Episode 22
***
The year when Lilia Fillet turned seven.
A new change came to the monotonous daily life of the apple farm. Ranié had finally become the owner of the orchard.
That day, Ranié received congratulations from all the villagers and held a small party at home. A little cake and a table full of delicious food that almost broke under its own weight.
“Mom, congratulations! This is a gift from Lilia!”
“What… a gift? From you?”
“Yeah! Open it quickly, Mom!”
Ranié looked surprised as she opened the small red box. Inside was a tiny apple doll made out of yarn.
Lately, Lilia had been spending less time studying and playing, focusing on making this doll. There were still clumsy stitches sticking out here and there, but it was an adorable little thing.
“When did you make this…? I thought you weren’t reading much lately, turns out you were up to something else?”
“Ah… no?”
Lilia answered awkwardly, her eyes darting away. The obvious lie made Ranié laugh.
After spending two years together, she learned that Lilia was surprisingly a handful. She preferred running around to reading books, was a picky eater, and often resisted bedtime. In short, she behaved exactly like any other ordinary child.
That didn’t bother her. In fact, it made her happy. She now knew that the reason Lilia used to act so calm and mature for her age was because she had been walking on eggshells around Celine.
Sometimes caring for her was exhausting, but whenever Lilia trusted her and showed her affection like this, she felt a happiness so deep it brought her to tears.
“……Thank you, my daughter. I’ll treasure it forever……”
“Mom, are you crying?”
“I’m not crying. Your mom doesn’t have tears.”
“But Mom’s crying.”
“I’m not.”
Ranié hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and hugged the apple doll tightly. Seeing the two of them, Hilde, who had been watching with a gentle smile, cleared her throat.
“Ranié, this is a gift from your granny.”
“You prepared something too, Grandma?”
“Open it.”
Ranié saw a much smaller box than Lilia’s. Curious, she opened it carefully. Inside were two silver rings.
“……Rings?”
They were simple but beautiful. Ranié turned them over in her hand. One looked like it would fit her, but the other was far too small.
“They’re for you and Lilia. It’s nice for a mother and daughter to have something to symbolize your bond, don’t you think?”
“Wow! One’s for me?”
Lilia’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Hilde smiled warmly and gestured for them to try them on. Ranié, still dazed, slipped the ring on her left index finger. It gleamed brightly.
“Mom, me too! Put mine on too!”
“Ah… okay.”
The tiny ring fit perfectly on Lilia’s left index finger. The child beamed with pure joy and threw herself into her grandmother’s arms.
“Grandma, I love you!”
“Haha! Do you really?”
“Yeah, I love it so much! Grandma, you’re the best!”
Even the cheapest rings cost more than a few gold coins — Ranié had heard that from the shopkeepers. She gently touched her ring and spoke.
“It must have been expensive……”
“Even if it was, a ring’s a ring. This old granny has plenty of money to spare.”
“Grandma, honestly……”
“Don’t worry about it. Take it. It also carries my apology for placing such a heavy responsibility on you so soon.”
Originally, Hilde had planned to pass down the apple orchard when Ranié turned thirty. But her health had rapidly declined since last year, forcing her to move up her plans. Next year, she even intended to step down as deputy village chief.
“Please don’t say that, Grandma. I’m twenty-eight now. I’ve grown up plenty.”
It hurt to see her grandmother growing weaker, but Ranié forced a smile.
“Grandma’s going to live a long, long time with Lilia, right?”
“Haha! Of course. I have to see our Lilia grow up, meet a fine young man, and get married.”
Lilia hugged her grandmother tightly. For them, it was one of the happiest, most unforgettable parties ever.
That night, Ranié couldn’t fall asleep easily, lost in thought. She patted the softly breathing Lilia beside her and swallowed her sigh.
This year, Lilia was seven. What did that mean?
It was the year when the male lead of came to visit the village.
Of course, the story had already twisted — Celine was no longer here — but who knew what could happen?
‘……What should I do if the male lead shows up?’
If he discovered Lilia’s existence, he would surely try to take her away. He wasn’t the kind of man to leave his own blood in someone else’s care.
If Lilia went with him, she would eat better food, wear fine clothes, and receive a proper education — things impossible to find in this rural place.
But would Lilia want that?
In , Lilia never opened her heart to her father. She hated him. Again and again. He was the man who tormented her beloved mother — how could she not?
