Chapter 10.4

A fog, whose origins were unclear, had blanketed the square in a hazy mist. Luette, staring sharply out the window, soon spotted a young man loitering in front of a printing house. That must be Oliver Herpothy, the author.  

When the Trovill family’s carriage came to a stop, the young man hurriedly approached and bowed deeply from the waist.  

“You’ve arrived—… Who are you?”  

“Oliver Herpothy?”  

“Yes, I’m Oliver Herpothy, but…”  

“I’m Luette Trovill. I’ve come in place of my mother.”  

“Ah…”  

“The work will proceed without issue, so don’t worry.”  

The flustered Oliver Herpothy finally nodded with a clear, relieved expression.  

As they entered the agreed-upon printing house, the owner drew black curtains as soon as everyone was inside. Despite having received a substantial payment to print the manuscript, he appeared terrified of being noticed by anyone else.  

Such was the overwhelming influence of the Heston Dowager Madame—even in this shabby alley of printing houses.  

Luette glanced briefly at the manuscript in his hand before handing it to the unreliable-looking owner.  

“How long will it take?”  

“To meet the requested volume, it should take a few hours…”  

The owner consulted his pocket watch. It was already 4 a.m. He had promised to return by morning.  

“Do it as quickly as possible.”  

“Yes, Earl.”  

As soon as the manuscript was handed over, Philip quickly pulled Luette toward a corner of the printing house.  

“This is madness. You’re wasting money and ruining your reputation at the same time.”  

Philip had been of the same opinion since they left the Duke’s residence. He had tried countless times to dissuade Luette during the journey. Truly, he was a loyal retainer of the ducal household.  

“Look at the author. Does he inspire trust? Do you believe everything he says?”  

Philip glanced sideways at Oliver Herpothy, who was sitting straight-backed behind the printing house owner, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the man’s actions.  

Luette’s gaze, which had briefly swept over the young man, returned to his loyal retainer.  

“At the very least, he’s not someone trying to exploit his sibling to disgrace the Dowager Madame.”  

“And that’s precisely the problem. Even if this manuscript is revealed to the world, who would dare criticize the Dowager Madame? The only person who’ll be blamed for this insane act is—”  

“What the old woman did to my wife is what’s truly insane.”  

Philip was left speechless by the calm retort, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.  

“And the fact that all those atrocities have gone unspoken until now is equally insane.”  

“…”  

“Don’t worry. I won’t die.”  

Philip wanted to argue how he could joke in such a situation, but all he could do was sigh. The man’s uncharacteristic smirk made it clear that his resolve was unshakable.  

***

She woke up coughing. Something thick and choking seemed lodged in her throat. Rising carefully, Solnia placed her feet on the floor. Thanks to her caution over the past few days, the pain in her ankle had significantly subsided.  

Approaching the table, she drank the water Linda had left behind earlier to soothe her throat, but it was only temporary. The coughing returned, harsher this time. Breathing became increasingly difficult.  

A growing sense of unease began to take shape.  

Would some fresh air help?  

Holding the now-empty glass, Solnia opened the bedroom door. And froze in place.  

The first-floor entrance was ablaze. The fire, which had started outside, had already consumed the front door and was now devouring the dried flowers decorating the walls.  

Am I dreaming? Could I still be asleep?  

But the sound of something cracking loudly snapped her back to reality. The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor with a sharp clatter.  

The heat, palpable even from this distance, was unmistakably real.  

“Iela! Angie!”  

She called out desperately, but there was no sign of the maids. Clutching the banister, Solnia began descending the stairs one step at a time. She couldn’t even feel whether her ankle hurt or not. Her hands gripping the railing and her trembling legs shook uncontrollably.  

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Solnia covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve and headed toward the servants’ quarters located behind the staircase.  

When she flung open the closed door, the sight before her made her hair stand on end. Beyond the brightly colored curtains decorating the window, flames were already flickering. Iela and Angie were lying in bed—no, they appeared to be sleeping.  

“Angie, wake up! Iela!”  

She shook them frantically and pressed her ear to their mouths. A faint groan escaped Angie’s lips. Iela was the same.  

Scanning the room, Solnia spotted a large water jug under the bed and quickly grabbed it. Her hands trembled violently as she did.  

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.  

Her body felt like it was about to shut down completely. Breathing became harder, and a faint headache began to creep in.  

“Madam…? Young Madam…”  

A weak voice made her turn her head. Iela had managed to open her eyes with great difficulty.  

“Are you awake? The villa is on fire. We need to get out immediately.”  

The mention of fire seemed to jolt Iela awake. She struggled to her feet, while Angie remained unconscious. Solnia hoisted Angie’s limp arm over her shoulder and stood up.  

“We must escape quickly…”  

As she opened the door, Solnia froze, unable to even scream.  

The bright red flames had spread to the base of the stairs she had just descended. Smoke billowed between the fire engulfing the floor and ceiling.  

Though it was the dead of night with no lights on, the villa was unbearably bright.  

Too bright.  

“Young Madam, cough, this way, this way… cough.”  

Iela slung Angie’s other arm over her shoulder.  

“To the living room balcony. We have to get out.”  

By now, the villa was completely surrounded by flames. The balcony was the only place untouched. Beyond it was a sloped rocky path leading to the river.  

As they navigated around the back of the stairs toward the living room, the fire, which had spread so easily, grew large enough to reach the ceiling, rapidly closing in on the three women.  

Even from a distance, the heat was unbearable. Her vision began to blur.  

Solnia gritted her teeth and forced herself to move forward. If she let her guard down for even a moment, she felt as though she would collapse in despair. Her hands and feet were trembling uncontrollably, her heart pounded as if it would burst, and she could barely hear Iela’s voice. It felt as though her past trauma had come alive, clawing at her insides like a fateful encounter.  

“Young Madam, this way…!”  

“Go ahead. Take Angie and go.”  

They had just reached the balcony when she heard another loud crack.  

Solnia turned instinctively.  

“Young Madam!!!” 

Iela’s piercing scream rang out as the ceiling collapsed toward her.  

***

Luette Trovill left the printing house around 7 a.m., just as the dawn sky began to brighten faintly.  

The printing process was halfway done. His mother had ordered an enormous quantity, intending to distribute the memoir across the entire capital. The machines had been running non-stop, and the hum of their noise still seemed to echo in his ears.  

He entrusted Philip with the remaining work and boarded the carriage. The printed manuscripts would be included as supplements in the newspapers scheduled for distribution the next morning.  

“Shall we return to the Duke’s residence?”  

“No. To the villa. Quickly.”  

“Yes, Sir.”  

The coachman closed the door, and the carriage began moving shortly after. Out of habit, Luette reached for a cigar and placed it between his lips.  

He felt restless. Even though he knew they would reach the villa by lunchtime if they left now, he couldn’t shake the feeling.  

The woman would probably glare at him with her sharp, beautiful eyes, deliberately making them look harsher.  

‘Thanks to you, I had to eat breakfast alone. Thank you.’  

She would say such words in a voice that wasn’t hateful at all. And the foolish self would grin stupidly, even finding that endearing.  

As he indulged in such trivial imaginings, his heart seemed to settle a little.  

When he opened the window, the cool morning air of the capital brushed past him.