ESML 04

Chapter 4

From that day on, Emilia was sick for quite some time.

“Cough, cough.”

As she coughed, she inwardly berated herself for being so foolish.

No matter what, she should have at least changed out of her wet clothes.

Even swallowing was difficult, so she grimaced as she barely managed to drink some water.

‘I need to get some medicine.’

She tried to sit up, but soon gave up.

In her current condition, even going outside for a little while was too much.

‘Cedric’s house is stocked with every kind of thing that’s supposed to be good for your health.’

The fact that she hadn’t even kept a single basic medicine in her own home was almost laughable.

‘I’ll sleep a little longer and get up afterward.’

She was just about to fall asleep again when—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rough pounding on the door made Emilia’s eyes fly open.

‘Who is it?’

“Open the door, Emilia!”

That voice…

Emilia hurriedly forced her heavy body upright.

When she opened the door, she found Mrs. Anderson standing there with an angry expression.

“How—Cough, cough.”

“Oh, goodness! Look at the state you’re in!”

Mrs. Anderson pounded her chest when she saw Emilia’s haggard appearance.

“What am I going to do with this foolish girl? Let me come in.”

She frowned and let out a deep sigh. Then she patted Emilia on the back and ushered her inside.

Mrs. Anderson looked around the house before pointing at a chair.

“Go sit over there for now.”

“Pardon?”

“Judging by the looks of you, you haven’t eaten a proper meal either, have you? Sit there for a moment. I’ll make something quickly.”

“I’m fine…”

“Shh! Hurry.”

Mrs. Anderson glared at her as if scolding a child.

Emilia had no choice but to go sit in the chair.

‘Come to think of it, I never even contacted the shop to say I wouldn’t be coming in…’

Watching Mrs. Anderson take out the cooking utensils, Emilia spoke.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even tell you I wouldn’t be coming to work.”

“It’s fine. I figured you must have had some reason.”

“But how did you know?”

“How did I know?!”

Mrs. Anderson slammed a dish down on the table.

“Everyone in the village already knows that Cedric brought a woman back from the capital!”

She clicked her tongue as she continued.

“I hear they’re walking around together openly, without a shred of shame. Apparently, she’s the daughter of some count’s family?”

Emilia slowly lowered her head.

“Don’t even think about crying! It would be a waste of tears to cry over a man like that!”

Mrs. Anderson raised her eyebrows as though she might smack Emilia on the back if she dared to cry.

At the older woman’s scolding, the tears that hadn’t even been coming out in the first place disappeared completely.

“…I’m not crying.”

“Good, then.”

Thanks to the older woman’s experienced hands, a fragrant bowl of soup was soon placed in front of Emilia.

“Eat up.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Mrs. Anderson sat across from her and watched to make sure she ate properly.

When Emilia had emptied the bowl, Mrs. Anderson placed a heavy pouch on the table.

The coins inside clinked together.

“What’s this money for?”

“Your severance pay.”

“What?”

Emilia’s heart sank.

As though she had read her thoughts, Mrs. Anderson shook her head.

“I’m not giving it to you because you did something wrong and I’m kicking you out.”

With a firm look in her eyes, Mrs. Anderson took Emilia’s hand in her wrinkled one.

“Leave this place, Emilia.”

“…Leave? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“I mean go to the capital. If you want to start over, you need to go somewhere new.”

Mrs. Anderson pushed the money pouch toward her and continued.

“And whatever you do there, it’ll probably be better than staying here.”

“……”

Emilia hesitated, unsure how to respond.

But she could understand what the older woman was saying.

Even if she stayed here, all she would hear were people whispering about her.

Although Cedric was the one who had done something wrong, he was now an official of the Imperial Palace.

It was obvious that everyone would be watching what they said and did around him.

“Honestly, is there anyone in this village who doesn’t know that you’re smarter than Cedric?”

“……”

“If you’d only been allowed to take that supposedly difficult examination yourself, you would have passed it on your first try.”

“But—”

“But what? Or would you rather stay here and watch those two laughing and having the time of their lives?”

“……”

“What will happen to the shop?”

“I’ve probably earned five years’ worth of income thanks to you already. So don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t an empty reassurance.

Thanks to Emilia’s advice, the shop’s sales had increased considerably, and Mrs. Anderson had completely mastered how to keep the books.

“What could I possibly learn at my age?”

Even when she said that and refused, Emilia had patiently taught her.

‘That’s why that Cedric fellow was able to pass the examination, too.’

Mrs. Anderson frowned as she thought of Mrs. Romance, who was probably having the time of her life with her son by now.

Then she looked at Emilia again and spoke.

“Rather, you’re the one who’s suffered all this time in place of my son who ran away from home.”

“Your son ran away from home?”

Emilia gave her an awkward look at the older woman’s exaggerated statement.

Her son, Alex, had simply become an official in the Imperial Palace at a young age.

Of course, his mother complained that he never even showed his face at home.

‘Well, I suppose she has a right to complain when he only comes back once every six months.’

Just then, Mrs. Anderson placed another pouch on the table.

When Emilia looked at it questioningly, the older woman said proudly,

“It’s my son’s. I snatched one.”

“I don’t think that’s just one…”

“If I can grab it in one handful, then it counts as one.”

Having apparently invented an entirely new unit of measurement, Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat awkwardly.

Emilia burst out laughing.

“There, you’re finally smiling. You never know what life will bring, so don’t say anything and just keep it.”

“Yes. I will.”

“Good. You made the right choice. And remember, your happiness comes before anyone else’s. Never forget that.”

At the warm advice, Emilia slowly nodded.

After Mrs. Anderson left, Emilia sat lost in thought for a while before getting to her feet.

Then she searched through the storage room and pulled something out.

It was a large travel suitcase.

She had bought it in preparation for traveling somewhere with Cedric someday.

Honestly, she wanted to throw it straight into the trash.

‘But what did the suitcase ever do wrong?’

Emilia carried the suitcase to her room and looked through her belongings.

But when she actually checked, she realized she barely had any decent clothes.

Suddenly, she became angry with herself.

What was that bastard to me, that I treated myself so poorly?

Everything good had belonged to Cedric, while she always came second.

Emilia gathered whatever was still useful and stuffed it tightly into the suitcase.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The next day, Emilia pounded on the door of Cedric’s house as though she intended to break it down.

“What the…”

An irritated voice soon came from inside, followed by Cedric stepping outside.

“Emilia?”

He looked surprised to see her standing at the door.

He seemed completely unable to imagine that she would come looking for him.

Then Cedric noticed the enormous travel suitcase beside her, and his expression twisted.

‘Did he think I was going to move in and live here?’

If so, he was seriously mistaken.

Without saying another word, Emilia held out her hand.

“Give it to me.”

“Give you what?”

“The money I’ve spent on you all this time. Give it back.”