Chapter 49: Yael-sensei’s Past│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com
“What’s the matter, Alesia-chan?”
“Gil-san, I’d like to question you about that announcement. Was it Eitana-san who confessed her sins? Is she dead?”
Gil was taken aback to see Alesia, who usually appeared calm and collected, in such distress. He was even more surprised when she mentioned Eitana’s name, and he smiled to hide his surprise.
“What made you believe that? Is Eitana acquainted with Alesia-chan?”
“Eitana-san was the one who made me a cup of tea the last time I visited the palace. She was working at the palace at the time of Aura’s execution, and there weren’t many people her age still working there, were there?”
Gil directed the maidservants to prepare tea and clear out the visitors’ room.
“Do you know why the post was missing the confessors’ names? This was done to ensure that the remaining relatives were not harmed. That is why we are unable to reveal her name. The woman is no longer alive. Her body was discovered yesterday morning; she was killed in an accident.”
“Death by accident…”
“A crystal bracelet was broken and scattered around. While picking it up in a drunken state, she stepped on a crystal ball and fell down.”
(The crystal bracelet.)
Alesia’s heart aches.
“Wasn’t she going to confess her guilt and be tried?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that either. Hey Alesia-chan, why do you care about that person?”
“Eitana-san was a wonderful person.”
“I see. Sorry, I can’t tell you her name.
“Without a doubt, I understand why you are unable to tell me. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.”
“What? You’re leaving? Don’t you want to see His Highness?”
“Yes, I am leaving. I apologize for interrupting.”
—○
A crystal bracelet.
I wonder if it was something I gave Eitana in my previous life.
Eitana said, “Are you sure about such a large and beautiful crystal? I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life! Thank you very much, Aura-sama!”
She was so overjoyed that she burst into tears.
—○
Alesia dashed out of the room and followed the guide out of the palace.
“I heard Eitana-san passed away. I’m sorry to hear that.
The old woman who was Alesia’s guide didn’t hesitate to answer her question. She might have thought that Alesia had already heard the story from Gil, or she might have wanted to tell Alesia the story herself.
“Yes, we were taken aback that someone so strict would do something like that. Furthermore, she had no intention of being punished, and a bag full of cash was found in her luggage. I’m curious how much torture Aura-sama endured before her execution because of her. It must have been divine punishment for her to have fallen down and died.”
—○
I didn’t want to go straight home, so I walked aimlessly. I’m curious how far I walked. I strolled down the busy shopping street and sat on a bench.
Did she trick me? Did the prime minister direct her to do so? If that’s the case, why did she come to see me every day and console me until my execution? And how could she have expected to go free after confessing to her crimes?
“Eitana, why? I don’t understand.”
—○
Alesia cried on the street, completely unaware that people were watching her.
Despite her despair at being imprisoned by the king she adored, she had faith in Eitana. She was concerned about her future the day before her execution.
(I wonder how she felt watching me like that.)
“Alesia-san?”
She came to her senses and found Yael-sensei standing right beside her.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“No, nothing. It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t appear to be “nothing”. A beautiful woman crying alone in this place attracts bad men. Come along with me. I can’t leave you in this state.”
Then she grabbed Alesia by the arm, helped her to her feet, and pushed her backward. Alesia wiped her tears with the handkerchief offered to her and repeated, “I’m fine,” but Yael-sensei took her back to his house.
“Simply tell me what you can—what happened? Did you get hurt?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just that I’m shocked. Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trusted completely?”
Madame Yael blinked at the unexpected question, but nodded quickly.
“Yes, I have. There are times when I don’t believe anyone in the world. I almost lost my will to live when I realized how filthy some people are. A man who had been my husband for 20 years cheated on me.”
Alesia was taken aback because she had assumed she had led a peaceful life. She told her about her past over a cup of tea.
She and her husband had met in Balwala and were married in love.
The man was a poor businessman from another country who loved the teacher, who was the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant family. At first, her parents didn’t want them to get married, but in the end, they did.
The parents were concerned about their youngest daughter, who had never known poverty, and sent her money on a regular basis, but the husband pocketed it without informing her. When Madame Yael suspected the existence of another woman, she hired someone to investigate and discovered that her husband had married another woman a long time ago.
It was not his job to be away from home so frequently. He just wanted to see his real wife again. When she discovered that she had been his mistress rather than his wife for 20 years, she became enraged and blamed her husband. When she questioned him, he simply abandoned her and her son.
She wrote a letter to her parents’ house to inform them of what had occurred, and as she was about to return with her son, her brother and sister-in-law, who had taken over the house after her parents’ deaths, said to her, “How pathetic and disgraceful—You still want us to look after you after we’ve given you so much of our money?!” That was the first time she realized her parents had been sending her money for a long time.
“There are people in the world who would dare to do something like this. He must have been overjoyed because he thought he would be able to get a better deal because I was the daughter of a wealthy man, and now a large sum of money has come to him without my knowledge.”
She has been addressing herself as “Madam Yael” since then. People who don’t know the whole story regard her as a freak.
“But, you know, even the worst of my experiences have shaped who I am today. I can’t pretend what happened in the past never happened. Then I could somehow accept that even that terrible past is part of what makes me who I am now. It took me a long time to come to that realization.”
Madame Yael continued, looking at Alesia.
“I have officially filed a complaint against them. Despite the fact that I am a former foreigner, the laws of this country have been kind to me. Because I preferred restitution to imprisonment, I was able to reclaim the majority of the money my parents had sent me in installments. He would have been sent to forced labor if he had not returned the money, and the government made sure he paid me back. I have high regard for this country’s system and the royal family who keep it running smoothly.”
Madame Yael took Alesia’s surprised hand in hers with care.
“Every experience shapes you into the person you are. It is your responsibility to live with them.”
—Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com—
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