【 Prologue – Night of Shadows 】

Oscar called another woman’s name while embracing Jacqueline.

“Haah… Claire.”

He repeated the name like he was grinding it between his teeth while continuing his movements, showing no consideration for his partner, merely venting his frustrations. As he approached climax, the face becoming clearer in his mind was that of his former fiancée.

Oscar traced the face that bore traces of tears. His fingertips lingered on the damp cheekbone, moved across the hollow cheek, and settled on the lips. He inserted his finger between the lips that exhaled shallow breaths. Oscar imagined Claire crying with shame and humiliation as he repeatedly thrust his increasingly hardened member in and out.

Jacqueline grabbed Oscar’s forearm with a contorted face that looked on the verge of tears. She struggled, wanting to spit out both the finger scratching inside her mouth and the manhood probing below, but part of her hoped he wouldn’t stop. Even though she knew she was merely a substitute for another woman…

“Ah!”

It was a lustful sound even to her own ears.

No matter how much she tried not to feel pleasure, moans escaped her lips whenever he stimulated her most sensitive spot.

‘I hate this. I don’t want to know this. I don’t want to feel this.’

Jacqueline struggled to free herself from Oscar. In response, Oscar repeated movements like turning a screwdriver. It was a warning against her rebellious behavior, brutally stirring her narrow, delicate inner walls with his thick, ferocious manhood.

Jacqueline trembled and begged Oscar.

“Please… hng! S-stop!”

At her scream, Oscar paused his movements. His gray eyes stared directly at Jacqueline. When he looked at her this way, it seemed impossible that he couldn’t see.

“Don’t forget why I hired you.”

“…”

Oscar then demanded that she not say or do anything that would disturb his concentration. Jacqueline could only nod in understanding.

Each time the gas lamp’s light, precariously low on fuel, flickered between dim and bright, the shadows of the two bodies merged on the ceiling and walls. They moved all night like intertwined snakes.

* * *

【 Misfortune Needs No Reason 】

“Major General, we’ll arrive at the station soon. I’m told someone has been sent from your residence to receive you.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you for everything.”

“I should be thanking you, Terrence. I wish you only good fortune in your future.”

“Sir!”

The aide brought his feet together sharply and placed his right hand near his heart. Following his lead, every soldier on the train saluted the hero who had guided them through the final battle line. It was a magnificent sight to see the salute’s cry spread from the front to the rear of the train in an instant.

It was truly a wave of humanity. The crowd sang military songs desperately, trying to drive away the lingering effects and emptiness of war, while the hero who had lost both eyes exchanged a final farewell with them before disembarking.

Four years of civil war, five years of war with neighboring countries. Victory and peace had finally been achieved at the cost of youth that hadn’t even fully blossomed. Peace had finally come to the Republic, which had experienced continuous wars since the abolition of the monarchy.

When the train carrying the soldiers arrived, the station manager waved a blue flag. People began to gather gradually upon seeing the flag’s signal. Families who had sent their loved ones to the battlefield and worried about them began searching for familiar faces, each carrying their own stories. Upon finally confirming their survival, they shed tears of mixed joy and sorrow.

But not everyone experienced a touching reunion. Soldiers who couldn’t meet their families looked around with dark expressions. The tattered epaulets on their shoulders, indicating their blood type, were evidence that they had been on the border between life and death until recently.

Even while saying goodbye to comrades with whom he had shared life and death, one soldier continued searching for someone with his eyes. Then, seemingly giving up, he trudged toward the exit. A young-faced woman stopped him.

“Are you Zachary Hennessy?”

“Yes, but who are you?”

Meeting his sharp gaze full of military discipline, the woman smiled harmlessly and said:

“Forgive my late introduction. I’m Jacqueline Carroll. I came to meet you at Mrs. Hennessy’s request. She sent an express letter. Didn’t you receive it?”

“I thought my mother would come.”

“That was the plan. Mrs. Hennessy currently finds it difficult to go out.”

Alarmed by news of his mother, Zachary Hennessy urgently asked:

“What’s wrong with her? How serious is it?”

The joy of the war’s end was brief. After reading the letter from home, Zachary Hennessy lost his composure upon hearing about the factory that went bankrupt due to poor management and his father who abandoned the family and fled in the night.

