My Sin -1-
Ten minutes ago. Through the carriage window, I spotted a woman kneeling in front of the mansion gates. Even from a distance, her back view screamed of some tragic backstory. A question mark popped up over my head as I stared at her.
Who is she...?
The Young Lady had a question mark hovering over her head too, as she voiced her confusion.
"Ricardo, someone's at our house."
"..."
"...Ricardo?"
"Ah... just a moment."
I fell silent for a beat, scrutinizing the woman's complexion. I had no idea who she was or why she'd come to the mansion. From afar, her silhouette didn't give much away. No one ever visited the evil woman's mansion, after all.
Only when the carriage angled enough to reveal her face did I recognize our unexpected visitor.
Why is she here?
My startled thought was drowned out by the Young Lady's even greater shock.
"Eek...! It's the chocolate thief."
"I don't think so."
"No, no one ever comes to our house."
I gave a wry smile and bowed my head at the Young Lady's solemn words laced with sorrow.
"You're right about that."
It was a familiar face. The woman kneeling before the mansion—a tragic figure from the novel with a backstory no one could view kindly—seemed to be waiting for me, drenched in cold sweat.
I stepped down from the carriage with a bitter smile. I had a feeling I couldn't give her the answer she wanted right now.
"..."
I approached with a heavy expression, intending to help her up.
A tale no one could know.
"...Why?"
The girl, drenched head to toe in blood, clung to the red-haired man and sobbed.
"Why... why... WHY!!!"
Her wail echoed mournfully across the field of white canary flowers, brimming with hatred and love. Ambivalence seemed the perfect word. The emotions swirling in the girl's eyes were too complex for a single term.
The man in her arms managed a bright smile despite his labored breaths.
"If I said 'just because,' you'd hate that, right?"
"Don't joke around!!! Tell me!"
"Haha... yeah."
His breathing grew shallower by the second amid the white canary blooms, as if it could stop at any moment. With a serene smile, he gently caressed the girl's cheek.
"Do you still hate me?"
"..."
"Yeah, I guess so..."
The white petals drifted away, leaving only deep regret in their wake.
The Young Lady's mansion, invaded by an unwelcome guest.
For the first time in ages, a visitor had arrived at the mansion, and the Young Lady furrowed her brow, a question mark floating above her head.
"Hmmm..."
"..."
"Hmmmm...."
Sniffing audibly through flared nostrils, the Young Lady even leaned in to smell. At her display of every possible rudeness befitting a mansion lord, I pulled her chair back to calm her.
"Young Lady, you're not supposed to sniff strangers."
"I know... I know, but. Hmm..."
"What's wrong?"
"She's familiar."
Caught off guard by the Young Lady's sharp intuition, I steadied myself and dispelled her doubt.
"Of course she is. You saw her last time, remember?"
A exclamation mark popped up over the Young Lady's head as she stared at me. Her brain insisted she'd never met anyone like this.
"No idea. Don't remember."
"The owner of that new restaurant in Hamel."
"The gross one?"
Ella flinched at the Young Lady's blunt critique and bowed her head. Apparently used to harsh words, she clamped her mouth shut. I managed an awkward smile, unsure how to respond—especially since I could guess what she wanted to say.
The Young Lady muttered, "Familiar, though..." I spoke softly to her.
"Young Lady."
"Yeah?"
"Could you feed Gomtang a snack upstairs?"
"No way. I wanna play with Ricardo. And she's no fun—won't listen to me."
"I'll get you a snack too. For Gomtang and you. Three packs."
"Hmm..."
The Young Lady nodded with a beaming smile.
"Okay. But is that lady Ricardo's friend?"
"Not a friend..."
I glanced at the sullen Ella, searching for words that wouldn't offend.
"How about we call her an industrial spy."
"Ooh... a spy."
Thankfully, the Young Lady accepted it without question. Now alone in the drawing room, I spotted the empty table and spoke in a flustered tone.
"Oh, right... I was so distracted, I didn't even offer tea. Hold on a sec..."
-Thud.
Ella grabbed my hand as I tried to leave and dropped to her knees. Rejecting tea with her actions, she prompted a grim expression from me as I reached to pull her up. I didn't want to see a friend's mother like this.
"Please don't."
"...Please!"
"..."
"Please help me."
"Sigh..."
"Please let me see my daughter. I'll give you any amount of money...! Just once, please let me see her!"
An awkward silence filled the room—me unable to answer, her pleading for one.
I spoke to her in a low voice. I wasn't ready for this question yet.
"For now... please go home."
