Chapter 2.2

Maybe it was because of the quiet, but Anne, who had been reading without much concentration, suddenly fell deeply into the book. Then she suddenly lifted her eyes in silence, and the maid was nodding in an uncomfortable posture. Normally she would have scolded her, but the master was merciful as they had her go to the North, where there was no one else, so she showed generosity.

As she immersed herself in her book for a while, the carriage rattled and her body leaned heavily. There was a vibration in succession as if she was passing a gravel road.

“I’m sorry, miss.”

The voice of the coachman apologizing was heard from the front. It was evident that they had left the well-maintained capital’s roads and went into the outskirts.

“Hmm? Miss, are you okay?”

The maid, startled by the loud vibration, asked in a sleepy voice. Anne slowly lifted her gaze that had been fixed on the book, and nodded her head, saying she was fine. But once she lost her concentration, she did not look back at the book. So she pulled back the window curtains she had never once opened since she left the mansion.

Unintentionally glancing outside, she found a large wheat field and took a breath. It created a spectacle like a wave of golden waves before the harvest. She felt a little stuffy at the sight reminiscent of the vast sea.

As soon as she finished watching it and was about to take her eyes off her, a figure caught her attention.

“Huh?”

“My lady?”

“No, there is a man . . .”

“A man?”

A man contrasted starkly with the plain, which was blazing like the sunset. It was because he covered his whole body in black that he stood out from the soft golden color.

“Where? There’s no one?”

“Right over there . . .”

Anne’s finger, which was about to point to the large tree where the man was standing, lost its way. She opened her eyes for a moment, and the man had already disappeared.

“Obviously he was next to that tree . . .”

“Over there?”

The maid opened her eyes wide and looked around, turning her head from side to side, and then she threw herself back as if she had given up. She never found the face.

Still, the maid asked again as she thought Anne had lied to her.

“Miss, how did you know he was a man?”

“What? Ah . . .”

Anne let out a small moan and blinked her eyes. If a person could be seen on this street, there would be no way to tell if it was a man or a woman . . . She didn’t know why she decided that they were a man.

Had she been hallucinating for a moment? Anne gave an empty and reopened her book, which she had covered again.

* * *

It was getting dark enough that it was difficult to secure a view, so they entered a village that had been mapped out on the route in advance. She didn’t want to be extravagant, so she chose an accommodation that was reasonably quiet and clean looking.

Anne, who briefly thanked the knight for opening the carriage door, slowly descended the stairs to sleep, where she saw a two-story wooden building with a neat exterior. The owner, whom she did not see exit the building, ran over to her and bowed.

“Oh, it is an honor to have a precious person in such a shabby place.”

He took off his hat, crumpled it up, put his hand on his chest and crouched down. As if he had a guest after a long absence, he had a genuinely happy face.

“Everyone is tired of coming a long way, so I prepared a room for the number of people and prepared a meal.”

“Miss, you must be tired, so go in and rest first. I will take care of the other knights and horses.”

“Please.”

It was fortunate that a rather strong knight followed. Well, that was why he was the one to follow her to the north.

Anne ate enough food to satisfy her hunger in moderation before heading to the room on the second floor. The maid said she would bring her medicine, but she claimed fatigue and put it off until tomorrow. She didn’t have any pain to raise a fuss about. More than anything, she wanted to rest her tired body.

The owner deliberately gave her the best room in the inn, but Anne found the room she opened the door to and looked into, was too small.

A single small lamp dimly lit the wooden floor and bed. Every time it moved dangerously, as if the lights were about to go out, the shadows in the room shook to and fro like a suspicious person.

It was a room that was unattractive to the point of being incomparable to the County, but the feeling of leaving the house was greater than it was unfamiliar. Anne sat down on the bed as if collapsed.

“Who knew it was going to end up like this . . .”

She never knew what made her life so hard.

She has lived her whole life as though she was raised as the best product to stand out in the marriage market where ratings were given. She had never received any affection, and even though she had endured even harsh discipline, the conclusion she reached was bittersweet. She just thought she would become the Mistress of a Marquisate and lead a normal life just like everyone else . . . Anne muttered that she had been too naive.

So she came up with this nonsense idea. When her parents told her to work for the Libelois family, she planned to do the exact opposite this time. Anne was intent on putting them to shame. That would be a sight really worth seeing. Thinking of the not-too-distant future, she lifted the corner of her lips, which had stiffened on the journey.

Even though the weather was chillier than the capital, Anne opened the window. She needed something cold to soothe her heart, which had been melted by the scorching heat of her resentment.

As the rustling, rusty sound of the old ringing reverberated, Anne opened the window carefully so as to not wake the others. Since the building is located at the entrance to the village, the view of the village is relatively full, but not the whole. The home of people living in small towns was immersed in the gloomy darkness, but it was even more peaceful.

“It wouldn’t be bad to live in a place like this without having to think . . .”

Even though she could never belong, as a guest, the sentimental words came out. Anne smiled sadly once at the fleeting meaningless words, and then turned her gaze toward the village entrance.