CH 98

“Did you tell her?”

I asked Ian after Juri said a sad goodbye. He pretended not to hear and was engrossed in what I asked him to do.

“Otherwise, how can she find me exactly like this?”

“Even if I hadn’t told her, she would have found Lady,” replied Ian indifferently.

“I’m annoyed with you, really.”

“The meal is ready.”

He diligently brought plates to the table, whether I said it or not.

“How about going to work for Juri?”

“You mean me?”

“Yes., Wouldn’t it be much more helpful for you to work there than to cook for me here?”

“If Lady says you’re going there, I will consider it.”

“No, not me, you. Why don’t you do a decent job there than cook me a meal for nothing in return?”

“There is nothing else I can do except to protect Lady.”

And then he handed me a fork.

“I’m not a kid.”

“I’m afraid Lady is going to say something useless again.”

“…I was just saying it. But I guess I’ve changed a lot. It was to the extent that Juri

“Yes, I think so.”

“You’ve done the hard work well…” I murmured, then poked Ian’s roasted vegetables with a fork into my mouth.

It was at night. I couldn’t fall asleep after a long time when Ian had already left. After tossing and turning for hours, I finally got up. Lighting a few lanterns with matches, I sat down at the table.

“Don’t you miss him?”

“…”

“Every time there’s a noble meeting, there is a lot of uproars. Everyone wants to make their daughter an empress. That’s what my father did too.”

“I guess you really forgot about him. Is this fortunate or unfortunate?”

“Ugh, this is all because of Juri del Chartero.”

She was bothering me from the beginning by saying something useless.

Is it normal? It’s such a natural process. I didn’t know why I had bitter thoughts in my heart even though it didn’t matter at all anymore.

I boiled the water and made tea in the middle of the night to get rid of that thought. Her words still lingered even after turning off the lights and lying down. In the end, I couldn’t get out of the mess until the sun rose in the morning.

* * *

Juri del Chartero called me the next day saying she had returned well. As soon as she left, she was depressed that she had to work again, but she said she wanted to come here for a long vacation when the season changed.

Somehow, the more people looked for me, the more empty I felt. It was like they were throwing out my loneliness one by one. I really didn’t feel anything. I didn’t know if it was because Ian was protecting me like a shadow, just like before, or if it was because Amaterin who stirred up my memories just because she was curious.

Coincidentally, not long after Juri had returned, Shale contacted me once more, and then we lost contact for quite some time. Maybe I missed it because I was outside, even though he called me a few times.

Very occasionally, I wondered about Blake Ariandel. Earlier, I remembered that she had gone on a long trip. Ian said she was apparently happy to find her freedom, but is that true? However, I decided to forget it as it was because there was no good in contacting her again.

As another season approached, my mind became restless. So I decided to increase my work. That would be a waste of time though. I started because it was an inevitable choice to continue living here. Still, it didn’t take much effort, so I continued to work along with Amaterin.

The work I received was varied. I also made traditional dolls and jewelry. I liked this. A very small income that allowed you to throw away miscellaneous thoughts without effort and to prepare dinner without having to work too hard.

That’s how two seasons passed quickly. A very long and terrible winter had come again. After spending more than two years like that, the villagers who still rejected me began to pretend to know me one by one. In the meantime, I started learning Riwendel’s language in addition to the common language of the continent, so I was able to communicate comfortably.

“Hello, nice to see you again.”

“Hello.”

“Is the one I brought last time okay?”

I smiled and replied. “Yes, it was very soft and warm.”

“A new item came in from the land below today. A very large ship came into Riwendel.”

“Really?”

Among them, the most friendly woman was Sagrina, the clothing store owner. Every time I passed by, she glanced at me, and it wasn’t until I got to know her that I realized why. It’s because the clothes I wear fit her taste perfectly.

“Yes, and this.”

“Ah, are you done?”

“Yes, I haven’t touched any stitching, so you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s all right. I said you could take it off.”

Not long ago, she asked if I could lend her the black dress I had worn here the other day, and she picked a similar pattern. In return, she put soft fur around my neck.

“I can’t do that. I got you the most expensive fur, which must be very soft.”

“Thank you.”

“I have a lot of new clothes, so come and see me when you have time!”

“I will.”

I took the clothes I had lent and returned to work. When I got my paycheck, I thought I should prepare more clothes.

The next day, I woke up and opened the window, and white snow fell.

“No wonder it was quiet around.”

Strangely, the world becomes quieter on snowy days. I thought I had fallen asleep comfortably, but I guess it was because of my eyes. Just in time, I took out the clothes that the owner of the clothing store gave me back yesterday.

There’s nothing to do today, so wearing a little uncomfortable dress is okay. It’s awkward because it’s been a while since I wore it. Since some time ago, wearing a dress made of thick cotton and an apron had become a daily routine, so wearing this dress made me feel awkward.

I changed my clothes and stood in front of the mirror. Then I took out the box I had hidden deep in the bottom of the drawer. It was wrapped around the cloth so that it would not be taken out at all, but I took it out myself.  When I opened the creaking lid because the cloth was not loosened and managed, a red accessory came out without a speck of dust.

“…”

I still couldn’t throw it away after all. Taking out the necklace, I slowly put it around my neck. Now all the red color of my hair has disappeared, and my hair is completely back to silver.

Amaterin saw my hair like this and envied me, saying I was like an angel. Unusually, they didn’t have silver hair here. Their hair color is usually dark, just like brown, black, and red. So I thought about coloring it red again but stopped that thought.

I should go get some fresh air. It’s been a while since it snowed. Taking out my umbrella, I opened the door and went outside. As soon as I went out, the air was much colder than yesterday, enveloping my whole body.

“As expected, it’s cold.”

Why can’t I get used to this cold? At the same time, I opened my umbrella and headed to the vacant lot. It was so cold that my whole body shook, but I wanted to see it when it snowed.

Kuren and Amaterin slept late today, so it was quiet at home. I turned around again and headed to the vacant lot. If I delayed more, Ian would come after me and nag me again. I was going to relax there before he came. I approached the three stumps Kuren had made for Amaterin and me to rest. After cleaning the white snow, I sat on my handkerchief.

The vacant lot is higher than my cabin, so if you sit on this stump, you can see the village below at a glance. In summer, the leaves cover them, so you can’t see the surroundings well. But when winter comes, only the bare branches remain, so it’s so pretty that you will be mistaken as if you’re in a winter castle. Maybe I could sit here and watch it all day if it’s not cold.

The sound of stepping on the snow in the back grew closer and closer. It seemed Ian came up here after noticing I wasn’t in the cabin. Well, he must have seen my back, so he might have recognized me without going to the cabin.

As soon as Ian came, he would nag about why I didn’t dress thickly, why didn’t I know it was cold if I came early in the morning, and if I said I wanted to go here, he would have prepared a fire. That’s how he would be.

I was about to go down right now. I got up and turned around to say something, but I dropped my umbrella like a fool. At the same time, the sound of stepping on the snow stopped. I looked at the big man who stopped in front of me without even thinking of picking up the umbrella again.

“…No… way.”