As If I've Never Loved (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 24

Please wear this. Don’t forget your hat either. Your seat is here, and chatting is forbidden. When the bell rings, you may eat, and you must return within the allotted time. The end of shift is….

‘Sigh.’

The chaotic morning of her first day at work, accompanied by the factory supervisor’s flustered instructions, was already heading toward afternoon.

Time had passed steadily, rendering her earlier nervousness—twice as intense due to Mrs. Dunn’s absence, the only familiar face—utterly pointless.

Old Bridge Bead Factory. The female workers here threaded beads with tiny holes onto strings.

The finished products would become ornaments for ladies.

Though the task sounded simple enough from what she’d heard, constantly threading beads all day left her eyes blurry and her whole body stiff—a truly grueling ordeal.

‘Isn’t there a job that involves feeding ducks all day? I’d prefer that, honestly, even if it meant sweating a bit.’

Of course, if she ever wrote a letter claiming she toiled under the blazing sun, Her Majesty, the Queen of the Bailey Family, would undoubtedly shriek in horror.

Though Her Majesty hardly approved of factory work either, at least bead threading allowed one to sit still, so it wasn’t the worst possible option.

Nearly a hundred female workers sat in the workshop, yet not a single one spoke—as if their mouths had been glued shut.

The only sounds were beads being picked up, beads rolling across the floor after slipping from fingers, or occasionally the screech of chair legs dragging against the floor.

Eloise had never in her life met women quieter than her own sister Sarah.

If Mrs. Hurst had been here, she wouldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes before exclaiming:

“I’ve no idea what they expect us to do with such tiny beads, dear!”

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