The Beast That Licks Me - Chapter 4.7

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When she reluctantly opened the door, Yvonne strode in confidently. After claiming the best chair and still complaining it was hard, Yvonne managed to get a cup of tea as well. Rosette took a sip of her tea and spoke.

“You don’t need to go this far. I have no intention of telling people.”

“Telling them what?”

“That you jumped into the sea yourself. So you don’t need to keep coming like this. I don’t need jewels either.”

“If I had died right there, I wouldn’t have cared about such rumors.”

Her tone was accusatory, as if blaming Rosette. Because of this, Rosette had to summon patience to continue the conversation with Yvonne.

“Ah, I see. I caused you trouble by interfering unnecessarily. Should I apologize?”

“…That’s not what I meant.” Though Rosette had spoken sarcastically, expecting Yvonne to flare up, she instead responded glumly. The dejected tone actually caught Rosette off guard.

“…I don’t know what to do.”

Yvonne suddenly burst into tears. Rosette blinked in surprise. What’s wrong with this person?

“Why are you crying? Who’s the one who really should be crying here?”

Rosette hurriedly offered a handkerchief. Yvonne naturally took it, blew her nose, and handed it back. A blue vein throbbed at Rosette’s temple as she took back the slightly heavier handkerchief.

“….”

“My husband openly lives in his mistress’s room, and my children ignore me. It wasn’t like this before the mine was discovered… We were happy even when we weren’t wealthy…”

Yvonne began to pour out her story. Each detail was so shocking that Rosette couldn’t even tell her to stop and had to listen to Yvonne’s tale.

Yvonne had married young. It was a marriage that the husband’s side was hesitant about, but Yvonne, who liked the man, pushed for it and succeeded. They loved each other and enjoyed their newlywed life for several years before having children when they were of appropriate age. The estate wasn’t particularly wealthy, but with Yvonne’s dowry, they lived comfortably enough.

However, the story changed dramatically when a fairly large peridot mine was discovered on what they thought was abandoned land. Peridot was fashionable at the time, so they made a lot of money. At first, Yvonne was happy too. It was enough wealth for them, their children, and even their grandchildren to live affluently.

But once they started making money, her husband began seeing other women. At first, Yvonne thought it was because her appearance had deteriorated after giving birth to two children, so she focused on improving her looks. She poured thousands of gold into enhancing her appearance, but her husband didn’t return.

The angry Yvonne began having affairs with other men. What started as casual dating gradually became bolder, eventually progressing to having relations even in her husband’s bedroom.

One day, her husband returned early and witnessed the scene. However, he left as if not wanting to disturb them. Yvonne was deeply shocked by this. When she asked him a few days later how he could be so unbothered by what he saw, he replied that this was the kind of relationship he had wanted. A relationship where they both overlooked each other’s partners.

Afterward, her husband became even more brazen. Yvonne continued her affairs out of habit, but inside, she was festering. With both parents going out, the children were naturally neglected, and without receiving the care they needed during crucial developmental periods, they gradually became troubled. They were somewhat respectful to their father, who held the money, but completely ignored Yvonne. She couldn’t find meaning in her life anywhere.

“…Should I be hearing all this?”

This wasn’t a counseling office, yet why was she hearing so many stories like this lately? She knew a little from what Levit had told her, but the more details she heard, the more dysfunctional it seemed. She was concerned whether she should be hearing such private matters.

“Why not? You saved me.”

“Anyone would have done the same. Who wouldn’t jump in when someone falls into the sea?”

“No, only you did.”

Yvonne said with a sneer, resting her chin on her hand.

“Do you think I only tried to die in that sea? No one in my family tried to save me. They did have a servant throw a rope because it would be troublesome if I actually died.”

When Rosette was too shocked to respond, Yvonne laughed self-deprecatingly.

“So take it. You deserve this.”

Yvonne held out a pouch the size of a fist to Rosette. Rosette looked at the pouch and slowly shook her head.

“Goodness, how frustrating. What’s the problem? I want to give it to you!”

“That’s not it. I’m not the one who saved you.”

“What are you talking about? I clearly remember stepping on you to get up.”

“….”

Rosette did remember that, too. She had tried her best to save her and ended up swallowing a lot of water because of it.

“It wasn’t me who saved you, it was Evanium. Without Evanium, we both would have died.”

“What are you saying? I know that too. But would Evanium have saved me without you? When I accidentally kicked you once, he glared at me so fiercely. Even while dying, that was more frightening.”

Yvonne shuddered as if remembering the incident.

“And if you hadn’t come before that, I would have already died from not breathing. So you did save me. And who cares who receives it? You two are dating, aren’t you?”

