Chapter 4. Wrath (1)
Behold the day! Behold, it comes!
Doom has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the land.
The time has come! The day draws near!
There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
Ezekiel 7:10
***
“Welcome, Master Canui.”
It had been a long visit. Osian guided the ever-unchanging mute painter, Canui, to the room while stealing a glance. Nelly, who caught his eye, smiled brightly and waved her hand. Osian also subtly raised his hand in acknowledgment. The tips of his ears were red.
Just as Nelly, who used to make bizarre expressions to amuse him, had become quite calm and started putting on ladylike airs, Osian too was now imitating being a man. He had grown more than a span taller and his voice had deepened. Fourteen years old in two months. It was an age on an ambiguous boundary, and he had matured that quickly, making their relationship increasingly difficult to define.
Marilla, who had come with the keys to this place instead of Lady Cornelia, alternately looked at the two with subtle glances before whispering in Nelly’s ear.
“Nelly, you said you followed along because you wanted to see that boy, didn’t you?”
“Wh-what do you mean…? No!”
“What do you mean no? I could tell from when you pestered Lady Cornelia to tag along. What were you hiding that you came and went so eagerly…? Sly little thing.”
“It’s not like that!”
“You don’t need to be so embarrassed. It’s natural, after all. I started falling in love at exactly that age too. When you let go of dolls from your embrace, strangely someone else comes to fill that space.”
“…Really? Did you do that too, Marilla? Who was it? Do you still see them?”
“It was the second son from the house across the street, and he was quite handsome. But when I turned fifteen, I was sold to Lady Cornelia, so I haven’t seen him since. He’s probably married some local girl by now and had a child or two.”
She had momentarily forgotten the fact that Marilla had been working under Lady Cornelia, her mother, since she was fifteen. Nelly looked gloomily at the stairs Osian had climbed. She too might soon have to go somewhere else. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore.
For Nelly, who had always been alone among the older sisters and elderly customers, Osian was the first peer friend she’d ever had, so she was particularly fond of him.
“…Weren’t you sad?”
“I think I was… But I have no regrets or lingering feelings. I gave him not just my heart but my body too.”
“Really?”
Finding Nelly’s wide-eyed surprise cute, Marilla giggled and whispered mischievously.
“Yes. So you should hurry up and pounce on him before it’s too late.”
“It’s not like that!”
“You’ll regret it later if you keep this up, and I won’t be responsible, you know? It seems like talk of your auction is starting to come up, so wouldn’t it be better to do it first with someone you like before that happens? As I said before, the first time is a bit tough. To get used to it quickly, it’s better to do it with someone you care about.”
Nelly’s face turned bright red. But seeing how her eyes were rolling around, she seemed to be pondering it. Since she’d be sold soon anyway, it might be better to have her first time with someone she liked, as Marilla said.
“But… Mom said being a virgin gets you more money…”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll teach you the method. Pretending to be a virgin isn’t difficult.”
“…What method is that?”
Marilla began telling Nelly the method she had used, whispering in her ear. Surprise spread across Nelly’s face.
“That’s possible?”
“Of course.”
The two, who had been anxious and restless before entering this place, bloomed with laughter as if nothing had happened.
Osian and Canui also entered the room. Seeing Canui arrive, Ronen was already roughly prepared, and Osian busily brought out the chair for Canui to sit on, the easel, and the still unfinished canvas. Due to this commotion, they didn’t immediately notice that Canui’s face was shadowed as he opened the art supply box he’d brought.
Canui sat in the chair, and Ronen struck a pose with Osian’s help. Just as Osian, having finished his tasks, was about to step away, Ronen smiled gently and said.
“She seems to have come today too.”
“Pardon?”
“Lady Cornelia’s daughter.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Osian answered with a somewhat bashful expression. She had been following whenever Canui came, so he’d expected this. Ronen gestured toward the door.
“Go ahead.”
“…Yes.”
