Chapter 18
As Yurisiel stepped outside, the butler asked if she was alright.
Of course, what he really meant was whether the young master was alright.
She must have looked completely disheveled for him to ask that.
Even though she sometimes left this mansion in tears, she always made sure to wipe them away before stepping out. That way, except for people like Hael, who had an uncanny ability to read her mood, no one ever really knew she had been crying.
But today, she hadn’t even been able to do that properly. So it made sense that the butler was looking at her strangely.
Yurisiel spoke like someone on trial.
“I don’t think I’ll be coming back from tomorrow on.”
The butler, already used to this sort of thing, let out a quiet sigh and let her go.
If she had looked at least a little composed, he might have tried to stop her. But judging from her current state, he must have thought it was best to just let her go.
Or perhaps he simply assumed that the young master had, as expected, cast her out.
A soft breeze brushed against Yurisiel’s cheek as she hurried out.
The cherry-pink petals, blooming fully on the trees, looked as if they didn’t care one bit about how she was feeling.
She walked past the dazzlingly beautiful scenery of the estate, aimless and lost.
In truth, she was trying to get as far away from the mansion as she could. At some point, her walk had turned into a run.
That run took her through the bright shopping district and into a back alley, desolate and bare of trees.
Only there did she finally stop, letting out a long breath like she was settling back into herself.
Leaning against a wall, eyes closed, Yurisiel finally let herself cry.
She sobbed loudly. This place was quiet enough during the day, especially at the docks, unless the evening boats had arrived.
At least until her next job came in, she could stay like this a while.
A wave of despair rolled over her, overwhelming everything.
And along with it came resentment toward that young master.
If she thought about it, wasn’t he the one who drove out every other attendant with his impossible demands?
Yes, she had lied about her identity, but if that was the problem, he could have kicked her out right away.
Why had he kept her around, only to humiliate her so thoroughly?
Her crying continued, a messy mix of resentment, sorrow, and shame.
Then, suddenly, his last words echoed in her ears.
Even after doing all that, had he still not calmed down?
When she told him he wouldn’t see her again, he had said something strange.
“Who said you could decide that.”
“Try it, if you think you can.”
What had he meant by that?
Taken at face value, it almost sounded like he didn’t want to let her go.
But that couldn’t be. Could it?
Just remembering the strange expression that crossed his face as he spoke made it hard for her to breathe.
Surely he wasn’t planning to interfere again, even after she had quit.
The thought made her uneasy, but Yurisiel shook her head, forcing the memory away.
He must have just been angry and blurted out whatever came to mind.
Someone like her wasn’t worth even a sliver of the attention of someone as noble as a Blanchet.
That’s what she told herself as she forced her body up again.
She had no idea what was coming next.
Yurisiel’s daily life quickly returned to its usual busyness.
The time she had once spent at the lord’s mansion was now filled with other jobs.
Without the generous pay from the estate, it was only natural that she had to work even harder.
Fortunately, Yurisiel had fast hands and charged fair prices. People considered her a reliable worker, and many sought her out.
One noticeable change was that some shop owners occasionally gave her extra pay.
They would often say, “For your mother’s care.”
The recent incident with Mr. Ritorn had quietly revealed that Yurisiel’s mother was terminally ill.
Sadly, even with money, there were no real medicines left to buy—nothing but painkillers.
Even the sliver of hope she had just a while ago was now gone.
Every doctor in the village had diagnosed her mother with an untreatable illness.
Still, at least Yurisiel could use the money to buy her mother some of her favorite foods. That alone was something to be thankful for.
She had bought fish—something her mother had loved back when she was healthy and now walked home at a brisk pace.
The setting sun cast a long red glow like a carpet across the ridgeline.
At the far end of that light stood the lord’s estate.
She had once thought she would never go there again.
There was a time she had wanted to visit it just once. But now, it was a place she never wanted to face again.
And yet, the image of the terminally ill young master flashed through Yurisiel’s mind.
He was probably just fine.
Unlike my mother, he was probably surrounded by skilled personal physicians.
But I didn’t feel any pity.
Just like he said, I didn’t even have the right to feel something like that for him.
Who was I to worry about someone like him?
My mother never even got the chance to meet a decent doctor.
Even now, thinking about how she couldn’t even move this morning made my chest drop like a stone.
