"I'm so shocked! No, on my way home, some old man came up to me and out of the blue, he told me to become his concubine! He said he had been watching me for a long time. He even stroked my shoulder, saying I was pretty, which gave me the creeps. No matter how much I refused, he kept following me, and I had a hard time getting rid of him!"
Alicia looked disgusted. If she was this upset, the man must have been really strange. I had been wondering why she was taking so long to come back after finishing her work at the barn.
Alicia, who was running her fingers through her messy hair irritably, suddenly sighed deeply.
"How did I end up like this...?"
Her shoulders slumped, and she looked so dejected that it was heartbreaking. But knowing her situation, it didn't have much of an effect on me.
"If I had known, I should have caught the lord's son."
"Why didn't you?"
"I never thought he would marry someone else behind my back!"
Alicia often talked about the times when I wasn't around. One of those times was about the lord's son. He used to follow her around, declaring his love, as if she was the only one in the world. One day, he suddenly got married, to his pretty fiancée.
In the end, he had been stringing her along.
"He kept saying how good I was and that I was the only one for him. What a jerk!"
"You didn't give him a proper answer, did you?"
"Of course, you have to play hard to get! If you answer right away, you lose your charm!"
"He probably just didn't like you."
"That's part of it. Honestly, he was a bit too fat, wasn't he?"
Alicia shook her head, but I didn't think it was that bad. He was a bit on the chubby side, but that gave him a cute appearance, and his infatuation with Alicia made him even more endearing. He was raised to be very pampered, so he might not have known much about the world, but from another perspective, he could be seen as innocent. Besides, considering the inheritance he would receive, he was a good match for Alicia.
"I was thinking of catching him if things got tough. Who would have thought he would marry someone else...?"
"You brought this on yourself."
"Hmph!"
Alicia snorted and refused to admit her mistake. Her stubbornness only made her more defiant. People can give advice, but she reacts like this. I was the one who looked disgusted this time.
"Stop thinking about nonsense and focus on working hard. That's the faster way."
"You live a miserable life. I can't live like that."
She wouldn't budge an inch.
"By the way, has anything strange happened to you recently?"
"Strange? What do you mean?"
"Like, some man came and offered you a job. Something like that."
I deliberately phrased it vaguely, recalling the two suspicious men. Judging by their appearance, they might have approached Alicia as well.
But after a moment of thought, Alicia shook her head.
"Nothing in particular? There were some men who tried to hit on me, but nothing like that. Why? What's going on? Did someone offer you a job?"
"No, it's fine if nothing happened."
"Why? What is it? What's going on?"
"Nothing. Go to sleep. We have work tomorrow."
"Tell me! What is it?"
Alicia, who couldn't stand being curious, pestered me. But I was used to her attitude and turned away, pretending not to know. I ignored her irritated shouts from behind me. If nothing had happened, there was no need for Alicia to know.
"Anyway, someone asked about you."
"Who?"
"The place where I sometimes go to clean the ashes. One of the guys who works there."
"Oh, that short and ugly guy?"
Alicia immediately remembered Johnny. The one time we worked late, she came to look for me, and Johnny, who saw her, fell in love at first sight and kept pestering me to introduce them.
I nodded, and Alicia, looking irritated, tossed her long hair over her shoulder. She crossed her legs and leaned back, her posture becoming arrogant.
But she seemed pleased that someone had asked about her.
"What did he ask?"
"He wanted to know what I thought of him."
"Hmph. He has eyes, at least."
"So, what do you think? If you like him, I can pass the message along."
"Are you crazy? Why would I want anything to do with a dirty guy like that?"
It was the expected answer. I wasn't surprised, as I had anticipated this. I turned to wash up, ignoring her grumbling.
This is how it should be. Just like this, peacefully.
But when has life ever gone as I wished?
Peace didn't last long.
A few days later, I was on my way home as usual. Alicia was running towards me from a distance, her face full of excitement. She rarely smiled so broadly and grabbed my arms.
"Sis!"
"Why, why are you like this? Why suddenly?"
Alicia calling me 'sis' was very rare. So, I was taken aback, and she burst out excitedly.
"I've decided to work for a count's family!"
"What?"
What was she talking about? As I blinked, Alicia hugged me happily, rubbing her face against mine and even jumping around, expressing her joy with her whole body. I was stunned and couldn't understand a word she was saying.
I quickly pulled her away.
"What are you talking about? A servant?"
"Some people were looking for servants to work for a noble family. At first, it seemed suspicious, but after listening to them, it wasn't a bad thing, and the conditions were really good, so I decided to go."
"..."
"Come with me, sis!"
Alicia grabbed both my hands.
"This is an opportunity, an opportunity! A chance to leave this dirty and poor life and start anew! I can charm a noble heir and turn my life around!"
I swallowed hard and tried to calm her down.
"Wait, wait a minute. What kind of people? Two men in dark clothes?"
"Huh? You know them too?"
Her question made me stiffen.
"No."
"What?"
"It's not safe. Why would you trust these people? Are you crazy?"
"Don't worry. I checked their background. It's not dangerous. They really are looking for servants. Remember the woman who used to clean the barn with us? The one who suddenly quit? She went there too. I've confirmed it's safe."
"Still no. Don't even dream about it."
I shook my head again. Even if it was as safe as she said, I couldn't shake off my doubts. How can they just recruit servants from anywhere? Do they know what kind of trouble they might cause? I couldn't understand it. And even if their background is verified, it could still be dangerous. Who knows what might happen once you go with them?
"I don't want to live like this anymore!"
Her sudden outburst startled me. Her face turned red as she shouted.
"My nails are all broken, my hair is a mess! My whole body is covered in bruises! My feet are so swollen it's hard to walk! I don't want this anymore! I'd rather take the risk and go there than live like this, groveling and scraping by!"
"Alicia!"
"Why should I adjust to your situation? Just because you went through something doesn't mean I have to. I have no reason not to go there!"
"..."
She was right. Too right, and I was speechless. Her eyes, now bloodshot, glared at me. The venom in her gaze was palpable.
"I don't want to live like you. Even if it kills me, I won't live like you. It's disgusting, humiliating, and nauseating."
Her words, sharp as needles, pierced me. Her sharp tongue always spewed out harsh words without restraint. What did it matter to me? Yet, I wasn't deeply hurt because I was used to her attitude.
"I don't care about your situation. You can stay here and continue living like this. I'm going there. I'm going to live a proper life."
Her mouth closed stubbornly after she finished speaking, showing her resolve not to back down. I knew better than anyone that once she set her mind, no one could change it.
I met her sharp gaze and sighed deeply.
Alicia and I weren't ordinary siblings. She was the most annoying and the least affectionate of my younger siblings. Alicia was embarrassed by me, not wanting to acknowledge me in public because she thought I was ugly. I, too, realized it was better to pretend not to know her after being compared to her so often.
We grew up in a relationship that was the sharpest and most cutting because we had no one else. In a way, this moment could be a chance for me to break free from the chains that had held me back and find my own life.
"I..."
I could let it all go now.
"I mean..."
But on the other hand, I couldn't bear to send Alicia off alone. She was my sister, my only blood relative, and the only person who could prove that I existed. Without her, I might as well not exist. Even after I die, there would be no one to spit on my grave.
In truth, it wasn't about family affection. It was a simple matter of 'me.' The thought of it was unbearable.