The One Who Won't Be Abandoned - Chapter 35

The day after my private meeting with the lord, I received a note from his attendant with an address written on it. Without hesitation, I took a half-day off from Madam Judith and headed to Glunan Village.

All the while, my heart was pounding uncontrollably. Anyone could see how nervous I was. Clutching the note to my chest as if it were a holy relic, I took each trembling step toward my destination.

Longta Street, where the building was located, was a little away from the center of Glunan Village. Since I usually only visited the bustling parts of town, the area was unfamiliar to me.

However, true to the rapidly developing nature of D’Hel, Longta Street was lined with newly built structures and freshly paved stone roads. It didn’t seem desolate or unsafe at all.

As I passed each building, I checked the engraved addresses on the stone walls. The closer I got to the one written on the note, the more my heart pounded with excitement. I was about to receive a building that I could never afford, no matter how hard I worked my entire life. It may have been given to me for free, but it felt as if I had earned it through years of toil. Overwhelmed with emotion, memories of my struggles flashed before my eyes.

I had worked diligently, both at the Kaiman estate and D’Hel Castle. I had never once changed jobs, proving my loyalty as a long-time employee. And how well had I taken care of Andre? If not for me, he might have died trembling in fear on Mount Kayal.

Yes, I deserved this three-story building. After countless hardships, my life was finally turning around. With renewed confidence, I took a firm step forward.

The sky above was clear, and the white, fluffy clouds floating peacefully reminded me of my bright future. The world seemed exceptionally beautiful that day—the sky, the wind, even the massive crow flying by with a dead rat in its beak.

There was nothing that didn’t seem beautiful. Even the drunken man lying sprawled out on the street in broad daylight, the puddle of vomit next to him, and the men brawling over a failed negotiation—all of it looked picturesque.

“You bastard! Just how much more do you expect me to lower the price? You don’t even have money, so why are you trying to buy this?”

“What do you mean I don’t have money? Did you see my pockets? Huh? You’re just an awful merchant with overpriced junk!”

“You crazy idiot! Who in their right mind asks for a fifty percent discount on a perfectly fine product?”

They say that if you endure, good days will come—and as ridiculous as it sounded, it turned out to be true. I was proof of that. How many people my age owned their own building?

“Get lost! I’m not selling my stuff to you! I’d rather toss it into a sewer than sell it to you, you scumbag!”

“What did you just say?! You bastard, then you’re no better than a pig—”

“Wait, hold on! When did you ever see my wife?! Are you talking about her weight? She’s not fat! She’s just swollen from being sick! It’ll go away once the swelling goes down…”

“I was talking about an actual pig… but now that you’ve said that, what does that make me?”

“…Fine, I’m sorry. I’ll pay full price.”

And finally! I arrived at my destination.

Double-checking the note in my hands, I compared the address with the engraving on the building’s stone wall. After confirming it several times, I lifted my head and took in the sight before me.

Bathed in the radiant sunlight, the tall stone structure stood magnificently.

Ding-ding-ding.

At that moment, a crisp, pure bell sound echoed in my ears.

Ah, wasn’t it said that you hear bells when you fall in love at first sight? Or was it during a first kiss? Either way, the moment I laid eyes on the building, I heard the sound of chimes and fell into an inescapable love.

And in that instant, I knew—this building and I were meant to be. We existed in this world to find each other.

“It’s beautiful.”

Could there be a more stunning building in existence? The structure looked as if a master artisan had painstakingly laid each brick by hand, leaving behind a masterpiece rather than mere architecture.

This wasn’t just a building—it was a work of art.

“Who the hell are you?”

A rough voice yanked me out of my daze.

Emerging from my masterpiece was a man with muddy-brown hair and an unkempt beard. His narrowed eyes held suspicion as he glared at me, likely disturbed by my dreamy expression.

Despite his rugged appearance, he was tall and had a solid, well-built frame. He observed me carefully, as if assessing whether I was some kind of lunatic.

After a long, scrutinizing stare, he cleared his throat with a phlegmy sound and spat onto the ground.

“Ptew! Just my luck—some drugged-up wench loitering around before we even open. Hey! Get lost. Scram.”

He waved his hand threateningly, trying to shoo me away.

Annoyed by his rude attitude, I frowned and asked, “And who are you?”

“Me?” He scoffed. “I’m the owner of this place.”

The man jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at my beautiful building. At that moment, I recalled what the lord had told me—he had rented out the first-floor shop space to a clothing store.

“Oh, so you’re the one opening the clothing store?” I said.

“Do I look like someone who runs a damn clothing shop?” he scoffed.

“No,” I replied bluntly, smirking as I eyed his shabby, worn-out clothes.

“Exactly,” he huffed.

“But didn’t you say you were opening a clothing store when you signed the lease?” I asked.

“Yeah, and if I’d told them I was opening a gambling den instead, do you think they would’ve rented it to me?” he shot back. “Wait a minute—how the hell do you know about that?”

Grinning brightly, I answered, “Because I am the owner of this building!”

