Ch#275
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper Side Story 3 Episode 4
At his meaningful words, Luse let out an involuntary hollow laugh. It was out of disappointment at Michael's roundabout way of telling her to give up.
She replied in a thoroughly dejected tone.
"Oh, yes. Thank you for expressing so euphemistically that it's utterly impossible. I'll have to make a great effort to make it happen somehow. Anyway, it's a shame things turned out this way when you came with such ambition, Sir Ailes. What shall we do?"
"As you said, I must look for what I can do while waiting. I offer deep gratitude for your kind advice and delicious tea, Duchess Rosan."
"You're always welcome for such matters, Sir Ailes."
Michael approached Rosan and kissed the back of her hand. With the purpose of his visit gone, there was no reason to stay longer.
"Regrettably, we must part now."
At his courteous demeanor, Rosan smiled faintly and offered words of comfort.
"Indeed. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you, Duchess Rosan."
Thus, Michael Aires's grand plan vanished before it could even begin. To high society, it was an exceedingly regrettable affair.
High society members, unaware of the details, approached Cisse directly to probe if there was any good news. Too intimidated to ask Michael, they targeted her instead.
This was exceedingly rude behavior toward the countess who rarely ventured out to mourn her late husband.
Cisse, burdened by the attention directed at her, politely requested several times that they refrain from inquiring about Sir Ailes. Even the letter from Duchess Debenzel was no exception.
Astonishingly, the countess's demeanor appeared as if she deeply loved and missed her deceased husband. Considering whom she usually associated with, it was utterly absurd.
Naturally, this gave rise to vehement critics of the countess. Sir Ailes's followers were the most fervent.
They clamored that Sir Ailes was suffering due to her selfish actions, claiming that was why he had yet to propose.
The followers particularly wished to inform the oblivious public of Cisse's scandalous behavior (adultery).
But what people wanted was the hero's misfortune.
The arts community reacted especially strongly. Artists from various fields—poetry, song, theater, painting—became enamored with the narrative tragedy and sought the countess as their muse.
Thus, several times a day, they knocked on House Bischwaltz's gates, clamoring to meet Cisse to dedicate their inspirations drawn from her.
Amusingly, the capital was greatly abuzz because of her.
This fervor was abnormally intense, sometimes bordering on madness.
"A hero's death is truly astonishing. You knew this would happen in advance, didn't you?"
Jack said while eating the snacks Cisse had offered. He had manipulated rumors at her command but hadn't anticipated such a reaction.
"Thanks to you, we've bought some time."
Cisse smiled faintly and subtly pushed the bowl of snacks toward Jack.
Indeed, with people fervently obsessing on their own, those pestering her had greatly diminished. No one was desperate enough to risk public condemnation for Cisse. Nobles or not, the eyes of the masses were fearsome all the same.
The relatives who had plotted to barge into the estate with Roena in tow after the funeral were now holding their breath, wary of public scrutiny. Cisse had subtly leaked their stories through Jack.
It was easy to overlay the illusion of a 'poor woman left alone' with the motif of 'black hands plotting against her.' And the public responded to her intent.
Before long, tales of the hero's greedy relatives coveting his fortune spread through the streets like a fad.
"If it's good for you, miss, I'm happy too."
Jack glanced at one corner of the drawing room strewn with paintings, poems, and sheet music inspired by her. Ignorant of fine arts though he was, he could tell at a glance that they were all painstakingly crafted works.
"By the way, I heard you're learning to read from Arina these days?"
Cisse changed the subject while pouring tea into the cup. Jack replied in a curt, grumbling tone.
"How did you know? Did that blabbermouth pigeon tell you? Why is she so loose-lipped?"
"So, is it worth learning from her?"
"Are you asking if it's worth it for me right now? Good lord, that's the most horrific thing I've heard today. A stray dog could teach better. She's the absolute worst as a teacher."
"Is that so? Then don't learn from me."
Instead of replying, Jack blushed and hung his head. Cisse waited with a gentle smile for his answer.
After fidgeting with his fingers several times as if embarrassed to speak, Jack finally opened his mouth. His voice was small, almost crawling.
"......She does."
"What?"
"......She's smart."
"Could you speak a bit louder? I can't quite make it out."
"Arina's smarter than me. I'm stupid. If you taught me, you'd surely get frustrated. What if you get tired of me?"
"Good heavens, Jack. What an astonishing thing to say. Do I seem like the type who would?"
"Even if not, I wouldn't have endured it. I might have struggled comparing myself to Arina first."
Jack continued with a sullen face.
"Anyway, I planned to learn enough from Arina to surprise you...... But it's all ruined because of that feather-light mouth of hers."
"Oh, Jack, I can't fathom why you'd think such dreadful things. I swear by the gods, I would never compare you and Arina in any circumstance. Because I've experienced such comparisons myself, I know full well how painful they are."
"You have?"
Cisse smiled softly at Jack, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"I wasn't born a noble, was I?"
"......Right."
"So never think that way again. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then, will you learn to read from me now?"
"Hm, I still don't think so."
"Why not?"
Jack clenched his fists, his face full of frustration. As if Arina were right before him, he snorted and replied swiftly.
"Because of that one who'd surely tease me. She'd mock me for running away without persistence. She's already nagging daily that I won't call her teacher."
"You two really get along so well."
"Don't say such horrific things. We're mortal enemies—mortal enemies!"
Cisse covered her mouth and laughed heartily at Jack shuddering with a twisted expression. His sullen grumbling felt just like a boy his age, bringing her a sense of relief.
Jack had changed greatly since the war.
Both physically and mentally, there were many changes. Not only had he shot up in height, but his voice had deepened and grown heavier. His body, on the cusp between boy and youth, was firm yet lithe.
In just a year, the child had become someone else.
The greatest change was his improved tolerance.
The boy who had retched and wailed when his finger was cut off now faced corpses unfazed.
No, he could now kill one or two without hesitation if needed.
As with all back-alley professions handling information, secrecy was paramount.
Thus, when a brother broke the rules, punishment varied by the damage inflicted on the information broker.
Jack's first kill was a middle-aged man who had sold information elsewhere and fled.
Having punished the betrayer per the broker's code that day, the boy had clung to Arina and wept for the first time. And he suffered for three days and nights.
That was what living in the back alleys meant.
It was a world where an old whore dying of disease sprawled on one side made it natural for a beaten child's corpse to lie on the other.
To survive, one had to grow accustomed to such sights.
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper
Novel by Yeolmae
Author: Yeolmae
Publisher: Kwon Tae-wan, Woo Cheon-je
eBook Publication Date: 2024-05-07
Production: CL Production
Address: 1108-ho, 41 Digital-ro 31-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul
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