CH 2

“I got a job for you as Jeanne’s substitute.”

“Jeanne’s substitute.”

A year and a half have passed.

‘My dog ​​seems to have gone to heaven, so why did I come here?’

The kindness of Jamie, an ugly but kind husband, did not last more than a day. The original Beatrice was such a fool. She didn’t know that Jamie was sticking to her money. However, she only brought from Beatrice’s house 1 gold coin, her own body and not even jewelry, so it’s natural that his attitude changed.

He went back to the Giuseppe family and tried to hang her back, but he was kicked out as he had already completed his marriage vows in front of the priest. In addition, the novel world she was in had a conservative view regarded love and marriage as sacred. In other words, there was not even a divorce system.

“Anything else?”

As a result, it was common for those who did not like their partner to have a lover. But wasn’t an affair more disturbing than a divorce? Jamie was also meeting separately with Jeanne, a waitress at a nearby bar.

“Who would want you? You’re plain skinny like a child, with not sex appeal at all”

Beatrice, who looked like a sixteen year old tenager, was actually nineteen. However, she was so small that looked younger. Her bones themselves were thin, and she lacked strength. And that was the reason it was so difficult for her to obtain a job.

Without a job, she couldn’t earn money, so her husband’s neglect and abusive language intensified day by day.

“I didn’t win anything useful with you. You only ruined my fortune by having to part with my share!”

“…”

‘I have to be patient.’ She clenched her fists and looked away from Jamie. Trying to temper her wouldn’t change anything.

It stinked but at least that place was safe. Because the day she tried to run away, she wandered the streets and realized how easily commoner women my her could disappear, be forgotten, or die. It was even said there were cases where they are kidnapped and used like slaves or consumed like parts for illegal work. So she endured and waited for the right time to escape safely rather than die in vain.

‘Somehow… there… pending… !’

She had also packed a small necklace that had been left in her discarded luggage bag. It didn’t look very precious, but it would be somewhat of a travel expense. She wanted to save up a little more money, add the money from selling the necklace, and escape. Still, shouldn’t it be enough to pay for a carriage to leave the city?

“I gave up my all to get you a job and instead of thanking me, you don’t want to go because you’re embarrassed to be seen by nobles?”

“… ”

“It’s a problem because I’m too good for someone like you. Anyway, they told me they will pick you up at two o’clock this afternoon, so get ready to go.”

“They’re coming to pick me up?”

“Well! Go to the foot of the rugged Meto Mountains. How strange it is that everyone quits after one day, but I can’t let Jeanne go like that.”

“… ”

“How nice it would be if you died while going to work.”, he muttered, clicking his tongue.

Divorce was regarded as a sin, so it was not uncommon for her husband or wife to be poisoned, but Jamie was afraid to kill her in person because he was timid, small, and a coward.

That’s why she keeped the jewelry from the beginning of the marriage with the intention of using them. If only Jamie had been sincere in his love for Beatrice, he would have gotten far more money than the jewelry he was after. But because he couldn’t obtain the jewelry by seducing Beatrice, he forced a marriage with her.

“Well, the pay is good if you come out alive, so you should try.”

She didn’t answer but read the request he had left on the table.

「10 gold per day, lodging provided」

Her eyes flashed open at the moment.

’10 gold? If you keep holding out for a month, 300 gold? The cost of living in this house a week is thirty shillings. 100 shillings is 1 gold… How much is 30 shillings for 300 gold faces?’

She endured being by Jamie’s side, but there were a place where she would have not to endure it

Beatrice’s pathetic romance was famous. So, until now, she was embarrassed of being seing by the nobles and avoided them. But it’s 10 gold!

“Be sure to get the 10 gold properly. I have to repay the kindness that fed and put me to sleep.”

It’s funny and crazy at the same time. If she were to gain 10 gold, she would disapear and never come back there. But she hid her heart and gave him a nod.

The escape would be hastened, and  that thought made her heart swollen.

* * *

The man who met her didn’t seem to be just a commoner since his horse was too good for the common people.

From the very moment he posed his gaze on her he pierced her like if he were inspecting her. His obsessive gaze continued until she climbed into the carriage. He really was an odd employer.

Well, it was still better than Jamie.

Without much thought, she was made to climb into a black wagon that looked like an ordinary three-horse car. But the interior was so luxurious that it was difficult to think of it as a common carriage. The chair for example was very soft, as if it was stuffed with cotton.

‘Cotton on the carriage chair…’

The wallpaper was different from general wallpaper in that it was thick with colorful floral patterns.

‘Putting wallpaper on the wagon… ’

The lanterns with candles were solid as if they were crafted from crystal.

‘Crystals on the wagon… No, why is there a lantern inside the wagon instead of outside?’

She had never seen a carriage like this in any aristocratic house or even in the carriage collection of the wealthy.

“I… The place we are going is at the foot of Mount Meto, right?”

