"You seem too weak to protect your mother, though."
"That's why I said I’d become strong!"
“Well, your determination isn’t bad.”
Cabelenus picked up a fallen tree branch nearby and held it out to Michael.
“Swing it.”
“Huh?”
“Swing it five hundred times every day, right in front of me.”
"Are you messing with me right now?"
Michael scowled as he looked at the branch in his hand.
Cabelenus didn’t even look at Michael and readjusted his grip on the axe.
“If you want to get stronger, stop whining and do exactly as I say.”
“…You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”
"Well, looking at your condition, it'd be fortunate if you could even swing it properly five times."
“Who says I can’t do it? I totally can!”
Michael swung the branch in his hand, as if to show off.
“You’re putting in too much force. Relax your arms and keep your back straight."
"It's just swinging a tree branch."
"You can’t even do that one simple thing properly."
"Then show me how to swing it properly. Let me see how well you can do it, Mister.”
Michael snapped sharply with a pout.
Instead of answering, Cabelenus picked up a suitable branch and swung it.
“Wow…”
Michael reflexively let out a gasp, then quickly covered his mouth.
But the child’s cheeks were already flushed red, unable to hide his excitement.
It was truly amazing.
It was just swinging a mere tree branch, yet the difference was unmistakable.
Even though it looked like he was swinging lightly, each time the branch cut through the air, a sharp cracking sound rang out.
"What did you just do? How did you make that whooshing sound?"
“If you’re curious, keep swinging.”
"You have to tell me how!"
“I’ll at least check your stance, so don’t even think about slacking off — just keep swinging properly until it truly becomes your own.”
Cabelenus replied indifferently, then took hold of his axe again.
Michael rolled his eyes dramatically in thought, then quietly sidled up next to Cabelenus.
・・・・・
Alicia frowned at the bandage that had come loose while she was gathering the laundry.
Perhaps because she had wrapped it clumsily on her own, the bandage would quickly come undone with even the slightest movement.
With a short sigh, Alicia dropped her head weakly.
Thanks to the medicine Cabelenus had given her, the pain that had plagued her for days quickly faded — but her heart remained heavy.
She knew that even the slightest help shouldn’t be accepted, as it could lead to further obligations.
But she couldn’t ignore Michael’s worried gaze, and beyond that, she was afraid of the life ahead.
She was the head of the household.
There was no time to rest, not even for a moment.
To put even one more bite of food into her young son’s mouth, her pride was always pushed aside.
'But I can’t keep doing this. If I keep accepting it, I’ll end up wanting to rely on it.'
Cabelenus had everything so effortlessly that it was almost enviable.
Though he had lived as a noble and shouldn’t be used to this kind of work, he showed no hesitation.
The fence that Alicia had struggled to fix with great effort, he repaired in no time, and he filled the shed with enough firewood to last through several winters.
‘Schwarhan was like that too.’
It was a comfortable life.
At least when it came to her body, that was the case.
Fragrantly expensive oils — costly enough to leave one speechless — were used generously, several bottles a day. She wore priceless jewels and dresses made of fabric so soft it felt like it would melt at a touch.
Cabelenus always offered only the best, and being surrounded by those things made her lose touch with reality.
She would be lying if she said she never thought back to those times.
To be more honest, whenever she was tired and worn out, Schwarhan always came to mind.
More than once, she wanted to run away to Schwarhan just like this, hide within Cabelenus’s protection, and live comfortably.
But…
Alicia looked at the small shirt with a sorrowful expression.
'Not Schwarhan. Michael isn't a monster.'
Michael no longer had any special powers left.
The child had grown up ordinary until now, and would continue to do so.
“Alicia! Talk to me right now!”
Startled by the suddenly harsh voice behind her, Alicia dropped the laundry basket she was holding.
“Ma’am?”
The laundry Alica had just finished washing tumbled messily onto the floor, but Maren, full of anger, paid it no mind.
“There are limits to muddying the village waters. What on earth have you been doing?”
“What do you mean?”
"Don’t deny it. I know everything."
Maren roughly shoved Alicia on the shoulder, her voice tinged with irritation.
