WPO 9

Chapter 9

It was a dazzling morning—bright enough that the waterbirds living on the Reda River could not fly high. It was also the day peace arrived, as Trilla’s ferocious offensive came to a halt. It was the day marking the end of three days of deliberation, and Angela and Donica’s Complexions were very poor.

They had failed to find five theater actors who would work without pay. Even with my goodwill in agreeing to appear in a minor role, there would have been no escape route.

“No matter how you look at it, we have no choice but to go find that man. Trilla will be so startled she’ll be watching our every move, won’t she?”

They had been rambling on and on about some man whose identity I didn’t know. Donica and Angela huddled their heads together as if concocting some suspicious plan, whispering all day long.

Left out of their secret conference, I was instead surprised by unexpected strokes of luck. My lunch basket had come into my hands unscathed. The boy who had protected the basket from the pack of wild dogs wore a proud smile on his face.

“How strange…”

Trilla’s sharp tongue, which usually jabbed at me with subtle insults instead of a proper greeting, was unusually quiet today. Perhaps she was afraid I’d run to Mr. Loughton and tattle, for she kept her mouth firmly shut and avoided my gaze.

The shade under the trees was spacious and empty, and for the first time in a while I could stay far from the sunlight. It was partly thanks to Trilla, who had led her group away early to avoid getting heatstroke.

After briefly finishing literature and arithmetic lessons in the morning, we were busy from the afternoon onward preparing for the Labor Festival stage. It was about time we started discussing the script and deciding on costumes.

“We’ll have to meet even on holidays to discuss it. It seems Trilla’s already gathering the kids at her house.”

“Aren’t you giving up? We agreed to decide today.”

“Flona… what do you mean… The day isn’t over yet. We have a secret weapon, you know.”

This was the point where a declaration of surrender should have come, but Angela and Donica were giggling, revealing they had something up their sleeves. Hearing that the opposing stage had begun practicing at Trilla’s grape farm made my heart anxious. I felt sorry for Angela and her friends, who showed no sign of giving up, but siding with Trilla like a bat was the safer bet.

“So we’re also going to gather at Angela’s house today to start our meeting.”

Only the taciturn Sivon let out a small sigh, but things seemed to be progressing smoothly. But it was like boldly climbing aboard a ship headed into shipwrecking waves. Clinging to a plank I should have jumped from, and going along with them—my future was too urgent for that.

“I’m sorry, but…”

“Oh my!”

It wouldn’t be difficult to pressure Trilla through the connection between our fathers. Given what I’d witnessed at the birthday dinner, and how Mr. Loughton seemed eager to be friendly with me. Let me use his goodwill—the gift of the jeweled brooch—to build this stage perfectly. Even if Trilla Loughton spitefully gave me the role of a maid sweeping the yard, I would do my best.

“Isn’t this… Flona’s shoe?”

Beneath the shoe, which was as limp and misshapen as if it had been pulled out of water, a puddle had formed. Apart from the metallic smell and the decorations having fallen off, the opening where the foot should go was hopelessly tattered.

“It’s Trilla’s doing.”

I knew without being told. It was a gift Grandmother, who cherished her granddaughter, had delivered together with a handwritten letter. Whenever a moment came when I felt un-Moremon-like and my spirits sank, I thought of Grandmother’s shoes. To remind myself of Grandmother’s dying wish—not to forget that I was her proud granddaughter.

“Flona…”

“Where did Trilla go with this? No wonder she ran away from the academy so quickly today. I said I’d let it slide quietly, and this is what she does.”

Considering how Trilla had led her flock of students in a hasty exit from the academy today, that wasn’t wrong. I cradled the wet shoe from the shoe rack as if comforting it and held it to my chest. There was a custom at the academy of taking off one’s bag, hat, shoes, and other clothing at arrival time and changing into comfortable indoor shoes.

“Flona, the shoes… they look expensive. Are you all right?”

“These girls, I’ve been patient and patient, but how far do they intend to go…! This won’t do. I’m going to tell the teacher.”

“That’s right. It’s better to tell. The evidence of the damage is clear, so…”

The three of them, more incensed than I was, raised their voices as if competing over who could be louder, and my head throbbed. Reveal Trilla’s deed and have her punished. It was a plausible argument with a plausible direction. But would Grandmother’s shoes of pride come back to life? She had held a grudge and washed the leather shoes in the stream water. Even if I found the craftsman who made them and had them repaired, it would be difficult to restore their former elegance.

“I don’t want to. There’s nothing that gets solved by telling the teacher.”

“What? Flona. No matter how kind you are… This will only give Trilla strength. You have to say what needs to be said.”

