Masah looked at the young ladies with a flustered expression.
"What?"
The young ladies ignored her and exchanged irritated remarks among themselves.
"What is this? We’ve just wasted ti!"
"I didn’t even get to say a word."
"B-but didn’t the expression on the Western Wonhwa’s face look bad...?"
One young lady cautiously raised her hand and spoke.
The sharply complaining young ladies turned to look at her.
"What?"
"To , her expression seed really bad... Maybe the Western Wonhwa was upset...?"
The others flinched.
They exchanged glances with embarrassed faces.
"Well... would she really be that upset over sothing like this?"
"Exactly! It was just a ‘coincidental’ eting with Masah, and a brief talk...!"
The young lady who first said Erilot’s expression looked bad lowered her eyebrows.
"Honestly, objectively speaking, it was quite rude..."
"I-it’s not that bad...!"
"She joined the gathering without prior notice, and imdiately made a request at the first eting..."
"I’ve heard the Western Wonhwa has a generous personality! She wouldn’t sulk over sothing like this."
At that, the other young ladies quickly agreed.
"Yes! That’s right!"
"But... if the aristocratic young ladies in the capital hear about this..."
"...!"
"...!!"
The young ladies from Blossom’s group swallowed dryly.
Though they acted aloof and special in front of Masah, they were, in truth, ‘provincial nobles.’
Unlike the young ladies from District 1, like Erilot’s circle, they were not great nobles.
They didn’t even have mansions in the capital; most were children of branch families.
‘If because of this, the central social circle won’t accept us...’
The central social circle of the capital — the aristocratic society to which great nobles belonged — valued etiquette.
"This was clearly a breach of etiquette..."
"Why bring this up now?"
"What?"
"If you had said so from the start, things could have been handled differently...!"
"No, I just thought Masah was so close to the Western Wonhwa... Everyone thinks so, right?"
"That’s... true, but still..."
"Everyone knew it was impossible, but they pushed ahead trusting Masah’s relationship..."
Now that things went wrong, they hurriedly made excuses that they didn’t know.
The young ladies bit their lips awkwardly or chewed their fingernails.
"So, what should we do?"
"I heard the Western Wonhwa is on intimate terms with the Marchioness Phante young lady?"
"Yes, it’s a serious problem... Both her grandmother and mother are major figures in the central social circle..."
Everyone wore sour faces.
Pinesa Kurong suddenly shouted.
"It’s all Masah’s fault!"
Masah, standing dumbfounded and just listening, was greatly flustered.
"What? Wh-why ...!"
"You kept bragging about your friendship with the Western Wonhwa at every turn!"
"Ah, no, I just answered your questions..."
Pinesa Kurong scoffed and gave a hollow laugh.
"You said from the mont you t that it was like a destined piece fitting perfectly, that she was always thinking about you and wondering what to do for you, and that it was even burdenso! You said all that!"
"W-well, I did say those things...!"
"We all trusted you and got involved because of that! And what is this?"
"Ah, no, I never said to do that...!"
"We never trusted a commoner’s words!"
"T-that...!!"
Masah bit her lip tightly.
‘What the hell.’
Why do they act like everything is my fault?
I only fulfilled their requests.
‘At first, they treated so well...!’
Now I see they’re strange people.
Masah looked at Blossom, trembling with tears.
‘Look at the young ladies. How can they treat like this?’
We are friends...!
If it’s Blossom, she would stand up for .
‘I said she’s like a little sister. I also really think of Blossom as a real older sister—’
"Did you deceive us?"
But it was strange.
Masah looked at Blossom, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
“Bl-Blossom...”
“I’m disappointed.”
Masah flinched.
Those were words heard by young ladies who had been ‘out.’
A young lady dressed in a tacky dress.
A young lady who was arrogant despite her parents having only a low noble rank.
A young lady who deeply hurt Blossom’s feelings.
Those were the words—
“I’m disappointed.”
Masah’s face turned pale as she approached Blossom.
“Um, um, my words... I, no, th-that, Bl-Blossom...!”
“A friend should never disappoint.”
Blossom approached Masah with her arms crossed.
“Isn’t that right?”
“B-but this, th-this is my fault...!”
