ILSK Chapter 7

I curse you, Killian Gray!

Breathing heavily, Shannon plopped down on any railing she could find by the roadside. When the clearly unmarried young lady sat on the railing without even laying down a handkerchief, the passersby began to murmur. However, Shannon was already so used to the whispers directed at her that she didn’t pay them any mind.

“Haa…”

Shannon took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage that had surged to the top of her head. But it wasn’t easy. She had just been unfairly fired.

“That was a good drink, ma’am. The new maid is quite impressive.”

Killian Gray stepped out of the teahouse and said a word to Mrs. Lauren. The word “impressive,” said with a cold expression, was certainly not a compliment. Coming from the Chief of Police of Oklo, it was equivalent to saying it was suspicious.

It would have been better if it had ended there, but Elena had already stormed out after scolding Mrs. Lauren to properly educate Shannon about her mistake. Unfortunately, Elena’s sorrow and shame from breaking up with Killian were unleashed as anger towards the maid, who lacked even the most basic attitude of pretending not to hear.

“Get out of my teahouse right now.”

Shannon, who had greatly offended the two special guests seated at the table, was immediately fired on the spot. She was thrown out onto the street with just a single silver coin in her hand.

“You made me work until blisters formed on my feet from early morning!”

Shannon barely suppressed her anger. The pay for a whole day and a half of work was just a single silver coin!

‘No matter how you look at it, even 30 years ago, this amount of money wouldn’t even cover a day’s accommodation.’

If it were reality, I would have logically argued against the unfair dismissal and unjust wage cuts based on labor standards and union laws, somehow preventing the dismissal or at least getting the rightful wages. “The tenacious bitch,” that was Shannon Sherwood’s nickname because she would cling on until the end.

But unfortunately, the labor standards act that Shannon knows didn’t come into effect until 17 years later. No matter how smart Shannon was, she didn’t carry around the labor standards act from 30 years ago, and the labor union act hadn’t even been drafted yet.

To think I would directly experience the unjust dismissal of a maid that I only saw in history books.

“Wow, historian Shannon Sherwood. You’ve made it big, you’ve really made it.”

Shannon, smirking inwardly at Mrs. Lauren, stared intently at the silver coin in her hand and faced reality. The sun was slowly setting. Soon, the lamplighter would light the gas lamps, and darkness would descend in an instant. No matter how central the square in Oclo is, it is dangerous for a young woman to be alone after darkness falls.

“If I had even a gold coin, I could at least lie down somewhere, even if it’s not a lodging place…”

At that moment, the silver coin Shannon was holding suddenly glinted with a golden light. Startled by the unbelievable phenomenon, Shannon brought the coin closer to her eyes.

“Excuse me.”

Naturally, there was no miracle of a silver coin turning into a gold coin. Only golden hair shone over the silver coin. It was Cecilia. Shannon’s silver eyes widened as he shifted his gaze from the silver coin to Cecilia.

“Miss Kent?”

“You remember me.”

When Shannon said her name, Cecilia brought her hands to her mouth and smiled brightly. It was a smile more lovely and splendid than the blooming flowers of spring.

“Could you possibly help me? Just for tomorrow. I’ll pay you three gold coins for a day’s work.”

***

The carriage of the Kent family, carrying the precious youngest lady and her guest, was heading towards the Kent mansion.

Shannon looked around the inside of the carriage with curiosity. It was her first time riding such a luxurious carriage. The plush seats made of velvet, the windows with double curtains, the delicately patterned body, everything was fascinating.

Of course, she had ridden in a horse-drawn carriage. The next mode of transportation she used after the horse-drawn carriage on the annual orphanage picnic day was the train and the car. When Shannon took the train from Roderick, where the orphanage she grew up in was located, to the capital, Oclo, the luxurious carriages had long disappeared from Oclo. By the time she arrived in the capital, cars had already become the norm. Naturally, after she became a professor and started earning money, she bought a car instead of a carriage.