It was fortunate that he received the letter the day after the peace agreement; otherwise, he might have become a deserter and ended up a wanted man. On the returning train, he drank rum alone, worrying about the future. 

Could he and his mother, who had lived her entire life like his father’s parrot, and himself, who had been a puppet controlled by his father, survive without his father?

He thought he should have died on the battlefield. Then his mother and siblings could have become independent with the compensation for his life. He had such thoughts throughout the journey.

But when the train finally arrived at its destination, Zachary Hennessy found himself looking for the faces of his beloved mother and siblings. He had hoped they might come to meet him, but gradually became disappointed, realizing that was unlikely. 

Then, when a strange woman approached and told him there was a problem with his mother, the thread of reason he had barely been holding onto finally snapped.

Zachary Hennessy asked threateningly:

“Miss Carroll, where is my mother?”

“Please calm down. It’s absolutely not a serious situation. She’s just feeling a bit under the weather. She didn’t want to risk worsening her condition by going out, so I came instead.”

“I-I’m sorry! I thought my mother was critically ill and panicked…”

“I understand.”

“I learned about our difficult family circumstances through letters. My mother and siblings must have faced hardships while I was away.”

“Mrs. Hennessy missed you terribly. Your siblings too. Here, you can meet your family at this address.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Though late, welcome home.”

Hearing those words, he finally felt like he had returned home. Only then did Zachary Hennessy carefully look at the woman standing before him. She had a fresh feeling about her, like a summer rose. 

Her long, flowing hair that reached her waist was a subtle red like the sunset. From a different angle, it appeared rose-colored.

Meeting her green eyes that had a calming effect, he suddenly became aware of his dirty, smelly appearance and felt embarrassment washing over him.

Zachary Hennessy regretted not having shaved on the train instead of just drinking, had he known he would meet such a beauty.

Staring blankly at Jacqueline, Zachary Hennessy quickly came to his senses when he heard the playful jeers of his comrade. After chasing away his annoying comrade, he apologetically asked Jacqueline for forgiveness.

“Please forgive my colleague’s rudeness just now.”

“Of course.”

Jacqueline smiled at him, noting his resemblance to Mrs. Hennessy. Unlike his father, the man with the kind impression was a polite, cultured gentleman to someone he had just met. Though her relationship with the Hennessy children had been brief, she had devoted herself to them, making the connection all the more poignant.

She had worried vaguely about whether Zachary Hennessy might be different from the children’s memories. Seeing him in person dispelled all doubts. 

So this was the eldest son of the Hennessy family whom the children trusted and relied on more than their father. That was a relief.

Having completed her task, Jacqueline bid farewell to Zachary Hennessy.

“Well, I should be going now.”

“Aren’t you accompanying me?”

To the confused Zachary Hennessy’s question, Jacqueline replied apologetically:

“I’d like to guide you, but I have something important to do today. There’s a map on the back of the address. Just follow it.”

“I’ve kept a busy person too long.”

“Not at all. Please tell Mrs. Hennessy I’ll visit soon.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to tell her. Please be careful on your way, the streets are crowded.”

Zachary Hennessy watched Jacqueline’s retreating figure with a regretful expression before checking the address written on the paper. His worn-out military boots took their first difficult step.

While jobs had gradually increased as the city devastated by war was being rebuilt, jobs available to women were still rare. Most women worked as domestic helpers in wealthy homes or as employees in textile factories.

Jacqueline was also someone who had started working at a textile factory right after leaving the orphanage. However, she didn’t want to end her life just doing dyeing and cleaning work at the textile factory.

Dreaming of becoming a teacher someday to teach children who, like herself, thirsted for knowledge, she frugally saved money and was able to enroll in a night vocational school eight years later. Since graduating from vocational school would earn her a teaching certificate, she spent her days studying toward that goal.

Occasionally, Jacqueline would write letters for colleagues who couldn’t read or fill out government documents for them. A middle manager who had carefully observed this recommended her for a nanny position at the Hennessy household. 

In upper-class families, it was common to hire nannies who had graduated from nanny training schools. However, Mr. Hennessy hired an unqualified nanny at a cheap price, claiming it would save money.

His thinking was: Since everyone except the eldest son who would inherit the family business was just a parasite living off his wealth, it didn’t matter who taught them as long as they acquired minimal refinement. Jacqueline was a nanny chosen for such reasons.