“Ah… yeah. Now that you mention it, I do remember. The owner’s name was a woman’s.”

“Jeanne!” I announced proudly.

“Right, right. Jeanne.”

At last, the man uncrossed his arms and relaxed his stance, his wariness easing.

“Well, damn. A proxy handled the lease, and you never showed up, so I thought some rich noble had just built this place and forgotten all about it,” he muttered.

“Well, I’ll be coming here every day from now on! No, actually, I’ll be living here!” I declared.

“That’s your business,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway, I’ve been paying rent properly through the proxy. You know that, right?”

“Nope. I never received a single payment.”

“…What the fuck?! That son of a bitch pocketed my money?!”

The man suddenly exploded in fury, his temper flaring like an uncontrolled wildfire. Without another word, he stormed into my building—his shop—and returned moments later, wielding an enormous axe in one hand.

“I’m gonna chop that thieving bastard into pieces!” he roared.

As he stomped forward, he abruptly halted and turned back to me.

“Hey, you’re really Jeanne, right? The actual owner?”

“I swear on my late mother’s grave,” I said solemnly.

“Good. Hold tight. We’ll talk about the rent when I get back.”

With that, he charged off, his face a mask of rage. Pedestrians screamed and scattered in all directions, fleeing from the axe-wielding madman sprinting down the street.

I watched in silence until he disappeared from sight.

Then, with a satisfied smile, I turned back to my building and admired it once more.

“Truly, the most perfect building in the world.”

* * *

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The deep chime of bells rang out nearby, startling the birds into flight. Their wings fluttered noisily past the half-open window, carrying the crisp morning air into the room.

Without so much as a toss or turn, I stretched as though I had been waiting for the sound and sat up in bed. As I opened my eyes, the soft glow of dawn—the gentle herald of early morning—was the first thing to greet me.

Still seated with only my upper body lifted, I looked around my spacious bedroom, my eyes sharp and alert, unclouded by sleep.

The house, furnished with nearly all of my savings, was now filled with high-quality furniture that made it look like a noble’s home. Every corner was stocked with an abundance of household goods, enough to last a lifetime. It was all thanks to the reckless overspending I had indulged in on my first night here, swept up in the excitement of moving in.

It had been two weeks since I settled in, yet every morning still felt so wonderful that I couldn’t help but smile. With that smile still lingering on my lips, I got out of bed and walked toward the large window.

Sliding it open wide, I took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. It was the same air I had breathed back at the castle, but here, in my home, it felt different. It wasn’t just air—it was the scent of freedom, of happiness.

“This is paradise,” I murmured.

Even the constant ringing of bells from the nearby church, even the noisy drunks who filled the streets every night—there wasn’t a single thing I disliked.

“This is what life is supposed to be.”

Just as I had done yesterday, and the day before that, I clung to the window frame, drinking in my satisfaction before finally heading to the bathroom to prepare for work.

It was still quite early when I finished getting ready, but I didn’t mind. Humming a tune, I fastened the locks on my door and wrapped my cloak tightly around my shoulders against the chilly morning air.

Descending the stairs next to the first-floor shop, I spotted Jun sitting on a long wooden bench in front of the store. He was lazily crossing his legs, yawning loudly with his arms folded.

“Good morning, Jun! What a lovely morning!” I greeted him cheerfully.

His disheveled, unkempt appearance was familiar by now, almost comforting in its consistency. Before he even turned to look at me, I made sure to greet him brightly.

“What the hell do you mean, good morning?” he grumbled. “Even the damn roosters aren’t up yet. One of these days, before I leave this place, I swear I’m gonna tear down that cursed bell tower. I barely got two hours of sleep after closing up shop.”

“Oh, don’t say that! I love the sound of the bells,” I replied.

Jun snorted. “You’re full of it. Of all the things to like.”

“Sometimes, I feel like those bells are singing just for me—celebrating my happiness with their melody.”

I clasped my hands together over my heart, smiling blissfully. Jun gave me a long, suspicious stare.

“…What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You’re seriously not on drugs?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what the hell are you eating? You sure you’re not snacking on something weird?”

“What would I even be eating?” I scoffed.

Turning toward my building, I stretched both arms wide.

“I don’t need to eat—I’m already full just from the joy of life!”

“…Yeah, no. There’s definitely something wrong with this neighborhood. Too many lunatics lately,” Jun muttered.

Shaking my head at his skepticism, I waved goodbye and headed toward D’Hel Castle.

As I walked along Longta Street, I passed by a man sprawled out on the pavement, snoring loudly. He had clearly drunk himself unconscious the night before and never made it home.

Just as I smoothly stepped around him, an old man emerged soundlessly from a nearby alley. With practiced ease, he approached the sleeping drunk, rummaged through his pockets, and swiftly retrieved his wallet. Without a word, the elderly pickpocket slunk back into the alley, vanishing as quietly as he had appeared.

The street was littered with broken glass from shattered liquor bottles and scattered bloodstains—evidence of a brawl from the night before.

Light on my feet, I nimbly avoided the debris, humming a tune as I continued on my way.

* * *