11.
Marin looked down at the picnic basket with a proud expression. She had managed to secure a wheel of cheese, fresh bread, and even a portion of beef.
The more she considered the Duke’s command to fatten her up, the more she realized how much it worked to her advantage. Because of that order, she was finally able to provide a hearty meal for her mother as well.
Roanna’s illness was a sickness of the heart.
She had lost her husband and her eldest son on the same day, along with their home and every asset they once owned. To someone as frail as she, the shock had been immeasurable; her vitality had been leaching away day by day ever since.
That was why she needed medicine to fortify her strength and nutrient-dense food to sustain her. It was the only way to keep her condition from spiraling, and the primary reason Marin had to earn money—at any cost.
Upon arriving at the cabin, Marin found the front door hanging wide open. Her heart lurched. She scrambled inside only to find the interior in ruins.
Chairs were overturned. Trash had been scattered across the floor, and plates lay shattered in every corner.
“M-Mom?”
Her hands went numb. The picnic basket hit the floor with a dull thud as she sprinted toward Roanna’s room, throwing the door open. Her mother was not there.
“Mom, where are you?!”
“Marin…”
A faint, trembling voice drifted from her own bedroom.
“Mom!”
Marin hurried to her bedroom and flung the door wide.
“Oh, Mom…”
Seeing Roanna in such a state, tears welled up in Marin’s eyes. Her mother was clinging tightly to the vanity, her frail frame hunched over. Her hair, once neatly kept, was a tangled, matted mess, as if someone had grabbed it and dragged her by the roots.
“Mom, why? Why…?”
Tears streamed down Marin’s cheeks, hot and uncontrollable.
“It’s something you cherish. It was the only thing I could do… I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? Why?”
Marin stood as if nailed to the floor, her body shaking with sobs.
“As a mother, I am nothing but a burden while my daughter struggles. I am no help at all.”
“……”
That wasn’t true. She wanted to tell her that her mother’s mere presence gave her the strength to survive, but her throat constricted, choking the words into silence.
She simply shook her head, her movements frantic and desperate.
Her mother always blamed herself, but in truth, it was Marin who carried the weight of the guilt.
On the day of the carriage accident, her mother hadn’t been feeling well. Marin could have waited a few days for her mother to recover before they departed. There had been plenty of time until the debutante ball.
But it was Marin who had nagged her father to leave early, driven by a selfish desire to reach the capital and see the sights.
If they hadn’t left that day, they could have avoided the disaster entirely.
Yet her mother had never blamed her—not once.
That mercy only made the guilt burn brighter, fueling Marin’s desperate need to care for her, to somehow alleviate the shame she carried in her own heart.
Marin ran forward and pulled Roanna into her arms.
Her mother was so thin she felt weightless. Tears blurred Marin’s vision at the thought of her fragile mother struggling to protect their few remaining memories.
“Mom…”
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
At the touch of her mother’s hand, patting her back with trembling fingers, Marin let out a raw, childlike cry.
After a long time spent weeping, Marin wiped her swollen eyes and finally asked what had happened.
“The landlord’s wife came by. She said if I don’t pay the rent by tomorrow, we are to be evicted immediately.”
“What? That’s impossible. The rent isn’t due for another four days.”
Roanna thumped her chest, her face twisted in pain.
“Mom…”
Marin grabbed her mother’s hands, forcing them down.
“That woman… she accused me of being her husband’s mistress. As if that makes any sense. She came in a rage, threw trash everywhere, and smashed everything.”
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I should have been the one to handle this.”
“What are you sorry for? I’m your mother. I was too weak to even stop her. I barely managed to save this vanity. I continue to live only to burden you like this.”
“Mom, don’t say such things. Everything will be all right.”
Marin forcefully suppressed the tears threatening to spill again and began to gently stroke her mother’s back, soothing her until her breathing leveled out.
* * *
“Mom, I’m going to the Duke’s Estate.”
After barely managing to coax her mother into eating, the sun had already set.
The cabin sat at the foot of the mountain, and they usually avoided going out after dark due to the wild beasts that roamed the woods. But with eviction looming over their heads by tomorrow morning, she had no choice. She had to resolve this.
Every time the moonlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the path, she quickened her pace.
After a long trek, the Duke’s Estate appeared, its high spires looming against the night sky, the outer walls glowing under the orange flicker of torches.
Marin hurried to the gate and knocked.
Instead of the grand main entrance, the knights opened a small side door.
“Who goes there?”
The middle-aged knight scanned her with sharp, suspicious eyes.
“I am Marin, who works under Mr. Olive. I need to see him urgently. Could I go inside?”
“You work under Mr. Olive?”
The knight asked, his tone laced with doubt.
“Yes.”
Marin looked at him with desperate, pleading eyes.
“I haven’t heard anything about that. Hey, Uvis. Do you know this person?”
The man called to a younger knight standing behind him.
“No. I don’t.”
The young, red-haired knight took a quick look at her, then shook his head.
“You don’t even know Mr. Olive, do you?”
“I don’t.”
“What do you even know, then?”
“Nothing.”
“What? Hey! You, come here.”
“I don’t want to.”
The young knight turned and darted inside the estate.
The middle-aged knight and Marin exchanged a look of bewildered silence.
“He’s still young,” the older knight muttered. “A bit of a loose cannon.”
“Yes… I’m sorry, but if Mr. Olive is unavailable, could you please call Mr. Sebas Chen instead?”
At the mention of the butler, the knight’s attitude shifted, becoming slightly more respectful.
“You know the butler?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Marin watched as the man retreated to relay the message. She waited in the dark, her heart hammering against her ribs.
A moment later, Butler Sebas appeared, a welcoming smile on his face.
“Lady Marin.”
“Mr. Sebas Chen!”
Relief washed over her, and she called out to him, her voice slightly strained.
“Why are you standing out here instead of coming inside?”
Under the butler’s gaze, the middle-aged knight stood stiffly.
“I didn’t let her in because her identity hadn’t been confirmed.”
“I have been away for a few days, and it seems standards have slipped. Lady Marin, I apologize.”
Butler Sebas spoke with such sincerity that the knight behind him visibly flinched.
“It’s not your fault. More importantly, I have something I need to ask Mr. Olive urgently. Could I see him now?”
“Of course. Come in.”
Marin followed the butler into the staff reception room she had visited earlier.
“If you wait here, Mr. Olive will come.”
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
“From now on, please enter whenever you wish. I will give firm instructions to the knights and guards on duty.”
His arm muscles rippled beneath his uniform as he spoke.
*It must be my imagination,* Marin thought, *that the word ‘firm’ sounded so emphasized.*
She bowed deeply.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Butler Sebas smiled in response and retreated.
Not long after, Olive rushed into the room. He was dressed in more casual clothing than the morning’s formal attire.
“Lady Marin. What is the matter at this late hour?”
Marin stood up, her expression resolute.
“Mr. Olive. Please, help me.”
She bowed so low her forehead nearly grazed the floor.
“Lady Marin, please, stand up.”
Olive looked flustered, clearly caught off guard by her display.
“I…”
“First, let’s sit on the sofa and talk.”
Olive gently cut her off and guided her to the seating area.
“I know I’ve only been working for one day and am not entitled to my weekly pay,” she said, her voice steadying. “But could I possibly request an advance?”
“An advance?”
Olive’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. The landlord said if I don’t pay the rent by tomorrow, we have to leave the house immediately. I could survive in a shed, but my mother is ill. I am asking despite the impropriety of the request.”