“…It’s not like that.”

When Rosette objected, Yvonne laughed heartily.

“If you insist, sell it and split it. I trust you won’t do something stupid like cutting the jewel in half.”

“….”

“That was a joke, but you’re not laughing.”

Yvonne placed the jewel on the table with a thud and stood up, looking like she had finished her business.

“I should get going now. This room is too small and smelly for me to stay any longer. You must be having a hard time with your love escape.”

“I told you it’s not like that.”

When Rosette tried to see her out, Yvonne waved her hand in refusal with her back turned. She said there was no need to see her out when it was only three steps from here to there.

“Oh, and I wasn’t sure if I should give you money instead, so I put plenty in there. Use it to buy food, and don’t follow anyone who offers you drinks or meals.”

“…Am I a child?”

“My child is probably only a year or two younger than you. So yes, you are.”

“…I’m not.”

When Rosette spoke with displeasure, Yvonne stopped laughing suddenly. Then, lowering her voice, she spoke in a serious tone.

“There are d***s circulating on the ship. Even nobles started casually and now they’re having trouble quitting.”

“….”

“A young, pretty, penniless girl like you could quickly end up being sold if you start with d***s. So be careful.”

“I don’t do such things.”

“Good. Sell that jewel as soon as you get off the ship. Even though peridot is fashionable now, the trend will end in a year or two. After that, you won’t get a fair price anywhere.”

“…I understand.”

Yvonne left after giving all sorts of advice. Rosette watched her retreating figure. Perhaps because the elaborate hair ornament was weighing heavily on her neck, she was walking unsteadily. Maybe it was because of Yvonne’s story, but that retreating figure seemed strangely lonely.

***

“Shall we end today’s lesson here?”

Silvia nodded quietly at Rosette’s words. The pace was truly fast. Silvia had thoroughly prepared and reviewed. Thanks to this, they were progressing faster than planned, and Rosette had to study more in advance to teach Silvia. As the lesson ended, Jepi approached with a bright face.

“Thank you for your hard work, teacher. Would you like to have some tea?”

Rosette pondered for a moment. It was a bit late, but she had nothing particular to do even if she went back now. Having tea seemed better than nothing. She felt bad for constantly refusing; she had something to say, and Evan wasn’t around anyway.

After the first day, Evan would always leave early in the morning and return late in the evening. There were days when Rosette didn’t see his face all day. She could only guess he had come and gone from the rumpled sheets beside her or the moisture lingering in the bathroom. The money Yvonne had given was substantial enough that he didn’t need to work so hard, but without proper time to talk, she hadn’t had the chance to tell him to quit his job.

“Would that be alright?”

Surprised by Rosette’s acceptance, Jepi opened her eyes wide and nodded her head quickly up and down.

“Yes, yes. Of course. Oh my, if I had known, I would have bought more delicious cake. I would have bought better tea leaves too.”

“Regular tea is fine. Really.”

“Still… Hen! Please buy some more delicious cakes and cookies.”

“Yes, understood.”

The butler Hen bowed respectfully and left the cabin with quick steps before Rosette could stop him.

“It’s really fine…”

Rosette murmured awkwardly. Meanwhile, Jepi had scurried to the cupboard and was standing on tiptoe trying to take out the tea leaves. Seeing her precarious position, Rosette quickly approached and took out the tea canister for her.

“Oh, thank you, teacher. I’m short, so it’s a bit difficult for me to reach these things. I hope Silvia takes after her father, I’m worried.”

“She will. I was even shorter at Silvia’s age.”

“Really? What did you eat to grow so tall? I’m envious.”

“Let’s see, what did I eat…”

Rosette sat down, recalling the healthy foods from her past. Jepi, sitting next to her, turned red in the face, struggling to open the canister containing the tea leaves.

“Mom, let me do it.”

Unable to watch any longer, Silvia stepped forward and took the canister from Jepi. Then she tapped around the lid with a teaspoon. A clear sound rang out, and without applying much force, the canister opened smoothly. Surprised, Jepi exclaimed dramatically.

“How did you do that?”

“I released the pressure inside.”

“Oh my, don’t you think my daughter might be a genius, teacher? What do you think?”

Silvia chided her mother in a small voice at Jepi’s dramatic reaction.

“Mom, stop it. You’re making the teacher uncomfortable.”

Rosette nodded and smiled, enjoying the sight of the mother and daughter.

“I haven’t taught many children, but Silvia is truly gifted.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I believe perseverance and diligence are the most important talents for studying, and Silvia was born with excellent talent in that regard.”