There Is No Paradise Where I Ran Away To - Chapter 32

A week had already passed since coming to Rodinia. The end of Gilbert Totten’s Land Economics, which I had been reading, was starting to come into view. Just as this book that seemed like it would never end finally reached its conclusion, Vivian Eveline’s end also had to be approaching.

Imagining Eveline’s defeated and crumbling expression, Edwin closed the book with only a few pages left.

On the calm lake surface without a hint of wind, only a chilly silence filled the air.

Today too, there was no golden mermaid like an illusion. A lake without beauty was no different from a torn masterpiece. No matter how much it was praised as beautiful, a painting with a large flaw would never sell for its full price.

Edwin bit into a half-ripened red fruit he had picked on the way to the lakeside. The sour juice burst in his mouth and a sweet aftertaste lingered on his tongue.

Still, it tasted quite good. The astringent sensation had its own charm.

This taste reminded him of Vivian that day.

The day he imagined the taste of those red, plump lips as she clung to him, saying she would do anything to save the gatekeeper.

“Your Grace.”

A call came down towards Edwin, who was leaning against a tree. Large footsteps stopped beside him as he kept his eyes gently closed.

“A letter has arrived from Lord Corbin.”

As he slowly opened his eyes, a white envelope came into view before him. It was an envelope with only a mark engraved on it, without sender or recipient. Edwin did not immediately take the letter, but looked up at Royce. Royce’s stiff expression was reflected in his indifferent blue eyes.

“I thought I told you not to come around here.”

“I thought it would be fine since the young lady wasn’t here…”

“When has Eveline ever given notice before coming? No. That woman has never done such a thing.”

“…I apologize. I will correct this.”

Edwin’s gaze, moving elegantly and softly as if painting a picture, fell on the embarrassingly proffered letter. He took the letter and opened its contents.

“If Eveline had been at the lake today, you would have had your eyes gouged out.”

Despite saying such cruel words, he was calm, and despite hearing such cruel words, it was ordinary. Royce, standing with an equally unperturbed expression, straightened his back and lifted his head towards the sky rather than the empty lake.

“I will be careful.”

“You may go now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Royce bowed his head slightly and turned away.

The letter Royce had brought was interesting. Satisfied beyond his expectations, Edwin pleasantly put the letter back in place and gazed at the lake where the cool night breeze was blowing and swirling.

A lake where he could imagine golden mermaids frolicking.

Spring had passed into summer. It was the season he had spent with Eveline.

The fact that Eveline was staying during this season felt quite dreamlike.

The girl in the carriage he had only ever seen in dreams had grown up and was now vividly alive and moving, offering another dream. When Eveline died and he returned to reality, the beautiful dream would be buried in the recesses of memory.

So how should I kill you?

The 3 weeks spent in Perington were long. Whenever he lay sleepless at night, he missed the scent of flowers that had wafted through the mansion in Rodinia. And he knew. That Eveline’s image was also contained in the fleeting memories of Rodinia.

So how can I spend the season without you?

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t find an appropriate time to kill Vivian Eveline.

Edwin gazed at the golden mermaid swimming leisurely in the lake of his imagination. He filled his eyes to the brim with the sight of her splashing like a child, laughing brightly, her ashen eyes twinkling with excitement.

Edwin bit into the remaining fruit. The unripe juice that should have been spit out went down his throat.

***

Another four days had passed. Rodinia’s summer had reached its peak, and the transparent sunlight beating down was bleaching Rodinia white.

The heat that made one sweat even while standing still continued into the night, and surely some noble of birth now using the servants’ quarters was shuddering with unfamiliar discomfort.

Even in such heat, Edwin’s impeccable attire and cold demeanor, without a gap, further surprised the servants who had been shocked by Rodinia’s heat.

The windows and double doors of the study were all open. The wind passing between the doors somewhat cooled the heat. Amidst this, as Edwin was handling the countless accumulated letters and documents one by one, he encountered Sophie, who had brought a cool drink.

Thanks to Vivian’s status plummeting from that of a noble young lady to a maid, Sophie too fell from the position of serving her mistress to the same status as the other servants.

Edwin glanced at Sophie as she set the drink down on the desk. As Sophie, who he had little interest in, turned to leave, the cubic zirconia of her corsage reflecting the sunlight caught Edwin’s eye.

