As If I've Never Loved - Chapter 53

Her voice was desperate, and it was true that she felt sorry for being spoken ill of by Mrs. Dunn.

However, even as he thought that, Mr. Woodley shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult for me to grant that request, Miss Bailey.”

“Ah…”

Eloise clenched her trembling hands tightly. She had come this far and couldn’t turn back now.

If she could set everything right, she wouldn’t mind being a little desperate. She decided to gather all her remaining courage.

“W-would it be difficult? It’s alright if it’s not right away. If you could promise to call for me whenever there’s an opening…”

“That’s not the issue.”

Mr. Woodley, who had been awkwardly scratching the side of his head for a while, hesitated before continuing.

“The factory has become a bit noisy since you didn’t return after your vacation, Miss Bailey.”

“…I heard that from Mrs. Dunn.”

As Eloise lowered her head with a dejected face, the manager felt absurdly disturbed.

“That I greatly disrupted the atmosphere of the workplace.”

“…”

In fact, he knew that Eloise had visited the factory some time ago because he had heard it from Mrs. Dunn.

It happened to be the day the director stopped by the factory to check the quarterly settlement details, and surprisingly, this pitiful woman was sleeping in the warehouse looking no different from a beggar.

‘At least it’s fortunate that she looks neat now…’

The manager had arrived at the factory after she had collected her unpaid wages and left, but Mrs. Dunn was still furious.

The lady, who was already at the peak of her annoyance due to various rumors surrounding the factory, went on and on about the ‘brazen delinquent girl’ as if she had caught her red-handed.

The story ended with a threat not to pay attention to her even if she came back and begged.

Mrs. Dunn really seemed to be fed up.

It was understandable since the factory owner had caused problems several times by showing favoritism towards young and pretty female workers, and Mr. Woodley, the manager, was also facing criticism for following in the owner’s footsteps.

In fact, Mr. Woodley had been fired from his previous job due to a similar issue, and he was able to come here thanks to the help of Mrs. Dunn, who was a distant relative.

So he had to avoid falling out of her favor at all costs.

“…I see.”

Above all, this was the best job for him. Even if it was selfish, he definitely didn’t want to be driven out of here.

“If we take Miss Bailey back, the order of our factory will be disrupted. Naturally, the attitude of the workers will also become lax. They’ll think they can break the rules as they please and still be taken back.”

“But…”

Eloise wanted to persuade him by mentioning the bad things she heard because of his kindness, which she never asked for.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to speak since it was her own fault for causing confusion by not showing up at the factory without any notice.

She desperately wanted to cling onto him somehow. But she didn’t want to become shameless. Eloise let out a silent sigh.

‘What can I do? I’ll have to start from the beginning again. I’ll go back to the square…’

At that moment, perhaps feeling guilty for pitying Eloise’s appearance, Mr. Woodley, who had been staring blankly at the corner of a document, opened his mouth.

“Well, I can introduce you to a place.”

“Introduce me?”

The man’s gaze was instantly captivated by the clear eyes, as pure as a hidden spring in a deep cave.

They were eyes so clean that his heart would flutter every time he saw them.

‘Anyway, I strangely feel concerned about her. She said she has no family to rely on in the capital, so all the more…’

Swallowing his saliva, Mr. Woodley continued.

“You said this was your first job, right? I’ll tell you since you might not know, but the history of women starting to work here in Brightnam is not very long. Do you know what that means, Miss Bailey?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“It means it’s very common for women to face disadvantages in wages or unfortunate incidents. Of course, there will be no one to listen to them either.”

Perhaps because of the awareness that he had contributed to those misfortunes in the past, Mr. Woodley carelessly rubbed the tip of his nose.

The only thing he could present as an indulgence was the fact that he had immediately admitted his wrongdoings at that time and paid the price.

Meanwhile, the woman in front of him still had an innocent face.

“What kind of unfortunate incidents…”

“Lecherous men will constantly approach you. In the first place, there are hardly any factories consisting only of female workers like here. It won’t be easy to fend them off since there’s a hierarchy, right? And just in case, if someone tempts you by saying they’ll introduce you to a job with better wages, you should firmly refuse.”

Before he knew it, he was passionately speaking as if he were Eloise’s uncle.

Eloise, who seemed to not understand, frowned and asked for the reason, and Mr. Woodley answered while rubbing his stiff eyes.

“Because that’s all a trick to lure you into back alleys. Night work, I mean!”

“Pardon…?”

“Many women who came out to the workplace to support their families ended up being drawn into that. Especially young ladies like you, Miss Bailey… It’s a quagmire. Once you enter, you can’t pull your feet out.”