Alicia frowned, clutching her shoulder where she had been pushed.
“What kind of behaviour is this?”
“If you’re going to stir up trouble, at least do it in moderation. Now you’ve even dragged an outsider into the village to cause this kind of chaos?”
Maren jabbed her finger irritably and shouted even more sharply.
She hadn’t liked her from the start, and her instincts hadn’t been wrong.
Raising a fatherless child, flirting with village men — there was nothing about this woman that Maren liked, and in the end, this woman repaid kindness with betrayal.
“Chaos? You must be mistaken—”
“Mistaken? Enough nonsense! Leave this village immediately!”
“I bought this house fair and square. You don’t have the right to order me around.”
“You know who my father is and still dare to say that?”
“Even if he’s the village chief, he has no right to interfere with someone else’s private property.”
“Where’s the proof that this house belongs to you?”
Maren let out a twisted smile.
“Excuse me?”
“For generations, the village chief has come from my family. And there isn’t a single household here that isn’t connected to us, except for you, the outsider.”
“...”
“Even if you claim ownership of this house, who would listen to you?”
Maren crossed her arms and arrogantly lifted her chin.
She found the distorted expression on Alicia’s face quite satisfying.
“I knew all along you were flirting with the village men, but I let it slide. Even without me stepping in, your life is miserable enough.”
“...”
“But I can’t stand to see you splash filth even on my younger brother. Do you know what happened to Peter? Both his legs are completely broken, and he won’t be able to walk for a while. Your man left him in such a terrible state!”
He was in such a terrible state that she first thought a wild animal had attacked him.
Even the physician, they barely convinced to come, shook his head in disbelief at the horrific state he was in.
“Well, serves him right.”
“What?”
“I clearly said no countless times, but he wouldn’t listen. Only after things turned out that way did he finally stop pestering me."
“Hey—”
“You said you’d kick me out, right? Then I have nothing to lose either. The reason I held back all this time just disappeared, so why would I foolishly keep holding back now?"
Alicia grabbed Maren’s hand and twisted her lips into a mocking smirk.
“Hah! I knew you’d be like this. You act all quiet and well-behaved, but inside, you’re as dark as can be.”
Maren frowned in disgust and irritably slapped Alicia’s hand away.
“Go ahead, say whatever you want. It’s always been like this anyway.”
“What?”
“Speak plainly, ma’am. You never once let anything slide. In fact, you were so desperate to get at me that you obsessively picked at every little flaw.”
“Because you’re jealous.”
Alicia smiled faintly.
At the same moment, Maren’s lips trembled.
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to be jealous of someone like you? Your life is so miserable—”
“My life is not miserable.”
“...”
“There have been tough moments, but I’m proud of my life. The moments I endured made Michael who he is now. My child tells my story — what’s there to be ashamed of?”
Maren gritted her teeth and roughly kicked the laundry basket on the floor.
But Alicia’s expression didn’t change at all.
She just quietly stared at Maren.
That fact irritated Maren’s nerves.
“Really, you’re exhausting. Acting all high and mighty, pretending to be elegant, like you’re some kind of noble!”
“...”
“Don’t be mistaken. You’re not a noble. You’re a filthy woman raising a fatherless child alone who flirts with someone else's men!”
The wrinkles on Maren’s forehead deepened further.
She couldn’t understand it at all.
Besides being a little pretty, she really had nothing else going for her.
And that face might pass in some backwater village, but it wasn’t enough to be treated like a princess.
Yet everyone was busy chasing after that woman’s tail.
Even though Maren’s husband never listened, no matter how many times she told him to spread manure on the field, he readily agreed to do it for Alicia.
The neighbour Fender, who had been putting off cleaning his warehouse every day, voluntarily searched through it and brought some burlap sacks for Alicia.
Even her younger brother Peter stepped forward, insisting on fixing Alicia's fence.
"Don't put on airs. I know your tricks — pretending to be uninterested or indifferent while making people anxious."
“Then what should I do?”
“What?”
“When I smile, people say I’m flirting or that I seem easy. But when I act cold, they say I’m putting on airs over nothing.”
