Chapter: 04
From that day on, Emilia fell seriously ill.
Cough, cough.
As she coughed, she silently scolded herself for being so foolish.
No matter what, she should have changed out of her wet clothes.
She grimaced as she forced herself to swallow a little water. Even swallowing hurt.
I should at least go get some medicine.
She tried to sit up, but quickly gave up.
In her current condition, even stepping outside for a few minutes was impossible.
Cedric’s house is stocked with every kind of health tonic imaginable…
The fact that her own home didn’t even have a single bottle of basic medicine was almost laughable.
I’ll sleep a little longer.
Just as she was about to drift back to sleep—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone pounded violently on the door.
Emilia’s eyes flew open.
Who is it?
“Emilia! Open the door!”
That voice…
Emilia hurriedly forced her heavy body to her feet.
When she opened the door, Mrs. Anderson stood there with an angry expression.
“How did you— Cough, cough.”
“Oh, goodness! Just look at the state you’re in!”
Seeing Emilia’s haggard appearance, Mrs. Anderson smacked her own chest in frustration.
“What am I supposed to do with such a foolish girl? I’m coming in.”
With a deep sigh and a frown, she gently pushed Emilia back into the house, patting her on the back.
After glancing around the room, she pointed toward a chair.
“First, go sit over there.”
“Huh?”
“It looks like you haven’t eaten a proper meal all day, have you? Sit down. I’ll make something in no time.”
“I’m fine—”
“Tsk! Hurry.”
Mrs. Anderson widened her eyes as if scolding a child.
With no choice, Emilia sat down.
Come to think of it… I never showed up to work or even sent word.
Watching Mrs. Anderson pull out the cooking utensils, Emilia spoke.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even tell you I wouldn’t be coming in.”
“It’s fine. I figured something must have happened.”
“But… how did you know?”
“How did I know?”
Mrs. Anderson set a dish down with a loud clack.
“The whole village already knows Cedric brought a woman back from the capital!”
Clicking her tongue, she continued.
“They say he’s been walking around with her as proud as can be. Apparently she’s the daughter of some count.”
Emilia slowly lowered her head.
“Don’t even think about crying! It’s a waste of tears to cry over a man like that!”
Mrs. Anderson raised her eyebrows as though she was ready to smack Emilia on the back if she cried.
The fierce scolding somehow stopped the tears that had been threatening to fall.
“…I’m not crying.”
“Good.”
Before long, a bowl of fragrant soup was placed in front of her by Mrs. Anderson’s practiced hands.
“Eat.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
Mrs. Anderson sat across from her, watching carefully to make sure she ate.
Once Emilia had finished every last spoonful, Mrs. Anderson placed a heavy pouch onto the table.
The sound of coins clinking echoed through the room.
“What’s this money for?”
“It’s your severance pay.”
“What?”
Emilia’s heart skipped a beat.
As if reading her thoughts, Mrs. Anderson shook her head.
“I’m not giving it to you because I’m firing you.”
With determined eyes, she took Emilia’s hand in her wrinkled one.
“Leave this place, Emilia.”
“…Leave? What do you mean?”
“I mean go to the capital. If you’re going to start over, then do it somewhere new.”
She pushed the pouch toward Emilia.
“And whatever you choose to do, it’ll be better than staying here.”
“…”
Emilia hesitated.
Still, she understood what Mrs. Anderson meant.
Even if she stayed, all she’d hear would be whispers behind her back.
Cedric was the one who had done wrong.
But now he was an official serving the Imperial Palace.
It was obvious everyone would be careful not to offend him.
“Honestly, is there anyone in this village who doesn’t know you’re smarter than Cedric?”
“…”
“If you’d been able to take that prestigious examination yourself, you’d have passed on the first try.”
“But—”
“But what? Or would you rather stay here and watch those people laugh and celebrate his success?”
“…What about the shop?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve already earned enough for the next five years. Don’t worry about me.”
Those weren’t empty words.
Thanks to Emilia’s advice, sales had risen dramatically, and Mrs. Anderson had learned how to manage the account books perfectly.
“What could an old woman like me possibly learn?”
She had protested like that at first.
But Emilia had patiently taught her everything.
That’s why that idiot Cedric managed to pass the examination in the first place.
Mrs. Anderson frowned as she thought of Mrs. Romance, who was probably celebrating happily with her son right about now.
Looking back at Emilia, she spoke again.
“If anything, you’ve worked harder for me than my own runaway son.”
“A runaway son?”
Emilia gave her an awkward smile at the exaggerated remark.
Mrs. Anderson’s son, Alex, had simply become an Imperial Palace official at a young age.
Although, to be fair, Mrs. Anderson always complained that he never even showed his face at home.
Well… he only comes back about once every six months.
At that moment, Mrs. Anderson placed another pouch on the table.
Seeing Emilia’s puzzled expression, she proudly declared,
“It belongs to my son. I helped myself to a little of it.”
“I don’t think that’s just ‘a little’…”
“If it fits in one handful, then it’s just one.”
Apparently embarrassed after inventing her own unit of measurement, Mrs. Anderson awkwardly cleared her throat.
Emilia burst into laughter.
“Now that’s better. You finally smiled. You never know what life has in store, so don’t argue. Just keep it.”
“Okay. I will.”
“Good. And remember this—your own happiness comes before anyone else’s. Never forget that.”
At those warm words of advice, Emilia slowly nodded.
After Mrs. Anderson left, Emilia sat quietly for a while, deep in thought.
Eventually, she stood up.
She searched through the storage room and pulled out something.
A large travel suitcase.
She had bought it long ago, expecting that one day she and Cedric would travel together.
Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to throw it straight into the trash.
The suitcase didn’t do anything wrong.
Carrying it into her room, Emilia began gathering her belongings.
But once she looked around, she realized she hardly had any decent clothes.
A sudden wave of anger welled up inside her.
Why had she treated herself so poorly because of that man?
Everything good had always gone to Cedric.
She had always come second.
Emilia packed the few usable belongings she had, pressing them tightly into the suitcase.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The next day, Emilia pounded on Cedric’s front door as though she intended to break it down.
“What now…?”
An irritated voice came from inside before Cedric finally stepped outside.
“Emilia?”
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her standing there.
It was obvious he had never expected her to come.
His expression immediately darkened when he noticed the large travel suitcase beside her.
Did he seriously think I came here planning to move in?
If so, he couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Without saying another word, Emilia simply held out her hand.
“Give it back.”
“…Give back what?”
“The money.”
“The money I’ve spent on you all this time.”