I couldn't give her the answer she sought. It had barely been a week since returning from the academy, and suddenly reuniting Mihail with her mother felt impossible—not to mention Shuen's situation. My tongue felt heavy. At this timing, their meeting wouldn't end well, I thought. We needed more time.
I nodded wearily and addressed the sobbing Ella.
"We..."
The best I could offer.
"...aren't close to him."
The academy at night.
Having devoured a stack of lewd books in the library, Hanna strolled the path under the moonlight for the first time in ages. A path to the dorms, but still.
"Haaah!"
For Hanna, who loved breathing the crisp night air while walking, it was the ultimate break.
Passing under a streetlamp, she murmured about recent events.
"Wanna see him again."
Missing the butler. After spending more time with him than usual, Hanna yearned for Ricardo even more. No sweet moments, but still...
"It was nice..."
For her, every moment with Ricardo made her feel truly alive. An escape from the academy's mix of fun and boredom—a vibrant respite.
"..."
Just thinking of him warmed her heart. Palpitations, flushed cheeks.
"I'm losing it..."
-Squeeze.
Hanna clutched her pounding heart with a soft smile. She fiddled with the earrings Ricardo had gifted her, brushing her ear.
"My greatest luck was meeting the butler. How could I get even happier...? Hehe."
His gift piled even greater fortune atop her luck, filling her with warmth and a happy smile.
About three minutes in.
"Ohohot...!"
A crazy woman trudged by in the distance, a massive black bundle on her back.
"Whoa..."
Hanna gawked at Shuen heading to the dorms, arms full yet giggling. Just like the "Santa Claus" the butler once described.
"Huff... huff... haa...!"
That... that... psycho bitch.
Hanna closed in on Shuen, planning to ignore her, but Shuen's frantic call—"Hi... Histania Hanna!"—made her wince and turn.
"What."
"Ohoho...! Huff... huff... Hellooo! Histania Hanna!"
"Uh... hi."
"Haa... lemme catch my breath first."
Shuen panted, readjusted her bundle, and continued.
"Headed back from studying?"
"Yeah. You...?"
"Just clocked out from closing the convenience store!"
Shuen went, Oh right! and thumped her black bundle down, rummaging inside.
"Eaten yet?"
"Uh... no?"
"Knew it. Skipping meals gets you sick."
Shuen grinned wide, pulling out a lunchbox and offering it. The peeked wrapper suggested expired stock headed for the trash.
With a sunny smile and a magnanimous air, she said,
"Take it!"
"Don't need it."
"Still, take it! It's a gift from me, Shuen."
"F...fine. Thanks. But can you eat all this?"
"Nope! Breakfast, lunch, dinner for tomorrow."
"Huh...?"
"Working at the store means I can eat alone without guilt—and now I'm sharing my wealth with you!"
"Is that... good...?"
Shuen scratched her head with a goofy grin, looking genuinely blissful and carefree.
"Gotta head out then...!"
With a perky smile, she grabbed the bundle's edge and gritted her teeth.
"Hng!"
-Wobble!
"..."
She shot Hanna a troubled look.
Peeking inside, Shuen asked in a trembling voice,
"Um... need another lunchbox?"
"Ugh... you idiot."
"Hehe..."
Hanna hoisted the bundle indifferently and marched toward the dorms. Same direction anyway. For sword department Hanna, the weight was negligible; she strode ahead. Grateful Shuen trailed, blurting in panic,
"St...stealing's bad, y'know!"
"I'm helping!"
"Aha!"
Shuen playfully smacked Hanna's butt and smiled.
"Histania Hanna, want a hotteok?"
"No need."
"Special treat from me. Snuck out a fresh one before it expired!"
"You..."
Does she not know my bro's the boss?
Hanna sighed at Shuen's sly grin.
"Never mind. No."
"What?! Gonna report me?!"
"Nah, just steal in moderation."
"Ohohot! Obviously!"
Chatting with the babbling Shuen, Hanna neared the dorms and suddenly thought,
How many times have you died...?
"..."
On a whim, Hanna asked,
"Hey, Shuen."
"Yes!"
"Is there a magic that rewinds time?"
"...Pardon?"
Shuen blinked in disbelief, then muttered, Hold on, with a puzzled look.
"Uh..."
"..."
"Probably?"
Unsure, Shuen shared her hypothesis.
"Theoretically possible. But..."
"But?"
"Magic can't do it."
"What're you talking about...?"
"Miracles humans can create are all..."
"Black magic."
And in that instant.
-Ding.
It rang in Hanna's ears.