“Excuse me. Are you perhaps bringing me to a different location?

“Where did you hear about this job? Have you ever committed any crime?”

Puzzled, she quickly shook her head at the sudden question.

“Oh, no. Absolutely. What crime could I have committed?”

Suddenly she thought about one of her random jobs at the casino.

“We have arrived.”

The movement of the wagon, which had been rolling along the rough road for a long time, stopped and as soon as she got off the carriage, her anxiety increased.

“Here… how… ”

It was also strange that there was a mansion deep in the mountains, but that mansion… … It was too big and flamboyant.

“Hey!”

She tried to alleviate the embarrassment, but it was in vain because the coachman suddenly turned the horse’s head and went back the way he had come.

‘… Are you going back?’

“Uh… The stable must be somewhere else. Maybe there are other installations besides this mansion, right? It seems that it is difficult to find other buildings. Haha.”

Confused, she hurriedly shouted, but the man did not answer. He just walked away and put on the armor he had piled on one side.

She took a step back.

She looked back and thought about how long it would take to walk back what took three or four hours by carriage. But it would be walking on an unfamiliar road, at the foot of a steep mountain.

She came to the conclusion that she couldn’t go back at that moment. Still, she had to find a way because something there seemed to be really wrong.

Did they sell her to a pervert or a murderer for a lot of money? Or as a slave? She had all kinds of thoughts. Jamie was finally driving her over the edge.

‘That son of a bitch. Even if I die, I will definitely give you a shot and go.’

“Gourden!”

In the midst of the confusion, the man shouted. He moved his body around and put on his helmet.

“Take it.”

“Yes?”

What he gave me was an all-leather jacket. The difference from normal leather clothes was that they were too thick and so stiff that you couldn’t bend your joints if you wore them.

“After entering the mansion, it would be best not to come next to him no matter what.”

“… ”

“No. Just never step out. If you want to keep up your normal limbs.”

Up until now, if the employer ordered it, it was unconditionally done quickly. But her instincts were whispering.

‘Right away.’

But this time reality whispered to me.

‘But can you go back? Where is this?’

While she was thinking, a man stood in front of her. Even though he wore his helmet, it seemed that he urged her to put the all-leather jacket on quickly. No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem like the situation would change even if she put resistance, so she gave up on her thoughts and tucked myher arm into the sleeve of her shirt.

In the midst of performing a feat of not breaking an arm to put on stiff clothes, the door burst opened.

“Huh, huh. Young master… … ! It’s a big deal!”

“No way.”

“Yes… !”

“Shit. When?”

“Ha, I was sure that I gave him the medicine an hour ago, but when I just went there, there was no one there. I searched all over the house, but I couldn’t find him. At least around the mansion…”

“You couldn’t have gone that far anyway. Let’s search the mountain.”

The man turned to me.

“Go inside and sit in the lobby.”

“I, wh-what… ?”

“Make sure to lock the door. You should never go outside.”

“Y-yes.”

The question was swallowed up in a voice that seemed urgent.

‘What kind of mess is this?’

Entering the mansion with a confused mind, she couldn’t help but be surprised once again. It was because of the clothes worn by a man called Gourden. He was wearing leather of the same material as the clothes she was wearing all over his body. Because it was brown, she felt like she was looking at a walking log. If he went into the forest as he is, his camouflage would be fine.

Clothes made of the same material… was that a uniform? Could hunting be a basic skill? Or was he a hireling dog that run through the woods fighting beasts…?

‘I’m wearing the clothes right now…’

It was a ridiculous assumption, but it was enough to calm her down thinking about it. Suddenly, her fingertips became cold.

“Please lock the door.”

Gourden waddled and followed the man. The grotesque duo, clad in thick leather and massive armor, walked away. She hurriedly locked the door.

She was horrified to see eight locks, but she tried to ignore them.

“… Well.”

It was useless to barely ignore it, and the anxiety intensified as she looked at the lobby of the mansion. As if a war had broken out, everything was a mess.

She walked over to sit down. Unusually, on one side of the lobby, there were two single-person sofas placed against the wall. Well she didn’t usually have chairs in the lobby because she didn’t receive guests.

One of the sofas had been torn to shreds, and the cotton had burst, and the only decent sofa was full of dust. She had a really uneasy feeling…

But now she couldn’t even run away. All she could do now was wait.

“Err… ”

While she was lost in thought in front of the sofa, she heard a sound.

‘Huh?’

She turned towards the sound.

‘Oh, when people are so frightened, they don’t even make a sound.’

“Who are you?”

A blond-haired man suddenly appeared from the hallway on the left…

He moved on all fours and came towards me.

“Uh…”

‘The human body has arms and legs. Arms can not be called paws.’

And yet, as soon as she saw him, she had no choice but to judge him that way since he walked on all fours. It was like seeing a beast.