“...”
“Just be honest. Just say you don’t like me. That no matter what I do, all you plan to do is insult and criticise me.”
Alicia let out a hollow laugh and continued speaking calmly.
“I know why you hate me. But I’m not the one you should be angry with.”
“You seduced him.”
“I said no hundreds, even thousands of times. I refused again and again. But your husband, your brother, no one listened to me. So the one you should be angry at isn’t me — it’s them. They’re the ones who are at fault, not me.”
“...”
“Let me ask you one last thing. Did you treat the man who did that to Peter the same way?”
Alicia tilted her head askew and stared at Maren.
“Th-That can wait until later...!”
“You’ll just keep putting it off again and again until it quietly blows over. Who would dare raise their voice against a tall, well-built man who even looks wealthy? Especially if he’s truly a noble — that would only make things more complicated.”
“...”
“But, you know, have you ever thought about this? If I manipulated that man to make Peter like that, I could do the same to others.”
Maren’s pupils noticeably trembled.
“...You, are you threatening me now?”
“Yes.”
Alicia smirked and picked up the laundry basket.
Maren raised her voice so boldly in front of Alicia, but when it came to Cabelenus, she seemed genuinely afraid.
“What? Yes? Did you just say yes?”
“I told you. The only reason I held back was because of the house. Now that I’m leaving, there’s nothing I won’t do.”
“...”
“That man holds a far higher status than you can imagine, and if he wanted, wiping out a whole village like this would be nothing to him.”
Alicia calmly picked up the laundry with a more peaceful expression than ever.
“Don’t lie. Why would someone with such a high status be here?”
“Well, maybe he came to take a concubine after his wife died or they separated.”
“What?”
“Why are you so surprised? That’s one of the stories you’ve been excitedly going around telling.”
“...”
“If we go by the stories you’ve been spreading, then I’m some cruel, wicked person who manipulates men and can get away with all kinds of evil…”
“What would you like me to do?”
Holding the laundry basket close to her chest, Alicia gave a subtle smile.
Maren couldn’t utter a word, and her body trembled helplessly.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Even if others don’t believe it, ma'am, you should. Otherwise, you’d be the one lying.”
"The more I look at it..."
“If you swing that hand carelessly, that man will get very angry. Peter did the same."
Maren’s hand, which had been raised, froze in midair.
Alicia let out a bitter laugh.
It was laughable how her wildly swinging hand stopped at just one phrase.
“If you want to kick me out, go ahead and try. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my home.”
“...”
“When cornered, even a rat will bite a cat.”
Alicia leisurely gathered the laundry and walked away.
・・・・・
"Looks like I’ll have to wash everything again."
Alicia sighed deeply as she looked at the ruined clothes.
It was frustrating that all the laundry she had painstakingly done went to waste, but the stains were too deep to be removed just by shaking the clothes.
Even though it was a hassle, it was better to just wash them thoroughly all over again.
“Where did I put the soap… Chris?”
Alicia frowned as she spotted Chris crouching in the corner of the shed.
“You, what are you doing here?”
“I saw Mum getting angry…”
“Oh…”
“Did Mum get mad at Auntie again?”
Chris sniffled while making a tearful face.
“No, it was just a misunderstanding.”
“But Mum always says strange things to Auntie. Last time too, when I told Michael what Mum said, he even got angry…”
“Well… um…”
No matter how much she racked my brain, it was useless.
It was a concept difficult to explain to a child who knew nothing from the start.
Alicia pondered for a moment, then smiled softly.
Fortunately, she knew how to divert the child's attention.
“Chris, want some cookies that Auntie baked?”
“...Cookies?”
“There are actually some cookies left from just yesterday’s batch.”
“Then I want to eat them with Michael!”
Chris cheered, raising both arms suddenly in excitement.
"Good idea. Then, while Auntie gets things ready, could you go call Michael?"
“Isn’t Michael at home?”
“Of course not. He left early this morning to play with you.”
“With me? But I came here to meet Michael.”
Chris tilted his head.
At that moment, Alicia’s expression quickly hardened.
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