“Sophie.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Sophie, hugging the tray to her chest, stopped in her tracks.

“Where did you get that?”

Edwin pointed to Sophie’s chest. After checking what it was, Sophie’s eyes widened as she covered the corsage.

“I-I didn’t steal it. It, it was a gift. Miss Eveline gave it to me as a gift be-before. You can check. I really didn’t steal it.”

Unable to ever be free from their masters’ suspicion, Sophie vehemently protested her innocence.

“A gift from Eveline?”

“Yes! The young lady sold her embroidery to buy gifts for us.”

Sophie, rejoicing in receiving the gift, did not know. What the master of the mansion, her employer, wanted and demanded of her.

Edwin opened a desk drawer and placed a heavy pouch on the desk.

“Take that. And leave this.”

Leaning back in his chair, he alternately pointed at the pouch on the desk and Sophie’s corsage. Sophie too alternately looked at the corsage and the pouch on the desk, her eyes as wide as when she thought she was being suspected.

Soon realizing what was about to be taken from her, Sophie clutched the corsage so tightly that a petal might be crushed.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace. It’s too precious to me since it was a gift.”

“You won’t get a better opportunity than this, so you’d better trade.”

Her greatly wavering eyes revealed her hesitation as she looked at the money pouch on the desk. But having made up her mind, she showed no intention of undoing the tightly sealed corsage.

“N-no! I don’t need the money. I’m really sorry, Your Grace. I’ll be going now.”

It took only a few seconds for her to bow deeply and flee through the open double doors. Left alone with the money pouch, Edwin put it back in its place with an unpleasant expression.

He tried to focus on the text again, but Eveline’s corsage pulled at him.

As the image of her thoughtful face choosing the gift while thinking of Sophie’s joy flashed by, he felt a fairly controllable impulse.

Feeling no need to particularly restrain himself, Edwin left the study. He asked Abernathy about Vivian’s whereabouts, and Edwin headed straight for her.

It was the first time since meeting her upon arriving in Rodinia after 3 weeks. Vivian still had no intention of surrendering. He almost wanted to cheer on Vivian, who was enduring with such great tenacity and stubbornness.

So a small curiosity arose. The ridiculous sight of Vivian fallen from the highest place to the lowest. And how much joy that sight would bring.

He descended the stairs and headed for the back door of the mansion. As Edwin exited the mansion, blankets hung densely on clotheslines crossing the air fluttered in the wind. And the sound of conversation coming from somewhere blew in like the wind between the swaying fabrics.

“Young lady! You need to finish quickly!”

“What should we do if you’re so slow? The laundry that hasn’t even been hung will dry and wrinkle.”

A small voice answered after giggling laughter. It was Vivian’s voice. At the same time, far away, following the texture of the wind, a sparkling figure shone under the bright sunlight between the swaying white fabrics.

Her uniform, much dirtier than before, and the golden hair matted to the nape of her neck were drenched in sweat.

In such a state, Vivian was struggling to hang wet blankets. Looking at the basket she had set down, it seemed to be the last of the laundry.

“When you’re done, hurry to the barn. You’re already so late that Caroline will be angry.”

“Okay. I’m going now.”

Vivian, who had just caught Edwin’s eye, tucked the empty basket under her arm and quickly disappeared.

“Ah, but with Eveline here, the day is more relaxed. That fool does whatever she’s told.”

“That’s how it is with a kite whose string has broken. I’m so curious. What on earth did she say to His Grace to make him treat a noble young lady like this?”

“That’s what I’m saying. How ungrateful and shameless must she have been?”

“Serves her right. A woman like that deserves to fall in a dung pit. Don’t you think Marian is quite clever about these things?”

“Oh, we should hurry and follow too. We don’t want to miss the good show. Pushing her at the laundry place didn’t get much of a reaction…”

As they were chattering excitedly, a large shadow approached them. As the shadow fell under the transparent light, the maid who first raised her head tilted it crookedly.

Before long, realizing that the owner of the shadow was the master of this mansion, the two became statues on the spot.

Blue eyes briefly brushed past the two. Behind them, Abernathy, who had appeared belatedly with other servants, also grasped the situation and sternly warned the two.

