Give Me Back My Glass Shoe - Chapter 2

Hello everyone! there are changes in the chapter numbering, I had edited it to the correct arrangement as there was confusion in the chapter count. Apologies and enjoy the translation!

There was a time when she thought that as long as it didn’t sink, it could eventually move forward someday. As time passed, the ship became a tattered rag from the repeated cycle of crises and repairs. It was like a dress that had tumbled down the stairs and become a ragged mess.

Could a ship that seemed like it would shatter with one wave truly ever sail?

Ding-dong.

Hearing the bell tolling in the distance, Aniella got up from her seat. She didn’t even have the luxury of time to leisurely lament her circumstances.

It was already too late to make it back by the 12 o’clock curfew, but she still had to return as quickly as possible. This was because her father would calculate every ten minutes of lateness as a full day, forbidding her from going out. If she were an hour late, it would be no different than being grounded for a whole week.

Not being able to go out would be extremely troublesome. She worked as Marius’s assistant. The impatient and harsh-tempered mage would undoubtedly try to find another assistant if she were absent for a whole week.

Ding.

Before she knew it, the twelfth bell tolled loudly. Aniella hurriedly checked if there were any carriages standing nearby. Given her difficult circumstances, it wasn’t like she owned something as luxurious as a carriage. She had taken a hired carriage to the party and planned to do the same for the return trip. Perhaps because it was the height of the party, the area was deserted, but fortunately, she spotted one. It was a massive carriage hitched to six horses.

Aniella let out a groan. There were usually two reasons for bringing out a six-horse carriage: either some noble was desperate to flaunt their wealth, or the coachman was greedy and wanted to take on many passengers.

Aniella sincerely hoped it was the latter, but as she got closer, the outline of the ornate carriage decorations became visible, making the former more likely. Still, it was worth a shot. In a hurry, Aniella limped over to the coachman.

“What a splendid hat!”

Aniella complimented the coachman’s black hat. The neatly dressed coachman, though not attending the party, had evidently made an effort to suit the occasion. She judged that praising his excellent taste would be a good way to approach him.

The coachman smiled and nodded. A good sign.

“By any chance, is there any room in the carriage?”

She asked full of hope, but the coachman shook his head.

“None? But it looks completely empty.”

The taciturn coachman pointed to a decoration on the carriage. Aniella frowned and examined what he was pointing at more closely. It seemed to be a family crest, but it was too dark to make out clearly.

“I was wondering if you might show some kindness to a poor woman who injured her leg tonight. May I ask whose carriage this is?”

Anyone who brought out a six-horse carriage was likely the type who enjoyed showing off, and such a person wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to help someone and make a scene about it. No matter how much they might internally find it bothersome.

She wasn’t normally the type to bother people this much, but her desperation made her more assertive.

Instead of saying he would ask, the coachman brought a lantern closer to the decoration. This time, she could see the shape clearly. It was a red eagle.

Only then did Aniella realize who the owner of the six-horse carriage was, and she gasped. The coachman nodded at her startled expression, then suddenly contorted his face. His previously indifferent expression changed, and Aniella also sensed something strange.

There was no sound of footsteps, but it was clear from the coachman’s gaze that someone was standing right behind her. She gulped and slowly turned her head.

Standing there, right where she expected, was a man with jet-black hair, watching them. Aniella had never spoken to him before, but she recognized his face instantly.

‘Duke Paiki…!’

He was a man who, while still in his twenties, held the emperor’s favor and grasped the empire’s power as his right hand. How did someone so young rise to such a position?

That was because he would stoop to any despicable method—blackmail, threats, abduction, imprisonment—to solve the emperor’s problems. It was rumored that he considered the ensuing infamy a price paid for loyalty, wore it proudly, and had thrown his morality to the dogs.

The likelihood of him being displeased and asking how she dared make such a request was far higher than the chance he’d help a poor woman and show off about it.

“Who is it that’s snooping around my carriage? Do you know who I am?”