“Masah, you are a wise person. Unlike other foolish commoners.”
Masah swallowed dryly.
Blossom smiled faintly and suddenly stuck her face close to Masah.
“Masah. I hope you beco a ‘true friend’ who can help your ‘friends.’”
“Huh?”
“Arrange for us to et the Western Wonhwa again. Of course, I believe you will ‘speak very well’ about us beforehand.”
Having said that, Blossom turned away coldly.
The other young ladies also looked at Masah icily and then turned their backs.
Masah stood there dumbfounded, staring at their backs.
One week later.
Mari ca out to the shopping district.
It was payday last week, so she was going to deposit money.
The coachman who had driven Mari to run errands for Adelic, Ishiron’s eldest, smiled.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No problem. Thanks to you checking the docunts, I didn’t get scamd.”
“Show next ti too.”
“I’m happy to. But you co here every month?”
“It’s a bank.”
“I know what a bank is. It’s where nobles borrow money.”
Commoners didn’t use banks.
Living paycheck to paycheck, they had no concept of saving money.
“It’s not just for borrowing. You can save money too.”
“Why would you? You have a house.”
“If you make a deposit, they pay interest. Right now, interest is quite high—”
“Oh, Mari. That’s all a trick nobles use to suck money out, a trick.”
“...”
Mari gave up trying to persuade and shrugged.
“Anyway, see you at the manor.”
Mari said goodbye to the coachman and entered the bank.
‘Since I deposited all the wages, there should be quite a lot.’
She asked the clerk to make the deposit and received a receipt.
But...
“I think the amount is wrong.”
Mari frowned, holding out the receipt.
The sisters saved 90 percent of their wages.
‘Why does it say only 20 silver left?’
“Please check.”
The clerk checked the ledger.
After a while, he said,
“The records are correct.”
“That can’t be.”
“You withdrew money a few days ago. The na of the person who withdrew it is... ‘Masah.’”
What?
Mari’s face hardened.
She imdiately dashed out of the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ bank and ran to the manor.
‘What on earth is going on?’
The saved money was a large sum.
Not only wages but also sponsorship money Erilot had given, carefully saved into a lump sum.
Mari rushed into the Ishiron manor.
She grabbed a servant nearby and asked.
“Masah, where is she?”
The servant gave a reluctant nod.
“Over there.”
The place pointed to was crowded with servants.
Mari pushed through the people and went inside.
“What on earth are you thinking!”
The head maid was furious, interrogating Masah.
“This was brought from the mistress’s family ho. How could you break sothing like this...!!”
Masah flinched and looked at the floor.
The duchess’s treasured teacup was indeed broken.
Masah bit her lip tightly.
“Head maid, I’ll make it up—”
At that mont, Masah muttered,
“The mistress forgave .”
“...What?”
“Masah!”
The head maid asked incredulously, and Masah shouted.
“If the mistress forgave , shouldn’t that be enough?!”
“Y-you...!”
“Masah, what are you doing? Can’t you apologize properly?”
When the head maid grabbed her arm, Masah suddenly shook her off.
“The head maid just dislikes !”
Then she spun around and ran away.
The head maid stared at Masah dumbfounded.
“That girl, really...”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Mari bowed several tis and chased after her younger sister.
Masah headed toward her own room in the servants’ dormitory.
Mari followed her inside and shouted.
“What on earth are you doing! Why can’t you apologize properly?”
“Why should I? They’re just looking for reasons to hate ! The mistress forgave !”
“That doesn’t an the head maid, who’s the overall leader of the maids, can’t point out your faults!”
“You just want to side with her because the head maid favors you!”
“What’s wrong with you? What’s gotten into you? What about the savings? Why did you withdraw it? Where is it?”
Masah flinched.
“W-what! I’m tired. Go.”
Mari looked around the room.
She saw shopping bags from stores selling expensive goods.
Just as Mari tried to pick up a shopping bag, Masah snatched it away and hugged it tightly.
“A dress? You spent the savings on a dress?”
“...”
“Masah—!!”
“It had to be a new dress... They said I was ignored because I only wore gifted clothes...”
“What does that even an?”
