6. Something That May Have Happened

“Annelie!”

Nelie straightened her back and waved at Mrs. Mora’s shout while passing through the field. After patting her numb back from being bent over for so long, the woman continued with a generous smile.

“Come by later and take some rye bread! I made too much and have plenty left!”

“Yes! I definitely will!”

Nelie nodded with a smile. Villagers passing by greeted her with a word or two. Have a good day, how is your father’s health, are you still drawing illustrations……

Nelie answered each question while looking around. The wheat field, now in harvest season, sparkled brilliantly. Tina, who had been harvesting wheat with her, nodded happily while looking at the pile of wheat in the corner.

“Thanks, Nelie. Thanks to you, we’ll finish much faster than expected.”

“Don’t mention it, Tina. We’re friends, so of course I should help.”

Tina had always stuck close to Nelie before she left for Tevant. She supported Nelie’s goals more than anyone, saw her off at the train station when she left, and welcomed her back without questions when she suddenly returned to her hometown.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. I think I can still manage.”

“…And the baby?”

Nelie shifted her gaze to Tina’s belly. Married early like many rural women right after coming of age, her belly was modestly swollen. It was a gift from the past season while Nelie was away.

Nelie whispered while looking at the round belly that seemed ready to move at any moment.

“I hope the baby is born healthy.”

“Of course. Both the father and I are healthy.”

“Still. I should go to church soon and offer prayers.”

“Thank you just for saying that. But now that I think about it……”

Eventually, Tina leaned toward Nelie with a secretive expression. It was the mischievous look they had when they were teenagers, gossiping about which village boy was better, which one had bad rumors, which one had a good body. Nelie was about to smile, pleased by that unchanging face.

“Nelie. What about you?”

Nelie froze momentarily at the sudden question, then smiled gently again and turned her gaze away. Tina clicked her tongue watching her.

“Someone like you could really catch a decent man.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m telling you, I could introduce you to a useful man. Of course, after seeing all those stylish city men, you probably won’t be satisfied with the guys from this village……”

“I’m really fine, Tina.”

“Nelie. I hate to say this, but… having a husband would make taking care of your father easier too, you know.”

Hearing those words, Nelie lowered her head.

Nelie’s father, who had been bedridden when she left for the city, was still confined to his sickbed. With help from caring neighbors, he could occasionally walk a little, but even that didn’t last long before he had to lie down again.

Nelie felt guilty whenever she saw her father like this. She felt she had returned without accomplishing anything, only causing her father worry.

However, when her father saw Nelie’s return with surprised eyes, instead of questioning what had happened, he held his daughter’s hand and stroked it for a long time. He also scolded her with affectionate reproach, asking why she hadn’t sent letters more often.

“…I’m sorry, I……”

“If you’re healthy, that’s all that matters, Nelie.”

That ended the conversation between father and daughter. Her father didn’t ask anything more. Not why she came back so soon, or if she had gained anything. Nelie was deeply grateful to her father for this.

Afterward, Nelie spent her days helping with household chores in other homes or handling small jobs like illustration work from other villages. Her days were busy taking care of her father and looking for work. Tina continued speaking.

“You’re still so young, Nelie.”

“……”

“Taking care of your father is important, but you should think about yourself too.”

Grateful for the sincere concern in her eyes, Nelie smiled softly and replied.

“…Things will get better when we receive payment for selling the land.”

“That’s true, but… it’s not money coming in right away.”

During the few months Nelie was away from her hometown, numerous changes had occurred.

Just like the Tevant family, there were several nobles and businessmen in the provinces who moved quickly. They wanted to densely expand the existing railways. They selected several promising locations as intermediate stations and planned to transform these areas into new cities after completely overhauling them.

They planned to demolish the low houses clustered together and the old city walls, building modern brick buildings in their place, replacing wheat fields with theaters or opera houses, and constructing factories where isolated hunter cabins once stood.

Nelie’s hometown was also included in the areas to be redeveloped. Shortly after her return, rumors spread that a businessman was buying up the entire region. The news was that since this area wasn’t far from the border, they planned to build a large station and develop it into a trading city. Even the local lord was reportedly preparing to sell land to this businessman.

Proving these words, well-dressed individuals began going around to each house, buying people’s land and homes.

