Chapter 2.4

The dining table was covered with countless furniture and bedding catalogs.  

The catalogs were filled with pastel-colored furniture with simple designs, rather than the dark, outdated styles.  

The concubines huddled together, enthusiastically sharing their opinions as they flipped through the catalogs.  

“How about this desk?” 

Julietta asked over Lucia’s shoulder.  

“Oh, it’s made of that rare sandalwood.”  

“A desk should be custom-made.” 

Valeria shook her head.  

“How about ordering from the place that made my desk? It’s sturdy and has no wood grain, so it’s perfect for drawing blueprints.”  

“Sis! That’s so biased.” 

Julietta pouted.  

“You’re favoring scientists too much. Why didn’t you recommend that nice desk to me?”  

“I did. You said that if you were a playwright, you’d absolutely need a roll-top desk, and you refused it.”  

“How about this bed? It looks soft.”  

Thea, sitting beside Lucia, pointed at a piece of furniture.  

Though they were choosing furniture for Lucia’s bedroom, they debated as passionately as if they were selecting their own.  

After an hour-long meeting, they finally settled on the last piece of furniture.  

“A bed, wardrobe, desk, chair…” 

Julietta read off the order form.  

“Why is it so modest? Lucia, the budget is unlimited!”  

“This is all I need.”  

“I thought you’d be extravagant since you’re from the upper class. I’m disappointed.”  

Julietta brought out fashion catalogs and spilled them onto the table.  

“I don’t need clothes. What I have now is enough—”  

“Bud. Get. Un. Lim. Ited!”  

And so, another two hours flew by.  

***

The stench of blood.  

Dirty shoes.  

Pain.  

She didn’t even have the strength to scream.  

As she tried to stand, her stomach was kicked again.  

Her body slammed into the wall, and a flash of red filled her vision.  

“Ahhh!”  

Lucia screamed as she woke up.  

Instead of uneven cobblestones, she was lying on a soft bed.  

Instead of the smell of blood, she inhaled the waxy scent of candles.  

Another nightmare.  

Sitting up, Lucia hugged her sweat-soaked body tightly.  

She took deep breaths, then froze as she touched her face.  

She wasn’t wearing her silencer.  

Even while staying at the Imperial Palace, she had suffered nightmares every night.  

Since entering the harem, she had made a silencer to avoid waking others.  

She had crafted it by layering thick fabric and attaching strings to hook over her ears, muffling her screams.  

But tonight, for the first time since coming to the harem, she had fallen asleep while reading and hadn’t worn the silencer.  

‘What do I do…’  

Lucia sighed, burying her head in her hands.  

Since arriving here, she felt like she kept making mistakes.  

Though the researchers overlooked her small blunders or helped her fix them, she knew their goodwill wouldn’t last forever if she kept acting foolish.  

A knock sounded at the door.  

Lucia held back a sigh, threw on her robe, and opened it.  

Celeste stood there, expressionless.  

“I’m sorry—”  

She cut Lucia off and asked abruptly, 

“Do you have rats?”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“In summer, sometimes rats crawl out. You screamed, so I thought it might be a rat.”  

“…It’s not that—”  

“Come downstairs.”  

Without waiting for a response, Celeste turned and led the way.  

When Lucia hesitated and arrived at the kitchen, Celeste was already taking a kettle off the stove.  

Gesturing for Lucia to sit at the table, Celeste poured tea into two cups.  

Lucia took a sip.  

Despite the honey, the strong, earthy smell couldn’t be masked.  

“Think of it as medicine and drink it.” 

Celeste said.  

“When I first came here, Thea gave me this. She said it would stop the nightmares.”  

Now that she thought about it, Thea had brewed this tea for her a few days ago.  

“She has an eerie intuition.” 

Celeste explained, responding to Lucia’s unspoken thoughts.  

“She entered the harem when she was barely a teenager, so she didn’t have many opportunities to interact with people. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”  

Lucia finished her tea.  

Her mind felt clearer, yet her body grew sluggish.  

Tracing the wet rim of her cup with her finger, she heard Celeste ask, 

“Is something wrong?”  

“…People are too kind to me.”  

Celeste, who had been staring at the ceiling with tired eyes, looked at Lucia.  

“This is what they call unconditional love. In a normal family, you would’ve received it from your parents. But for people like us, we never got the chance to experience it… It’ll feel strange at first.”  

“Celeste, did you…?”  

“It’s complicated. Have you heard of the Gravina Concert incident?”  

Lucia shook her head.  

“You really have no interest in society, huh? Well, that’s good. When I first came here, I felt suffocated being cut off from the outside world, but you won’t have that problem.”  

Celeste covered her yawning mouth with her pale, slender hand.  