“People who are tacky aren’t ‘friends.’ They’re just young ladies who treat badly. So I, I want to be ‘friends’ again...!”
Masah cried out things Mari couldn’t understand.
Mari asked with a stern face.
“Calmly, tell .”
“Sis... What should I do? I thought the young ladies gave the gifts, but it turns out it’s a debt.”
“What?”
Masah explained.
While associating with noble young ladies, she received many gifts.
She asked to be introduced to Erilot, but when things didn’t go well, they turned hostile.
And...
“They asked to pay back the gifts in money.”
“W-what? She said she would return the goods, but they don’t accept secondhand items.”
Mari looked at the piles of items in one corner.
Expensive dresses, ribbons, accessories, even communication stones...
“Is that all?”
“...”
“Tell !”
“A-a foal too...”
Mari held her forehead.
The amount was so large it couldn’t be repaid even if they worked their whole lives.
Masah clung to her sister and said,
“C-can’t you talk to the young ladies for ?”
“What? Ask them to forgive the money? Masah! Have so conscience, how could you...!”
“No, I an, just to hear their requests.”
“What kind of requests?”
“Kurong young lady wants to join the royal guards, and one young lady wants to et Master Joshua, and another wants to et Duke Astra...”
“That’s nonsense!! Asking for money would be easier to talk about!”
Mari shouted.
Masah forced a pale smile.
“Th-then we just need to solve Blossom’s case. Since Blossom is the leader, everyone will listen. She wants to be a Western Wonhwa. If we talk to the central Wonhwa well, they’ll make it happen...!”
“Stop it—!!”
Mari shouted loudly.
This ti it was a shout loud enough to shake the dormitory.
Mari staggered, face pale as death.
Masah sobbed and lay down.
“They won’t listen to . It’s really unfair. I thought those young ladies were my friends!”
Erilot said firmly,
"This is your doing, so you have to solve it."
“W-what... How... How could I... P-please help just once. Think of our connection, just once...!”
“I’m not helping you. You have to learn responsibility.”
She lectured while acting all high and mighty.
‘What am I supposed to do? I...!’
But Mari was strangely silent.
She should have been furious by now.
If she yelled a lot, she would help. She always did.
Masah looked up briefly.
“Um, sis?”
“...”
“Sis.”
“I think I’ve been thinking wrong all this ti.”
“...Huh?”
Her younger sister had taken care of her when she was sick.
So she thought Masah understood responsibility well enough.
Though a bit clumsy and prone to accidents, she never thought she was lacking.
“You don’t know responsibility, you just want to be loved.”
“Uh...?”
“I’m not doing anything anymore. You solve this.”
“W-what?! That’s too harsh! I do everything because you’re sick...!”
“You did it to be loved.”
Masah flinched.
Then she narrowed her eyes sharply and stood up.
“How can you say that?!”
“I knew, Masah. You always emphasize to others that I’m sick and try to get pity.”
She had told everyone around her.
‘My sister is sick. So I’ve been responsible for her until now.’
But actually, Masah wasn’t the only one working.
Mari studied desperately to learn the continent’s common language.
The money Mari earned occasionally from reviewing contracts was far more than what Masah made washing dishes.
She hadn’t told Masah because Masah needed attention in case Mari died and left her alone.
“How can you say that! It’s cruel! Are you really not going to help? How can you do this, sis?”
“You have to learn responsibility.”
Erilot repeated the exact sa words.
Masah bit her lip tightly and shouted,
"Enough! Go! Leave!"
Then Mari tried to push her away but—
Thud!
Before her hand could touch, Mari collapsed.
“U-um, sis?”
“Ugh, ugh... Wh-what is this...!”
A strange symbol appeared above Mari’s body.
Darkness poured in from the feet upward.
Suddenly, a strange voice echoed in her head.
[“Hey, Se-eun! You have to eat before you leave!”]
[“No! I hate everything! I hate it!”]
[I hate everything.]
[I hate it all...!]
“Um, sis! Sis!”
“Co-communication stone... I have... it.”
“Y-yes!”
“C-contact Erilot... quickly...!”
Mari couldn’t guess why Erilot had treated her well.
But at this mont, she had a hunch.
Maybe it was because of this.
Reviews
All reviews (0)