, the Duke was actually not obligated to pay her any compensation. Besides, a nobleman who owned such a magnificent mansion might have already forgotten such a trivial matter.
"Who are you loitering around here?"
As she paced back and forth, she heard a presence behind her.
Startled, she quickly turned around to see a man with flowing silver hair and blue eyes wearing a suspicious expression.
"Excuse me. I have come to select His Excellency, Duke Bernhard."
She tried her best to speak clearly, but her tongue kept getting twisted. The man, who had been carefully scrutinizing Shioana's attire, smiled faintly.
"Shall I guess? You are a foreigner from District 8, aren't you?"
"... Yes."
Shioana, adjusting her worn headscarf, looked down at her shabby dress. By all appearances, it was not an outfit suited for this place.
The man, observing her face, gestured to the doorman to open the door.
"Let's go inside first and ask His Excellency."
The man, displaying an ambiguous attitude that made it unclear whether he was being kind or wary of her, took the lead, and Shioana hurriedly followed behind him. She was in a hurry, not knowing when that sturdy door would open if not now.
“Please wait here.”
The man took her to a small drawing room and disappeared soon after. Since it was a place strangely connected to the outside, she was able to go out into the garden.
Sitting still, she felt uneasy. Shioana stepped out into the connected garden and let out a sigh. At the edge of her gaze, luscious red and white roses came into view.
"There are roses in Urceka, too."
She had hardly ever seen flowers or plants in Sector 8, so she was inexplicably glad to see a rose. It was a flower she loved very much, even though it bloomed commonly in Regbell. Just as she reached out to touch the petals, she sensed someone behind her.
"It looks like a rat has snuck into my garden."
She turned around at Duke Bernhard's sharp voice. Her heart pounded as if she had been caught stealing.
'...Beautiful'
Dressed in a black robe, his blonde hair was still damp, as if he had just washed. In this lush garden, there was no flower more beautiful than him.
"Can't you hear me?"
Shioana, who finally came to her senses at the Duke's urging, stammered.
"I'm sorry. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help myself."
"Calling me beautiful right in front of my eyes—what a shameless woman!"
The Duke laughed at her, and Shioana hesitated.
The Duke's beauty indeed captivated her eyes more than the rose.
"Right. I wonder what brought you such a long way."
He slowly circled around Shioana once, then leaned back comfortably on a long bench in the garden. It seemed as though a radiant aura was surging from his entire body. Although she had lost confidence at the Duke's attitude of treating her like nothing more than a bothersome fly, she could not back down.
"I mean the matter you mentioned the other day."
"What kind of thing? The time you stared intently at me because you were smitten with my face? You mean the time you tried to hit on me?"
Shioana was furious at the Duke's smarmy attitude. In truth, if Harriet hadn't been sick, she would never have come to see this man. Her head felt like it was going to explode because of his voice and gaze, which kept reminding her of Etienne.
"That's not it. I mean the matter where you said you would give me money if I came here."
After closing her eyes tightly and stating her purpose, she felt as relieved as if a painful tooth had been pulled out. The Duke, who had been silent for a moment at her words, spoke coldly.
"Do you think you can buy anything with money?"
Shioana was flustered by the unexpected answer.
'What? Was the promise to give me money a lie?'
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, so she clutched her forehead.
Shioana hadn't slept a wink all night, having spent the entire night caring for the sick Harriet. Of course, she hadn't had a single restful sleep since coming here. She had sewn with Martha every night, looked after Harriet during the day, and spent all day looking for work to earn money.
"I don't know much about such difficult matters. Just a little money..."
It wasn't like she was being unreasonable.
Because it was clearly money that Duke Bernhard had promised to give.
She didn't know why she was so heartbroken; she felt like she was going to cry as she opened her mouth, so she had to bite her lip tightly.
"Money, money... right to the very end. It's really sickening."
It was just as the Duke brushed past her that she suddenly stood up. In an instant, she felt dizzy and saw things that weren't there.
Her lover, with black hair and rosy eyes, came to the rose garden.
"Etienne, Etienne. Don't go."
Shioana smiled faintly at the touch of the soft velvet gown in her fingertips. She used to feel this wonderful whenever she stroked Etienne's hair.
Shioana was so happy at the happy memory that she was moved to tears.
"Let go right now!"
Even though Duke Bernhard was shouting, Shioana, who was half-conscious, did not lose her smile, even at the moment she collapsed and let go of his soft gown.
Thud!
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