I turned to look at Angela, whose face had gone red as if it were her own affair. Just moments ago, I had deemed Angela’s stage hopeless. I decided to suppress my personal feelings and focus on the goal of receiving a good evaluation.

“I don’t think Trilla would have done this without thinking. She’s extremely… I don’t know why, but she sees me as a thorn in her side. She’s probably prepared another culprit in case she gets caught. Some other innocent student will take the blame, and the matter will fizzle out.”

I could almost see Trilla’s face, smiling with an insincere apology. Angela tore at her hair in frustration, Donica’s eyes welled with tears as she carefully touched my shoe, and Sivon glared at the distant wall as if angry, his mouth shut tight.

“But what I want is for Trilla to cry. To soak her pillow with regret for the day she ruined my shoes.”

“…What?”

“Flona.”

“Bloody revenge. That’s all I want.”

If I couldn’t get Grandmother’s shoes back and Trilla wouldn’t be punished, then I had no choice but to take the path of revenge. Seeing the change in my eyes, Angela’s clumsy cursing stopped. What mattered more than my grades in everything was the family name. Now that the family name Grandmother valued so highly had been sullied, I couldn’t sit at the negotiating table.

“I apologize to you all. Until now, I thought the right thing was to discuss things well with Trilla and join her stage. But I’ve changed my mind. Now, even if you tell me you all want to join the other side, I won’t allow it.”

“Fl-Flona…”

“I’ll win in the most spectacular way, in the way that will hurt Trilla the most.”

Donica, seemingly moved, clapped timidly. I forced my feet into the shoes I’d set on the ground. To think I’d ruined the shoes I’d planned to treasure and wear until the night before my wedding. The dark clouds in my head cleared, and my worries flew away.

“Haha.”

Restraining myself like a proper lady and adapting myself to Olga’s ways didn’t suit me. I walked out of the academy briskly and faced the cool breeze. It was only when I was gazing at the fine scenery of barley ears beginning to fill out in the early morning that I hadn’t known revenge—but now I did.

“But Flona. I’m truly sorry, but… the countermeasure we’ve devised is rather poor…”

“Yes?”

Running around like a madwoman in wet shoes cleared my head but lowered my reputation. Sivon, whose heart wasn’t firm, chased after me carrying the academy’s indoor shoes.

“Here, wear these. Those will get your feet wet, and…”

“Sivon.”

“Huh?”

“What roles were we short on?”

Sivon set down the indoor shoes as if telling me to wear them, and his face went pale. I kicked the worthless shoes away with my foot and laughed heartily. Sivon looked as though his soul had left his body, his eyes losing focus.

“Um… well, I’m not sure.”

“It must be a great shock…”

“What shall we do?”

Abandoning the role of the good-natured young lady felt refreshing. Trilla never bothered acting like a polite lady, so why should I be the only one fighting gracefully? The one who didn’t want the teacher to intervene was, after all, Trilla Loughton. She would hate nothing more than for word of her tormenting me to reach her father, Mr. Loughton.

I would slit Trilla’s throat within the bounds of not ruining my reputation in the eyes of the adults. That was it. The weight on my heart lifted cleanly, and laughter bloomed uncontrollably.

“Miss.”

Mick, who had brought the cart to the academy right on time, trailed off as if flustered. I must have looked strange, running as though I might fall into the stream and then bursting into laughter.

“Mick!”

The wet shoes squeezed my feet, but I paid no mind and ran to the cart. Mick, hurriedly stopping the donkey, was looking at his friend and asking what was going on. The seat Mick was sitting on shook slightly from the force of my arm as I clung to the cart.

“Mick. You join our stage too.”

“…Pardon?”

“I just need to get Mrs. Asher’s permission, right?”

Like a mouse cornered after having its cheese stolen, my mind was spinning rapidly. The boyish freckles on Mick’s cheeks twitched as he couldn’t say a word. I knew full well Mick’s circumstances—that he couldn’t attend the academy because his family was poor. Mick, who looked exotic yet somehow mischievous, would draw a fair amount of attention if put on stage.

“That’s one person filled. The remaining two are…”

Even before Mrs. Asher’s permission had been granted, I was already urgently searching for the next person. Just then, I thought of “that man” Angela had been chattering about all day without pause.

“Angela, Donica.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Who is that man?”

I fished up from my memory the information I hadn’t paid attention to. Angela bit her lip hard, as if finding it difficult to speak. My gaze, fixed on her lips as if ready to summon a demon on the spot, made her reluctant.

“Well…”

And then, the information that reached my ears gave me the illusion that my eyes and ears were opening at the same time.