Chapter 3.5

Today, Aristide arrived at the harem on foot, bringing bread. Lucia was oiling the hinges of the front gate.  

Noticing him, she approached and spoke discreetly.  

“I’ve noticed that you have been visiting the harem almost daily lately, Your Majesty. I haven’t mentioned it to any other researchers. Don’t worry.”  

Aristide stared blankly at her serious face before realizing what she meant.  

She was referring to the incident where he had turned around Emperor Orestes’s portrait.  

“I know your lips are sealed.”  

“Then why have you been visiting?”  

“Hm? Oh… Ah! I’m leaving for a summit in the Buyon Empire the day after tomorrow, and I wanted to know if you needed anything.”  

Stars lit up in Lucia’s dark eyes as she eagerly asked him to buy the latest optical lenses, for which the Buyon Empire was famous.  

“How long will you be away, Your Majesty?”  

“Counting travel time, about a week?”  

“Then I won’t see you during that time.”  

“You sound disappointed.”  

Aristide raised his eyebrows playfully.  

“Indeed. It’s strange.”  

“Strange?”  

Her expression was so neutral it could have been taken as either a joke or sincerity.  

“Then I’ll ask the other researchers if they need anything and let you know, Your Majesty.”  

Oh no. I would have to bring three more carriages to carry all the supplies.  

He watched her retreating figure and called out.  

“Miss Bianchi.”  

She turned around, her body only half-turned, her face painted with light curiosity.  

“Take care.”  

She bowed her head in greeting.  

“Your Majesty, have a safe journey.”  

***

For the first time since Lucia began living in the harem, she and the other researchers decided to go out together to the city. After everyone finished preparing, they headed outside together.  

“Lucia, here.”  

Valeria handed her a red cloak with a hood.  

No one would recognize Lucia as the fallen heir of the Bianchi family, given that she hadn’t been part of society for several years. Furthermore, the identity of the new harem member was still a secret under Aristide’s orders.  

However, walking around with the harem members would make people easily guess that Lucia was the new concubine.  

If she went out alone, she could hide her identity effortlessly. But if she walked with them, she’d inevitably be branded as a member of the harem.  

Lucia refused the cloak.  

“I don’t want to hide.”  

It was a sense of camaraderie, perhaps.  

If they were to face dirty looks, they should endure them together; if they were to be stoned, they should face it together. She didn’t want to hide cowardly while the others bore the brunt.  

But Valeria said, 

“It’s okay, Lucia. You still call us ‘researchers’ and refer to this place as the ‘lab.’ It means you still dislike everything related to being a concubine.”  

Lucia’s face burned red.  

It was true.  

She still felt uncomfortable with the word and status of being a concubine.  

Julietta draped her arm over Lucia’s stiff shoulders.  

“Don’t worry! I wore that cloak for over a year. You’ll accept it eventually.”  

Lucia covered her flushed face with the hood.  

***

When they reached the bustling streets, people recognized Celeste and Reselda. However, no one openly insulted the Emperor’s women. They simply turned their heads and hurried past.  

With her face hidden, Lucia observed the passersby. Beneath the hood, she felt free.  

Nobody could see her expression.  

She even stuck her tongue out. No one noticed.  

She thought about her childhood.  

If she frowned because she was upset, they said she looked ugly. If she smiled because she was happy, they said she was frivolous.  

So she had tried not to show any emotions. It had been especially difficult for someone like Lucia, who had a fiery heart and always had something to say.  

Now, even standing in the middle of a crowded street at midday, she felt liberated by the anonymity the hood provided.  

Lucia whispered to Thea.  

“If people hate being stared at, why don’t they all wear these?”  

“It’s suffocating.”  

Perhaps it was a matter of taste.  

They bought pies Thea liked and ate them by the fountain. Afterward, they decided to spend some free time separately and meet back at the fountain in an hour.  

Lucia wandered the city streets alone. Concubines were always accompanied by bodyguards during outings, but the harem members found the guards’ presence humiliating and would slip away as soon as they rounded the harem’s outer wall.  

Looking back, she realized she was alone.  

It had been fun walking with them, but now that she was alone, she didn’t know what to do. She considered visiting Saper Bookstore to secretly see Mr. Saper, but she couldn’t risk being caught.  

Lucia accidentally walked into a dead-end alley. As she turned to leave—  

A carriage wheel splashed muddy water onto her face as it passed through a puddle.  

‘Damn it.’  

Lucia cursed, taking off her cloak and using its dry sleeve to wipe her face.  

The carriage stopped. A passenger stepped out.  

“Lucia Bianchi?”  

Lucia felt as if she had fallen into icy water.  

She looked up and met the eyes of her former fiancé, Ezio Siabon, Earl of Siabon.  

She remembered the cold grip of his hand on her flesh. The scent of his cologne filled the air, making her feel nauseous.  

“The wretched girl who ruined my reputation is still alive, stubbornly clinging to life.”  

His eyes gleamed with cruelty.  

As the carriage left, his voice echoed in the quiet alley.  

Ezio approached her.  

