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Chapter 39
“Mom! Dad!!”
Realizing that her parents had completely abandoned her, Ring screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Shut up! Stop making a fuss and come with me.”
Just then, something flew through the air and struck the merchant in the head.
There was a dull thud, as though his skull had been cracked open, followed by a shriek. The merchant staggered, clutching his head as a ringing sensation filled his ears and dizziness swept over him.
“Who did that?!”
Eluana looked down at the metal ball that had flown back to her.
All she had thought was that she wanted to stop the merchant.
And the metal ball had moved on its own.
It had even hit its target perfectly.
Eluana had already intended to put an end to the situation, so she stepped forward and spoke.
“…I think it was me.”
The merchant’s bloodshot eyes searched for the owner of the voice. He was about to start shouting when he saw Eluana step forward and swallowed hard.
She was obviously a noble.
Not only the girl, but also the little boy accompanying her practically radiated wealth. The woman who looked like a maid and the guard accompanying them were dressed in no ordinary attire either.
These weren’t ordinary nobles.
The merchant had a strong feeling that they were high-ranking aristocrats.
“Ah, yes. I suppose it could have been you.”
As the merchant bowed and scraped, blood began trickling down his forehead. He wiped it with his sleeve as though it were nothing. He was startled when he saw the blood, but he didn’t dare complain.
“If you could just cover the medical expenses, that would be fine. Yes.”
Eluana frowned as she watched him bow repeatedly while still refusing to let go of Ring’s arm.
Alex stepped between the merchant and Eluana.
“You needn’t concern yourself with someone like this, my lady. If you give the order, I will take care of it.”
Before Eluana could answer, a scream erupted from the merchant.
When she turned around, Thing was already holding a whip.
“That’s why you’re no good, Alex! You should protect our young lady on your own initiative. She shouldn’t have to say the words ‘kill him’ with that lovely mouth of hers.”
Eluana had never intended to tell them to kill him, so her expression became rather complicated.
The merchant, wrapped in Thing’s whip, groaned and shouted.
“I’m dying! I’m going to die!”
Thing pulled him closer with the whip and whispered into his ear.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay for your funeral. Out of my own pocket!”
“No! No, please! It was my forehead’s fault for getting cracked. Yes. It was my fault. My fault for being there. Just go on your way.”
“You think I’m going to leave after seeing what you’ve done? You get lost. And let go of the girl.”
The merchant was still awkwardly clutching the girl’s arm.
“What? But she’s mine.”
“You know thieves get their hands cut off, but human traffickers get their heads chopped off, right?”
“No, no! I never meant anything like that. Sell the girl? Of course not. I was only joking. I was just going to take her home and make her do some housework.”
“I’ll say this one last time. Get lost. Let the girl go.”
When Thing glared at him, the man finally released Ring’s arm.
He backed away nervously, then turned around and ran.
With the spectacle over, the crowd gradually dispersed. Soon, only Ring, who had collapsed on the ground, and Eluana’s group remained.
After catching her breath, Ring staggered to her feet.
Eluana stared at her.
Ring was biting her lips tightly, as though desperately trying not to cry. Seeing her clutching her skirt with both hands reminded Eluana of herself not long ago.
That moment when her life had nearly been dragged into the abyss by someone else’s malice, completely against her will.
That humiliation.
“Th-thank you, my lady.”
Ring bowed deeply toward Eluana.
“No. I didn’t really do much.”
Eluana had simply wanted to stop him, and somehow everything had fallen into place.
It had started with the metal ball.
When she focused on the metal ball in her hand, she felt a faint vibration. When she opened her palm, the metal ball, which had a face carved onto it, spun around as though asking to be praised.
You did well. Thank you for helping me.
The metal ball rolled around once more.
Somehow, it seemed happy.
Almost as if they had grown a little closer.
Realizing that everyone’s eyes were on her, Eluana quickly slipped the metal ball into her pocket. She could think about why it had suddenly flown out later.
For now, she needed to finish dealing with the situation.
A few days ago, Eluana would have hesitated.
She wouldn’t have known whether she was allowed to say something like this.
But now she understood.
As Eluana Vita Spes, she could do many things.
It wasn’t merely about being able to buy expensive things or eat delicious food.
She had become someone who could change another person’s life, just like Regis had.
Her first step as Eluana Vita Spes was toward a small girl.
Standing before Ring, Eluana spoke gently.
“Your name is Ring?”
Ring couldn’t bring herself to look up at the person who had saved her. She kept her head bowed.
“Yes, my lady.”
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“We’re the same age. Ring, would you like to come with us?”
“What?”
Ring finally raised her head and met Eluana’s eyes for the first time.
The girl’s green eyes curved gently.
She looked so noble that even looking up at her felt presumptuous. She seemed less like a human being and more like a fairy or some sacred being.
Ring felt certain that she would never forget this moment.
“You can go back home. But if you don’t want to go back, then come with us.”
Those words were nothing short of a miracle to Ring.