Shannon pretended not to see Cecilia who kept glancing at her face, then asked.

“What can I help you with?”

“Ah… um, the strawberry tea was delicious. Could you make it again tomorrow?”

Caught sneaking a glance at Shannon’s face, Cecilia hurriedly turned her gaze away and gave a strange answer.

“I didn’t make that tea. I don’t even know the recipe.”

“Really? Then, um, I mean….”

Shannon stared intently at Cecilia, who was at a loss for words in response to her firm answer. As expected, the noble and compassionate Cecilia was taking pity on the maid, who had been kicked out of the tea house and had nowhere to go, and was using the excuse of needing help to bring her to the mansion. Of course, from Shannon’s perspective, there was nothing to lose, so she readily accepted Cecilia’s proposal.

“……Huh, it’s going to get dark soon, and I was worried about you since it looks like you have nowhere to go.”

Cecilia, who had been rolling her eyes around, couldn’t withstand Shannon’s piercing gaze and let out a deep sigh. Since Shannon seemed to know everything anyway, Cecilia answered honestly without making any more false excuses. After giving a rather rude answer, “I felt sorry for you,” Cecilia quickly added.

“But that’s not the only reason. I need a friend who will listen to my stories and share new ones. I cut ties with a friend today.”

With a faint smile on her lips, Cecilia nonchalantly uttered a terrifying statement. She declared that she would never meet Anna again.

“Why me? If it’s Miss Kent, you could definitely find a friend with better qualities.”

Shannon was a bit surprised by the lady’s bold choice, considering she thought her heart was more delicate than anyone else’s. Moreover, even if the maid had been kicked out onto the street, Shannon was willing to bet today’s hard-earned silver coin on the fact that she already had many friends.

“Somehow, I’m drawn to you.”

Shannon blinked. Cecilia Kent was an utterly incomprehensible woman. On one hand, she had a cold side that would cut off relationships without a moment’s hesitation if she deemed someone unhelpful to her. On the other hand, she would make decisions based on reasons that seemed like pure fate or daydreaming, such as being “drawn to” someone.

“And I like beautiful women.”

Even Cecilia slightly blushed while looking at Shannon.

“……Yes?”

Shannon, who had heard completely unexpected words, asked blankly for a moment. At the same time, Shannon’s evaluation of Cecilia changed again. Cecilia Kent was an amazing woman. She made her realise that she could be so foolish as to ask again like this.

“Ahem, anyway! You’ve agreed to be my friend from tomorrow, so do your best.”

Cecilia simplified this complicated situation very easily. Anyway, since Shannon got on this carriage, the offer to help her was valid, so whether she liked it or not, she had to be her friend by tomorrow.

“I’ll introduce myself again, I’m Cecilia Kent.”

“Shannon Sherwood here…”

Cecilia greeted Shannon with a typical noble lady’s etiquette, slightly bowing her head with an elegant gesture. At that moment, a necklace slipped off Cecilia’s neck as she bowed. It was none other than the silver pendant necklace that had been included with the letter she received a few days ago. Shannon froze in shock, as if ice water had been poured over her head.

I don’t know why the necklace that was in the bag swept away by the river is now around Cecilia’s neck, but Shannon was sure it wasn’t just a different necklace that looked the same. It was the necklace she had looked at thousands, tens of thousands of times.

“Your fiance’s name is…?”

Shannon forced her stiff lips to move and asked a question.

“They call him ‘Noah Ambrose.’ He’s a competent lawyer.”

Cecilia, clearly excited at the thought of soon becoming Mrs. Ambrose, blushed and shared even the details Shannon hadn’t asked about. In contrast, Shannon’s heart sank coldly.

[ We are the family of Shannon Ambrose. We want to meet her. ]

Cecilia Kent, Noah Ambrose. The thought that these two people might be her biological parents felt like a heavy blow to the back of her head.