Nelie’s printing shop had already been sold in this process. The neighboring village printer who had taken her father’s printing shop had squandered his fortune on gambling and sold everything—land, house, and printing shop—to the businessman. Unable to quit gambling, he fled one night, leaving no place to confront him.

Though it pained her heart to think of the workshop that could no longer be recovered, she felt better thinking that the compensation from selling their house could be used entirely for her father’s medical treatment. The problem was that the amount wasn’t large, requiring her to constantly take on odd jobs. Tina continued clicking her tongue.

“I’m telling you, having a husband to work with you would make things much easier.”

“Tina.”

“Think about it. I feel terrible seeing you struggle alone. You don’t realize it, but there were many boys who liked you since childhood. They won’t find a beauty like you even if they search the entire village.”

“……”

“It’s still true. There are men who would come with rings and propose handsomely if you said yes.”

Ring.

A memory seared through one side of her head like a burn. The memory of that bite mark on her ring finger. And the precious ring casually placed over it.

“Just accept reality. You have nothing to lose.”

“Rather, from your perspective, I think it’s quite a stroke of luck, Miss Heich.”

“What’s so difficult? Just accept what’s given and smile. Especially precious things like this.”

Finally, words like glass shards that scratched her heart sharply, leaving wounds.

Nelie quickly shook her head to erase the memory. Holding onto those words served no purpose. They were memories better forgotten.

Gathering her thoughts, Nelie deliberately tried to change the subject. The wheat field, still with plenty of harvest left, swayed with a swooshing sound. Watching it, Nelie opened her mouth.

“It feels strange to think this harvest will be the last.”

“I know. We’ve lived here all our lives, growing wheat and running the mill.”

Tina didn’t hide her bittersweet feelings. Nelie looked at her and asked,

“Has your family decided to sell the land too?”

“Ah. Actually, it’s already sold. Soon the wheat field will be cleared and other buildings will stand. Probably a bank or something.”

“It really feels strange.”

“I know. A bank. It really doesn’t fit.”

“To think even rural villages like this are changing one by one.”

A moment of silence followed those words. Tina, who seemed to be taking her time, carefully asked.

“Setting aside men… you’ll have to move, right? Since you’ve sold both land and house.”

“That’s right.”

“Have you decided where to go?”

“Considering father’s condition, I don’t think we can go far.”

Nelie recalled her father weakly coughing in bed this morning and gave a bitter smile. Day by day, her father’s condition worsened rather than improved. Her heart felt heavy, like a stone had been placed on her chest. What would she do if her father’s condition didn’t improve even after using all the compensation money for treatment?

‘This way…’

She felt ashamed again for returning without gaining anything. She wanted to return proudly, reclaim the printing shop, and take her father to a better place. She wanted to find a good doctor and make him healthy.

In the end, she returned empty-handed after tasting only bitterness. Her father said repeatedly that it was enough that she was safe, that everything was fine, but……

‘I’m not fine.’

Should she have gotten something from the Duke? Since she was treated as a mistress anyway, should she have obtained substantial material compensation?

She knew she couldn’t have done that anyway. In the end, it was just another memory tied to the Duke. Her effort to shake it off proved futile.

Nelie slightly clasped her hands together, thinking of the day she left Tevant. The last moment she saw the Duke came vividly to mind.

“There’s no need to deny it. You’re definitely my mistress. Aren’t you?”

Those words, following the memory of the ring, wounded Nelie’s heart for the second time today.

In truth, she knew it herself. That she could be seen as his mistress.

Looking solely at their relationship, it was an undeniable fact. A mere commoner girl from a printing house family, not some noble lady, provided her body and various pleasures to the Duke and received much in return. To others, it would have appeared like she was a noble’s concubine or mistress.

However, part of Nelie’s mind implicitly knew this fact but ignored it. She didn’t even consider it shameful and surrendered herself to the Duke’s outstretched hand. She liked how such a beautiful person looked down at her with heated eyes, and she liked the rare moments of tenderness amid his daily harsh words. Just seeing his smile made her feel like feathers were tickling her stomach, and a large cotton candy rolling inside her chest was slowly melting. Her mouth felt sweet even without eating anything.

But it hurt to have the truth confirmed by the Duke.

No matter how much she had avoided reality, to him she was just a mistress. Not a special existence, just one of his many lovers or concubines he could play with.

“I can’t stand seeing my mistress wearing cheap things.”