“…”

Eloise, who had been frozen with a horrified face, shook her head as if trying to erase the terrible thoughts, and the loose blonde hair beneath her worn bonnet swayed gently.

“…So you’re saying you’ll introduce me to a new job?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a place where I used to work before, and although it’s not a place with only female workers like here, you won’t be working mixed with men. The atmosphere will be good. There hasn’t been a single commotion over wage issues for years, and compared to here, the free atmosphere is an advantage. You can trust me.”

“Is that true?”

Eloise’s eyes widened in disbelief. The workplace Mr. Woodley mentioned sounded too perfect.

His voice was indifferent, not sounding like flattery at all. Eloise clasped her hands near her mouth.

“Then can I go there and mention your name, Mr. Woodley?”

“Uh… No, you can’t do that.”

“Why?”

Mr. Woodley scratched the side of his head again.

“Hmm… It’s complicated to explain, but it’s better not to mention my story. However, my friend still works there as a manager, so I’ll pass on the message to him this evening. Ah, it’s difficult to find a job anywhere these days. You know that, right?”

“…”

It was the first time Eloise heard that, as she believed there would always be an abundance of jobs in the capital.

However, she didn’t want to appear too naive, so she silently nodded.

“That fellow will be able to create a position without much difficulty. When can you start working?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“Alright, then I’ll tell him you’ll go tomorrow, so visit there tomorrow. I’ll write down the address for you.”

Saying that, he started looking around for a blank piece of paper.

“Thank you, Mr. Woodley. How can I repay this kindness?”

“Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I also felt sorry.”

“You’re truly a good person…”

Regardless of his background, Eloise couldn’t hide her emotion.

She made a resolution in her heart to live by doing good deeds to those around her, blossoming like a flower.

It was only moments later that she realized she had been captivated by the manager’s idealistic explanation and hadn’t even asked what kind of job it was.

“Excuse me, Mr. Woodley. But where is that workplace?”

“Huh? Ah, I didn’t mention that!”

Mr. Woodley, who burst into a dumbfounded laugh as if he found it absurd himself, handed her a note with the address and answered.

“It’s a meat factory, Miss Bailey.”

“…Pardon?”

At that moment, there was a sound as if something had cracked.

“If you’re lucky, they sometimes distribute meat. How about it, isn’t it the best?”

It was clearly the sound of Eloise’s reason cracking.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was a fact she learned belatedly, but the name of the district where Ansel’s mansion was located was Royal Arch.

She was told there was a triumphal arch nearby that was built to commemorate the kingdom’s victory in the continental war that broke out half a century ago.

Apparently, it was modeled after the main gate of the palace, hence the grand name.

Anyway, Eloise returned to Royal Arch before the sunset.

The taciturn maid silently took her outer garments and bonnet, and while Eloise returned to her room to change into indoor clothing, she perceptively prepared a bath.

Not wanting to meet Ansel drenched like a wet mouse again, Eloise hurriedly undressed and jumped into the bathtub.

The warm water filled with sparkling bubbles seemed to completely melt away the day’s tension.

To avoid committing the outrageous act of falling asleep again, Eloise quickly washed her body and stepped out of the bathtub, only to realize that the nightgown left in front of the bathroom had disappeared without a trace.

In its place, there was only a neatly folded indoor dress.

“Excuse me…!”

Unfortunately, the hallway was completely empty.

She couldn’t very well roam around the mansion naked in search of her clothes, so she was at a loss.

In the meantime, Ansel’s return time was already approaching.

Left with no choice, Eloise gently slipped her damp body into the pristine white chemise dress.

The surprisingly soft texture, the embroidery stitched here and there, and the luxurious and elegant ruffle decorations were all so stunning that she couldn’t help but gasp. It was undoubtedly a high-end product.

‘Such a fancy indoor dress. I didn’t see a chemise dress this beautiful even when I went to Mrs. Pullum’s house…’

The dress that gracefully enveloped her slender body and fell seemed as if it was made just for her.

Nevertheless, Eloise felt uncomfortable as if she were wearing ill-fitting clothes.

It was strange because it was incomparably softer and more comfortable than her old, worn-out undergarments.

She was even bothered by the water droplets falling from her hair and wetting the dress, so Eloise hurried back to her room to finish drying her hair.

Just then, she heard the sound of the front door opening, but she paid no mind.

It would take time for the meal to be prepared and for him to take off his uniform and get ready for dinner.

However, as if to shatter that expectation, the sound of a maid’s footsteps coming up the attic stairs was heard not long after.

“He is waiting in the dining room.”

Eloise’s lips parted as she held the towel.

“…Already?”