Chapter 36
“It would be wise to watch your tongue. I believe I just added the crime of insult to your list,” Arius warned.
To me, the nonsense in this world about being a ‘half-breed’ or whatever was just laughable, but Arius himself closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again, like someone holding back their anger.
“You should at least take the ring the generous young lady offered. Your family needs to live while you’re in prison. What crime did your family, stuck with a worthless father, ever commit?” Arius laughed coldly.
The man trembled violently, wailing as if he were dying, then quickly prostrated himself, frantically searching for the ring he had so carelessly thrown away.
I crouched down in front of the peddler as he searched for the ring.
Lifting my veil slightly so that the deep navy blue eyes of the Sephardi ‘half-breed’ were clearly visible in the sunlight, I smiled.
“Didn’t I tell you? You’ll live your whole life feeling uncomfortable because of an unlucky Moro girl.”
At my words, the peddler’s earlier bravado vanished completely; he didn’t even lift his head and just trembled fearfully.
“My advice is to always be careful around people like me from now on.”
The advice was sincere.
Arius looked around and headed towards a less crowded spot.
Beyond where the peddler had collapsed, closer to the river, was a grassy area where a few children were playing, alongside a large tree with branches and leaves draping over the water’s edge.
Arius stood beneath it.
The pouring sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled shadows on his face.
‘He’s ridiculously handsome, isn’t he?’
I secretly marveled, leaning against the tree for a moment. It felt cool.
“Your Grace, are you planning to rest?”
“It is you, my lady, who should rest. It’s not good to wander around in such bright sunlight and crowded places while still shaken.”
“Ah… because of me? But I’m from here. A day like this is quite pleasant.”
I didn’t have much time allotted to me to just rest idly.
It didn’t seem like that jeweler would wait for me long, either.
I was growing anxious, worried that if I didn’t go after saying I would, I might unnecessarily provoke his anger and ruin the matter.
Confidently, I tugged on the hem of his clothes.
But strangely, my legs gave way, and I plopped down right where I was.
“Huh?”
“You must have been frightened. It’s only natural for anyone to be startled when encountering such a lawless individual.”
Arius bent his knee to meet my eyes.
His tone was blunt, but the words themselves were kind, so I just blinked.
For some reason, I felt my face growing hot. Hesitantly, I opened my mouth.
“Um, about my causing a scene earlier…”
“Causing a scene?”
“I’d prefer if it didn’t reach my family’s ears. That would just cause more trouble for me.”
I had promised them, after all. Promised not to cause any more trouble, promised to become a Sephardi they could be proud of.
‘Although, of course, many people at the market had already seen me in that state.’
But that felt different from the weight of the Duke Romero himself speaking of it.
Perhaps my face looked earnest, because Arius just shrugged his shoulders.
“I only saw the young lady’s injury. It’s not exactly a matter of pride for me to go around boasting about my own inadequate protection, either.”
“It wasn’t inadequate… Anyway, thank you.”
Phew, I’m saved.
The grass brushing against my legs felt ticklish.
I unfolded the whistle I had been clutching tightly in my palm and connected the single gold chain I had kept, not discarded.
Arius, who had been watching all this, raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t throw it away?”
“I went to that peddler to buy this in the first place.”
Who knows how much that ring was worth?
I couldn’t just vent my anger and leave empty-handed. I needed to keep at least one thing I could hold in my hand.
I smiled nonchalantly and hung the silver whistle around my neck.
“It’s better to wear it like this than to carry it in my hand, so I won’t lose it.”
The gold necklace chain was a bit longer than I had thought.
Thinking I should later shorten its length with tools from the jeweler, I tried to adjust it by making a small loop knot at the end. Arius reached out towards me briefly, then hesitated.
“Why?”
“That kind of loop knot…”
“Huh? What about the knot?”
My eyes widened in surprise. Arius shook his head with a look that said ‘oops.’
“Ah, it’s a tradition… and a superstition, in the Romero territory. I’ve spoken out of turn. Please forget it.”
A superstition?
“What kind of superstition?”
