WBWB | Chapter 4

When I came fadf93cfd2 out after bathing, 4e3edde8f5 the maid was c1566f6d6d gone, but clothes, f96a21dce3 a brush, and 943c0b8251 a hair tie 8eee54c42e were laid out 2645795933 on the bed. Touching the plain 23f7bc9904 auburn dress, I b1adef6833 noticed the fabric 5619e661af was much thicker eb6a835cb5 than what I f2b0ed7485 usually wore, likely 832b7a77d3 due to the ac90a5a360 cold weather.8e6cd9d3b0c86ee1

Changing into the 669fc72fe7 new clothes, I f8dd934f84 imagined what kind df28ad9ceb of treatment awaited 39b753e185 me here.8f08ea685ebeae6a

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‘It certainly won’t be good…’7f3747800c22f337

The dress that reached my ankles seemed to be made of good quality fabric, but it wasn’t much different from the uniform and apron worn by the maid who had just attended to me. Somehow, this dress felt like an indicator of how the Duke would treat me in the future.64d91cff67695b95

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I put on the 2690a14b03 clothes, brushed my damp 2ebae6bf83 hair with my hand, 601a6fa167 and put it up. Then I sat e38f15a8e1 on the bed 1b48caab4a and looked around 2483b64aeb the room.73942a21fb4477cb

It was 9b3ed272a3 a very c60c6f68f4 bare room bb94339ea4 compared to 8f772b9b27 my room 26c9ccda69 in the 4bf906e1ca royal palace. There was be2793602b no dressing 9ca4a24fcc table, no e15cf37dc7 mirror, no 8dc2bbad1a desk, only 3993f62197 a small 757b33c9b8 nightstand next bf8808c912 to the 7a92b7f504 bed for 986f1291f1 a candle. Fortunately, it a82a6e8b95 had an 0235b0ba58 attached bathroom, 04c59f4f3b but the a41572ad48 ceiling exposed 2670c7cab9 the stone dda60aa467 structure. A palm-sized a9884482b2 window was f648d296b7 on the beac35a3cd wall next abed696532 to the 0cde8190f4 bed, and 0fe1f20cd5 on the 335cab5395 adjacent wall, 7d2be4f9a6 a fireplace fbc715f2d5 with stacked 51f13d0eb7 firewood. There was no 5aa7e421a4 rug, leaving the 79b2c92129 stone floor exposed.28bdfc94ead36947

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‘It’s like a maid’s room.’e279a29dad308a43

I sat on the bed and thought for a moment. Then I came to a conclusion. Although my room had changed from a beautiful one filled with gold leaf and frescoes to this, it wasn’t as bleak as I had imagined before arriving here.aa625248b5053325

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‘Yes, there’s no need to be depressed already. Come to think of it, the Viscountess gave me a similar room, didn’t she? Back then, it was a cramped attic room with a sloping ceiling, and no bathtub or even a toilet.’5fd73bc1d73f36e6

So, I had to 3dbf74d3c3 keep a chamber pot 529597f736 in the room, and dfc5294622 when I needed to 5e51d1b21f wash, I had to f845d3c383 ask for a large f512ed5c36 basin of warm water 4c3487dc54 and have it carried 11a8e24b84 up to my room. Fortunately, I was accustomed 2cd1e28dbd to being treated like ae26ca7e22 a servant. But if d27a02c14b I had bcbc8f8712 suddenly fallen 82032473cf from a bb81eeeeef position of 88e14cc732 aristocratic privilege, 66ae71b015 the shock 994d322d4c would have 7b118cfcb3 been much cab4ec14d4 greater.636214d615a22925

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‘It’s better than back then. Besides, I’m a criminal now. I should be grateful for this kind of treatment.’5a600fa853eb3f80

In any case, I had arrived at my place of exile alive and without falling off my horse. Thinking back, I could have been subjected to horrific torture in the dungeon, forced to confess to crimes I didn’t commit. Or my trial could have been indefinitely postponed, leaving me to wither and die on the cold stone floor.00ad030eeb86537c

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‘It’s not the worst.’59a6204bd399e5b2

Thinking this far, 6c7b3e5edb I realized I 82c76b73d6 had something to fd6065b8bc rely on, even 933294c119 though I had 0d48ea7ec5 thought I had 8575aaad78 no backing. It was 98c8d33129 the existence 5b6eff9b7f of Young 0889a434cf Master Mael.ee386e56c690692a