“For me, I need two cups for it to work. Once you finish, turn off the lights and go upstairs.”  

“I’m sorry for waking you.”  

Lucia called out to Celeste’s retreating back.  

Celeste turned around at the doorway.  

“You’ll learn here that it’s better to say ‘thank you’ than ‘sorry.’ And you don’t need to run around trying to impress us.”  

“…Was it obvious?”  

“You’ve been turning the house upside down with your sick, not-yet-healed body, claiming you’re helping. Why do you think Reselda started locking all the rooms?”  

“I’m sorry—”  

Lucia searched for words other than an apology as she saw Celeste’s furrowed expression, but nothing came to mind.  

“Good night.”  

Celeste closed the kitchen door and headed upstairs.  

***

A few days later, the concubines went boating on the lake beside the harem.  

Though it was called a lake, it was so vast that it felt like the sea, with waves crashing against the shore.  

Reselda and Thea rowed while the other four struggled to maintain their balance so the narrow boat wouldn’t capsize.  

The once-clear waters of the lake had become murky with reeds and mud. They reached a small island in the middle of the lake.  

After disembarking, they climbed a steep hill, only to find that from the cliff’s edge, the lake stretched endlessly in all directions.  

Valeria looked at Lucia with a serious expression, then scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.  

“Did I give a speech before starting? I can’t remember. Ah, cruel time that steals my memory!”  

Celeste replied, 

“You’re only thirty-two, Valeria. Don’t overreact.”  

Julietta jumped excitedly.  

“Let me do it! Let me give the monologue! Please—ah!”  

Julietta once again experienced Celeste’s sharp hand.  

While this exchange took place, Lucia stared at the dark surface of the lake far below the cliff.  

They’re probably going to ask me to jump, as a show of courage or something. 

‘If I aim for this kind of parabola, I won’t hit the rocks with my head…’  

“Let’s begin the initiation ceremony.” 

Valeria said unexpectedly, her words not matching Lucia’s expectations at all.  

“Lucia, scream at the lake.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“Stand like this.”

Valeria turned Lucia’s body toward the lake.  

“Now scream.”  

“…Right now?”  

“Yes.”  

Lucia had been hit on the head with books for raising her voice, but no one had ever asked her to scream.  

‘Well, it’s better than jumping into the water.’  

Lucia opened her mouth.  

“Ah?”  

She uttered a small exclamation and glanced at the concubines.  

Reselda asked disapprovingly, 

“‘Ah?’ Are you asking a question? I said scream.”  

Lucia opened her mouth again.  

“Ah!”  

This time, her cry was about as loud as stomping her foot. It quickly faded away.  

“Think of your voice hitting that rock over there.” 

Julietta said, pointing at a stone protruding above the lake’s surface.  

Lucia took a deep breath and screamed.  

The birds resting by the lakeshore startled and flew away.  

“Ahhhhh!”  

“Louder.”  

“Ahhhhhhh!”  

This time, it sounded like glass cracking. She felt scared for a moment but couldn’t stop.  

“Louder!”  

Lucia screamed again.  

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”  

The shackles around her lungs shattered, allowing her to breathe freely for the first time.  

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”  

Her unending scream stirred the water into stronger waves.  

Her throat grew hoarse as her cries turned into beast-like howls.  

Years of pent-up loneliness, sorrow, and rage poured out as she screamed with her entire body.  

Her body trembled, drenched in sweat, as she sobbed uncontrollably.  

And then, warmth enveloped her.  

Lucia sobbed freely, trembling in the embrace of the concubines.  

***

“What kind of monster is this!”  

Julietta threw down her cards and shouted.  

Lucia swept the pile of pebbles in the middle of the table toward herself.  

Julietta pointed accusingly.  

“You said you’ve never played Scopa before. You lied!”  

“I’ve never played it, but I’ve seen others play.”  

Reselda commented, 

“It’s still better than playing with Thea. She’s so naïve she lets everyone see her cards.”  

Freed from the obligation of playing cards, Thea smiled playfully at Reselda from the sofa, where she was reading a book.  

“Lucia.” 

Valeria interrupted, putting down the letter she had been reading.  

“They’re having trouble with the pulleys at the Credenf construction site again. Do you have any suggestions?”  

“They’re using block and tackle right now, aren’t they? Considering the building’s height, belt and pulley would be better. I’ll draw up a design for you by noon tomorrow.”  

Thea suddenly gave her a wounded look.  

Lucia corrected herself, 

“Oh, I mean by tomorrow afternoon. I promised Thea I’d learn how to extract poison from Western boneset tomorrow morning.”  

Satisfied, Thea returned to her book while Celeste urged Lucia, 

“Lucia, it’s your turn.”  

The parlor was filled with warm conversations, as comforting as the orange glow from the fireplace.