Chapter 36 – Chapter 3: Silence – 1
The only noble house I’ve ever seen in my life was the stone house where Lord Taildon stayed.
I haven’t been able to go inside, so I can’t really evaluate it.
From what I heard, the house is unnecessarily large, and the lord is confined to his room, making the house feel empty.
However, the ‘mansion’ that Robert was talking about was different.
An elegant house with a large garden, and the stairs and pillars are made of pure white marble.
It was referring to a house that seemed like something out of a fairy tale.
I, a commoner, was invited to such a great place?
Of course, it was a really tempting offer.
I, a beginner who knows nothing about Deseo, can stay safe under Robert’s protection.
It is also an opportunity to see the life of an aristocrat, something you will never experience before.
But…
Is it okay to stay in Deseo?
The goal of this trip is to ‘get the medicine myself and wake Ritz up.’
What would it mean if I didn’t go back to Brisden?
As I walked while thinking seriously, I suddenly saw the prostitutes.
After not seeing each other all day, when we finally saw each other, Madame greeted us very warmly.
“Tia!”
“Hehe- I’m here.”
“I saw the driver carrying you on a horse. How was it?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I learned a little bit about riding a horse.”
“Oh my god. “It seems the driver really liked you.”
The other sister said curiously.
“I’ve never seen that guy so excited in all the time I’ve been following the donation team.”
“Right? I heard everyone was in an uproar. “The driver, who had been hard to see his face for a month, was suddenly running around on horseback.”
“I don’t know what will happen if they charge into the windmill. Giggling-.”
Everyone said, ‘Today was unusual.’
Tia didn’t know much because it was only the fifth day since she entered the tribute, but it seems that Robert had been quiet without saying or doing anything from the beginning of the procession until now.
That person suddenly got on a horse and ran wild across the plains.
It is said that the rats that followed the donation party were very afraid because they thought something strange had happened.
Madame asked.
“What did you talk about with the driver?”
“I learned how to ride a horse and eat biscuits, and I also heard about how the driver lives. I heard the old story of the teacher who taught me swordsmanship – um – and also asked me what I was going to do in Deseo…”
Tia trailed off her words.
She actually came to her sisters to ask about this.
“He said he wanted to invite me to the mansion.”
“Oh my!”
Everyone covered their mouths and was surprised.
“Really? “You invited me?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Oh. What’s going on!”
“Congratulations! Tia!”
Suddenly, her sisters were holding Tia’s hands and jumping for joy.
Is this something to celebrate that much?
While she was laughing ahaha without knowing what was happening, an older sister said with an envious look.
“Last night we drew our swords and growled at each other – this morning we suddenly got along on horseback – and in the evening we received a marriage proposal -? Even bards don’t brag like that!”
“Our Tia has the talent to charm even nobles, right? Please tell us some secrets too! How did you get a marriage proposal after roasting and boiling it?”
“Yes, yes-? “A marriage proposal?”
I don’t know what the sisters are talking about.
There was no such story at all?
“I heard the driver invited you to the mansion earlier! What does that mean – I want to marry you! “Everyone says that in Deseo.”
“No, you’re kidding, right? Why did Robert…”
“Do you guys understand? But I heard that rumor. The reason the driver is not married yet is that he has not been able to find a bride. You turned down all marriage talks? Maybe it’s because they’re from a very famous family, but they must have a picky eye. But didn’t Tia look very attractive even in the eyes of such an aristocrat?”
“No way. Ahaha…”
According to the sisters, there is a culture among Deseo nobles to invite someone to their home when proposing marriage.
It meant inviting someone to a castle or mansion, treating them with great hospitality, introducing their family, and showing off their wealth.
Unlike commoners who live together in one village, noble men and women live far away from each other, which is why such a custom arose.
“Anyway, it went really well! Whether it’s real or not, you absolutely have to get invited! It’s an invitation from no one but a nobleman! If you get married like that, you will become the wife of a nobleman! “I’m so happy!”
The sisters made a fuss as if it was the greatest happiness.
Tia couldn’t be happy.
No, she wasn’t happy at all. She just had a more complicated mind.
Then… Are you saying that Robert suggested marriage to me?
Oh, no. It can’t be.
In the first place, her status was different, she was born in a mountain village, had no family name or property, and only inherited the surname ‘Anne Shea’ from her parents.
Why would a nobleman, who values lineage and honor, wish for such a worthless me?
Just because I am Master’s disciple… I guess I invited you because I wanted to talk about you, Master.
That’s right. It will definitely happen.
I was truly grateful for Mr. Robert’s kindness.
Thanks to this, I had the rare experience of riding a horse like a knight and blowing a horn.
But. It may be a presumptuous thought that could be rude to Mr. Robert.
If you invited me to the mansion with ‘that’ in mind.
You must refuse.
I am… Because I promised to marry Ritz.
Kkook.
Ruby held her necklace tightly.
Although it was only for a short time, I felt like we had become closer while talking with Robert.
But at the same time, she felt another wall.
The common sense of that world and the common sense of this world are different.
For example, he took it for granted that he spread butter on biscuits, but for commoners, it was an extravagant thing that could only be done once or twice a year.
Even if he admitted that it tasted good, how could he eat that precious ‘butter’ on biscuits as hard as rocks?
The same goes for eating dinner food.
He always used a knife and fork, and I could pick up and eat anything as long as I washed my hands cleanly.
Robert was a person who did not pay much attention to such differences.