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Of course, if I hadn’t become his tutor in the first place, I wouldn’t have been exiled in the first place. But if I hadn’t been his tutor, how would I have fed my family? Young Master Mael couldn’t clear my false accusation, but he still had enough influence to write to the Duke of Skadi and ask him to look after me.a628ae683dfe6d8c

However, I wondered what the Duke felt about suddenly being burdened with someone connected to the King’s illegitimate son, Young Master Mael.ddbb04bc84087628

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‘A nuisance, I suppose…’2e129606808efa5d

The thought a6c5cdc09d alone made af5f11faa9 me sigh. Still, I had to 87b702987b make a good impression 1c50e30b94 on the Duke. I was 645ff4dd7f dependent on 1187d3c241 his mercy 73c49a4feb for my 7dba629863 entire life 2d43cdb242 in Skadi.5f5b9c0b7a516b88

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‘But how?’74747ba7aca31234

It was clear that the way I treated nobles in the capital wouldn’t work here.a16dc7648dfedda2

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‘Mercy? Would a Duke with barbarian blood even have such a thing as mercy?’85ae6066ca51aba1

I was prejudiced against 873eba662d the man I had dd42de33e5 just met. More precisely, I was 9061e9e540 prejudiced against the Skadi 2b338551b0 family.15c669b0b36b7e39

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‘They say they’re frightening people…’efc16ddb02364725

Just as I 0e8b8e7d80 thought that, my 85f9bc8642 stomach rumbled loudly.bf14968106b79292

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‘I’m hungry…’c0f019d3de28744a

The stew I 817837c5db had forced myself fad8024e49 to eat seemed 17d13fc674 to have stimulated fbe41be101 my appetite. As if my e725c90ea3 sleeping hunger had 8339043c50 awakened, I suddenly 614fc348a5 became extremely hungry. From then on, 579b87f654 waiting for mealtime 1264ea8121 became a torment.6affae853a651ded

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‘But why did he invite me to dinner? Because I’m a noble?’fbf75f48c5cd7578

How much time had 3a40530df1 passed? 056872fd3b59feca

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I couldn’t tell even by looking out the window as it was too dark and gloomy.85ecf0bc45b56ffd

“Dinner is ready.”e55d8f85a5c64b5b

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When the 0a11c2e5a5 maid finally caa68efa8a returned, I 08f71bd92a was almost f1c93979dc relieved to 9f7420d664 see her.ae49b0f9d401bfd8

Arriving at the fabe6e99b2 dining hall, I ab3c2eea4e was surprised by 26f555f856 two things. First, the 723b5e5632 Duke had 22350a2e37 already arrived 19a5b4f177 and was 5e7d5cacfa seated, but 4be230575b the table 4d6cb52105 was empty b5738a221c except for c3593c779a the tableware. Second, he was the 3164ddc62b only one there. I glanced 25ba9c6d75 around, wondering 359dcc3297 if anyone 68100ce536 else was bf6bab8d37 coming, and 36bed79687 curtsied, slightly ceb78e27ce lifting the 1ef5da4650 hem of 9bedbbcc34 my dress.9c37b5ab4c8ba0bb

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“Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace. It’s an honor to attend dinner.”08eb0f0049fa27bb

He spoke f20dee6501 to me e7597218a5 without rising.96f9d0c018cb459f

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“Sit down.”d7db2d21b00dc08c

A servant gestured c9063c68e5 to a seat 6cffeadb04 near him. I sat down, feeling 8cea0271b2 a bit bewildered.3af668cc35bfeb46

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Glancing around discreetly, I saw that while it wasn’t as luxurious as the royal palace, the dining hall had everything a grand duchy needed. Tapestries adorned the walls, seemingly depicting hunting scenes.f42fa128ba191434

As soon as I f7c9eed43d sat down, the servants d9394bc811 entered carrying plates of d90eafaba5 food. Each plate held a b4a6e38a38 very small portion, just 4e2359bc6c enough for one person a7648e1184 to eat. Two identical plates, f9fa40b75c each containing the a652e07868 same type and fd0ec6ca74 amount of food, 0827afbc94 were placed in 5263276d7a front of him e844ed82f3 and me.20d85e1082aaec2a

