Chapter 03
Once everyone had gone inside, the conversation naturally turned to the uninvited guest. Felix raised his voice.
“I thought something smelled off. To think they’d extend their reach all the way out to a remote place like this. He came to buy up land in this area too, didn’t he?”
Draining the lemonade the maid had brought, Felix didn’t bother hiding his irritation. Lucas set his crutches beside his chair and carefully watched him, trying to soothe the mood of his guest.
“So it seems,” Lucas replied. “It’s a ridiculous idea. This land has been pasture for hundreds of years. Our ancestors would rise from their graves in anger. They try to lure us with talk of granting us usage rights—like some kind of lifelong lease—but we don’t even listen. It’s no different from asking us to become slaves, is it?”
Encouraged by the agreement, Felix grew more animated.
“It didn’t work in the capital, so now they’ve come down to the countryside. No one in parliament supports them, after all.”
“Exactly. With high-ranking officials like yourself standing firm, we’re not too worried. But the problem is that a few landowners have already been swayed. You see, Viscount Juan from the neighboring village—who runs that estate—has been telling commoners like us that if we sign away our cultivation rights, he’ll let us keep using the land. They’ve already taken the money, of course. That’s why people like that man keep coming to bother us every day.”
“At first, I didn’t notice because his accent sounded natural,” Hannah added, “but he must be one of those foreigners.”
Sephine was reminded of Tulego, where trends were said to originate. Among the neighboring countries along the border, Tulego was known for its newly wealthy capitalists.
She had seen their style of dress somewhere before. It was close to formal wear, yet stripped of decoration, emphasizing practicality and the natural lines of the body. She had never thought it particularly elegant—at least, not until she saw that man earlier.
Felix glanced at her when she remained silent.
Realizing she had drifted off in thought, Sephine quickly lifted her glass to her lips. Turning his gaze away, Felix continued with clear disdain.
“They’re people with no background or education who just happened to make money. No titles, no positions, no family worth mentioning. A few days ago, a foreign laborer who struck gold came to my father. He wanted help buying land to start some kind of company. He called it ‘help,’ but it was closer to a threat. Though honestly, he should’ve picked someone his threats might actually work on.”
Hannah frowned in confusion.
“He even went to a senator? Why are they so eager to buy land in a country that isn’t theirs?”
“Because their status is insignificant. They have no titles—and even if they do, they’re low-ranking. That’s why they stir up unrest among the lower classes and incite protests. They’re nothing but trash.”
Listening quietly, Sephine soon turned her gaze toward the window.
There was nothing new in what he was saying—these were stories already circulating widely in the capital. And Felix’s anger carried a certain weight; to him, the Beringheims were merely commoners without titles.
They had no reason to share his outrage in the same way.
Still, that didn’t mean they had no reason at all.
The land the Beringheims lived on had been granted through a request from Count Buchanan to a nearby lord, allowing them to cultivate it. It had been difficult land—close to the sea, unsuitable for farming, and without a proper owner—but out of gratitude, they had cared for it as though they were its guardians.
To sell such a place to outsiders for profit would be no different from repaying kindness with betrayal. No matter how much money they were offered—enough to live comfortably for life—they would consider even receiving such an offer a disgrace.
“Of all times, for him to show up in front of such an important guest…”
Hannah’s face flushed red.
“I’d almost forgotten about him since he hadn’t come by for weeks, and then this happens. Such bad luck. I don’t know if you noticed, but it was terribly awkward earlier. You offered him a handshake, and he didn’t even move. He said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Whatever it was, it must have been something arrogant.”
Mr. Beringheim quickly added,
“Ha, truly embarrassing. I must apologize on his behalf.”
To Sephine, it hadn’t been such an unpleasant sight—but Felix accepted the apology with his usual polite, dull smile. Perhaps because of his fatigue, he didn’t launch into further complaints, and for that, Sephine was grateful.
Even during dinner and their light walk afterward along the path, she kept up casual conversation with Felix—but her mind was elsewhere.
Listening to the chirping of insects at her feet, Sephine found herself thinking again of the striking stranger.
I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
Even if they had never spoken, perhaps they had crossed paths at a party. Maybe their eyes had met while reaching for the same drink.
Or perhaps their sleeves had brushed at some social gathering.
She couldn’t shake the thought until she went to bed.
And she didn’t want anyone to notice—especially Felix.
* * *
The next day, Felix prepared to return to the capital as planned. Blanco, a neighbor boy who often helped Hannah’s household, bustled back and forth carrying luggage.
At the front door, Hannah and Lucas exchanged farewells with Felix before stepping inside, leaving Sephine behind to give them a moment alone.
Sephine and Felix continued their final conversation while watching Blanco’s father take his seat as coachman.
“I’ll send a carriage to the train station when you come back,” Felix said. “By then, you should have produced at least one impressive report.”
“Probably,” Sephine replied brightly, clasping her hands behind her back. “Maybe something groundbreaking enough to shake the academic world.”
Felix glanced down at her, then looked back toward the carriage.
“By then… do you think we’ll be engaged?”
At his casual question, Sephine lowered her gaze to the tip of her shoe.
In truth, the marriage arrangements between their families would come first—and she didn’t want to think about something three months away.
Or perhaps…
Perhaps she simply didn’t feel inclined toward marrying him.
Mistaking her silence for shyness, Felix added,
“I think I’d be quite proud if my wife were a renowned scholar.”
“I don’t think I study just to make someone proud.”
She answered lightly, trying to ease the growing heaviness in the air.
“You don’t want to be a wife someone can be proud of? Even if it’s the wish of an old friend?”
“You are an old school friend,” she admitted. “But marriage… well, we can think about that after graduation. There’s no rush.”
“Fine. Maybe your thoughts will change after some time apart. I’ll see you in three months. Don’t come running to me tomorrow saying you miss me. If I don’t prepare a carriage in advance, there’ll be no one to come get you.”
“Let’s go already!”
Blanco called out from atop the carriage. His father nudged him lightly, as if to scold him for rushing.
Felix cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Well then…”
Though he tried to keep things light, the mention of engagement had changed the atmosphere between them. Hesitating, he seemed unsure whether to embrace her or how to say goodbye.
Greenwood would feel more like Greenwood without Felix’s city-worn presence.
He needed to leave.
Sephine spoke first.
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
Felix placed a hand on her shoulder, then quickly withdrew it as if realizing it wasn’t the right moment. As he leaned in, she subtly turned her face, allowing him to briefly press his lips against her cheek.
She quickly added,
“Take care.”
“Stay well.”
After offering his final farewells to the Beringheims, who stood at the entrance, Felix climbed into the carriage.
Soon, the carriage rolled away over the hill, where pale green fields stretched endlessly. Passing the great oak tree, it grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared among the shimmering river, sparkling under the sunlight.
It was the moment of true freedom—from the busy life of the capital.
As Sephine followed the others back inside, her face shone like sunlight dancing on water.
