Chapter 16
“Huh? What?”
I was startled by the woman’s sudden statement, and when I understood what she meant, my eyes widened.
“Yes, there’s just one house left,” she repeated.
“R-Really?”
I couldn’t believe it.
The name of the village I’d come to was Lowell.
According to my research, it had the cheapest housing in the area and good food supply.
The downside was that most of the residents were elderly and the village was located on the outskirts…
‘That’s actually perfect.’
For raising a child, it was much better to live in a place where you didn’t stand out.
‘If there are too many kids, mine might feel overwhelmed instead.’
It was a decision born from personal experience—I knew better than anyone what it was like to grow up fatherless.
But because it was such a livable place, the residents rarely moved. I had heard it was hard to find a house.
“And it’s not too big, perfect for a lady living alone. Even has an indoor toilet.”
…I couldn’t be more relieved to have found a home.
* * *
The house was far better than I had expected.
Lots of sunlight, not too small like a chicken coop, but not too large either.
It seemed perfect for me and a child to live comfortably together.
Two rooms—yes, this would work.
“What do you think, miss?”
I didn’t even need to look any further.
With a wide smile, I said:
“I love it. I’ll take it.”
* * *
‘It finally looks decent.’
Even though it was a good house, perhaps because it hadn’t been lived in for a while, it was full of dust and had a slight musty smell.
So on my first day, I went straight to the market to buy cleaning tools and scrubbed the entire place down.
Most people could have done it all in one day.
‘I really must be dying.’
I’d suspected I was getting weaker lately, but now it was undeniable.
Whenever I tried to do even a little too much, I’d get dizzy and see spots.
It wasn’t laziness—I had to pace myself carefully to get anything done at all.
‘And just like that, three days passed.’
But seeing the now clean house, I felt maybe I wasn’t beyond saving after all.
When I first took the carriage to the north, I had felt so lost.
Would I really be a good mother to this child?
If cleaning the house helped ease that fear even a little, is that something to be laughed at?
That was how trapped I’d been in the Rochester estate.
And in Athanasius, too.
‘So this is what freedom feels like.’
I lay atop the quilt I’d spread over the bed and stared blankly into space.
The blanket wrapped around my body was thick and cozy.
It was silent all around.
There was no one here to interfere with what I did.
But the feeling of liberation didn’t last long.
I picked up the letter I’d left on the bedside table.
‘I knew it wouldn’t be easy.’
[“We’re sorry, but we couldn’t find any information about the person you inquired about.”]
Stamped with the mark of Blington Merchant Guild.
Three days ago.
Before I even secured the house, I had gone to inquire at an information guild.
For her. No, for—
‘…Marianne, where are you?’
I hadn’t come to the north just because it was remote.
Marianne was the only one who had pitied and cared for me when I was in Athanasius.
After I failed to manifest my powers past age fifteen, I was treated like nothing in that mansion.
My siblings ignored me, my father turned away, and the servants followed suit.
If not for Marianne, I might not even have gotten proper meals.
“Young lady, children need to eat well to grow.”
Even when Fayden tormented me, her attitude never changed.
“I had to avoid the young master’s gaze. You must’ve been lonely, young lady.”
“No, I’m fine. You won’t abandon me, right, Marianne?”
She would bring me books, or letters updating me on what was happening in and around the mansion.
She was like sunshine in my life—after my mother, the most precious.
But her uprightness came with consequences.
“Marianne, you won’t leave me, will you?”
“Well… who knows.”
Perhaps even she knew what her actions might bring.
When I was little and asked her that, she always said “Of course not.”
But over time, her answers changed.
“If I ever disappear, young lady… think of me as having gone to the cold northern lands.”
And that fall, the same year she said those words—
Marianne vanished.
Exactly one year before my marriage to Mikhail.
* * *
“Ah…”
What time was it? I’d only meant to close my eyes briefly after cleaning, but it felt like a lot of time had passed.
It was dark outside.
‘It must be evening already.’
I felt hungry, but I was too tired to make anything.
I just wanted to lie back down and sleep.
But…
‘That wouldn’t be good for the baby.’
I sighed and forced myself to sit up.
Just then—
Knock, knock!
A knock at the door made me freeze.
‘…Already? It’s only been three days.’
Had I already been tracked down?
The thought that Mikhail or Fayden might be outside chilled my blood.
Before approaching the door, a thousand thoughts raced through my head.
‘If it’s Mikhail… should I pack and flee through the back?’
Maybe it was Fayden instead.
Either way, I didn’t want to imagine it.
‘What do I do…’
But maybe I was overreacting.
‘I should at least peek through the keyhole.’
Holding my breath, I crept to the door.
Just as I leaned in to check—
“…!”
“Miss, are you in there?”
A voice—my fingers trembled.
But only for a moment.
‘What?’
Contrary to my fears, the voice that reached me was—
‘…a woman’s voice?’
Then again—
“Miss?”
Definitely a woman’s voice.
But I couldn’t let my guard down yet.
Maybe…
‘It’s a trap.’
Ever since I started living in hiding, I was jumpy at even the smallest things.
It could be a local villager—but I didn’t know anyone in this town.
Then—
Suddenly!
A shadow appeared on the frosted glass pane of the door.
My heart dropped.
“Eek!”
I let out a childish scream before I realized it.
With a clack, the door opened.
Two elderly women entered.
“Oh my! Are you alright, miss?”
“You’re not hurt, are you? I told you not to stick your ugly mug in her face like that! You scared her!”
“What do you mean, ugly! You old hag—”
They immediately started arguing.
Why were these two barging into my house and fighting?
While I blinked in confusion—
“Aigoo, miss, sorry we’re late to introduce ourselves.”
“Huh…?”
“I’m Anna. And this here is Iris. We’re in charge of welcoming new residents to the village.”
Anna had brown hair and brown eyes.
She looked familiar.
Ah!
‘Oh! She’s the one who was shelling chestnuts at the housing office three days ago!’
“Ah, Grandma Anna! I saw you three days ago!”
“That’s right! I remember you!”
Iris gave Anna a side-eye.
“What, you two had a secret meeting or something? I feel so left out. Ever since my boy left me, young people just hate me, don’t they?”
She even started sniffling.
Hearing that her son had passed made me anxious.
“Ah, no, Grandma, that’s not what I meant…”
“Hmph! Crying in front of a pretty girl like that. My son still visits once a month with candies and hairpins, y’know?”
“Sniff. I just got emotional. Please understand, miss. The older I get, the more shameless I become.”
“I-I see…”
It was getting hard to keep up with the conversation.
“Anyway, have you had dinner yet?”
“Huh? Oh, not yet. I was cleaning and dozed off…”
“Hoho. I see.”
Was it just me, or did they seem oddly excited by my response?
“Miss, do you like crab soup?”
Only then did I notice the small pot and cloth-covered basket they had brought.
