Chapter 74
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 74
"...Yes? What do you mean by that, Miss?"
"It's strange. I'm not certain whether escaping from Father and Norman through marriage is truly the independence I've always wanted."
She had always yearned to break free from Norman and her father.
She wanted to erase them from her life—those who constantly belittled and degraded her—and live the life she truly desired.
Yet the life she envisioned was nothing grandiose.
Not needing permission to leave the house.
Her freedom not being shackled by someone else's mood.
Being able to wear the clothes she wished and eat what she craved.
Not having her thoughts forcibly corrected through verbal abuse, coercion, or violence.
Most of it amounted to such simple things.
Marriage to Lucas Black would resolve most of these concerns.
She could dress and eat freely, without verbal abuse or physical assault.
Yet strangely, she felt as though that wasn't everything.
Julie, who had been hesitating, carefully opened her mouth.
"Then Miss, you...."
But before Julie could finish her sentence, someone knocked on the door.
"Miss, it's me. May I come in?"
Startled and tense, Julie and Grace exhaled in relief at the familiar voice.
"Come in, Elia."
* * *
"Have you been well, Elia? You look even more gaunt since we last met."
"Not at all, Miss. I've been fine. But you—were you comfortable there? Julie spoke as though you'd never return, yet here you are, having left that place."
Elia, who had brought along a pleasant grain tea and simple refreshments, examined Grace's face with careful concern as they reunited after so long.
Grace flashed a bright smile toward Elia, as if to prove she had been doing well.
Elia, taking in that smile, returned it with a look of relief.
"Norman went to the Temple, so we've been managing without much commotion in the meantime."
"Right. So he went straight to the Temple after that incident? I heard the Master has been desperately searching for a black horse?"
"Yes. But it vanished without a trace. I have no idea where it came from or why it appeared. Now that I think about it, I wonder if I was dreaming. I've never seen such a large and magnificent horse in my life."
"*Cough cough. Hack. Ahem. Hmm.*"
At Elia's words, Grace broke into an uncontrollable fit of coughing.
Julie, who had also seen Lucky at the Black Family Estate alongside Grace, smiled knowingly and patted Grace's back.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
"Ah, yes. I'm... I'm fine. Something just caught in my throat."
I didn't know it then, but I know now.
That horse was undoubtedly Lucas Black.
He had transformed into a horse and charged at Norman, then fled.
Whether to call it bold or foolish, I couldn't say.
Though it seemed he at least refrained from causing any greater harm...
'His temperament is truly remarkable. The way he decided to move up the wedding by a month speaks volumes.'
While I had mentioned accelerating the wedding myself, I never imagined he would push it forward to this degree.
His personality was both amusing and admirable...
'In any case, he's no ordinary man.'
Having barely composed myself, I continued the conversation with a composed smile.
"Perfect timing. Elia, there's something I wanted to tell you anyway."
"Something you wanted to tell me? What is it, Miss?"
"Elia, come with me."
There was no need to specify where—everyone understood.
It meant the three of us would leave this mansion together.
As if to honor the promise Grace had made long ago, that the three of us would always stay together.
Elia paused for a moment, took a sip of the cooled tea, and smiled quietly.
Then she gave an answer that neither Grace nor Julie had anticipated.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I don't think I can do that."
"...What?"
"Pardon? Wait, what do you mean, Elia? You misspoke just now, didn't you?"
Both Grace and Julie widened their eyes in shock.
Among them, only Elia remained composed.
Grace had no choice but to ask.
Of the three, Elia was the one who had most desperately wanted to leave this mansion.
The large sum she had received early from the Duke for her ailing family, along with the exploitative contract she had signed to receive it, had bound her to this place for a full twenty years.
Not only was Elia's identity papers at stake, but so were those of her younger siblings, which meant her strong sense of responsibility prevented her from acting recklessly.
Grace, knowing this well, found herself all the more bewildered.
"Why can't you leave? Has your father imposed another terrible contract on you...?"
"No, Miss. It's nothing like that."
"Then what is it?"
"If I leave this place, you won't need my help anymore, Miss. And I won't have to endure those grueling days of chopping firewood once a week."
From decades of splitting wood, Elia's forearms were corded with muscle.
One glance at those arms alone was enough to understand just how much wood she had cleaved.
Elia, whose hands bore the calluses of her labor, continued speaking as she fidgeted with her teacup.
"But there are still many young maids in this Estate. Inexperienced, naive, innocent children. They'll likely suffer greatly, much as I once did, or as Julie did."
"Surely you don't mean...?"
Grace's lips parted slightly, as though asking if Elia meant to stay for that reason.
Elia laughed quietly.
"Without me, those children will almost certainly become a second Elia. They'll limp from injuries, endure harassment, or be beaten until their shins bleed for speaking out of turn. But if I'm here, things will be different."
"But even so, the head maid can't manage everything!"
"I know. But my presence versus my absence will make an enormous difference for those children."
"...But, but!"
Julie repeated "but" as though frustrated.
Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Julie, who knew how much Elia despised this Estate and how Norman and Marquis Capren had treated her, found herself unable to comprehend this at all.
"Now that I've become head maid, neither Norman nor the Master treats me carelessly. My contract only has two years remaining anyway. May I not do what I can during that time and then come to you, Miss?"
Grace stared intently at Elia and asked again.
"Are you certain, Elia?"
"Yes, Miss."
Elia nodded without a trace of hesitation or regret in her expression.
"I'm certain."
* * *
"Do you think the real head maid won't come with us?"
Just before Julie left after tidying the bedding, she murmured in a daze, still reeling from shock.
Grace, who had been combing down her hair, recalled Elia from moments before and nodded slowly.
"She won't come. It's Elia's choice."
"I... I really don't understand. I can't make sense of it."
"You don't need to understand. Elia wasn't asking for understanding."
Once, Lucas had said something like that to me.
Even if I did something he couldn't comprehend, he said he would still find me lovely.
He said there must be some reason behind my choices, and that he would respect them.
I sensed that what I felt toward Elia now was something similar.
Elia had chosen to remain here for her own reasons.
Even if it was difficult for me to accept, I decided to respect Elia's choice.
Because it was something she had chosen for herself.
And because I respected her for making that choice.
After Julie left, I lay alone in the darkness, tossing and turning before suddenly sitting upright.
"Respect for one's choices..."
In that moment, a light pierced through the suffocating fog that had clouded my mind.
"Respect for one's choices."
Yes, that was it.
I had finally discovered where that subtle unease about gaining independence through marriage had come from.
The freedom I truly desired lay in autonomy.
It had to be something I chose myself, a path I walked with my own feet.
I wanted to break free from the Oellin Family's influence through my own strength and will.
Before that unexpected incident had intervened, I had been planning my own escape from this Estate.
The framework was already taking shape.
'...Originally, I was going to quietly gather evidence to get myself dismissed from the Oellin Family.'
With the intention of threatening to sue if they refused.
But circumstances had changed, and my heart had wavered.
Someone I wanted to be with had appeared, and that man desperately wanted me as well.
The problem was...
His status, power, and authority were far too great.
He could handle everything without me lifting a finger.
While that might have been convenient, it wasn't the life I wanted.
I had endured living in someone's shadow, pushed along by their strength and voice, and I was weary of it.
No matter how much I loved that person, I refused to live that way anymore.
Even if it was difficult and arduous, I wanted to stand on my own ground and walk my own path.
"...So what do I do now?"
I had discovered the nature of the fog clouding my heart, but my troubles were far from over.
I spent the entire night thinking and thinking again.
By the time I reached some conclusion after pondering for so long, dawn had already broken.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org