Having experienced this several times, Osian obediently left the room. Through past experience, he had personally learned that playing around with Nelly to some degree was no problem at all. Everyone wasn’t so petty as to report such things, and the Grand Duke couldn’t know what happened inside the building unless it was separately reported.
“Aren’t they cute? It would be wonderful if this peacefulness could continue.”
Nelly, the brothel owner’s daughter who didn’t know when she’d start working, and Osian, the attendant who didn’t know when he’d be driven away. He hoped their innocent relationship would last as long as possible, but he already knew it was a futile expectation.
Perhaps that was why Canui’s expression was dark. Ronen, only now noticing this, asked in a puzzled voice.
“What’s wrong? If you’re worried about those two children…”
Canui shook his head. He seemed to have something he desperately wanted to say, as he kept opening and closing his mouth. However, with his severed tongue, he couldn’t even pronounce words properly, and incomplete, clumsy pronunciation flowed out like babbling.
Feeling frustrated, he pressed his lips tightly shut and gripped his brush hard in vain. He blamed himself, thinking he should have at least learned to write if he knew it would come to this, but Ronen couldn’t read his mind. What could be happening? He was casting glances mixed with worry and questions.
“R-Ronen!”
Osian, who had gone to see Nelly, came running back with a pale face. After carefully closing the door in case anyone might hear, Osian walked cautiously between the two and asked Canui with an expression of disbelief after hesitating.
“C-Canui… Is what Nelly said true?”
Only now seeming to feel some relief from his frustration, Canui nodded vigorously. Ronen’s puzzlement grew even more.
“What words? What did you hear from Nelly?”
It was only a moment. Osian had met Nelly for just a short while. It was barely enough time to exchange a few words. But what on earth had he heard in that time to make Osian so frightened?
“Hurry up and speak.”
At Ronen’s urging, Osian hastily opened his mouth. Unorganized thoughts tumbled out chaotically.
“Just now Nelly… Nelly said she might have to leave soon. It was strange that Lady Cornelia didn’t come today, so when I asked why she didn’t come, she said she came with Marilla to look for a house because they have to move. When I asked why they’re moving, she said it’s because of the Night Office…”
“Night Office?”
“That! They suddenly raided last night and dragged away prostitutes indiscriminately! They’re killing them all in the square right now! That’s why Lady Cornelia wants to move… Because Lady Cornelia keeps prostitutes…”
Ronen looked at Canui with wide-open eyes. He was nodding as he listened to what Osian was saying. His lips moved as if he wanted to say more.
Suddenly he remembered that it had been noisy outside last night. He’d thought it was just drunks getting into a quarrel while half-asleep, but apparently that wasn’t it.
“Why suddenly… The Night Office?”
“Yes!”
Seeing that they weren’t packing immediately but were looking for a place to move first, Lady Cornelia seemed to have that much leeway.
“…She must be doing that because she’s confident she won’t be caught right away.”
That meant either Nelly had exaggerated the story or was mistaken, or they were mainly targeting street prostitutes…
“Could there be an epidemic?”
Strange customers had suddenly flooded in after the war ended. So an epidemic might have started spreading, and that disease might have been transmitted to nobles, or to suppress it before it was too late, they might be capturing and killing prostitutes who could be infected.
“It would be better to find out more details.”
At Ronen’s words, Osian nodded with a determined look. Since Ronen was also a prostitute, if Lady Cornelia felt threatened by the situation, he too would have no way to escape. After Osian left the room, Ronen asked Canui, who was looking at him with an expression that showed he had much he wanted to say.
“…I’m in danger too, aren’t I?”
Canui nodded, and Ronen asked again.
“If I’m caught too, will I be executed?”
After hesitating, Canui also nodded. It was interpreted to mean that regardless of epidemic infection status, all prostitutes would be dragged away and executed.
Ronen approached the window and slightly drew back the curtain. Perhaps because he’d heard that story, the atmosphere outside seemed ominous. Not even a shadow of a person could be seen on the street, and thick black smoke was rising in the distance, covering the sky.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
