002.

Three chunks of thoroughly boiled meat rolled in the pot as chopped vegetables tumbled in. Radilt poured milk delivered at dawn around the vigorously boiling broth. Then she hung hard bread over the steaming pot. Exposing it to steam would make it somewhat softer and easier to eat. It also tasted better than dissolving it completely in water.

Radilt stepped away from the hot fire and leaned against the wall. After that brief moment of rest, she took out the dishes.

A stew bowl, bread plate, and spoon. That was all. Breakfast would be similar to lunch and dinner. Originally, eggs, sausage, cheese, and occasionally fresh fish would appear on the table, but that would be impossible for a while. She needed to scrape together every penny to pay the remaining balance for her sister-in-law’s dress.

She placed the softened bread on plates and stirred the pot with a ladle. One piece of meat for each bowl. The three pieces of meat found their places, and the fourth empty stew bowl naturally belonged to Radilt.

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

She neatly arranged the food on the wooden table and untied her apron. Morning sunlight filtered hazily through the window. The windows of the house adjacent to the commercial road easily became dirty. She needed to clean them regularly to see outside properly.

And that wasn’t all—there were so many places requiring attention. If just one of those idle hands helped, things would be much better. Should she ask her mother-in-law, who was difficult to approach? Her sister-in-law, who only thought about leaving this shabby house? Her brother-in-law, whom she’d be grateful if he didn’t bring debt collectors home? Impossible even in her wildest dreams.

“Mother, the meal is ready.”

After preparing the simple breakfast, Radilt called the family members. Her mother-in-law came first and sat at the head of the table. Erite also came down yawning, but Garden didn’t even answer.

“What are you doing? Go bring the child.”

Merdea said before Radilt could even sit down. Radilt quickly went to her brother-in-law’s room and knocked on the door. Garden, who had crawled in drunk at dawn, came out with an expression of extreme annoyance and sat at the table.

“There’s nothing to eat. Sister-in-law, don’t call me if you’re going to serve this.”

Garden carelessly stirred the stew, snatched out only the meat to eat, and went back to his room with bread in his hand. Seeing this, her mother-in-law clicked her tongue.

“He’s right. How can a grown man survive on this?”

This is all because of your daughter’s dress. Radilt retorted only in her mind as she silently took her seat.

‘……It tastes bad.’

She took a spoonful of stew, but unlike usual, it wouldn’t go down well. The taste and aroma of yesterday’s meal still lingered in her mind. Still, she had to go to work, so she forced it all down. Her mother-in-law left, leaving the empty dishes on the table.

“Thank you for the meal, sister-in-law.”

Erite at least thanked her. Though she too left quickly without any intention of getting her hands wet.

Radilt cleaned up alone and prepared to leave. Greeting the morning no different from any other day, dressed in her usual clothes, last night felt truly like a momentary dream. Not a sweet one, but one with a bitter taste.

* * *

“Be careful coming down! Do you know how much that costs per box?”

“They all arrived at dawn today. See for yourself how fresh they are.”

Walking through busy cargo wagons, Radilt reached the commercial district already overflowing with lively sounds. Her destination was a wholesale market situated in a corner of the capital’s commercial districts.

“Hello, Lady Randit.”

A cart in front of the shop was piled with all kinds of flowers. Some cut at dawn, some cut right after blooming in the early morning, some still holding last night’s dew.

In the countryside, flowers were just wild plants, neither cultivated nor purchased, but the capital was different. They not only decorated tables but entire mansions, were worn in hair or on chests, and exchanged as gifts.

Moreover, hundreds of carts of flowers poured through the capital’s gates daily as ingredients for various fragrances. Radilt had learned to select and trim flowers while helping with her husband’s perfume workshop, which made it relatively easy for her to get this job.

“We’ve received an unusually large amount of Caricana today. Shall I start sorting them?”

Large, clean, and pretty ones for decoration; damaged or withered ones for materials.

Lady Randit approached Radilt, who was putting on her apron and lifting flower stems with practiced ease, wearing a troubled expression.

“Um, Radilt.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t need to come to work anymore. My cousin has agreed to help out. It’s not a big shop, and we don’t lack hands.”

Two leaf-green eyes grew round with surprise.

“Ah…… I, I see……”

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it is. Since you’ve done well until now, I’ll give you something extra. Thank you for everything.”