Having a terminally ill parent at home was like holding a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
And watching it all happen without being able to do anything was the most helpless feeling of all.
Every time I walked down the alley on my way home from work, I moved quickly, just like today.
What if something had happened to her while I was gone?
Hael often checked in on her, but he was always busy tending the horses at the lord’s estate.
Even when he could only stop by for a few moments, I was still grateful for that.
Still, every day, I rushed down that alley with the same nervous feeling, all the way to the end.
Just a few days ago, I’d been terrified when I didn’t see her at the entrance.
The sweat pouring down my back that day felt like a storm. That fear was still fresh in my memory.
When I finally ran inside the house, she smiled and said she had just dozed off.
But the handkerchief she tried to hide was stained with blood.
She had coughed up blood again—and tried to hide it from me.
I always pretended not to notice, afraid of upsetting her.
As the episodes became more frequent, I stopped sleeping through the night and stayed close, watching over her.
Whenever I dreamed of her passing away, I would wake up and check that she was still breathing before I could sleep again.
But today, no matter how fast I walked, the road felt like it would never end.
Far in the distance, the lord’s mansion still lingered in my line of sight.
It felt ominous.
Just thinking about the days when that young master had toyed with me—or even just remembering the way he looked at me last—was enough to make me never want to see that place again.
Still, the fact that he had forgotten me was something to be grateful for.
That night I ran from the mansion, Aunt Mary told me he didn’t say much afterward.
That proved it. The fear that he might come after me had only been in my head.
Now that I had no reason to return to that mansion, I wouldn’t have to cry anymore.
And I really did have more time to spend with my mother now.
In a way, maybe things had turned out for the better.
Hael had mentioned that a doctor from the capital was coming to visit Alphonse soon. Maybe there was still hope.
Everything seemed to be going just right.
With a slightly lighter heart, I walked faster until I reached the alley entrance—and saw Hael standing there.
My heart dropped with a thud.
“Where’s my mother?”
Hael smiled gently, took my bag like he always did, and spoke with his usual warmth.
“She’s home. Don’t worry.”
Only then did I exhale, finally releasing the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
But if Hael was here, didn’t that mean she was alone?
My steps quickened without thinking.
The question of why Hael was standing outside alone didn’t hit me until a moment later.
Right then, he reached out and gently stopped me.
“Yurisiel, wait a second.”
He looked nervous, hesitant—something felt off.
“What is it?”
I was too anxious, thinking of my mother alone inside.
Hael, who knew me well enough to understand how I felt, said something completely unexpected.
“Want to stop by the cafeteria for a bit?”
“You haven’t eaten anything today?”
“No. I couldn’t eat anything at the estate.”
Even he seemed to realize how strange he sounded, and let out a long sigh.
He looked off today. But I was too worried to focus on it.
“Sorry. Go without me.”
I felt a little bad for turning him down, but I didn’t stop walking.
When I reached the house, the front door was wide open—unlike usual.
And once I looked inside, I understood why Hael had been acting so strangely.
Inside were a man who looked like the doctor from the capital—and my mother.
I could guess what had happened.
She must have asked to be examined without telling me.
Probably thinking that if any medicine cost too much, she could just hide it from me.
At least the doctor hadn’t finished yet. His eyes were still closed, checking her pulse.
My mother’s eyes widened when she saw me, like someone caught sneaking around, but she quickly forced a smile.
She did it after spotting Hael.
Hael, who couldn’t lie, must have gone against her wishes and let me in. Now he looked guilty.
My mother, pale and exhausted, turned her gaze from Hael to me.
“Yurisiel, are you going to keep our guest standing like that?”
“Oh…”
I finally realized I hadn’t moved. As I stepped forward, Hael gently guided me to sit, then took a seat next to me.
He looked even more tense than I was as he turned to the doctor.
“How is she?”
The doctor, who had apparently worked at the lord’s mansion a few years ago, looked younger than the one I remembered from the estate.
Still, his gold-rimmed glasses, something you could only get in the capital, made him look trustworthy.
He didn’t answer right away. He took his time, like he was weighing something serious.
My mouth was dry. My chest burned with tension.
I told myself not to hope, but now, in this moment, I couldn’t help it.
The pounding in my ears, my heartbeat—proved it.
A few seconds passed, feeling as long as hours.
Finally, the doctor opened his mouth to speak.
