Chapter 34 – The Free Street

At the entrance, the staff handed me a veil.

“Would you like to wear this before going inside?”

“Why?”

“You don’t have to if it’s uncomfortable… It’s just a custom that somehow got established.”

Seeing the staff’s awkward smile, I put on the veil without further question. Indeed, once inside, I immediately understood why. The scenery inside was completely different from the outside.

“So, the veil is worn by married women here?”

“…Mostly, yes.”

Outside, widows in black dresses and veils lived quietly, like shadows. Here, they threw off their veils and laughed and chatted. It looked almost like a social gathering, so unfamiliar and striking to me.

Meanwhile, women like me wearing white veils walked around silently like ghosts. They seemed not to want to attract attention, not even speaking. Adjusting my veil, I chuckled. I recalled my mother’s comment that the secret vault was mainly used by women having affairs. The staff must have given me the veil to prevent any misunderstanding.

As I sat at the counter waiting for the staff to prepare my account certificate, I eavesdropped on the conversations of other widows. They were discussing business and romance without hesitation, as if they had gained true freedom after their husbands died.

Well, legally, remarriage wasn’t forbidden. The reason they insisted on living as widows was ultimately for economic independence. Remarrying would forfeit their widow’s property and subject them to a new husband’s control.

“You’ve waited long enough. Here is the full account certificate for you.”

I took the documents the staff handed me, put them in my bag, and said quietly,

“I need a secret vault.”

“The deposit for opening a secret vault is 1,000 lead…”

“Deduct it from the medal pension account. Ah, I don’t have cash right now; can I withdraw today?”

“Yes, you can.”

I wrote the desired amount on the paper and signed it. While the staff counted the coins to ensure the amount was correct, they handed me a small key instead of documents. It was a plain, ordinary-looking key with an alphanumeric serial number.

“Our bank’s secret vaults guarantee perfect secrecy by not keeping records of the owner’s identity. Each vault has only one key, and this key is the sole condition for opening it.”

“What if I lose the key?”

“Then you lose the vault. If you fail to renew the contract within a year due to key loss, the vault is destroyed as a principle to maintain secrecy.”

The conditions seemed advantageous only to the bank. Yet, for women who had difficulty holding personal accounts without a guardian’s consent, even this was precious. The setup cost alone was 1,000 lead. With that money, a commoner could live comfortably for a year.

“Anything else I can help you with?”

“No.”

I stepped back from the counter and spoke to a maid waiting nearby.

“Could I have a cup of tea like those people?”

“Please wait a moment.”

I glanced inside the door the maid had entered. It led to a narrow corridor used by the staff. Confirming the maid had entered the nearest room, I immediately walked across the corridor. Through the open doors, I saw busy staff, but none paid attention to me walking outside.

Since it was the ground floor, finding an exit was easy. I just had to walk towards the light. Someone I passed called out to me.

“Excuse me, ma’am. This is the staff entrance…”

“I got lost. Could you help me? I’m in a hurry to leave.”

Seeing me in a veil, the staff hesitated briefly. I spoke irritably on purpose.

“Why? Is there no way out here?”

“Oh, no. Did you come by carriage?”

“No. Call a rental carriage for me.”

I shamelessly said that and handed the staff some coins. After a moment’s hesitation, he led me outside.

I rode the carriage the staff had hailed to the shopping street. Immediately upon arriving, I went into a general store where nobles wouldn’t visit, donned a hat with a black veil and a black shawl, and disguised myself as a widow. Then, pretending to be an ordinary fan, I bought a bouquet and headed to the theater where Isabella worked.

Isabella was a popular actress, but I didn’t worry about meeting her. As I expected, she came to find me. She must have sensed my magic.

“Isabella.”

My heart had been racing since earlier. As the distance closed and Isabella seemed to realize who I was, I grabbed her hand and whispered softly,

“Du-Duchess Keppel?”

“Isabella. I need a favor.”

“What?”

“Can you change my face?”

