13.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Marin thanked Mr. Olive with sincere warmth.
“It is nothing. Please get plenty of rest today.”
“Yes, and please travel safely.”
Marin watched until Mr. Olive faded from view. Beside her, the gentle white horse gave a soft, rhythmic snort.
“You’re a good soul. Thank you, too.”
She tied the horse securely behind the cabin.
“Is that you, Marin?”
Sensing her presence, Roanna appeared in the doorway.
“Mother, it’s chilly out. Why did you come out?”
“Come in quickly.”
Her mother’s eyes brimmed with curiosity, but she welcomed Marin inside without asking a single question. Marin wrapped her arms around her mother’s frail shoulders, guiding her into the cabin.
“Everything is going to be fine.”
Roanna’s deep green eyes trembled. “Are you certain?”
“Yes. Mother, we’re moving.”
Roanna gripped Marin’s hand, her expression flickering with unease. “Moving? Leaving this house? Were you unable to secure the money?”
“No. His Grace, the Duke, has provided a servants’ annex for us. We will be able to stay there together, Mother.”
“Goodness! Oh, heavens. Marin, His Grace must truly be the kindest person in the world.”
Marin hid her bitter smile and played along. Though a cold deal had been struck, it was true that the Duke had addressed her predicament.
“I should start packing our things right away.”
“Yes, Mother.”
* * *
“Come in.”
Standing before the office door, Mr. Olive entered the dim room holding a candle the moment the Duke gave the order.
“I have returned.”
The Duke, lounging in his chair, threw out a question without preamble.
“Do you believe that temp can actually put me to sleep?”
Mr. Olive answered honestly. “I do not believe she can.”
“That is what I think as well.”
The Duke agreed, as if the conclusion were inevitable. “Do you know why I told you to move the temp’s residence to the annex?”
Mr. Olive furrowed his brow slightly. “The house was in a state that required immediate evacuation, but putting that aside, do you still suspect Lady Marin?”
“Since she will be living on my estate from now on, I will find out.”
The Duke murmured low, as if to himself, and turned his head away. Mr. Olive offered a slight bow and quietly exited the office.
* * *
A bird, startled by the sound of rough footsteps striking the dirt, erupted from a tree branch and fluttered toward the sky.
Oxanda, the wife of Mr. Zorno, had been marching toward the mountain path since early morning. She stopped dead and glared at her husband, who trailed sluggishly behind her.
“Hurry up!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“Ugh, you’re so slow.”
“You know full well they don’t have a copper to their name. Why are you going there at the crack of dawn to collect rent?” Mr. Zorno muttered timidly.
“You think I’m going for the money? I’m going to pull the hair out of that girl I didn’t get to finish with yesterday. Making her mother suffer wasn’t enough to satisfy me.” Oxanda fumed, fueling her own spite.
“Oh, you foolish woman. Who else would rent such a dilapidated hovel? You don’t even think about keeping the income steady.” Mr. Zorno muttered under his breath.
“What was that? Who do you think I’m doing this for? It’s all because you were having an affair with that girl!” Oxanda spun around, her eyes narrowed into sharp triangles.
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding, my foot. Look at you, defending her again!”
“No, no. Let’s go. Just let’s go.” Mr. Zorno quickened his pace before she could erupt further.
Shortly after they vanished into the brush, a carriage and a man riding a massive black horse followed the same path.
* * *
“Look at that. Look at her standing outside like she’s waiting for us.”
Oxanda scowled, pointing a finger at Marin. Marin stood a short distance from the cabin, hoping to keep the coming commotion away from Roanna’s ears.
“Hmph. Do you think I’ll forgive you just because you’re standing there?”
Oxanda lunged, her fingers curled like claws.
In that instant, a coin purse dropped with a dull thud in front of her. Silver glinted in the sunlight, spilling from the opening. Oxanda’s narrow eyes widened, and she snatched the purse up instantly.
“Oh my, what is all this money?” She made a performance of it, pulling the coins out and counting them with frantic greed.
“Marin, where did you get such a large sum?” Mr. Zorno’s voice trembled, his gaze fixed on the silver with naked avarice.
Oxanda scanned Marin from head to toe, her expression dismissive. “Where do you think? It’s obvious.”
*Slap.*
Marin, who had been watching with unsettling stillness, struck Oxanda’s cheek with all her strength. Oxanda’s heavy body swayed as if she might collapse. She held her face, stunned, then shrieked.
“Are you crazy?!”
“How dare you lay a hand on my mother?”
Marin’s eyes glinted like shards of ice. The memory of what happened to Roanna yesterday turned her blood to fire.
“Wh-what?”
Sensing a murderous intensity she had never seen in Marin before, Oxanda stumbled back. Marin stepped forward, her presence physically imposing.
Mr. Zorno, watching from the rear, stepped in while nervously wiping his brow. “Marin, don’t get too excited—”
Marin marched over and struck Mr. Zorno’s cheek just as hard. He recoiled, his face dazed.
“You’re the biggest problem of all,” she spat, her voice icy. “Do you think I don’t know? Do you know who your wife has really been hunting for an affair?”
“I treated you with kindness, thinking you were a sweet girl, and yet…”
Mr. Zorno approached her, his face twisted by the fear of his secret being exposed. Marin threw a single silver coin at his feet as if tossing scraps to a dog.
Mr. Zorno’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to pick it up.
“Is it Windy?”
While his attention was fixed on the silver, Marin delivered the final blow.
“Windy? Windy, the stable keeper’s wife? Why is her name coming up? Windy told me the girl’s name!” Oxanda screeched, whirling on her husband.
Mr. Zorno flinched, waving his hands in a frantic tremor. “No, Windy is a respectable woman! Why would she be having an affair?”
“Respectable? Every woman except me is pretty and perfect, right? Today, one of us is going to die!”
Oxanda lost her grip on reality and lunged for Mr. Zorno’s hair.
“Aaargh, let go! It hurts!”
Marin watched the catfight, her fists clenched white. She itched to join in, to exact her own vengeance for her mother.
“Just how many women is this now?!” Oxanda screamed at the top of her lungs.
Just then, Sebas Chen emerged slowly from the bushes. His brow was furrowed at the noise, and he stepped in front of Marin as if shielding her from the spectacle.
“Why are you having a domestic dispute here?”
“……!”
At the sudden appearance of an outsider, Oxanda let go of her husband’s hair. She scanned the stranger’s attire with wary eyes. The elderly gentleman, with white hair and a high-quality black military uniform, carried an intimidating weight despite his age.
Marin looked up at the broad back of Sebas Chen, her eyes wide.
*Why are you here?*
Sebas Chen turned around, responding as if he had heard her silent question.
“I have come to pick you up.”
“You’ve come early.”
Marin offered an awkward smile, avoiding his gaze. She had known someone would come, but she hadn’t expected the butler to make the journey himself.
“I believe I have arrived at the perfect time.”
Sebas Chen winked, then turned his gaze back to the front. His sharp eyes swept over Mr. Zorno and Oxanda, effectively pinning them to the spot.