Chapter 51
Father hurried over to the open window. Looking down, he saw it was an impossible height to jump from without breaking a leg. If Sister had gone out the window, she would have definitely broken a bone. The window was open, but there were no traces around it. It was as if Sister had vanished into thin air.
Standing with my hands neatly clasped, I bit my lip. Watching the servants ransacking the room and Father standing there in shock was quite amusing. I bit my lower lip hard to stop myself from bursting into laughter and kept my mouth tightly shut.
Then, when I glanced to the side, I saw Mother standing there with her hands over her chest, smiling brightly. She seemed relieved that Sister had run away.
Mother and I were the only ones smiling in Sister’s room. I felt a deep sense of kinship with her at that moment. She had no choice either. I knew she wanted Sister to be happy, but she was unable to defy Father. She had just been silently suffering.
CRASH!
Father threw the glass on the table to the floor. The loud crash echoed through the room.
“What are you all doing?! Do you think Solivia will come out just by searching the room?! You need to go out and find her!!”
Father’s voice trembled with rage, and the servants hurried out of the room, not knowing when Sister had left or how far she had gone. Father glared out the window, gritting his teeth.
“The capital… She must have fled to the capital. I need to call in mercenaries.”
He looked ready to chase her to the capital and bring her back. Mother stepped in.
“Don’t make such a fuss.”
“Are you saying we should just let Solivia go?!”
“Seli’s wedding is just around the corner. What will Count Ozr think? He’ll think we can’t even manage our own daughter, that our family’s education is terrible. It might affect Seli too.”
Seeing the sense in her words, Father nodded. If the commotion grew, it might reach Count Ozr’s ears. He decided family matters should be handled quietly.
“I’ll contact some nobles I know in the capital. I need to find out where Solivia is. Damn it!”
Annoyed, Father slammed the door and left the room. Mother sighed deeply.
Sister must already be anticipating that Father would search for her and hid herself well. She was smart enough to outthink him.
I looked at Mother standing next to me.
“Sister will be fine.”
“Yes, she will. She’s tough.”
Despite her words, Mother couldn’t hide the worry on her face. I wanted to tell her, “Please worry about me too,” but I held back.
“I need to rest. I’m so tired.”
Mother left the room with her hand on her forehead. I was left alone in Sister’s room, feeling a surge of mixed emotions.
My older sister had left. She had truly gone to find her own life. Most people would probably think she was foolish for what she did, pointing accusatory fingers at her.
Those who believed women could be happy only in a safe greenhouse would never understand her choice. Studying hard, spending money to attend the academy, working hard to earn her own money—despite the fact that she could have married a suitable man from a good family and lived comfortably with her fair hands. Most nobles would laugh at her, saying she was making things hard for herself.
But like Mother said, Sister was tough. I took one last look around her room before leaving with light steps.
***
It was dusk. Shadows from the window stretched long. I sat in my room, sipping tea, waiting for Desi. I had told him to come back early, but he was still out. He went out last night and hadn’t returned all day. He was going to get a lecture about being out late.
I propped my chin on my hand and stared out the window. I heard the sound of geese flying by, and the servants who had gone out to look for Sister returned empty-handed, lamenting. They complained, wondering where the lady had gone and fearing the master’s wrath, then headed to the dining hall, grumbling about their hunger.
Watching them, I sighed. For dinner, I had only eaten a piece of bread and some bland soup. Count Ozr had suggested reducing my food intake until the wedding.
To avoid being called a ‘country bumpkin lady’, I had to manage myself better. I was also advised to avoid sunlight. Many nobles would gossip if my skin tanned.
The standards of the capital’s nobles were incredibly strict. I couldn’t gain any more weight, and my skin had to be as impossibly fair as porcelain. Even the dresses I wore had to be from famous dressmakers to avoid ridicule. Everything had to be to their specifications, from necklaces to hats, gloves, and fans.
“Haah…”
The thought of enduring this until the wedding was exhausting. As I sat there, lost in gloomy thoughts, Desi finally returned. He hung from the window, grinning at me. A large shadow in the shape of a wolf cast against one wall.
“Desi.”
I hugged his neck and pulled him inside. Desi bent down to match my height and entered the room.
“Desi! Why are you so late?”
“I was busy today.”
“What were you doing?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Desi picked me up. I tugged on his ear, urging him to tell me now, but I couldn’t make him speak.
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