Chapter 61
61
61. The Maid Left Alone (5)
“What’s wrong?”
“You won’t believe what happened! On my way home, some old geezer came up to me and asked me to be his concubine out of the blue! Said he’d been watching me for a long time or something. He even stroked my shoulder, saying how pretty I was, it was so creepy. I refused, but he kept following me, it was such a pain to shake him off!”
Alicia made a disgusted face. If she looked like that, he must have been really weird. No wonder she was late getting back from the barn.
Alicia, who was irritably pushing back her disheveled hair, suddenly sighed deeply.
“How did I end up like this……”
Her slumped shoulders and gloomy expression were pitiful. But knowing the inside story, it didn’t have much effect on me.
“If I knew it would turn out like this, I should have snagged the lord’s son.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t think he’d get married behind my back!”
Alicia often talked about the times when I wasn’t around. One of them was about the lord’s son. The lord’s son, who followed Alicia around, confessing his love, suddenly got married one day. To his pretty fiancée, no less.
In the end, she played hard to get and got played out.
“He followed me around saying he only liked me, that I was the only one for him. What a jerk!”
“Isn’t it because you didn’t give him a proper answer?”
“You’re supposed to play hard to get! If you answer right away, you’re not attractive!”
“He probably just didn’t like you.”
“That too. Honestly, his chubby appearance was a bit much, wasn’t it?”
Alicia shook her head, but I didn’t think he was that bad. He was a bit on the plump side, but that gave him a cute impression, and the way he was so smitten with Alicia doubled that cute charm. He didn’t know much about the world because he had been raised so preciously, but even that could be seen as innocent if you looked at it differently. Besides, considering the wealth he would inherit, he was more than Alicia deserved.
“I was going to grab him if things went south. I never thought he’d abandon me and get married……”
“You brought it on yourself.”
“Hmph!”
Alicia scoffed, refusing to admit her mistake to the end. Her sharp nose tilted even higher. Even when someone gives her advice, she’s like that. I made a disgusted face at her shamelessness this time.
“Stop thinking useless thoughts and focus on working hard. That’ll be faster.”
“You live your dreary life alone. I can never live like that.”
She never gives in, not even for a word.
“Oh, by the way. Have you had anything strange happen to you lately?”
“Work? What kind of work?”
“Just, you know, like just now, some guy coming up to you and offering you a job. Something weird like that.”
I deliberately spoke vaguely, recalling the two dark-clothed men again. Judging by the fact that they offered her a job based on her appearance, there was a possibility that they had approached Alicia as well.
But after thinking for a moment, Alicia shook her head.
“Not really? There were guys who hit on me sometimes, but nothing like that. Why? What’s wrong? Is someone offering you a job?”
“No, never mind.”
“Why? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Go to sleep. We have to go to work tomorrow.”
“What is it! Tell me!”
Alicia, who can’t stand being curious, pressed me. But I was used to this attitude, so I turned away, pretending not to know. A frustrated shout rang out from behind me, but I didn’t care. If nothing had happened, there was no need for Alicia to know.
“More than that, he was asking about you.”
“Who?”
“You know where I go to collect ashes sometimes. The guy I work with there.”
“Oh, that short, ugly guy?”
Alicia immediately remembered Johnny. Once, work ended late, and Alicia came to look for me. Johnny, who was working with me, saw Alicia that day and fell in love at first sight, and kept pestering me to introduce them ever since.
When I nodded, Alicia tossed her long hair behind her shoulder as if annoyed. She crossed her legs and tilted her head back, her posture becoming arrogant.
Still, she seemed pleased that someone had asked about her.
“What did he ask?”
“He asked me to ask you what you thought of him.”
“Hmph. At least he has an eye for beauty.”
“What do you think? Should I tell him if you’re interested?”
“Are you crazy? Why would I be interested in a dirty guy like that?”
It was the answer I expected. I wasn’t particularly surprised because I knew she would say that. I said I understood and turned to wash up. I ignored the grumbling behind me.
If we just stay like this. If we can just stay peaceful like this.
But when has life ever gone my way?
The peace didn’t last long.
It happened a few days later. I was on my way home as usual. Alicia was running towards me from afar. Her face was full of excitement as she got closer. Rarely smiling brightly, Alicia grabbed my arms.
“Sister!”
“Why, what’s wrong? Why all of a sudden?”
It was very, very rare for Alicia to call me sister. So, as I was panicking, Alicia blurted out excitedly.
“I’m going to work as a servant for the Baron family!”
“What?”
What on earth was she talking about? As I blinked, Alicia hugged me, smiling happily. Her actions of rubbing her face against mine and stomping her feet, expressing her joy with her whole body, left my mind blank. I couldn’t understand a word Alicia was saying.
I hurriedly pulled Alicia away.
“What are you talking about? A servant?”
“Some people were looking for servants to attend to a noble family. At first, it was a bit suspicious, but after hearing the story, it wasn’t like they were doing anything bad, and the conditions were very good, so I decided to go.”
“……”
“Let’s go together, sister!”
Alicia grabbed my hands.
“This is an opportunity, an opportunity! A chance to abandon this dirty, poor life and start anew! Let’s take this opportunity to properly seduce a noble son and make something of our lives!”
Looking at her brightly shining face, I was stunned again. Then I quickly came to my senses. I organized the words Alicia had said so far in my head. But the more I organized them, the more ominous I felt.
I swallowed hard and first held down Alicia, who kept jumping around.
“Wait a minute, hold on. What people? By any chance, two men in dark clothes?”
“Oh? You know them too, sister?”
My expression immediately hardened at her question.
“No way.”
“What?”
“I said no way. Absolutely not.”
I shook my head. I emphasized several times that it was absolutely not allowed. Then the smile disappeared from Alicia’s face, and her eyes turned fierce. Even with that change, my attitude was firm.
