Chapter 10
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10
Simon, who had been watching the entire scene from behind, let out a sigh.
Seeing the two options side by side, the outcome felt predetermined. To be fair, Oscar looked far more dangerous than the middle-aged woman.
“…I'm sorry.”
Just as he’d expected, the girl chose the brothel owner, not Marquis Reinhardt. The door closed quietly.
We're fucked.
Simon despaired in silence.
It's done.
A grim sense of elation washed over the brothel owner.
All that remained was to deal with the man still standing outside.
He was a striking man, one she felt she might have seen somewhere before. But he couldn't be a high-ranking noble. They typically announced their visits in advance, ordering their preferred prostitute to be brought to them.
That left two possibilities: a newly rich tycoon or a nobleman who hadn't quite reached the upper echelons of the aristocracy.
Of course, either type was difficult for a brothel owner to handle.
But after all, what era was this? An age where even royalty had to be mindful of the common folk. He couldn't just shut down her business without evidence or a trial. And as for the human trafficking, the girl herself wasn't yet aware of her situation, so there was no proof.
Right. I can get through this just fine.
Steeling herself, she turned to face Oscar. She would just have to apologize as grovelingly as possible and offer him whatever he desired for the night.
“……”
But his gaze was fixed on the floor, and hers followed suit.
With both hands shoved in his pockets, he was grinding a cigarette out with his foot. Gray ash and tobacco leaves mingled, crushed and broken. The small, lingering ember was ground under the hard sole of his shoe before it finally died.
If it had been insults, contempt, or a swift slap across the face, she wouldn't have batted an eye.
But absurdly, though she’d seen it a thousand times, there was something about the simple act of him crushing a cigarette… It was only a cigarette being ground underfoot, yet she couldn't understand why she felt as if she were the one being crushed.
“Stabbed in the back by an idiot during the day, and bested by a brothel owner at night. What kind of day am I having?”
Oscar himself said it as if he found it amusing, but no one else could bring themselves to laugh.
His tongue swept over his teeth, a flash of red between his lips. Oscar lifted only his eyes and whispered to the brothel owner, whose face was growing deathly pale.
“Smile. It's a compliment.”
Then, muttering something about her "astounding eye for quality," he turned and walked away. There was nothing threatening about his casual gait, but the moment Oscar disappeared from view, the brothel owner slid to the floor and collapsed.
* * *
Brothel.
What did that mean?
Seo-ah stood blankly before the door, mouthing the unfamiliar word she had just heard for the first time.
Brothel, brothel…
Repeating it didn't reveal its meaning. The only things she knew for sure were that it was the name of a specific place, and that it was by no means a word with a positive connotation.
“This is a brothel, isn't it?”
At the man's words, the innkeeper had jumped, trying to reassure her, but she never actually denied that the place was a brothel. She only emphasized that Seo-ah was a guest staying for the night.
Seo-ah bit her lip hard.
He was a man who looked as if he'd been sculpted from darkness itself. A dangerous, violent aura flowed from him, wreathed in the acrid smoke of his cigarette.
She hadn't trusted the innkeeper, but she couldn't follow that man out into the night, either. She had closed the door to escape them both and buy herself time to think.
Just then, she sensed the innkeeper's presence on the other side of the door.
“Are you all right?”
A few men seemed to rush over and help her up. The owner said nothing, and then disappeared somewhere with them.
She swallowed hard, her throat painfully dry.
She gripped the doorknob tightly with her left hand and threw the bolt with her right. After locking the door securely, she meticulously checked the lock on the window as well.
Seo-ah stood in a corner of the room and carefully surveyed the square space.
When she had thought she might be able to sleep comfortably for just one day, this place had seemed, for a fleeting moment, like paradise.
The relief of finally taking off the winter coat and dress—which she hadn't dared remove despite the stifling heat—was enough to make her feel alive again. The first proper meal she'd had in ages felt as if it were melting directly into her blood. In fact, this was the first time she had ever seen a proper bed. If she had buried herself in the thick bedding called a mattress, she probably would have fallen asleep before she could even close her eyes.
Now, a powerful sense of crisis surged in, chasing away any thought of sleep.
She couldn't afford to fail before her plan had even begun.
Seo-ah quickly changed back into her original clothes. She hadn't noticed it while wearing them, but they smelled of sweat and dust.
She didn't put the coat on right away. Instead, she spread it out on the bed, lining-side up. With quick hands, she checked every pocket thoroughly. Were there any holes? Was everything that should be there, there?
