~Chapter 03~
Elle had her wavy, thick blond hair tied back and was intent on her work.
She quickly got dirt on her little face from working in the fields.
Her soft, plump lips curled into a small smile, and her large, sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with life, giving the impression that she was enjoying herself rather than working hard. Elle was happy.
Naturally, it makes her happy to see the cabbages she grew by hand flourishing.
“Hello there! You’ve grown even prettier than yesterday. Good job growing so well.”
The small garden in front of the house was only about the size of her palm, but it was filled with healthy, plump cabbage.
The cabbages, moist and fresh, looked full and delicious.
“Let’s work hard again today!”
In her tiny garden, there were only cabbages, a few chickpeas, and some carrots.
Still, Elle was satisfied.
But her mother was not.
Her mother, who had never worked a day in her life, completely broke down after Elle’s father passed away seven years ago.
Since then, she has stayed in bed all the time.
Life without her father was always poor and hard for Elle.
However, being cheerful by nature, Elle never complained and tried to enjoy her work.
‘If you don’t have much, live with less. If you have enough, share it.’
That was Elle’s belief.
It was quite different from her mother’s way of thinking, but Elle liked her way better.
After finishing her work in the garden, Elle went into the kitchen and boiled potatoes.
She mashed them until they became soft and creamy.
“Mmm, it smells good.”
She mixed in butter and milk that she had traded for some cabbage a few days ago.
The mashed potatoes gave off a rich, buttery aroma.
“I hope Mother will enjoy this.”
Placing the mashed potatoes and a cup of warm milk on a tray, she headed to the sunniest room in the house.
She softly called her mother.
“Mother, are you awake?”
“Ughh…”
As usual, a weak groan answered her.
Laura struggled to sit up in bed.
Even though it was already past noon, this was still her waking time, a leftover habit from her wealthier days.
Elle quickly set the tray on the table and went to help her mother.
“My head feels heavy.”
Laura’s mornings were always like this—her head hurt, her chest felt tight, she had no energy… It was rare for her to have even ten good days in a whole year.
Elle smiled even more brightly and placed the tray on Laura’s lap.
“Warm milk and mashed potatoes for you.”
“Hmm… Don’t you have any pepper?”
Elle’s face stiffened for a moment when her mother weakly asked with the spoon in her hand.
Pepper was a luxury.
Even when her father was alive, they rarely used it.
Yet her mother often asked for it.
“I forgot to buy it. But I added plenty of butter instead. Please try it.”
“Still, it would be better with pepper…”
Laura muttered weakly as she scooped a tiny bit of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
“Oh well. I’ll eat it with your effort.”
“It’ll taste good.”
Elle pulled a chair next to the bed and quietly watched her mother eat.
Although Laura had the same blonde hair as Elle, hers hung limp and lifeless.
And her blue eyes, just like Elle’s, looked dull and faded.
‘She wasn’t this weak even when Father was alive…’
Without her husband’s support, Laura quickly became thin, sickly, and frail—like someone who had been left alone to face the harsh world.
El’s mother had become weak.
When El was young, she remembered her mother as a beautiful lady who wore lovely dresses and smiled kindly.
With her soft and gentle voice, she read books to El and elegantly drank tea.
Whenever young El ran around, her mother would scold her strictly.
“Eloise Moora, a noble lady, must always be graceful. Remember that.”
Whenever El nodded, her mother would soften her strict face and hug her with a warm, loving smile.
The mother El once thought had the biggest and strongest arms in the world was now smaller than El.
She had lost much weight, and more than that, she seemed to have lost all her energy.
Now, she looked so fragile, as if she might break if hugged too tightly.
‘Now, it’s my turn to protect Mother.’
El pushed the cup towards Laura and said,
“The sun is nice today. Would you like to have tea outside this afternoon?”
“Shall we? You should join me, too.”
Laura smiled softly.
Though her face was pale, she still looked beautiful.
Seeing her thin mother’s face, El nodded brightly.
But Laura frowned a little.
“That is inappropriate behaviour. Your father is no longer with us, but we are still the Moora Baron family. Remember that always. All of this land was ours when your great-grandfather lived. You have to keep that in mind, Eloise Moora, my daughter.
Laura sat up straight and spoke in a firm voice.
El quickly gathered her knees together and politely nodded.
