Chapter 34
Laphter
Should I forcefully take her to the infirmary?
Depending on the diagnosis, it could even lead to her dismissal. What should I do?
“This hotel isn’t kind to people from our Empire,” he said.
“Yeah…”
“Can’t you even talk to people from the same Empire?”
“I want to. But…”
“Then talk.”
“If I do, I’ll cause trouble.”
She lowered her gaze again.
Grabbing Sena by the shoulder, Roasso made her straighten up.
“You’re already causing trouble.”
“Huh? But I haven’t said anything yet!”
“You’re not managing your health properly. And since I was the one who asked for you to be put on shift at this hour, that responsibility falls on me too.”
“…That’s not—”
“So I’m already involved. Tell me. Let’s think of a way to turn this in a good direction.”
I won’t abandon you.
He silently vowed that.
Perhaps that resolve reached her—or perhaps Sena realized there was no more running away.
Slowly, she began to explain her situation.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling unwell all the time. And the cause is probably…”
As if to shake off her hesitation, she shook her head.
Taking a deep breath, Sena looked straight at Roasso.
Her eyes, clear like a deep blue sky, stared earnestly into his dark eyes, as black as his hair.
Once again, she silently pleaded for help.
“It’s my first time experiencing something like this. But… I’m carrying a child.”
“…You mean you’re pregnant. You live in the dorms and work nonstop—where would you even have met someone?”
“It was… inside the hotel.”
An unpleasant suspicion crossed the cook’s mind.
Could it be that, after something bordering on a crime, this had been forced upon her?
“Don’t tell me… that bastard Bardo?”
“No. He did hit me, but that wasn’t it. It was only violence.”
“Then that’s good. No—good isn’t the right word, but… what exactly happened?”
Roasso frowned deeply.
He couldn’t make sense of it at all. But if she really was pregnant, the hotel would surely dismiss her the moment it came to light.
That much was easy to predict.
How did she plan to give birth? How would she raise the child?
“I can’t explain the details. I really can’t. But it’s true—I’m pregnant…”
“That was a foolish choice.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Apologizing to me won’t change anything. If you want to give that child a life without hardship, you should be desperately thinking right now about what to do next.”
“…You’re right. I know.”
“Are you actually thinking about it?”
The girl gave him a weak smile.
“I have a decent amount of savings from working for two years. But I don’t know what I should do.”
“Don’t cry. Damn it… This isn’t something you can hide forever, even if you try.”
“I’d be grateful if you could. I want to keep working here as long as possible.”
“But once it comes time to give birth, the hotel will tell you you’re dismissed.”
“Yes… I know.”
A deep sigh fell between them.
No one could have imagined the conversation turning this heavy. It hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Still… how was he supposed to help her?
Leaning his back against the wall, the cook’s already stern face grew even grimmer as he muttered that perhaps this, too, was some kind of fate.
“In six months, I’ll be returning to the Empire. I’ve been asked to come work in the kitchen of a hotel over there.”
“I see. Congratulations.”
“They need manpower. Someone young, hardworking, and preferably sharp.”
“Who are you planning to take with you?”
There were only two cooks at the bar.
With one already leaving, Sena couldn’t imagine the other being taken to the Empire as well.
Roasso uncrossed his arms and pointed at her.
A gasp of surprise escaped Sena’s lips.
“Me?”
“You work hard. I’m tired of drifting from place to place. My next assignment is in the countryside of the Empire. Smaller than this place, with maybe only a tenth of the staff. I’ll be put in charge there as head chef.”
“If you take someone like me along, I’ll just be a burden. Right?”
“Maybe. But don’t you want to raise your child in your own country? The Empire is more convenient than the Kingdom. It has more goods, and it’s peaceful. As part of my transfer, I’ll be given a house. You can live there and give birth.”
“You’re joking. You can’t seriously mean that. What do you gain from helping me?”
“Gain? There’s none. Who in their right mind would help with the birth of someone who won’t even name the father?”
“See? I knew it!”
“But tell me—do you really have the luxury to refuse this offer? I’m not saying decide now. Six months. Make up your mind by then.”
It was an outrageous proposal.
In other words, it was like being coaxed into becoming a woman convenient to the cook’s circumstances.
Depending on whether Roasso truly meant it or not, Sena’s fate would change drastically.
And yet, to Sena, it also felt like a single ray of light piercing the darkness.
Over the next few months, Sena endured the hardships of pregnancy while continuing to work, thinking deeply about what choice would be best for herself and the child she would soon bring into the world.
And so, six months later—
She found herself in a rural town near the Empire’s border.
In Laphter.
