Chapter 47

The small rural village was almost as quiet as its owner had claimed.

Most of the people living here were either elderly or young children, maintaining their livelihood through farming.

For this reason, they found the young woman living alone quite intriguing. The village residents lingered near her house to catch a glimpse of her.

In the mornings, groups of children on their way to school would blatantly peer through her windows.

“Miss, are you alone? Want to have a meal together?”

“……”

“Let’s have lunch together. I’ll introduce you to the village.”

The most troublesome among them was a middle-aged man. Especially, the unmarried men subtly flaunted themselves while talking to her.

“Hey. Miss, could you answer me…”

“Meow!”

“Whoa! What, what is that!”

Irini bared her teeth at the man. Despite her small size, her fierce gaze made the man’s face turn pale.

“Darn cat!”

“Sorry, but I prefer having lunch with my cat.”

“…Well, still.”

The man glanced at Irini and said.

“My cat bites well.”

“Miss. Could you do something about that creature?”

Irini glared at the man’s leg and growled lowly. The man resisted but eventually got bitten by Irini.

“Darn it! I got bitten!”

“Irini.”

She held Irini in her arms and looked at the huffing man.

“Darn, darn cat!”

“Please leave before Irini bites you again.”

* * *

The village was a quiet place, but it was not somewhere she could stay for long. Perhaps she needed to go deeper into the mountains to find the place she desired…

However, the budget she brought with her was far from enough to find a new house immediately.

First, she had to save money here. She submitted an application to the post office and, in her spare time, knitted scarves and lace.

“Meow.”

If it weren’t for Irini, she might have felt lost. Irini kept people at bay and alleviated her boredom. Even though Irini was forcibly separated from Costance, she never complained.

“Irini.”

Costance must be resenting me for taking you away without a word, right?

When she sat down with her knitting materials, Irini lay down too. It was a lazy afternoon. Before she even started working, the sunlight made her drowsy.

“…Hmm?”

Then she felt someone’s gaze from the window. Thinking it might be the children again, she hurriedly looked outside.

“…Meow?”

There was no one beyond the window. Not even a single bird was visible in the open field.

Feeling uneasy, she drew the curtains.

* * *

Three days passed.

She continued to feel eyes on her around the house.

Was it the man who greeted me last time? Or were curious children playing pranks?

Feeling anxious, she lived with the curtains drawn all day. She hesitated to go outside, cooking with the ingredients she had, but soon ran out of food for Irini.

“Meow…”

Even if she starved, she couldn’t let Irini go hungry. She dressed warmly and cautiously opened the door.

She looked around but saw no one. She hurriedly took Irini and went outside. She quickly walked the narrow field path to the market, about an hour away.

She made sure to turn her head and scan her surroundings periodically. No one openly followed her. Yet, the persistent gaze on her back tormented her. Someone was definitely watching.

Someone was watching her…

‘Could it be Costance…’

The thought made her stop. With Costance’s level of information and resources, wouldn’t it be easy for him to find her location?

“W-who are you!”

“……”

“Just come out!”

She shouted into the empty air.

There was silence. No one appeared.

‘It’s not Sir Costance.’

If it were Sir Costance, he would have shown himself immediately upon seeing her scared. He wouldn’t have played such a mean prank in the first place.

‘Ugh.’

She hugged Irini tightly and ran with all her might. She ran until she was out of breath, and in the distance, she saw small buildings of the town.

Even just small buildings provided a sense of relief.

She alternated between slowing down and running, resting and running again. The fear that someone would attack her made her imagine the worst. She ran as if her life depended on it.

Her whole body was drenched in sweat.

“Oh my? Miss, are you alright?”

“Ha…”

She made eye contact with a passing Madame. Only then did she stop and look around. 

…No one was there?

“Mom!”

A boy who was behind ran over to the Madame. Seeing the ordinary village people eased her tension.

She squatted and placed Irini on the ground. Watching Irini shake off, she wiped her sweaty hair with her hand.

“Miss?”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Are you okay? You’re the woman who just moved in, right?”

Without the strength to answer, she nodded. The Madame looked at her with concern and sat in front of her.

“You’re sweating… If you’re sick, let’s go to the hospital together. I’ll show you where it is.”

The Madame was kind. Her kindness made tears well up under her eyes.

Irini, now free, went over to the boy.

“Wow, a cat!”

The boy and Irini stared at each other. Irini didn’t guard against or dislike the boy. The boy’s face lit up at the sight of the cute cat.

“It seems my son likes your cat too, Miss.”

“Well… Thank you, but it’s not that I’m sick. I just felt like someone was watching me.”

She spoke honestly. The Madame was momentarily taken aback, then looked behind her.

“There’s no one… Oh, could it be Sampio?”

“Sampio?”

She asked back. The boy added, as if he knew about Sampio.

“That man is really scary!”

“It’s as my son says. He’s an unmarried man living here, but his behavior is strange, so everyone tends to avoid him. Recently, there were rumors that he’s been pestering the one who moved in…”

Ah. It was the man who pestered me for a meal last time.

Noticing her state, the Madame stood up first and reached out her hand.

“Let’s go together. You were heading to town, right?”

“Madame, aren’t you on your way home?”

“Yes, but I’m not the type of person to be cold to a new neighbor. Right, son?”

The boy nodded.

“Thank you so much, Madame…”

“You know the big elm tree by the roadside? I live under it. My husband is a fisherman and comes back once a month. So feel free to visit anytime, Miss.”

The Madame was kind, but that didn’t mean the lingering unease disappeared.

Even as she listened to the Madame, she sensed the strange atmosphere behind her. Based on her past experiences… this feeling was a very bad omen.

* * *

After that, she often went around with the Madame living under the elm tree. Whenever she went to the distant town, the Madame and her son were always with her.

She only made eye contact with Sampio, whom they had mentioned, once. He pretended not to see her and avoided her. His actions were unnatural and strange, which bothered her.

“Vivi, the weather is nice today, isn’t it?”

Today, too, she was heading to town with the Madame. Each held a basket containing thread and needles. A few days ago, thanks to the Madame’s introduction, she joined a knitting group in town.

Most of the women in the village were part of that group. With their help, she challenged herself to make more difficult lace.

“……”

She felt eyes on her again. Thinking she was okay recently, she had let her guard down… When she stopped walking, the Madame and her son, who were ahead, looked back at her.

“Vivi?”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Was it really Sampio watching me?

This village wasn’t suitable for living. Hence, she had been looking for a house to move to, considering her limited funds, since yesterday.

If there was no place to move, a convent wouldn’t be a bad choice. Especially a cloistered convent, which would be perfect for hiding.

“Vivi, would you like a cup of coffee?”

As soon as they arrived in town, the Madame suggested. She looked at the small café the Madame pointed to.

Come to think of it, she had heard from the owner on the first day that there was a café here.

“Sure.”

“The coffee there is surprisingly good.”

The Madame and Vivi entered the café. She thought they would leisurely kill time with a cup of coffee until the workshop started.

“……”

“……”

She encountered someone she shouldn’t have met here.

“Vivi, what kind of coffee would you like… Vivi?”

“…Meow!”

Irini, who was in the boy’s arms, jumped up. Irini wagged her tail and went over to that person.

“……”

Her eyes met Costance’s.

Sir Costance’s eyes wavered anxiously as he spotted her.

His face twisted slightly, then immediately relaxed. Costance stood there with a face suppressing his emotions. Then he slowly parted his tightly closed lips.

“…It’s a coincidence, Vivi.”

It was too much of a coincidence to say they met in a quiet café in the southern rural village far from the capital.