Her inspection concluded with checking for the key and the Certificate of Key Acquisition Rights she had received today. She unfolded the certificate to re-read its contents.
The carefully written name, today's date, the vault number, the seal.
Worried it might get crumpled or smudged, she wrapped the certificate in another piece of paper before carefully placing it in a pocket. After tying the pocket's opening shut with a string and knotting it tightly, she straightened up, revealing a lining covered with dangling pockets.
As she quietly gazed at the mismatched pockets and strings, at the chaotic, haphazard stitches, she was suddenly reminded of that day.
That day. The day of the midnight raid. The horrific night when her grandfather's grave was dug up, and the crimson flames that had swallowed Hoyeonjae consumed her master as well.
“This is it, isn't it? This is what that man is searching for, right?”
The night she had taken out the golden key she had kept so carefully hidden.
“Don't go. The chance of failure is too high. You'll get caught up in all sorts of trouble before you can even begin your plan.”
Seo-ah laughed hollowly.
“You were right. Like a fool, I got caught up in all sorts of trouble the moment I arrived…”
Seo-ah stroked the hem of her old coat, neatening the loose threads that stuck out here and there. As she tidied the threads, she just as carefully packed the memory away, pushing it back beneath the surface.
Her hands began to move quickly again.
After dealing with the coat, she opened her bag. She folded the undergarments she had washed with clumsy hands and tucked them into a corner of the bag. They would probably still be damp since she hadn't been able to dry them properly, but there was nothing to be done about it. Just as she was about to close the bag after putting the laundry in, Seo-ah paused.
She opened the bag wide again and carefully picked up a piece of red silk that had gotten terribly crumpled at some point.
After lunch, if she sat on the main floor and listened closely, she could sometimes hear the sounds of children playing. If she tiptoed to the wall, stood on her toes, and peeked outside, she would see girls with ivory-colored faces.
Their black eyes, shiny as hazelnuts, would sparkle, and their neatly braided black hair would fly.
Watching the red hair ribbons swaying back and forth at the ends of their black hair, she used to think how she wished her own eyes and hair were that dark and beautiful, so that the color red would suit her just as well.
Seo-ah neatly folded the disheveled hair ribbon. She folded it in half, and then in half again, until the end embroidered with a delicate butterfly was facing up. She placed it with the cleaner items in her bag, then closed it without a second thought.
She threw on the coat that lay spread on the bed and cinched her waist with the belt to keep it from billowing. Now dressed to leave at a moment's notice, Seo-ah moved to the window and hid herself against the wall.
Wary of casting a shadow, she lifted the very edge of the curtain and peered outside.
When and how can I get out of here?
Seo-ah searched for an escape route through the window, her senses keenly focused on the presences lingering around her room.
“Educate her,” the brothel owner said the moment she entered her room. The man supporting her immediately asked.
“You mean the girl who came in today?”
“Is there anyone else here who needs educating besides that bitch?” The woman who had affected the elegant speech of an aristocrat finally showed her true colors.
“Anyone who doesn't come crawling in on their own two feet needs to be educated. You know that.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Do it now.”
“Right now?”
“Why do you keep asking!”
“It's just that you usually do a more thorough background check. And try to persuade them with words first…”
“She has nowhere to go.” She cut him off and picked up a cigarette, her hand trembling as she held it. Her throat felt like it was on fire, so she stopped trying to light the cigarette and instead took a long swig of alcohol.
She had dismissed the coachman and gone to the girl’s room herself to learn more about her circumstances—specifically, whether she had any family who might come looking for her.
But there had been no need. She had seen the inside of the girl's coat as she took it off. The cluster of pockets sewn into the lining told her everything. In an instant, she understood why the girl had endured the heat without taking it off.
She knew the taste of misfortune well. Only those who have been cornered can recognize the habits of the cornered.
The taste of misfortune hanging in the air was sweet.
“Don't leave any marks. She's worth five thousand.”
“Understood. Should I use some anesthetic and an aphrodisiac?”
“You'll have to if you don't want to leave marks. Control the dosage. Don't cripple her in the process.”
Then, as if bringing up something she'd rather not, she asked, “What about that man?”
An employee standing by the door answered immediately. “He left.”
“Did you confirm his carriage is gone?”
“Yes. We confirmed it was heading toward the Ritz Hotel.”
She nodded and poured the strong liquor down her throat.
Still, something felt off.
He didn't seem to want sex. So was he overflowing with some sense of justice, wanting to save the girl?
That didn't seem right, either.