Alicia, who had been venting all sorts of complaints, finally threw off the cloth on her head and tossed it to the ground. I glanced at her and then focused back on my work.
I had survived for a few days by selling the most expensive bread I got from the bread vendor. During that time, I luckily found another job. It was cleaning up animal droppings in a stable. I took it without hesitation, thinking it was better than nothing. I even dragged Alicia along, who didn't want to do it, to earn a bit more money, but she ended up with this attitude.
"I can't do it!"
"Then don't do it and starve from now on."
"......"
The conclusion was simple. Alicia glared at me with her eyes wide open. I didn't even look at her as I scooped up the animal droppings and loaded them onto the cart. The large stable was filled with various animals and their droppings. No matter how much I scooped, it seemed endless. Plus, the smell was terrible. After a day of cleaning, the smell of droppings would permeate my body.
A foal approached me and started to defecate. Alicia was horrified when she saw this, and I calmly placed the shovel underneath. Each time I moved the accumulated droppings to the cart, Alicia pretended to vomit.
"Why is it always like this whenever you bring me along!"
"Because there's nothing else but this."
"Don't lie! I know there are other decent jobs!"
"You can only do this."
"Are you ignoring me? With this level of beauty and figure, what can't I do!"
"Your head is empty."
I ignored Alicia's outburst. I was already struggling enough, and she kept bothering me. I showed my frustration openly as I scooped up more droppings with the shovel. Alicia grabbed the back of my head again. Again. I was getting used to this sharp pain.
"Say it again! Say it again!"
"Let go."
"How dare you ignore me?! You, of all people, ignoring me!"
"I told you to let go."
Despite this, Alicia didn't release her grip. I sighed and calmly swung the shovel towards her. The droppings on the shovel splattered onto Alicia. She let go of my head in shock.
"Aah!"
Alicia stumbled backward and fell, landing on a pile of droppings. She screamed and tried to get away, but the droppings had already covered her. Her hands and clothes were now covered in droppings, and she looked miserable.
"Bad girl! Wicked girl!"
"Then why do you pick a fight with a bad and wicked girl?"
"I won't let you off! I won't let you off!"
"Sure. With that resolve, finish scooping up all of this quickly."
I scooped up more droppings with the empty shovel and deliberately moved it towards Alicia, loading it onto the cart. Alicia screamed and ran away. It was funny to see her run away in fear. I shrugged and continued scooping up the droppings.
While I was doing this, something caught my eye. A torn piece of newspaper buried in the pile of droppings. A large photo on the newspaper fluttered in the wind. My eyes gradually widened as I read the headline.
[...Princess's Engagement Announcement. The Partner is Viscount Bellunita?]
That was the headline I had just seen. Below it was a large photo of a man and woman standing side by side, their arms crossed. Although the photo was taken from a distance and the faces were blurry, they were familiar. It was natural, as I had seen these faces every day for a year five years ago.
"Vincent Bellunita."
A name I hadn't spoken for a long time.
The man I had loved.
This was the first news I had heard about him in five years.
* * *
I knew he had broken off his engagement with Violet. The women at the bread factory where I used to work often gossiped about the upper class, and occasionally, news about them would come up. There wasn't much news about the Bellunita family, but one of the things I heard was about Vincent's broken engagement.
I had wondered if the news of the broken engagement was just a rumor, but now I had confirmed it with my own eyes.
I stared at Vincent in the photo. His face was blurry, so I couldn't see his exact expression, but it seemed like he was smiling. The first thing that came to mind was his eyes.
What had happened to his eyes? I remember they said there was a way to fix them. Did he fix them, or are they still the same? At least he's not confined to his room anymore. From what I can tell, he's doing well.
'I'll bring you to my side. I promise.'
"Words are just words."
Damn, are you that happy?
Engaged to a princess, you're grinning like that. You must be smiling for sure. I crumpled the newspaper in my hand. His smiling face became wrinkled. I stared at it for a while before slowly unfolding it again.
"It's a relief if you're doing well."
Honestly, I don't have the right to be angry. We weren't in a relationship where I could call him out for being bad. Who was I? I was just the only maid who served him, and he was just being kind to me. His disappearance wouldn't be enough reason for him to look for me. He said he sent me away for my own good, but there was no reason for him to look for me if I disappeared. In fact, he might have known why I suddenly disappeared.
"Still, a man should keep his word. He said he would be by my side, protect me, and never leave me. He says it so easily. That's why nobles are like this."
I ended up saying what the women I worked with often said: "That's why nobles are like this." I sighed deeply, and just then, Emily came in, her eyes wide.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, no. Nothing's wrong."
"That's...?"
Her gaze fell on the crumpled newspaper in my hand. I quickly unfolded it, realizing my mistake. Seeing the same news article I had found in the stable here made it feel more real. This was really happening. I must have crumpled the newspaper in anger without realizing it.
"I'm sorry. What should I do?"
"It's okay, it's old news. Still, be careful. Have you finished the transcription?"
"Yes, here it is."
Emily checked the letter and smiled in satisfaction, praising my work. I blushed and smiled, pulling my neck in.
Here, in what looks like an ordinary house, I work as a transcriber, earning a daily wage. I transcribe books, love letters, and sometimes newspapers. Being able to read and write is so useful. Thanks to this, I can work comfortably in a safe building.
"These young ladies are really cute. They ask me to transcribe love letters because their handwriting isn't pretty."
"That's true."
"Have you ever received such a request?"
Emily laughed mischievously. I avoided her gaze, fumbling with my pen and forcing a smile.
"Yes, I have. But not a love letter."
"Oh, with a man?"
"Yes, with a man."
"That must have been nice."
Emily tapped my shoulder. I couldn't say anything. It was such a trivial matter that I couldn't judge whether it was good or bad. It was only after reflecting on it that I realized the trivial letter contained a deep meaning, and I felt sad.
Thinking about that made me feel down again. It was because of the newspaper I had just seen.
I shook my head to clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts.
"By the way, the workload has increased recently, and I think it's too much for you to handle alone, so I've found a new person. You'll be working together from now on."
"Okay."
"She'll be here soon."
As Emily said, a knock came at the door a moment later. She went downstairs with a happy smile. Soon, the sound of the door opening and noisy voices filled the room. I listened to the voices and looked out the window.
Two sets of footsteps approached, and the door opened. My gaze naturally turned towards the door.
"Here, say hello. You'll be working together from now on."
"......"
"......"
Emily introduced the new person in a cheerful voice, but we didn't exchange greetings. We both froze the moment we saw each other.
"Hey, hey."
"......"
"Hey, hey. Are you listening to me?"
"......"
I lowered my eyes and calmly rolled the pen. The scratching sound answered for me.
After a few more attempts, the man finally couldn't take it anymore and snatched my paper. I sighed and looked up at him.
"What's wrong? Why are you like this?"
"Why do you keep ignoring me?"
"Because it's worth ignoring."
"Hey!"
"Stop saying 'hey, hey.' Do you want to get hit again?"
I twirled the pen in my hand, warning him that I would stab him with it if necessary. The man, who had experienced this before, shuddered. A bruise on one of his eyes was clearly visible.
"What kind of woman are you, always...?"
"What kind of man are you, always being so persistent? When someone says no, you should give up. It's not just about your feelings; you need to consider the other person's feelings too."