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Chapter 19
“Jesse, it’s just wash water. You can draw it again. Why are you crying?”
“…Th-Then, I can still keep working here? Hic…”
“Of course. You’re the only one on my side in this house. Why would I ever fire you?”
At my self-deprecating yet playful tone, Jesse began to calm down. Her tears stopped, and she nodded vigorously with her swollen, red eyes.
“I’ll really work hard, my lady! I’ll be your only ally!”
She probably had never experienced this kind of bond before.
If I hadn’t ended up at the Dorlin Orphanage, I might’ve been the same.
I would’ve thought that bristling with thorns was the only way to survive in this world. But just as I had Sylvia, now Jesse had me.
And so, Jesse and I became each other’s only friend. She was now someone I could never separate from my life.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
As I stared at her, Jesse — busy moving about — tilted her head curiously. I laughed and shook mine.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
We took the carriage out and got off in a busy district. I handed the coachman some coins and told him to wait there.
Taking the Erdona carriage out to the suburbs would be as good as begging Giselle to find out what we were up to. So, instead, Jesse and I hired a public carriage and left the bustling streets behind.
After riding for just under an hour, a small village came into view. Checking the map, I saw it was called Somerset.
“You just have to wait here for two hours,” Jesse said primly to the driver.
“Understood.”
The cobblestone roads of the village were charming. In the small square, a fountain gushed water, and children laughed as they ran circles around it.
“It’s got a nice atmosphere.”
“Right? Let’s head that way.”
Passing the children, we came upon narrow lanes lined with little shops and homes.
You could tell from the open doors of each house that Somerset was a peaceful and friendly place.
The village must have been safe — not a single door was properly shut. People came and went from one another’s homes freely, and even greeted us, though we were clearly outsiders.
“Excuse me, do you know where the Charbon Estate is?”
“Oh, you’re going there? You’ve come the wrong way — it’s in the opposite direction.”
The kind-looking woman pointed the other way, the exact opposite from where we’d come.
“…I’m sorry, my lady,” Jesse said sheepishly.
“It’s fine. I thought it was this way too.”
We were both hopeless with directions.
So we hurriedly retraced our steps.
When we passed the square again, there were even more children gathered than before — they seemed to be playing some kind of game.
“It’s a dice game,” Jesse said. “They’re copying what adults do. Ray got in trouble with me once for playing that.”
Jesse’s younger brother Ray was twelve, but small for his age — he looked even younger. I nodded and started to turn away.
Then, suddenly, one of the dice the children were playing with rolled right to my feet.
A boy, clearly the “leader” of the group, wore the smug look of a little gambling boss and held out his hand to me.
“Give me the dice.”
I was so taken aback that I decided to tease him a bit.
“You should say, ‘Please give me the dice.’”
The boy frowned, irritated. He was the biggest one of the group.
“Just give it! Why are you being weird, lady?”
As if I’d fall for such a petty provocation.
“You could’ve just said ‘please give it.’ You’re pretty stubborn, huh?”
“I said it’s not even mine! Ugh… hey, Ross!”
The boy scowled, then waved toward someone behind me, looking delighted to have spotted a friend. I turned around to follow his gaze.
“…Huh?”
There stood another boy — with black hair and rare golden eyes.
He didn’t look like a noble, but his clothes were clean and neat, like a child from a well-off family. The problem was…
He looked exactly like Kirill.
The boy glanced between me and Jesse before walking over.
I was still dazed, unable to do anything but stare.
“What?” he asked curtly.
“She won’t give me the dice!” the first boy complained.
“……”
The black-haired boy frowned up at me, clearly displeased.
“…He looks even more like him,” I muttered before I could stop myself.
I bent down to study his face closely.
“…What are you doing,” he muttered, looking away when our eyes met.
“Hey, hurry up and give it back!”
I tossed the dice toward the noisy boy, and finally, the group of kids scattered away.
Even then, I couldn’t stop glancing at the boy who resembled Kirill.
“…What’s your name?” I asked.
“…You don’t need to know,” he muttered.
Were all the kids here this rude? I barely had time to think it before Jesse’s sharp voice rang out.
“Hey! Do you know who you’re talking to, young man?”
“…What does that matter— ow!”
Jesse pinched his cheek — just like an older sister scolding her little brother — and his face instantly crumpled.
A moment ago, he’d looked like Kirill’s exact younger self, but now he was just an ordinary boy again.
“Let me go!”
“Say it politely, and I’ll let go.”
Jesse really knew how to handle children — far better than I ever could.
“Fine!”
“…‘Fine’ what?”
“…I’m sorry!”
At last, Jesse released him.
Still, I worried — what if she’d left a mark on someone else’s kid? I stepped closer to inspect his face.
He looked tense, frozen stiff.
“You really do look like someone I know,” I said softly.
“……”
“Though you’re a bit more handsome.”
Even my teasing compliment only made him scowl and turn away.
Now I’m seeing Kirill in children’s faces? I’m really hopeless.
“Let’s go, Jesse.”
“Yes, my lady!”
We left the boy behind and hurried on — there wasn’t much time to investigate the Charbon estate.
The next day.
We were preparing to visit the Charbon estate again. Giselle, having finally recovered some energy, was inspecting various parts of the mansion.
Though she had nothing left to criticize about my behavior, she still kept a sharp eye on me, waiting for any slip-up.
Not only me — she was also pestering Jesse.
Jesse couldn’t stand up to Giselle at all, so I had to watch closely too, unsure when she might scold the girl again for something ridiculous.
And whenever we met in the hallway, Giselle would give me a subtle look, as if asking if I didn’t have anything to say for myself.
If my guess was right, even after everything was resolved, she’d still be stewing inside, waiting for me to apologize.
“You’ve been going out too often lately. Cut back,” she finally said.
Judging by her tone, something about me was bothering her again. But when I didn’t react, she seemed to grow even more irritated.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
When I continued to ignore her, her angry voice finally stopped me. Jesse, waiting by the carriage, looked at me anxiously.
“Get in first, Jesse.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
Once she climbed in, I turned around. Giselle was glaring down at me from the top of the stairs, her face like a furious bull’s.
“Think about the bad influence you’ve had on Erdona,” she snapped.
I immediately retorted.
“If Erdona could be shaken up just because she broke off an engagement with a man like Baron Vanger, then she wasn’t that great to begin with.”
Giselle’s expression darkened; she couldn’t find a counterargument. Her voice dropped low and dangerous.
“…So you’re saying you’re completely blameless for the scandal about your lover?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. And you—”
“I told you not to be so insolent!”
“I wish you’d make up your mind. Do you want me gone, or do you want me glued to your side? Because honestly, I can’t tell.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Am I wrong? You’re the one who wants me out of Erdona the most, but you keep picking fights about every little thing. It’s confusing — makes me wonder if you don’t want me to leave.”
“……”
At that, Giselle gave a small, incredulous laugh — as if I’d completely missed the mark.
But just as she thought she knew me, I knew her too.
If she truly thought I was just a nuisance, or if she was pleased by what I was doing, she wouldn’t pay me any attention at all.
The fact that she kept interfering meant only one thing — I was getting under her skin.
She couldn’t stand that things weren’t going her way.
“You’re so transparent,” I said quietly.
“…What?”
“Whatever it is, it tells me one thing — I must be doing something right.”