What should I say?
I thought that the ‘freedom’ we each enjoyed was different.
Although nobles enjoyed wealth, they seemed to be bound by a certain formality.
We’re not in a good situation, but it’s like we can do whatever we want.
Rather, the more I talked to Robert, the more I missed Ritz.
Ritz understood everything.
I didn’t have to worry about what to say.
Even without speaking, we could tell what each other was thinking just by looking at each other.
He was a person who offered his shoulder when you were tired, a person who listened when you wanted to talk, and a person who hugged you silently when something sad happened.
Just being around him made me feel good and comfortable.
“…”
Before I knew it, tears were forming in the corners of my eyes.
I wiped away my tears and gathered my strength.
I have to speak honestly to Robert.
For the sake of my loved one, I will return to my hometown as soon as I save Dienbus.
I’m sure you’ll understand.
Because he is a good person.
Pooh-.
The horn sounded, and the tribute stand stopped.
The sun started to set.
It was when I was about to turn around to attend the dinner I had been invited to.
“I can’t see him again…”
Madame frowned as she looked at her sisters one by one.
“Why are you doing that?”
“I can’t see Ailee. It’s time for her to come back soon. I’m sorry, but can Tia help me?”
“Yes. “I’ll look for it too.”
There was some time.
Tia asked people around her if she had seen Ailee.
After questioning, we were able to obtain testimony that Ailee had gone up the mountain with a man.
The mountain was a low mountain next to the road where the public service station was stopped.
Compared to the rough cliffs of Dragonez, it is a small mountain, barely a hill, but it is densely covered with trees, and perhaps because it is fall, the inside of the mountain is very dark.
I can’t believe my sister went into a place like that.
We must quickly find him and bring him back before night falls.
“Ailee unnie!”
She shouted her sister’s name as she climbed the mountain.
She looked a little higher.
Now, it’s time for the tribute line to appear small.
“Tia! It’s here!”
Fortunately, I was able to hear Ailee’s voice halfway up the mountain.
Her sister was hurried down with her terrified face.
“Help me!”
“What’s going on?”
“A strange man… I asked her for help, and she followed me for a bit, but she suddenly felt like she was in too deep… Even if you get scared and try to run away, it’s so dark that you can’t even see the way…”
“Calm down, sister. See it over there?”
Tia pointed to the tribute table at the bottom of the mountain.
Fortunately, people were starting to light bonfires one by one, so the lights were bright.
Ailee nodded her head.
“Yes… I can see it.”
“You can go down there. “Be careful not to slip.”
“Thank you, Tia. … But what about you?”
“I want to find out who that man is.”
“It’s over there! “He was a fat man who stuttered.”
“Ah. Ha…”
Tia held her head.
As soon as I heard the very impressive outfit, I felt the urge to turn to her, but Madame’s request came to mind.
He asked her to scold him if he messed with her sisters.
“I’ll follow you right away. “Go down first.”
“Huh. Okay. Should Tia come quickly too?”
“Yes!”
Tia looked up at the mountain.
There was a large shadow not far away.
“…”
Tia’s eyes, which had been smiling warmly just now, turned cold.
As she gets closer and closer, her fat figure becomes clearer.
My forearms were swollen like a fattened pig, and my lower abdomen was sticking out like a pot.
Like an old chicken out of office, his hair is sparse… Posaoga.
That is a common appearance for men over 40.
Unless you were a knight or mercenary roaming the battlefield, it was natural for your hair to fall out and your lower abdomen to appear, whether you were a noble or a commoner.
Nevertheless, I felt an unbearable feeling of rejection in front of ‘this man.’
Because I know.
Because I saw the ugly side of that man in person.
“T, Tia…”
With that stammering voice.
I remember luring a girl who was too young to know anything.
“… Sigh.”
My whole body was shaking.
Even thinking about it now, I was so ashamed that I wanted to pull out my sword right away.
Till now. And that still doesn’t happen.
Because it’s not even worth it.
I managed to calm my bristled skin and asked in an emotionless voice.
“Why are you at the tribute table?”
“I also have some business to attend to in Deseo… It came. To win a contract, to win a contract…”
It wasn’t a very trustworthy statement.
No, from the beginning, most of what that man said was questionable.
Everything is full of questions.
Why do you live alone and apart?
I’m trying to run a store while being so lazy that I don’t even touch cleaning supplies.
It seems like there are no customers anymore, so how on earth do they make a living?
Why does my belly fat get bigger day by day?
However, I never really thought about it.
I just didn’t like thinking about it, and I didn’t want to find out.
All I could think was that I wish it would disappear forever.
“What were you going to do by calling Ailee?”
“I asked you to help me dig up this.”
Uncle Posao took something out of the bag he was carrying.
It was hard to see because it was dark, but Tia was familiar with that unusual leaf.
Rubes Hub.
Effective in treatment and pain relief… It was a glue that Ritz often used.
“Why are you digging up that?”
“There were a lot of people injured because of the gang fight… To help…”
I heard that a fight broke out between rats two days ago.
Is it because of that?
Anyway, it was none of my business.
Tia gave a stern warning.
“Don’t ever touch her sisters again. Do not talk to me. “Don’t even come close.”
“Naaah- T, Tia… But…”
“Don’t pretend you know.”
After saying that, she immediately turned around and tried to go down the mountain.
I heard Uncle Posao’s voice behind me.
“Tia. Oh, still… “Do you hate me?”
