<CHAPTER 4>
Emilia was sick for quite some time after that day.
“Cough, cough.”
As she coughed, she inwardly berated herself for being such an idiot.
No matter what, she should have changed out of those wet clothes.
Her throat hurt so badly that even swallowing was difficult, and she grimaced as she barely managed to get some water down.
I should at least get some medicine.
She tried to sit up, but soon gave up.
In her current condition, even stepping outside for a little while was out of the question.
Cedric’s house is practically stocked with every remedy known to be good for the body.
It was almost laughable that she didn’t even have a single box of medicine in her own home.
I’ll sleep just a little longer and get up afterward.
She was just about to fall asleep again when—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The harsh pounding on the door made Emilia’s eyes fly open.
Who is it?
“Open the door, Emilia!”
That voice…
Emilia hurriedly forced her heavy body upright.
When she opened the door, she found Mrs. Anderson standing there with an angry expression on her face.
“How did—cough, cough.”
“Oh, goodness! Look at the state you’re in!”
Seeing Emilia’s haggard appearance, Mrs. Anderson pounded her chest in distress.
“What am I supposed to do with this foolish girl? I’m coming in.”
She frowned and let out a deep sigh before patting Emilia on the back and ushering her inside.
After looking around the house, Mrs. Anderson pointed toward a chair.
“Go sit over there for now.”
“Pardon?”
“Judging by the look of you, you haven’t eaten a proper meal either, have you? Sit there. I’ll have something made in no time.”
“I’m fine…”
“Shh! Hurry.”
Mrs. Anderson glared at her sternly.
With no choice, Emilia went over and sat in the chair.
Come to think of it, I didn’t even contact the shop before I stopped showing up…
Watching Mrs. Anderson take out the cooking utensils, Emilia finally spoke.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even tell you anything before I stopped coming to work.”
“It’s fine. I figured you must have had your reasons.”
“But how did you know?”
“How did I know?”
Mrs. Anderson slammed a dish down on the table.
“Everyone in the village already knows! They all know Cedric brought a woman back from the capital!”
She clicked her tongue before continuing.
“I hear they’re strutting around as if they have nothing to be ashamed of. Apparently, she’s the daughter of some count.”
Emilia slowly lowered her head.
“Don’t you dare think about crying! It’d be a waste of tears to cry over a man like that!”
Mrs. Anderson raised her eyebrows as if she were fully prepared to smack Emilia on the back if she so much as shed a tear.
At her thunderous scolding, Emilia’s tears—which had barely been there to begin with—vanished completely.
“…I’m not crying.”
“Good, then.”
Thanks to the experienced hands of the older woman, a steaming bowl of savory soup was soon placed in front of Emilia.
“Eat up.”
“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
Mrs. Anderson sat across from her and kept watch to make sure she actually ate.
Then, just as Emilia finished emptying the bowl, Mrs. Anderson placed a heavy pouch on the table.
The clinking of coins filled the room.
“What’s this money for?”
“Your severance pay.”
“What?”
Emilia’s heart sank.
As though she had read the thought that flashed through Emilia’s mind, Mrs. Anderson shook her head.
“I’m not giving it to you because you did something wrong and I’m kicking you out.”
With a resolute look in her eyes, Mrs. Anderson took Emilia’s hand in her wrinkled one.
“Leave this place, Emilia.”
“…Leave? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“I mean go to the capital. If you want to start over, you need to go somewhere new.”
Mrs. Anderson pushed the money pouch toward her.
“And whatever you decide to do, it’ll be better than staying here.”
“…”
Emilia hesitated, unsure of what to say.
But she understood what Mrs. Anderson meant.
If she stayed here, all she would hear were whispers behind her back.
Even though Cedric was the one at fault, he was now an official serving in the Imperial Palace.
It was obvious that everyone would be watching their behavior around him.
“Honestly, is there anyone in this village who doesn’t know you’re smarter than Cedric?”
“…”
“If you’d only been given the chance to take that supposedly impressive examination yourself, you would’ve passed it in one go.”
“But—”
“But what? Do you really want to stay here and watch all those people laugh and cheer as though they’ve won something?”
“…What will happen to the shop?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve probably already earned five years’ worth of income. So don’t worry about it.”
Those weren’t empty words.
Thanks to Emilia’s advice, the shop’s sales had increased dramatically, and Mrs. Anderson had also completely mastered the art of keeping the books.
“I’m too old to learn all that now.”
Even though she had said that and refused at first, Emilia had patiently taught her.
That’s why that good-for-nothing Cedric was able to pass the examination, too.
Mrs. Anderson frowned as she thought of Mrs. Romans, who was probably having the time of her life with her own son right about now.
She turned back to Emilia and spoke again.
“If anything, you’re the one who’s been working yourself to the bone in place of my runaway son.”
“Runaway son?”
Emilia gave her an awkward look at the older woman’s exaggerated words.
Her son, Alex, had simply become an Imperial Palace official at a young age.
Of course, Mrs. Anderson was always complaining that the boy never even showed his face at home.
Well, he only comes back once every six months, so I suppose she has a point.
Just then, Mrs. Anderson placed another pouch on the table.
At Emilia’s questioning gaze, she declared proudly,
“It belongs to my son. I slipped one away.”
“I don’t think that’s just one…”
“If I can grab it in one handful, that counts as one.”
Having apparently invented an entirely new unit of measurement, Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat awkwardly.
Emilia burst out laughing.
“There, that’s better. You never know what life has in store, so don’t say another word and just keep it.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Good. That’s the right decision. And remember, your happiness comes before anyone else’s. Don’t ever forget that.”
At the warm advice, Emilia slowly nodded.
—
After Mrs. Anderson left, Emilia sat lost in thought for a while before getting to her feet.
She then rummaged through the storage room and pulled something out.
It was none other than a large travel trunk.
She had bought it in preparation for the day she would travel somewhere with Cedric.
Honestly, she wanted to throw it straight into the trash right then and there, but—
What did the poor suitcase ever do to deserve that?
Emilia carried it into her bedroom and began looking through her belongings.
But once she actually started packing, she realized she barely had a single decent piece of clothing.
Suddenly, she felt angry with herself.
What was so special about that bastard that I treated myself this badly?
Everything good had always belonged to Cedric, while she had always come second.
Emilia gathered whatever was still worth taking and stuffed it tightly into the suitcase.
—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The next day, Emilia pounded on the door of Cedric’s house as though she intended to break it down.
“What the…”
An irritated voice soon came from inside, followed by Cedric stepping outside.
“Emilia?”
He looked genuinely startled to see her standing at his door.
As if he had never expected her to come looking for him.
Then Cedric noticed the enormous suitcase sitting beside her, and his expression twisted.
Did he think I was going to move in here and stay forever?
If so, he was in for one hell of a misunderstanding.
Without saying another word, Emilia held out her hand.
“Give it to me.”
“Give you what?”
“Give me all the money I’ve spent on you until now.”