“……Thank you. I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Radilt bowed and removed her apron. Lady Randit apologized again and handed her a week’s wages. Radilt felt grateful for the generous gesture, knowing it was common to be fired without notice or payment.

Though she regretted leaving kind Lady Randit’s shop, with spring in full bloom, flower-trimming hands would be in short supply. She thought finding a new job wouldn’t be difficult, but.

“This year’s harvest isn’t as good as usual.”

“We just hired a new worker yesterday.”

“Well, she doesn’t look like she’d work well.”

No matter where she went in the vast market, no one would hire Radilt. Finally, exhausted, she sat down on a desolate flowerbed in the corner of the market and patted her aching legs.

‘……Still, I can survive for a week. It’s fine.’

Her heavy pocket provided small comfort. She could surely find something within a week.

Radilt watched people passing by, rested briefly, then stood again. She needed to prepare lunch before going to her afternoon job. She walked diligently home, but no one welcomed her. Everyone seemed to have gone out.

Thinking it was more convenient this way, Radilt ate a simple meal and left home again. Her afternoon workplace was a perfume workshop in the bustling district. Here too, what she had learned from her husband proved valuable in securing the job.

‘Lushen……’

Walking along the main road, Radilt stopped out of habit. Across the street, she spotted a shop with a sign reading “Fredo Sentangs Perfume.”

Baron Fredo Sentangs, her husband’s brother who had taken everything—the title, all assets except the house, even the perfume workshop. Whenever she encountered the sign he had replaced, Radilt’s heart ached painfully.

Even after many more years, even when she would lie in her coffin with white hair, it would remain a painful sight.

The hope she once held in her heart had disappeared along with the old sign. Radilt slowly turned her head. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Don’t hold onto useless attachments, she repeated the phrase she always muttered to herself, and upon arriving at her workplace….

“……What?”

“So you don’t need to come anymore.”

She ended up being thrown out of her afternoon job as well. Seeing Radilt’s confused expression, Baran, the owner of Conet Perfume Shop, avoided her gaze guiltily.

“Ahem, my cousin will be working instead of you, Mrs. Brill…… I’ll give you enough money to live on for a while.”

“……Your cousin? You’ll give me extra money…?”

She had heard similar words this morning.

Radilt stared at Baran with wide eyes. Unlike Lady Randit, Baran was a miser. He was the type of man who wouldn’t easily give even a single coin to an employee suddenly dismissed.

“Yes, here! O-one week’s… wages! Damn it.”

Baran extended a small pouch of money with trembling hands. Another week’s wages.

Radilt accepted the money with a sour expression. Baran waved his hand for her to leave quickly and went back inside the shop. The bell jingled as the door closed. Radilt stared blankly at the perfume shop.

‘……Strange.’

Fired with the same excuse that a cousin would work instead, and given the same one week’s wages.

Radilt carefully recalled both situations. Nowhere in the market would anyone hire her after she lost her job. Though she hadn’t tried yet, she had a gut feeling that the same thing would repeat in this street, and simultaneously.

“Sir Duston.”

He came to mind.

‘In your circumstances.’

The words he had carelessly thrown when she refused sponsorship. Those deeply sunken dark eyes….

“……Haha.”

A hollow laugh escaped her. He was a man who had manipulated her from beginning to end as he pleased. Would he have graciously accepted a woman’s nonsense about not taking sponsorship?

No. Absolutely not.

Radilt bit her lip hard. Her words would have held no value to him. He must have ignored them. Surely he had discarded the poor widow’s livelihood like throwing away trash.

Her insides burned hot. No tears came. Instead, anger surged up. Blazing red rage ignited, a feeling she couldn’t remember when she had last experienced.

Radilt turned around. She headed straight toward where that man would be.

“This is it……”

Tall, pristine white walls stretched along the road. In the unfamiliar street, Radilt had to ask repeatedly for directions.

Fortunately, many people knew where Pendlore Duston’s mansion was. In a district filled with magnificent mansions, Count Duston’s stood out as remarkably enormous.

‘……Sir Duston’s home.’

Facing the grand iron gate, she felt her body instinctively shrink. But Radilt approached the gatekeeper without losing her nerve. After all, she was outwardly Count Duston’s lover. Wasn’t visiting a lover’s home normal and natural?

“Excuse me.”

Radilt said, composing her voice.

“Please tell Sir Duston that Radilt Brill has come to see him.”

“Please wait a moment.”