The wicked woman is roasting coffee beans again today.

Chapter 5 part 1

Lynet, who had messed up Esther’s pride—her face and hair—laughed triumphantly. Then, she looked at Kenneth and said,

“Father, how about now? Doesn’t my sister look a bit more human?”

“…”

“If we don’t make a sandal out of this woman today, I’ll leave on my own.”

“Hey! That’s not how it works. Why would you leave? If anyone leaves, it should be Esther.”

Edgar said, but Lynet stalked out of the dining room without a glance. Alice, who hadn’t gotten inside, gave her an angry glare and then laughed in disbelief.

“Oh my, how dare you, a mere servant, cast your eyes where they don’t belong! You should be mindful of your position.”

As Alice, with wide eyes, was left speechless, Lynet didn’t stay still. She grabbed Alice’s hair and shook it while maintaining an elegant smile, then turned to the head maid.

“If this is how you train the maids, I’ll be quite disappointed.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Head maid Bessie bowed deeply and took over handling Alice’s hair. Lynet then returned to the room with a smile.

“Miss, even if the eldest did that, I don’t think you’d be able to…”

“So, Katrine, did I do it wrong?”

“No, you did very well, but the water is too weak for what you’ve been putting up with. In the future, you’ll have to do twelve laps by your hair. Do you understand?”

Lynet embraced Katrine, the only one who had stood up for her, and buried her face in her chest. Katrin hugged her back and rubbed her back.

“Don’t hold it in anymore,” she said, “you’ll only make yourself sick.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m going to run away!”

“Yes, you should run away. Nie-e-e? Go, run away.”

I had forgotten. Katrine was a woman, and her strength was so great that even the servants were immobilized. Even the knights were rumored to be a force to be reckoned with, capable of defeating them by sheer force of arms.

Surprised by Lynet’s nonchalant response, Katrine, who had been comforting her, looked at her in disbelief. Lynet raised her hand to silence Katrine.

“Father should feel something. I’ll run away and come back.”

Wearing comfortable clothes, Lynet took some money and left without giving Katrine a chance to stop her.

“Miss, where are you going? You still have bandages on your head!”

Upon hearing the knight’s words, Lynet removed the bandages and replied, “I’m going out. It’s too suffocating to stay in this house.”

Indeed, sometimes fresh air is the best remedy. Wanting to escape every corner of the house where Esther was, Lynet left despite the knight’s objections.

***

As she walked through the streets of Indigo, Lynet entered a nearby clothing store, changed her clothes, and exited out the back door with her hair pulled up and covered by a hat, taking the hard way to avoid any possible followers.

Then, she went straight to a stylish restaurant and leisurely had her meal. Despite it being evening, Lynet didn’t go home. Today, she didn’t want to see the faces of her father or Esther.

So she wandered down the street and headed for the restaurant, where she heard the bustle. She ordered a meal there.

While the House of Pruina was as quiet as a cemetery, this place was bustling with people talking. Travelers mingled with the locals, making the atmosphere brighter and more lively than the light illuminating the interior.

Listening to the daily lives of those around her, Lynet observed what others were ordering and ordered the same. Among other things, she ordered beer, wondering if it would taste as she remembered.

“Wow! Yes, this is it.” 

Lynet exclaimed as she swiftly downed the beer. She licked the foam off her lips with her tongue, enjoying the strong taste of the beer, and ordered a few more.

“I think you shouldn’t drink too much here.”

Turning her head, Lynet saw a well-built man wearing a hat like hers. His lips, which were moderately thick, curved slightly, giving him a lively appearance.

“I don’t usually drink, but seeing you made me want to drink too. If it’s not too much trouble, could I join you since there’s no other seat available?”

Lynet glanced around the crowded space full of people and kindly invited the man to sit across from her since there was no available seat.

The man ate and drank very quietly. She couldn’t stand to look away, so she made small talk with him, telling him that it was fate that he had joined her.

“By the way, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty this year.”

“Oh! I’m twenty too.”

As they talked, Lynet forgot her sadness and enjoyed drinking with the man.

“What’s your ideal type? I prefer a woman like a bubble bird,” the man asked suddenly.

Smiling in her intoxicated state, Lynet replied, 

“A shy man who cooks well.”

“Oh, I can’t cook, but I think I should learn.”

“Is it necessary to learn? It’s just my ideal type.”

“I think being a husband who takes turns cooking with his wife is more charming.”

It was uncomfortable and awkward at first since they had just met today. But this man was comfortable. It felt like a long-lost neighbor had returned. They started off awkwardly, but as time passed, they naturally melted into each other’s company.

Was it because of the alcohol? Lynet felt uplifted by the warmth enveloping her body, and she smiled.

“Um, excuse me. What’s your name? I can’t just call you ‘hey’ or mister.'”

In response to Lynet’s question, a gentle curve appeared on the man’s lips.

“You can call me ‘Mister’ if you’d like. Well, my name is Blue. And what might be the lady’s name?”

“Then I’ll call myself Bird. Our names sound pretty together.”

Bluebird.

There was a time when Lynet’s grandmother read her a fairy tale called ‘Looking for the Bluebird’ before she passed away. She remembered that a bluebird symbolizes happiness in everyday life.

“Bluebird, it’s lovely. You seem like a little bird to me.”

“Bird. It’s been a while since I heard that. That’s how my grandmother used to call me until she passed away.”

Lynet smiled wistfully as she remembered the grandmother she loved so much coming to her in her dreams and calling her. Her maternal and paternal grandmothers, who had loved her so much, had died, and she missed them so much today.

“Sweet Bird, are you thinking of your grandmother by any chance?”

“Yes, I miss my grandma, maybe because I’ve been drinking. Do you have a grandma, Blue?”

“Yes, but she hasn’t had much energy since my grandfather died, and I’m worried about her.”

Seeing the man thinking about his grandmother, Lynet squeezed his hand and said,.

“Your grandmother must have loved your grandfather, but please take care of her for the rest of her life.”

Lynet prayed as she wrapped her small hands around Blue’s warm, large hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was holding your hand because of the alcohol.”

“That’s alright. My first love used to hold my hand like this to comfort me.”

Who in this world doesn’t have a first love? But listening to someone else’s love story was always enjoyable. So, Lynet subtly asked Blue.

“It might be impolite to ask, but do you still meet your first love?”

“Um, she may have erased me from her memory, but I still keep her.”

“Oh, have you two parted ways?”

“I think of it as a temporary separation. I first met her when I was seven years old and she was six.”

Lynet chuckled at the idea of a seven-year-old meeting a six-year-old girl, wondering if their families knew each other.

“Dum spiro spero”