Ranié closed her eyes, gazing at the sleeping Lilia. Lately, she had too many worries, far too many.
A mansion so large it couldn’t be taken in with a single glance. Though sunlight streamed through the windows, the air inside was cold and heavy. The kind of place where even breathing felt like a crime — the Rochester estate in the capital.
Inside the study of that mansion, the atmosphere was frigid, unfit for the season. That was how low Kaen Rochester’s mood had sunk. His blue eyes, streaked with red, glinted dangerously.
“He left the north yesterday, I hear.”
“……Yes, that’s correct.”
“Keep a close watch on what he’s planning in the south. If he does anything suspicious, report it immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary bowed deeply. When Kaen’s gaze returned to the documents, the secretary swallowed hard. It was time again for the regular report.
“I’m sorry.”
An apology with no preamble. To an outsider, it would sound strange, but the secretary had his reasons. He uttered those five words at least once every three days. It was his admission that he still hadn’t fulfilled an order his master had given long ago.
The order was to find the missing lady of the house — gone for eight years.
“Ha……”
Kaen loosened a few buttons of his shirt, suffocating, and leaned back in his chair. Eight long years. Eight years since he began searching for Celine Rochester.
He had thought she wouldn’t last long — her body had always been frail — so he expected to find her quickly. But even now, not a single strand of her hair had been found. So much time had passed that he had to consider the possibility that she was already dead.
Even so, Kaen had no intention of giving up the search. Whether alive or dead, he intended to keep her by his side.
“If there’s any young woman with black hair, dig up her grave if you have to. If the corpse looks remotely similar, I’ll confirm it myself.”
“But, sir… would the bereaved families allow that…?”
“If we wait for their permission and the body rots until only bones remain — so that I can’t even tell if it’s her — would you still put their feelings first?”
It was a twisted obsession. The secretary knew that but kept his mouth shut. If he wanted to live, he couldn’t afford to wag his tongue carelessly.
“……I was thoughtless. I’ll carry out your orders.”
The secretary bowed and left the study. Soon, rumors would surely spread — that Kaen Rochester had gone mad over his former wife, now digging up graves in search of her.
“This damn weather…”
Ranié muttered as she looked over the devastated apple orchard. The harvest had failed two years ago — and now again this year. A typhoon of absurd strength had ravaged everything.
Sighing like an old woman, she joined the villagers in cleaning up the wreckage of the farm.
Even when the crops failed before, it hadn’t weighed on her this heavily. But now, with two people depending on her, it felt overwhelming.
She couldn’t help but let out long, deep sighs. Just then, the village chief, Hobard, suddenly called all the residents together.
“Everyone, please gather for a moment!”
It was rare for the chief to summon everyone unless something special had happened. The villagers, busy with repairs, looked puzzled but obeyed.
“What’s going on, Chief?”
“Today, the lord is visiting the village. He’s on his way right now, so let’s hurry to the entrance to greet him.”
Why would that foolish, ugly lord come here? Ranié frowned.
The current lord, Jerval, had become much more decent over the past two years. The village had improved thanks to his attention.
But that didn’t mean she liked him. At best, she thought, “Well, he’s human now.”
Everyone else seemed to feel the same — their faces stiffened at the memory of what had happened two years ago. Things had turned out all right back then, but if something similar happened again, they weren’t sure they could handle it.
‘If he says something stupid again this time, I’ll shove a rotten apple in his mouth.’
Steeling herself, Ranié headed to the village entrance. When she arrived, a luxurious carriage was already waiting, and the villagers bowed deeply to greet the lord.
“Thank you for coming all this way, my lord.”
Ranié, bowing low, caught sight of polished shoes and neatly pressed trousers — far too well-fitted for the plump Jerval.
‘What the…?’
Had Jerval gone on a diet? She was still wondering when the “lord” spoke.
“Please, everyone, raise your heads.”
The voice was lighter — unmistakably a young man’s. The unfamiliar tone startled the villagers, who all lifted their heads. Ranié followed suit — and froze the moment she saw his face.
Golden hair shining like sunlight. Eyes as blue as the deep sea. A strikingly handsome face.
It was unmistakable.
“Her……?”
The name slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She thought no one had heard, but he had — and a faint smile tugged at his lips.
“Nice to meet you. I am your new lord, Herdian Rochester.”
For Ranié, it was like being struck by lightning.
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
