IRMN | 14

Chapter 14

This was the downside of small towns.

Rumors spread in a single day.
In a town isolated from the outside world, like Piazenna, it was even faster.

‘Maybe I should have chosen a city with a somewhat larger population.’

But places frequented by outsiders had a higher likelihood of someone knowing Elinor.
She was quite well-known academically, and in fact, during her academy days, an illustration of her face had even been published in the newspaper.

She was pondering whether she should step forward or not.
“Oh my, Elli!”

A woman, noticing Elinor’s approach, shot up from her seat.
Simultaneously, their conversation abruptly stopped.
The people looked embarrassed and began to fuss overly.

“When did you get here? You didn’t say anything.”
“Did you come to buy something too, Elli? Oh my, you brought the baby too.”
“Oh my, so pretty. How have you been?”
“…Hello.”

Elinor, who had hesitated for a moment, approached the group pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
She had briefly considered it, but she still had no intention of moving elsewhere for now.
Piazenna wasn’t a bad place overall.
So, there was no need to show dissatisfaction over such a trivial matter and spoil her relationship with the villagers.

“What did you come to get?”
“Baby formula. And I need to buy some soap too. I end up doing laundry more often than I thought, so it runs out quickly.”
“Haha, that’s how it is. Baby laundry really never ends.”
“Right. When our Tommy was little…”

Fortunately, their topic of conversation quickly changed.
Elinor mingled sociably with the people, all while gritting her teeth inwardly at Matthias.
‘If only he hadn’t told that unnecessary lie about being the baby’s father, this wouldn’t be happening.’

There was no need to be touched by his quitting smoking for the baby.
After all, all the problems started when Matthias found this village.
Elinor decided to draw a clearer line with him.

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, Sophie’s youngest daughter’s wedding is soon.”
“The groom-to-be said he’s holding the wedding in the village, right?”
“He said he’d invite all of us. He even said he’d send carriages.”
“Really? Elli, did you hear that too?”

Elinor nodded.
“Yes. Sophie told me.”
“Oh my, oh my, the groom’s family must be wealthy.”
“Elli, then you’ll also be at the wedding…”
“Eh, Elli!”

While she was deep in conversation, a shadow suddenly fell over Elinor.
Elinor flinched.
A moment later, she turned her head with a stiff expression.
“…Hello, Mr. James.”
“Goo-good afternoon!”
“Yes. Likewise.”

Her attitude was a stark contrast to her friendly chatter with the village women just moments before.
And there was a valid reason for this.
“Um… did you get the gift I sent?”

He was a man who had been pestering her since the very moment she arrived in the village.
For reference, he was James, the village’s famous old bachelor, now 53 years old.
He was old enough to have a daughter Elinor’s age, yet he persistently approached her.
It seemed he thought Elinor, being an unmarried mother, was fair game.

“Oh my, James is at it again…”
“That guy is here again, he’s here again.”

The women frowned and whispered amongst themselves.
They too knew James was pestering Elli.
However, they couldn’t actively stop him because he was the son of the village chief and its most prominent figure.

“Ah… Are you talking about the dried jerky? Sophie brought it over last week.”
“That’s right!”

James grinned widely, showing his yellowed teeth, evidence of poor dental hygiene.
“I made it myself! How was it? Did you try it?”
“I have an allergy to jerky.”

Elinor stated bluntly.
For one, it looked suspicious, and above all, she didn’t want to accept anything from James.
She didn’t know what kind of outcome even a small acceptance might lead to.
In such cases, it was best not to give any leeway from the start.

“I’m sorry you went through the trouble of making it. But Sophie said it was tasty. She said to be sure to thank you.”

‘Yuck, yuck. What in the world is this? What is this even made of?’

Sophie had taken one bite, wondered why the jerky tasted like that, and ended up giving it to her dog as a treat.

“Ah… I see.”

A disappointed James let his shoulders slump.
Elinor quietly wished he would just leave now.
But contrary to her hopes, James quickly regained his energy and spoke up.

“Then, what are you doing now? The flowers are in full bloom on the back mountain. Don’t you want to go see them together?”
“No. I just need to buy what I need and go home. It’s almost time to feed the baby.”
“Waaah.”

Right on cue, the baby started fussing.
Elinor, having handed the money to the shopkeeper, hurriedly gathered her purchases.
“Then, I’ll be going now. Have a good day.”

But just as Elinor tried to leave, James grabbed her wrist.
Startled, Elinor shook off his hand.
“What are you doing?!”

“It’s because of that bastard, isn’t it?”
James muttered darkly.
“You’re rejecting me because of him.”
“What? What on earth are you…”
“I heard the baby’s father came looking for you!”

James shouted angrily.
It seemed the rumors about the Grand Duke had even reached the ears of James, who was somewhat ostracized in the village.
James seethed.
“If that’s the case, why did you accept my jerky? You’ve accepted all my kindnesses, and now this.”

Elinor was flabbergasted.
She had refused all the gifts he tried to give her from the very beginning.
She never had any desire to accept them in the first place.
The reason James started sending gifts through Sophie was precisely because Elinor had refused everything he tried to give directly.

“You’re not going to see that man again, are you?”
James’s face twisted.
He took a step towards Elinor.
Elinor took a step back.
It was an instinctive evasion.
James’s eyes widened fiercely.

“You avoided me?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“I knew it. This is why I said loose women are like this!”
“Kyah!”
“Elli!”

James impulsively raised his hand high into the air.
As people screamed, Elinor hurriedly shielded the baby.

It was then.
“Aaagh!”

A rough scream echoed across the square.
Elinor, who had squeezed her eyes shut, cautiously opened them.
A broad back was right in front of her.
The shoulders, wide as the sea, were broad and sturdy enough to completely hide Elinor.

And the owner of that back was…
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

It was Matthias, the man living under the same roof as her.

***

About an hour earlier, the inn had grown quiet after Elinor left.
“Haa.”

Matthias let out a deep sigh and splashed water on his face.
He stared through his fingers at the plant growing in the courtyard.
A weed that looked similar to tobacco.
Although he had pretended otherwise to Elinor, he was in fact having a serious internal conflict while looking at this leaf.

‘Why did I say I’d quit smoking?’

Originally, he had good smoking manners.
That was because there were still underage siblings at home.
He never smoked in front of them, and if he had smoked, he would make sure to completely remove the smell before approaching them so they wouldn’t notice.
That was possible in the Grand Duke’s residence.
It was vast, and everyone had their own space.
But the inn he was staying in now was extremely small.
Which meant it was too easy to run into Elinor and the baby.

“Tch.”

He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Irritation washed over him.
Why was he doing this?
Wasn’t it something he could just ignore what Elinor said?
Matthias already knew she was half-mocking him.

But smoking as he pleased bothered him because of the baby.
Elinor’s baby was so, so small, like a little bean, that it seemed it could easily get hurt if not treated preciously.
He had personally experienced it being sick and in pain with a fever.
But if things continued like this, he felt like he was going to go crazy.