“Yes, Mother. I will keep that in mind.”
“I’m pleased to have such a beautiful daughter.”
At Laura’s smile, El smiled too.
Even though they had nothing left but the family name, it was true they were nobles.
‘Yes, I may have to roll up my sleeves and work in the fields, but I am still a noble lady.’
Laura still held onto her dignity and grace as a baroness.
El wanted to protect her mother’s dignity for as long as possible.
She wanted to repay the love she had received as a child.
“Please rest. I’ll make you rose tea this afternoon.”
“Alright. Since the weather is nice today, wear your blue dress. It matches your eyes so well.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Outside, El closed the door and let out a sigh.
The blue dress her mother mentioned had already been sold last month to buy bread.
“I’ll just say it needs washing. There’s no other choice.”
Her bright blue eyes sparkled with energy.
She had lots to do.
“First, I’ll pick the cabbages to sell at the market, then take the embroidered handkerchiefs to the shop.”
She also planned to stop by the library to borrow some books.
There wasn’t much time.
“I should hurry. Mr. John will arrive soon.”
If she wanted to have tea with her mother on time in the afternoon, she needed to move quickly.
Thankfully, today was the day Mr. John was going to the market.
She planned to ride his carriage.
El tied up her messy, long blonde hair again and packed the cabbages and embroidered handkerchiefs neatly into a basket.
***
The neighbour, Mr. John, made use of an ancient carriage drawn by an ancient horse.
El walked up to the horse and gently patted its nose.
“Good boy, James. Please take good care of us today.”
When El first met James seven years ago, he was already old.
Even now, seven years later, James was still pulling Mr. John’s carriage.
While El greeted James, Mr. John, who had finished attaching the cart to the horse, came over to take her basket full of cabbage.
“Thank you, Mr. John.”
“No trouble at all, miss.”
El, who often rode Mr. John’s carriage, reached the seat beside him with ease.
The small cart was already loaded with farm goods for the market.
Mr. John owned much bigger land than El’s family, so he had a lot more to sell.
After placing El’s basket safely in a corner, Mr. John took to his seat.
“Let’s go!”
The old horse began to move slowly with a crack of his whip.
The carriage rattled forward, cutting through the cool breeze.
El’s village, Silus, was at the edge of the capital, Kienaritton, in the Kingdom of Eneriton.
If riding a healthy horse, the trip would take about an hour and a half.
But with old James, it took more than three hours.
Still, a carriage is better than walking.
Much faster.
So El chose days when John went to the market to hitch a ride, and John always kindly let her ride.
Sitting on the shaking carriage, El smiled as she looked at the scenery.
“It’s so warm.”
The sunlight was warm, and the air was fresh.
“Miss, you seem happier than usual today.”
“It’s spring. Spring always makes people feel good.”
El smiled even brighter as she answered.
It was closer to summer, but she still wanted to think of it as spring.
She always saw breathtaking scenery on her way here.
El inhaled deeply.
“No artist could ever capture this scenery on a canvas. It’s too beautiful.”
John grinned as well, seeing El’s joy.
After riding the bumpy carriage for three hours, El finally arrived at Kienaritten.
Kienaritten was a huge city.
Numerous people came and went, new fashions emerged, and long-standing customs coexisted.
It was a mysterious city.
Getting off at the square, El headed to her usual spot for selling.
Among the many lined-up stalls, only her place was empty.
Among the merchants selling in the square, there was an unspoken rule.
Everyone had their spot.
Of course, if you left it empty for over a month, someone else could take it.
That was also an unspoken rule.
At her empty spot, El uncovered the basket.
It was full of fresh, moist cabbage.
“You’re a bit late today, El.”
“I was a little busy this morning.”
No one in the market knew that El was the daughter of a noble family.
And it was understandable—it’s rare to see a noble lady dressed so plainly and shouting to sell cabbages.
“Fresh cabbage for sale! It’s fresh—picked today!
“How much for a cabbage?”
“Two bronze coins each.”
“I’ll take two, please.”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to her loud voice, her cabbage sold out quickly.
After putting the money in her pocket, El picked up her basket.
“Now I should go to Catherine.”
The shop where El worked was owned by Catherine.
The shop, called The Young Lady’s Little Drawer, was a well-known general store in the Biden Square where El sold her embroidery.
