Ch#297
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper Side Story 5 Episode 4
"It's fine."
The woman refused the man's declination and pushed the bread up to his chin.
His body seemed incapable of eating if she left it for him. Her prickly, rough tongue and mouth struggled even to drink water.
What the woman needed was not hard bread, but a plate of warm, soft meat soup.
Wagus took the bread with trembling hands. Though his disheveled hair and thick beard obscured his facial features, his eyes shone brightly like stars. It was a soft, kind gaze.
"Thank you."
Starved as he was, he devoured the bread in the blink of an eye. It was so hard it should have required saliva to soften, yet he chewed it crisply without issue.
Though merely a single piece of bread, he seemed satisfied as if served a feast.
"How shall I repay the grace bestowed upon a worthless one like me."
"You gave me a seat first. Consider it repayment for that."
The woman replied but coughed loudly again midway. The instances of blood were increasing. Even her vision was now blurring. It wouldn't be strange if she collapsed and died right then.
Wagus closed his eyes as if deep in thought when she coughed. He soon drew cards from his bosom and began shuffling them.
"The Wagus hear the voice of the wind, they say. I am the same, though my abilities fall far short compared to others, so I may lack in repaying your grace."
"A body on the verge of death—what's the point of drawing cards."
"You never know, do you?"
His voice was low but carried an inexplicable power.
Perhaps because of that, the woman unwittingly drew one card from the spread laid out by Wagus.
He examined the card she drew intently.
"Shall I have you draw one more?"
Wagus placed the second card she drew beside the first. Then he told her to draw one final card.
"You lived a turbulent childhood. Then you met new love and gained wealth. But a wrong choice caused everything to go awry. Now, with hope vanished, one earnest wish has led you to the streets."
The woman nodded with a hollow laugh.
"That's right."
What she desired was one thing only: the happiness of her daughter, Cisse. That was why she had stormed off. She believed that once the burden of herself was gone, Cisse could somehow survive.
Sadness was momentary anyway. Burying it in one's heart or whatever was merely an excuse diluted by memories of the past. It offered no help in living the present.
Thus, her greedy yet clever daughter would understand her intent and live well.
"Go to the Temple."
Wagus, pondering the cards, suddenly said to her.
"The Temple?"
"He can alter the flow of fate, at least."
"The flow of fate?"
"Isn't faith bound to waver before a great sacrifice?"
He whispered in a small voice, as if sharing a grand secret.
"Will it really?"
"Better than wandering the streets. Nothing to lose, right?"
"......Isn't that too generous a repayment."
Wagus gathered the cards and tucked them back into his bosom with a grin.
"Such encounters are fate, they say. I was here today to meet you, madam."
"Thank you."
The woman thanked him and barely rose from her seat. Just standing made her head spin.
"Great sacrifice doesn't mean something else, does it?"
"What could be greater than a mother's love?"
The woman smiled faintly and nodded. Without a farewell, she began walking slowly ahead. Wagus watched her retreating figure and leaned against the wall.
"If your wish comes true, something truly amusing will happen. To think a single piece of bread led to such a grand connection."
An enigmatic smile played on the man's face.
The woman walked for a full day and a half to arrive at the Temple.
There, many others besides her were gathered, kneeling in prayer.
Generous nobles prayed in private rooms inside the Temple, merchants and commoners before the statue, and those like her with no money begged for divine mercy on the steps outside.
The woman squeezed through the people avoiding her and barely found a spot.
She prostrated herself on the ground and prayed fervently. The main content was that she would bear all sins, so please let Cisse live happily.
Wagus had said fate changes before a great sacrifice. If true, the woman could gladly offer her remaining life before the god.
'Please let my daughter be happy. It's too unfair to withdraw like this. Don't let her die as miserably as me. If you can do that, it's fine if I die like this. Please hear this prayer.'
It was a selfish prayer devoid of any guilt.
Yet the woman prayed more earnestly than anyone. If the god were equal, there would be no sin, and no one like her would appear.
However, under the god's neglect, humans tangled in envy and jealousy, harming each other—including her, unleashing her innate wickedness.
Thus, she figured such a brazen prayer was acceptable.
She had poured all her strength into reaching this place anyway. There was nowhere left to retreat.
Her life had already reached its limit. After merely an hour or two of prayer, her vision blurred and sleep poured over her. Her breath grew rapid, her ears rang dully. It felt like she was waist-deep in the River of Death.
Thus, the woman prayed even more desperately.
'If you grant it, I'll sell my soul to the devil, not just a god. The countess house belongs to my daughter...... If not for that ball, it would have been perfect. It's too unfair. Why does no one acknowledge the pain that child caused us.'
The woman bit her lip hard and shed tears. Was her effort to avoid being ignored by others a crime deserving such treatment? Now her breath rose to her chin.
The woman coughed and spewed a basin's worth of hot blood. Even so, she did not abandon her praying posture.
'Please, let Cisse reclaim the countess house. It's too heartbreaking to withdraw like this. How hard that child worked...... Why can't we have it? Please, please hear this. A life doomed to die anyway isn't a waste. Please respond to my voice.'
Suddenly, an unseasonal downpour began. Those praying outside the Temple jumped up and scurried about, fleeing the rain.
But the woman's body felt as heavy as a thousand tons; she could not rise. She let the rain cool her feverish body and continued murmuring. Her entire form soaked rapidly.
"Believer, are you all right? Believer?"
'Please respond!'
Someone lifted the woman's body. She staggered and burst into sobs. Was Wagus wrong? Had she merely come to find a place to die? Even breathing had become burdensome.
At that moment, something entered her blurring vision. It was the statue of the main god, with a small hourglass placed before it. A child, following parents to escape the rain, swiftly snatched it and flipped it over. The child's face was full of mischievous smile.
'Hourglass......?'
Near that hourglass stood a large stone inscribed with scripture from the holy text of the main god.
[According to your faith, it shall be done. Behold, the time has come when all fates return to their original places. Therefore, rejoice. I have not forsaken you.]
Uluk.
Blood leaked from the woman's mouth once more. A scream erupted from the lips of the one supporting her, and the woman's body fell limply to the ground.
Yet she felt no pain at all. Rather, she felt like laughing. Wagus was right. It was only natural for fate to change before a great sacrifice.
Thus, she could close her eyes in satisfaction.
In that way, the woman's body grew cold. To her, it was a sacred death.
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
This book is published as an eBook by KWBOOKS under contract with the copyright holder.
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