***

Arriving at the barn, Vivian placed the empty basket on top of a pile of hay and wiped away her sweat.

As the pile of hay accidentally caught her eye, yesterday’s nightmare came to mind. The memory of flipping hay until her body felt like it would break was still vivid, and her shoulders still ached.

Last night, she had cried quietly, worried that she might not be able to use her shoulders, as they hurt so much. Even now the pain hadn’t subsided, but if she gritted her teeth and endured, it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t move.

Shaking off the nightmare, Vivian entered the barn without a moment to catch her breath. She saw Caroline’s back bent over the barn floor. Not wanting to show that she was struggling, Vivian deliberately pulled up the corners of her mouth to smile.

Splash!

Startled by something unexpected covering her body, Vivian flapped her arms to regain balance. What brought her fully to her senses was the foul stench assaulting her nose.

“Oh my! Young lady! Why were you there! Oh no. I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

Vivian looked down at herself with a pale face, finally realizing what had attacked her.

It was livestock manure.

She had been suddenly doused with what had been collected in a bucket to be disposed of all at once.

Caroline, the cause of the disaster, stamped her feet. The smell was so ferociously strong that even as she worried, Caroline was holding her nose and even starting to cry.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I was trying to take the bucket out when I tripped and…”

Her stiff lips could barely part. She should say it’s okay, she should look at Caroline’s face, but she was afraid and scared to face Caroline’s true feelings.

“I’m really sorry, young lady. We’ll have to clean this up too… What should we do? Should I help? I do have other work to do, but if it’s too hard for you…”

“It’s alright.”

Vivian’s lips finally parted, having gathered herself. Considerable effort was visible as she lifted her head and smiled.

“Please be more careful next time. You can go. I’ll clean up here.”

“I’m really sorry. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Caroline’s footsteps circled around Vivian as if tracing a devil’s circle and faded away.

Silence fell, and the shameful odor stubbornly held its place. Having been doused with livestock manure in this summer, she worried the smell might reach the village, while tears welled up as the stench stung her nose.

Her clothes, wet and matted with manure, felt unpleasant. Though she felt like retching, Vivian endured and silently did her work. All the while, her skirt, damp with manure, clung to her thighs, and the unpleasant sensation flowing along her skin pushed her to wretchedness.

It was around then that Edwin’s steps reached the barn entrance. Just as Vivian, covered in filth, was left awkwardly in the barn, crouched down cleaning the dirty barn floor.

It was quite amusing.

The fall of a renowned noble of Preston. The downfall of a noble family’s cherished daughter. The foul and unpleasant odor emanating from a woman who seemed as if she should only smell of flowers.

Though it wasn’t unexpected and was rather what he had hoped for, Edwin felt no interest.

It was a body accustomed only to courtesy and good treatment. Vivian, who lacked the immunity to endure such mistreatment, endured steadfastly without even crying.

The small hands struggling on the floor, having become unsightly and shabby, brought back memories from long ago.

That woman was the pure girl sitting in the carriage 14 years ago. The girl with flowing golden hair who smiled innocently then. That naive girl who knew the circumstances and sympathized. Would that girl of then, who worried about others’ futures as if all the world’s hardships would pass her by, have foreseen this future now?

Would she have known that she would endure abuse under maids who throw filth on the body of a precious young lady they dare not touch, and snicker and mock?

“Your Grace.”

Vivian’s eyes, in the shadows of the barn, moved towards the noise. When her eyes met Edwin’s, her plump lips gaped with a thunderstruck expression.

Her ashen eyes, noticeably wavering with complex emotions subtly mixing in, stood out.

And facing such eyes, Edwin was seized by an unrefined fourth impulse.

“Drag her out.”

He issued a cold order to Abernathy. Vivian’s dazed mind returned. As Abernathy signaled with his eyes to the servants behind him, Vivian sprang to her feet as if in resistance.

“W-wait! Y-Your Grace! Just a moment!”

The servants approached to drag Vivian out of the barn. At her urgent cry, the servants hesitated and looked back at Edwin, but his stern eyes showed no intention of backing down.

“Drag her out.”

There was no hesitation at the command. The servants grabbed Vivian’s arms as she strongly resisted and dragged her out of the barn.