Ring glanced back once at the firmly closed door of her home, then lowered her head again.
It was the house where she had been born and raised, but there was nothing to think about.
“That isn’t my home anymore. Please take me with you. I’ll do anything.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Just come with us. Thing! Take care of Ring.”
“Yes, my lady!”
Thing answered energetically and helped Ring to her feet.
“You’re incredibly lucky, you know. Our young lady is the daughter of the Duke of Spes. And that adorable young master is her little brother. You’ll probably work as a maid in the Spes household.”
“T-the ducal family?”
Ring felt as though she were dreaming.
The person who had saved her was the daughter of the ducal family that ruled the southern region.
“That’s right. Your hard times are over and your happy days are beginning! The Spes household is the best! The pay is great, and the food is delicious! They don’t even say anything if you eat three bowls of stew in one meal!”
Listening to Thing’s cheerful introduction, Eluana smiled faintly.
Walking beside Eluana while holding her hand, Louis murmured,
“That’s good, big sis. I was going to ask if she could come with us too. Even the lights seem relieved.”
But Louis’s tiny voice was drowned out by Thing’s enthusiastic declaration of “Long live the House of Spes!”
Ring looked around the room that had been assigned to her.
It was the first time she had ever entered such a luxurious room.
Until now, Ring had lived in an attic. There were only two rooms in her family’s house, so one belonged to her parents and the other to her younger brother. Whenever Ring stood in the attic, her head touched the ceiling, forcing her to keep it bowed.
In truth, it would have made more sense for her shorter younger brother to use the attic.
But Ring’s parents were the kind of people who didn’t care about a daughter who would simply marry and leave one day.
So Ring had worked even harder.
She had hoped that if she contributed enough to the household, perhaps her parents would finally notice her.
But this was how things had turned out.
Instead of her younger brother losing his wrist for stealing, she had been about to be sold.
She had denied that it would really happen just moments ago, but perhaps some part of her had always known this day would come.
Ring reached upward.
The ceiling was so high that even when she stretched both arms toward the sky, she couldn’t touch it.
After waving her arms around for a moment, Ring collapsed onto the bed.
The bed was soft and clean.
There were no patches or stains.
Only then did Ring realize that her clothes were dirtier than the sheets. She hurriedly stood back up.
“Ah.”
Unfortunately, some dust from the road had already stained the pristine white sheets.
It was only natural after being dragged along the ground.
Ring hurriedly brushed the dirt away. But when the sheets refused to become clean, her expression crumpled.
Then she heard a knock.
“Yes. Come in.”
The person who opened the door and entered was Louis.
“These are clothes for you.”
The clothes he held out with his tiny hands looked so soft that Ring was almost afraid to touch them.
“Can I really wear these?”
“My sister told me to bring them to you.”
“B-but the sheets got dirty.”
Because I’m dirty.
After mumbling those words, Ring felt utterly miserable.
Louis tilted his head.
“Dirty? They’re clean.”
“What?”
Ring turned around in surprise.
The sheets that had been stained only moments ago were now spotless.
They were perfectly smooth, as though they had never been dirty in the first place.
“Huh?”
While Ring stared at them in bewilderment, Louis spoke.
“Take your time washing up and come down to the second floor. I’ll introduce you to the knights over dinner. You’re part of our family now, too.”
The word family made Ring’s emotions surge.
“Th-thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for this kindness.”
“Please take good care of my sister.”
“What? Yes. I swear I’ll serve her faithfully with my life.”
Ring answered instinctively.
Louis smiled shyly and left the room.
He seemed to be around the same age as her younger brother, yet he was composed and carried an air of dignity.
“So this is what nobles are like,” Ring murmured as she carefully picked up the clothes.
Once inside the bathroom, Ring stripped off her dirty clothes and lowered herself into the warm water.
Her arms and legs stung where they had been scraped against the ground, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.
Tears hotter than the bathwater streamed down her face.
“I’ll live well enough to show them.”
And she would repay their kindness, too.
She had been saved just before falling into the abyss.
The person who had rescued her after even her own family had abandoned her.
And she had been given the chance to live a new life.
Even the wages of the lowest-ranking maid doing the most menial work at the ducal residence were several times what Ring had earned before.
Being able to work as a maid in the mansion of a great noble family was a stroke of incredible luck. Without generations of service or a personal recommendation, getting a position in a noble household was extremely difficult.
“Yes. This is my chance.”
Ring dunked her face into the bathwater and lifted it again.
Then she began scrubbing herself thoroughly.
After bathing until she felt completely refreshed, she put on the new clothes.
Simply wearing them made her feel overwhelmed with gratitude.
She finished getting ready and was about to go downstairs when an inn employee approached her.
“Are you Miss Ring?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Your family is outside the inn. They’ve come looking for you.”
“…My family?”
“Yes. They’re begging us to let them see you. The Spes family has rented the entire inn, so we can’t let anyone else inside at the moment. Would you like to go out and see them?”
Ring turned away coldly.
“I don’t know them. I don’t have a family.”