“Won’t you greet me, my fiancée? The madwoman who set fire to her own house, anonymously reported her father’s crimes, and tarnished my reputation by association with such a family.”  

As he took a step closer, Lucia stepped back.  

Lucia spoke.  

“Even a madwoman wouldn’t waste words on a rabid dog.”  

She kept her gaze fixed on him as her right hand slipped into her pocket.  

The only gift her father had ever given her was a dagger hidden within her corset. He had told her to use it to die honorably if she ever faced something terrible.  

Lucia had modified the dagger into a self-defense weapon. She had melted four bronze rings and attached them to the hilt, then mounted the blade horizontally. When worn on her fingers, it couldn’t be snatched away, and even a slight touch would cause deep cuts.  

Some women carried small knives for self-defense. However, in actual situations, they often failed to defend themselves properly, losing their knives or having them snatched away, which led to worse outcomes. People mocked them for their foolishness.  

Years ago, a women’s self-defense feature had been serialized in Roxana Magazine. Lucia had cut out the articles and practiced alone.  

She had learned self-defense and carried a weapon.  

There was nothing to fear.  

So why was she trembling?  

Ezio’s face twisted into a chilling smile.  

He swung his fist first.  

Lucia blocked it with her arm, as she had learned from the magazine. Her bones felt like they were breaking, but she managed to block it.  

Then she extended her hand, the one with the rings.  

Swish.  

He stepped back, his eyes widening as he saw the blade graze his chin.  

In an instant, Lucia threw a punch with her opposite hand, landing a solid blow on his jaw.  

She hit him squarely.  

He staggered, clutching his jaw.  

As he lost his balance, Lucia raised her leg and kicked him hard in the stomach.  

He fell backward, bracing himself against the wall.  

‘What was I supposed to do in situations like this?’  

She remembered: if a gap opens up, run away immediately.  

Lucia took off running.  

The corner of the building approached quickly. If she could just turn there, she would find people.  

But suddenly, her hair was grabbed, her head yanked backward.  

She was shoved to the ground.  

The uneven cobblestones struck her face. As pain robbed her of breath, Ezio stomped on her wrist and pried her hand open to snatch away her weapon.  

Defenseless.  

She had done everything she was supposed to do.  

‘I don’t want to keep being a victim.’  

Lucia tried to get up, but Ezio kicked her side with all his strength. The ribs that had been broken during a previous assault now made it impossible for her to breathe.  

She collapsed onto her side, and Ezio’s sharp shoes began mercilessly kicking her all over.  

‘I just want this to stop.’  

The world blurred.  

Thud!  

Suddenly, a dull sound echoed.  

Lucia opened her eyes with difficulty and saw Ezio sprawled on the ground.  

“Lucia!”  

“Are you okay?”  

It was Valeria and Celeste.  

Thea stood nearby, holding an air gun in her mouth.  

‘She must have used paralyzing poison.’  

Reselda picked up Lucia’s self-defense knife.  

“What should we do with him? Another random thug?”  

“He’s my ex-fiancé.”  

Everyone froze for a moment, their agitation subsiding.  

“The ex-fiancé who sexually assaulted you?”  

Valeria asked.  

Lucia nodded.  

At that moment, Thea loaded a dart into her air gun.  

“What are you doing?”  

Lucia asked weakly.  

“I switched it to poison. I’m going to kill him.”  

Ezio writhed on the ground, his fear palpable.  

Reselda examined the knife.  

“Wait. Where should I cut him?”  

Ezio’s terrified mumblings grew louder.  

Julietta chimed in.  

“Yeah, let’s just cut one spot.”  

Celeste intervened.  

“Don’t. We should report him to the police. He’s a s*xual predator and now a violent offender.”  

“We can’t report him. Lucia is officially listed as missing.”  

Valeria pointed out.  

A brief silence followed.  

Thea suddenly whispered something to Lucia, who nodded.  

Thea pulled a vial from her pocket and approached Ezio. He let out a muffled scream, but there was nothing he could do.  

His eyes filled with fresh terror as he saw the vial.  

Thea opened the cap and poured the liquid onto his groin. The black substance quickly soaked into his pants and touched his skin. Ezio screamed at the strange, cold, sticky sensation.  

A pungent, acrid smell filled the alley.  

Julietta pinched her nose.  

“What is that?”  

“He’s someone who desperately wants a son, isn’t he? If he doesn’t wash this off quickly… well, he might not be able to anymore.”  

Thea smiled meaningfully.  

Leaving the trembling Ezio behind, the women hurried out of the alley.  

Julietta asked.  

“What kind of medicine was that, Thea?”  

“A decoction of Stapelia and Fritillaria. It’s just a remedy for boils, really—it smells awful, though.”  

“What? Then why did you say all that about having sons?”  

“Well, wouldn’t it terrify him to think he couldn’t do something so important anymore? I wanted him to taste what fear feels like.”  

Thea replied shamelessly.  

“What a letdown. Lucia, doesn’t this feel too trivial to settle your anger?”  

No matter what she did, her anger wouldn’t subside. But there wasn’t another option.  

Behind them, Ezio’s incomprehensible groans echoed faintly.