“It’s nothing major.”
“If it’s nothing major, then you can tell me, right?”
It felt unsettling.
I immediately undid the loop knot on the necklace chain.
Was it something about dying or bad luck sticking to you? As I pondered, Arius rose from his spot.
“I should go buy some ointment for your arm, my lady. If left alone, the wound might worsen.”
It really wasn’t that kind of injury at all.
It was swollen enough to show traces of blood, but it was a minor wound that would disappear in a day or two if left alone.
But this was an opportunity.
Looking at my injured arm, I spoke pitifully.
“My legs still feel so weak. If it’s alright with you, could I wait here for you, Your Grace, while you go buy the medicine?”
At my question, Arius made a troubled face.
“You must wait right here.”
“Don’t worry. My legs are like jelly and I have no strength; where would I go? Besides, this is my first time here.”
“I’ll be back quickly. Please wait. If anything happens, blow the whistle several times. I will find you.”
It was an instruction, as if speaking to a child.
As if I’d do that, I waved my hand dismissively. Arius disappeared into the distance, not even trying to hide his worry.
“Hey. Kids.”
Once Arius was roughly out of sight, I approached the children playing ball and spoke to them.
I showed them my hair under my veil, and the children, with their black eyes and hair, buzzed among themselves before finally responding to me.
“Your clothes are pretty.”
“Your eyes… are they a bit different?”
“You have black hair, but your clothes are pretty and your face isn’t dirty. Why? How come?”
I knew the treatment of the Moro wasn’t great, but such questions…
Moreover, the children clearly looked malnourished, their clothes were torn, and they were grimy, as if they hadn’t washed in a long time.
‘Even so, isn’t it wrong for kids to live so cowed?’
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
Being in a position to ask a favor anyway, I hurriedly went to the nearest skewer stall and bought a handful of whatever was available.
Then, handing them out to the children who were watching me cautiously, I asked,
“Did you see the handsome blond man who was with me earlier? The man wearing light blue clothes.”
You’d think no one would be as noticeable as Arius, but the children hesitated and shook their heads.
“We were playing ball.”
“We haven’t seen anyone like that. They said if we look at people carelessly, our eyes could get gouged out and it’d be a big problem.”
“Right. If we stare at people, we might get hit for no reason. So we can’t do that.”
This wasn’t going as planned.
It seemed they had been taught, for fear of something bad happening to them for being Moro.
Flustered, I didn’t know what to say and just bit my lip.
Then, one of the girls quietly poked my hand.
“I saw him.”
At the words of the girl with sparkling eyes, the boy next to her was startled.
“You’re not supposed to look! Why did you? Don’t you remember what mom said?”
“I tried not to, but he was too shiny! I couldn’t help it!”
Yeah, I get that feeling. That’s what handsome men are like.
I patted the heads of the children eagerly devouring the meat and made my request.
“I’m glad you remember. When he comes, could you tell him that I went to buy a gift for my younger sister, that I asked him to kindly pick up the fan and clothes for me, and that I said to meet at the carriage at the time we promised the coachman?”
“Ugh, that’s too long.”
“Try to remember it well while you eat this. Please?”
I coaxed the children, handing over another skewer.
The brightest of them, the girl who liked handsome men, mumbled and repeated my words.
“Gift for younger sister… fan and clothes… then, at that time, at the carriage.”
“Yes. He’ll understand if you say that.”
“But is it… okay to talk to him?”
“What if we get in trouble?”
They chattered among themselves, their faces soon filling with fear.
Amidst it, the girl who had been eating meat with sauce around her mouth spoke calmly.
“You were with her, weren’t you? You talked. I saw you earlier. He’s not the kind of person who would hit us even if we talk, right?”
“That’s right.”
I stroked the girl’s jet-black curly hair and asked,
“Where do you live, and what’s your name?”
“I’m Hita, I live in Dosmana, down there.”
“Okay, Hita. You’re very smart. Please remember it well and tell him for me.”
Hita from Dosmana.
I repeated the name to myself and quickly left the spot.
