Chapter 2

When the carriage carrying Maxim was crossing Cress Bridge, the final gateway into the Levonto region, Elena, who had run out of her house, was also wandering around the area. Blood was crusted at the corner of her mouth, and her face, swollen from tears, was pitiful enough for anyone to feel sorry for.

Maxim looked indifferently at Elena beyond the carriage window. It should have been just a passing glance, but somehow the woman’s appearance caught Maxim’s eye.

Her disheveled hair didn’t match the high-quality fabric. From the style of the dress and the frayed hem, it seemed to be old.

Running department stores had made him discerning, and he was more confident than anyone at appraising things. From the woman’s appearance, she seemed to be the daughter of a declining noble family. Maxim let out a hollow laugh.

Just what precious daughter of which family was wandering the streets in such a state at evening when the sun had already set? He could tell what kind of household would send their daughter out looking like that. Maxim clicked his tongue briefly and drew the curtains on the window.

The dress someone wore didn’t determine a person’s worth or dignity.

The woman’s ruined appearance determined her family’s dignity. Nothing good would come from getting involved with such a household. Maxim withdrew his interest from the outside and closed his eyes.

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Elena wandered in front of Cress Bridge for quite a long time. Her heart was pounding. If she crossed this place, it would be the first time Elena set foot outside the Levonto region since settling here.

Levonto was like a cage that imprisoned Elena. It was why Elena would wander in front of this place whenever she felt suffocated. Every time her toes touched Cress Bridge, a deep sense of betrayal for abandoning her sister and mother would wrap around Elena.

Elena stared blankly at the other side of Cress Bridge. This place was like Elena’s limit.

Elena blinked. The light she saw in the distance was getting closer. She thought she had briefly made eye contact with a man inside the huge carriage that passed by her. The man’s face hidden in the darkness wasn’t clear.

The carriage carrying the man grew farther away.

Who was riding in there? Recently, good carriages had been coming into the Levonto region daily, as if there was some event. The wind that blew into this neglected outskirt region also stirred her mother’s heart.

It was such a useless wind. Today’s commotion had also happened because of that event. Some generous noblewoman had invited all the nobles residing in the Levonto region.

Cecilia believed she could marry off Elena, who had nothing to offer, to a man from a good family. She didn’t know what basis she had for such thinking.

[‘Don’t you feel sorry for wasting your looks? I gave you the best thing, so you should know how to use it preciously! You should be able to marry into at least an earl’s family.’]

Looks? Appearance wasn’t among the virtues of a mistress who takes care of a household. Adequate grooming to maintain dignity was sufficient.

Even while having shameless thoughts of selling off her daughter, Cecilia didn’t know why that was something to be ashamed of.

[‘What nobility are we! We don’t even have money to buy one new dress, so what nobility? You need money to be noble! I’m saying I’ll let you live that kind of life! A truly noble life! So listen to your mother.’]

Was that really being noble? Cecilia had confined the status of nobility to luxury and pleasure. Elena had no complaints about altering and wearing the dresses Cecilia had worn in her maiden days. Rather, Cecilia had hated it, calling it utterly wretched.

[‘Buy the best thing. Haven’t you heard the saying that when you don’t know what to buy, choose the most expensive one? You just need to meet the richest man with the best status. You understand what I mean, right?’]

Tears dripped down Elena’s bruised cheek. Her head was throbbing. If she went back home again, she would have another meaningless argument with Cecilia, and eventually might end up as a second wife in a wealthy family, just as Cecilia wanted.

Ah, or maybe not. Right now, Cecilia had probably gone somewhere with the money she had taken from her. Late hours posed no obstacle to Cecilia. If necessary, she was someone who would grab a street vendor’s collar to wake them up.

Anyway, Cecilia was obsessed with the idea of ‘selling Elena for the highest price.’

Elena’s bloodied lips trembled. If only she could escape from this place. If she crossed this bridge and ran away.

Elena’s expression darkened.

For people, crossing that bridge was easy. The carriage that had just passed by Elena was the same. Crossing the bridge was the most difficult thing in the world for Elena.

If she crossed that bridge, Elena would be leaving behind everything she was responsible for. Leana’s face flickered before her eyes.

Elena was the only one who could hold those small hands. Elena swallowed a sigh mixed with tears.

She couldn’t run away alone, leaving Leana behind. Cecilia had judged that Leana was a child who brought no profit. Rather, she thought Leana consumed money, so she would never buy medicine for Leana.

Hadn’t she desperately snatched away Leana’s medicine money today too?

Elena smiled bitterly. The streetlight installed on Cress Bridge flickered. It was lighting time.

Since electricity had been supplied to the Levonto region, they had been living a safer and more comfortable life than before. Streetlights were also a product of development. While the world was changing so rapidly, only Cecilia remained unchanged from before.

The bridge with lit electric lights was bright. It was a magical moment.

“Pretty…”

The flickering lights, like fireflies gathered in one place, were breathing life into the darkness. It was one of the moments Elena loved. That path seemed to welcome her.

It seemed to say, ‘I’ll promise you happiness, so come with me.’ But despite the lights brightly illuminating the path, Elena absolutely could not take that road.

Tears kept falling drop by drop.

Fortunately, there was no one watching this pitiful sight right now. Elena cried while holding back her breath. With the relief that no one was around, the dam holding back Elena’s tears collapsed at once.

“Waaaaaah…”

Her chest felt like it would burst from sorrow. Elena had many things she wanted to do and many things she could do. She wanted to go to the academy. There was so much she wanted to learn. Elena loved writing. Since Levonto was far from the capital, people who could read and write were rare.

She could help with translation work using the writing she had learned from her late father, but Elena’s world was narrow. Elena couldn’t even dream.

What was sustaining her life? Elena sobbed and caught her breath.

As she stood glaring at the bridge in frustration, a carriage approached from behind. Elena naturally thought the carriage would pass by her and cross Cress Bridge. However, the carriage that had been getting closer stopped behind Elena.

It was the moment Elena turned her head with a surprised face.

The carriage window came down.

A pale face wet with melancholy was revealed through the window. It was a man she had never seen before. He was a gentleman armed with sophistication. The crest engraved on the carriage was revealed under the streetlight. The man slowly blinked. The man who had placed his arm on the window and slightly leaned his head opened his lips.

“You’ll get into big trouble like that.”

The man’s voice carried bleakness and lowness that matched the darkness. Elena tried to fix her appearance. Then she belatedly realized this wasn’t something that could be fixed at this level. She couldn’t even put on the shoes she had left at home. The man smiled with a tired-looking face.

“All the passing men are staring at you.”

Elena blinked.

“Wh-what does it matter?”

Elena, who had unconsciously answered curtly, took a step back. To think she was having a conversation with a man looking like this. Belated embarrassment rushed to her face. She lowered her head with a reddened face.

“It’s not my business. But I saw you. If I see your picture in the newspaper tomorrow morning, I might suffer from needless guilt. How about getting in quickly instead of wasting time arguing?”

Even while repeating what his coachman had said, Maxim instantly regretted it. The uncharacteristic meddling he had displayed was adding to his fatigue. How dangerous the woman was, how the loitering ruffians were glancing at her, whatever nonsense the coachman was spouting—what did any of that have to do with him?