Isabella looked at me in shock and took a step back.

“Please. You’re the only wizard who can help me.”

“Let’s go to my private dressing room.”

Isabella, fearing being exposed as a wizard, cautiously led me somewhere, glancing around at her colleagues. Once the door closed, I spoke quickly in a low voice.

“I’m dying. I’m an unawakened wizard, and my magic is running wild. Have you heard of magic runaway?”

“Yes.”

“I’m in a state where it’s amazing I’m still alive. The royalty of Laran said I should awaken as soon as possible if I want to live longer. With their help, I recently attempted a secret awakening, but it failed. My husband and family think I’m mad and are watching me. I just want to live…”

I desperately clung to Isabella.

“So, I ran away. But if I stay like this, they’ll catch me. Please, change my face. If I return after awakening, my family will understand. But if I go back now, I’ll live in fear, with a heart that could explode at any moment. Please…”

Though my request was desperate, Isabella couldn’t refuse outright. In the dream I had last night, Isabella eventually helped me.

In the dream, she, as a wizard who had worked in the shadows for a long time, seemed to be displeased with the Empire’s prejudice against wizards.

Moreover, despite her significant contributions while actively helping Celia, she was disgruntled about not being included in the Imperial Wizard Corps simply because she was a woman. This seemed likely to be true in reality as well.

“So, your family is against you awakening?”

“…Yes.”

“Even Benjamin?”

When I nodded, Isabella frowned.

“They all think I’ll fail and die. But I… I used magic freely even in an unawakened state. Someone once said that was an incredible talent. If I had been born a man, my father would have sent me to study in Laran instead of Benjamin. But now, I’m no different from a Peko. My magic is rampaging uncontrollably, so I can’t use it, and I spend most of my days sedated and asleep. How is that different from death? Isabella, I don’t mind dying. I just want to become a real wizard. Does that make me sound crazy?”

If I had been a man, my father would have trained me as his heir instead of sending me abroad. But I had to say this to Isabella to make my plea more compelling. She once told me she had no intention of having children. This indicated her immense pride in being a wizard.

“I’ll pay the price.”

To seal the deal, I took out the medal pension account certificate from my bag. However, what I pulled out was the widow’s property certificate. I wondered why, as I had no dowry or widow’s property. Nevertheless, I found the medal pension certificate and handed it to Isabella.

“This is all I can offer for now. It’s the certificate for my medal pension account. With this, you can withdraw the pension from the bank using my face.”

“Your Grace…”

The look in Isabella’s eyes changed as she examined the amount. Is it said that the origin of magic is desire? In this world, besides magic, there is something else that fulfills desires: money. An annual income of 5,000 lead was an unimaginable amount for a mere actress. Her annual income was only 3,000 lead.

“Help me. Give me a chance not to die miserably as a Peko. Please…”

Isabella hesitated for a moment and then asked,

“Will you definitely return after awakening? Where will you stay until then?”

I shamelessly lied.

“Don’t worry about me. My friends agreed to help me. It won’t take long. Prince Raphael said I already knew how to use magic before, so my chances of awakening are high.”

I intentionally mentioned the Laran royal family to make her believe they were backing me. It seemed effective as Isabella stopped questioning me and handed me a common rosary. When I put it around my neck, my reflection in the mirror instantly transformed into a stranger’s face.

“This is my real face,” Isabella said, glaring at her reflection—now my face.

“I’ll give you my real identity card too. It’s hard to hide in the capital without one. And the magic in that necklace will only last for about a year, so you must return by then.”

The identity card bore the name Anne. So, this must be Isabella’s real name. As I changed into the commoner’s clothes Isabella gave me, I said,

“One more favor. Wear my clothes and leave the theater with my face to create an alibi.”

I changed my bag to an old one and left the theater. Then I went straight to a wig factory and sold my hair. I got a considerable amount of money. The long hair that reached my hips was now cut short, making me feel lighter. Humming, I walked through the streets. The free streets where no one recognized me.