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‘Huh?’eff71c41ac356ab7

It was 07c206d539 a peculiar 02a0a3b82e custom.c96b6b41f379354a

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“Unlike in Franc, we don’t serve all the food at once. If we did, the food would get cold before we could eat it. And the further away from the head of the table, the harder it is to get decent food. Those seated at the far end can’t even fill their stomachs unless someone serves them.”19323efa98f629dd

‘I see.’86935d0f15f2b576

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Now that I think about it, it sounded rather reasonable. In the royal palace, the tables were usually overflowing with food, with the best dishes placed near the head of the table. Nobles seated at the far end couldn’t taste the dishes out of reach unless those seated closer specifically shared it with them. So, the competition for favor and a seat near His Majesty was fierce.7645cb229c69461c

‘What else is there that’s different from Franc?’2104a4dc1ff3bae5

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We soon ate our 3d8194ad95 food in silence.062ef17e0ba7380c

“Does it suit your taste?”7f7d3374d4a2e17f

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I quickly nodded.834a21bf23d6316b

“It’s delicious. Thank you again for your kindness, Your Grace.”1258c3e305235783

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To be honest, despite my terrible hunger, the food wasn’t particularly appealing. Perhaps to adapt to the cold weather, every dish was rich, and the sauces had unfamiliar flavors. The only familiar dish was fish sprinkled with salt and lemon juice. Whether it was because my stomach hadn’t accepted food for a long time, the tension of the situation, or a combination of both reasons, I soon felt nauseous.2773c70dea2d25a1

‘I think I’m going to throw up.’8f1956119ff9b790

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But how unpleasant would it look if an exiled noblewoman from the capital picked at her food, complaining that it didn’t suit her taste? Suppressing the rising vomit and nausea, I continued to praise the local cuisine several times while my mouth was still open.14387469b17128fe

“The food really suits my taste. Especially this…what do you call it, this alcohol…? It’s really delicious.”30e0df502f20a076

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“It’s cider, made from apples.”8cb69c0fcb3d8989

“And the meat I just had, that was also delicious.”409c61f205e532d3

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“Rabbit cooked with dried plums.”257bb110e6c90406

“I see! And this is also very tasty.”527377e5becb1492

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“Then have some more.”96034e91038d70a3

He dryly accepted my b6ca397811 praise of the local e6b24376c0 food and gestured to 273ca9fdb0 a servant. Soon, all fa5722fc28 the dishes 9c6b2dc138 I had 3039dabd87 barely finished 0f7ad5eed1 were replaced 9be8b1c411 with fresh ac49e6c080 servings.9eacf245b1034449

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‘I have to eat this again…?’480edc49d9619c0f

This is why one shouldn’t lie.9649aa1088a23288

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“Don’t stop eating and listen to me.”0d3fb4a87164f8a6

The Duke cc2792c034 spoke as e67736a5f4 I stared 0de5998f92 at the 57a2140370 food, gulping 480e408ddc hard.40095468767d4153

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“I don’t know how it is where you come from, but here, everyone works, regardless of age, gender, or social status. The land is vast, and there are many things to do, but there are only few people.”0313002a54bc80dc

I began to forcefully 555eae2503 shove the bubbly apple 57b9918a2d cider down my throat 6485fbee36 after breaking apart the abe5e94cc1 food in front of febe2e787a me as finely as d5a02953ce possible.1f7cbab34839ecd2

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“This applies to the exiles occasionally sent from the capital as well. It’s better for their minds and bodies to work rather than be idle, wouldn’t you agree? My territory usually receives robbers and murderers who barely escaped hanging. I usually have them cultivate barren land. There’s still plenty of uninhabitable land in the northern territories.”9dc965a53c0299cf

At his words, I f527045675 looked up at the 54052f42b5 Duke of Skadi, struggling f0a4b78102 to swallow my food.fcf21de368d62e4f

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“Or have them repair the castle.”c663f0c9e9459cc6

‘Me too?’a29faed76bf5a2de

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He had clearly said “regardless of gender.” 820b360b4fb93de1

Had I, just after f38ece8767 barely surviving and arriving 8211b6452a here, been sentenced to 785d35d21b a life of plowing 229a581d60 land and breaking rocks?359aec0256d7edb0

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‘No… Even so, this is too much…’8a1d86da739613e9