“Why!”
“Because it’s dangerous. What do you trust those people for? Are you crazy?”
“Don’t worry. I confirmed that their identities are certain. It’s not a dangerous job either. They’re really looking for servants. Remember that woman who was cleaning poop with us at the barn? The one who suddenly quit? She went there too. I’m only saying this after confirming that it’s safe.”
“Still no. Don’t even dream about it.”
I shook my head again. Even if it was a really safe place, as Alicia said, I couldn’t shake off my suspicion. No, does it make sense to find servants for the upper class just anywhere like this? Who knows what kind of problems it might cause? That in itself was incomprehensible. And even if their identities are certain, it could still be dangerous. Who knows what kind of things you might experience if you follow them.
“I don’t care. I’m going.”
But Alicia didn’t back down either.
“Absolutely not.”
“Who are you to interfere like this?”
“I told you why I came back.”
“You said you were attending to a noble master when you caught his eye and ran away? You barely escaped with your life and became a fugitive. And you haven’t been able to settle down anywhere since then because you were afraid the family would come after you.”
“That’s right. It was a Baron family there too.”
Alicia pursed her lips. That meant she understood what I meant. I sighed and said calmly and coldly.
“Refuse and come back. No, just don’t go and ignore…….”
“I don’t want to live like this!”
I was startled by the sudden outburst. Alicia shouted with her face flushed red in an instant.
“My nails are all broken and my hair is a mess! My whole body is covered in scars! My feet are so swollen that it’s hard to walk! I don’t want to anymore! Rather than living like this, groveling and miserable, I’d rather go there, even if it’s dangerous!”
“Alicia!"Why do I have to adjust to your situation?" Just because you went through something like that doesn’t mean I have to. There’s no reason for me not to go there!”
Looking at her brightly shining face, I was stunned again. Then I quickly came to my senses. I organized the words Alicia had said so far in my head. But the more I organized them, the more ominous I felt.
I swallowed hard and first held down Alicia, who kept jumping around.
“Wait a minute, hold on. What people? By any chance, two men in dark clothes?”
“Oh? You know them too, sister?”
My expression immediately hardened at her question.
“No way.”
“What?”
“I said no way. Absolutely not.”
I shook my head. I emphasized several times that it was absolutely not allowed. Then the smile disappeared from Alicia’s face, and her eyes turned fierce. Even with that change, my attitude was firm.
“Why!”
“Because it’s dangerous. What do you trust those people for? Are you crazy?”
“Don’t worry. I confirmed that their identities are certain. It’s not a dangerous job either. They’re really looking for servants. Remember that woman who was cleaning poop with us at the barn? The one who suddenly quit? She went there too. I’m only saying this after confirming that it’s safe.”
“Still no. Don’t even dream about it.”
I shook my head again. Even if it was a really safe place, as Alicia said, I couldn’t shake off my suspicion. No, does it make sense to find servants for the upper class just anywhere like this? Who knows what kind of problems it might cause? That in itself was incomprehensible. And even if their identities are certain, it could still be dangerous. Who knows what kind of things you might experience if you follow them.
“I don’t care. I’m going.”
But Alicia didn’t back down either.
“Absolutely not.”
“Who are you to interfere like this?”
“I told you why I came back.”
“You said you were attending to a noble master when you caught his eye and ran away? You barely escaped with your life and became a fugitive. And you haven’t been able to settle down anywhere since then because you were afraid the family would come after you.”
“That’s right. It was a Baron family there too.”
Alicia pursed her lips. That meant she understood what I meant. I sighed and said calmly and coldly.
“Refuse and come back. No, just don’t go and ignore…….”
“I don’t want to live like this!”
I was startled by the sudden outburst. Alicia shouted with her face flushed red in an instant.
“My nails are all broken and my hair is a mess! My whole body is covered in scars! My feet are so swollen that it’s hard to walk! I don’t want to anymore! Rather than living like this, groveling and miserable, I’d rather go there, even if it’s dangerous!”
“Alicia!"Why do I have to adjust to your situation?" Just because you went through something like that doesn’t mean I have to. There’s no reason for me not to go there!”
“……”
That was right. It was so right that I was speechless. Her eyes, which had turned bright red, glared at me. The venom contained within them flickered.
“I don’t want to live like you. Even if I die, I won’t live like you. Miserable, disgusting, and nauseating.”
The words that came out of her twisted mouth became sharp awls and pierced me. Harsh words always pour out without manners. The reason why I’m not greatly hurt is because I’m used to Alicia’s appearance.
“I don’t care about your situation. You stay here and live miserably like that. I’m going there. I’m going to live a proper life.”
The mouth that had finished speaking stubbornly closed again. It was an attitude that she would never back down this time. I know better than anyone that no one can stop her once she becomes stubborn like that.
I met her sharp gaze and let out a deep sigh.
Alicia and I weren’t ordinary siblings. She was the most annoying and least affectionate of my siblings. And Alicia was ashamed of me. She didn’t even want to acknowledge me outside because I was ugly. I also realized that it was better to pretend not to know because I was often compared to Alicia.
We grew up in the sharpest relationship because we only had each other. In fact, we could have separated and lived our own lives at this moment.
In a way, this moment might be an opportunity for me to throw away everything that had been shackled to my ankles and find my own life.
“I…….”
I can throw everything away now.
“I mean…….”
But on the other hand, there was a part of me that couldn’t bear to send Alicia alone. Alicia was my sister, my only blood relative, and the only person who could prove that I had lived. If Alicia wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be there either. There wouldn’t even be anyone to spit on my grave after I died.
In fact, it wasn’t about family affection. This might simply be a concern about ‘me’. It was an indescribable misery.
