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LOS 18
Upon arriving in Lindsdale, they dispersed to track the traces of the Beldam noblewoman who had fled. Giles did the same. However, he simply had one more person to find.
Under the pretext of searching for Martina Solze, Giles carefully tracked Lily's whereabouts. He carried a rough sketch based on Lily's portrait and stopped passersby.
"Have you seen a woman who looks like this? She isn't dangerous... but I am looking for her personally."
Most people said they hadn't seen her. He had a feeling that finding her would not be easy. Searching for someone was never a simple task unless one made a loud scene while circling the neighborhood.
Furthermore, it was uncertain whether Lily was even here in Lindsdale.
Even after spending half a day questioning people alongside his duties, there were no results. Desperate and looking haggard, Giles stopped a man passing by.
"Excuse me, may I ask you something?"
Seeing his uniform, the man immediately adopted a favorable attitude.
"How can I help you?"
"Have you seen a woman... who looks like this?"
The man stared intently at the drawing for a long time, then his expression shifted as if he remembered something.
"Is she a woman with black hair?"
He then pointed in a certain direction.
"Last night, I saw her shivering, leaning against that building over there. I thought she was about to die. It was raining and cold, and she was wearing nothing but a thin scrap of cloth. I was going to report it, but a girl living in that house let her inside immediately. I don't know if she's still there, though."
Giles thanked him and headed toward the building the man had pointed out. Strength returned to his stride. If he could only meet Lily again, he felt he would want for nothing more.
Would Lily be here?
Giles knocked on the front door. Knock, knock. Then, a response came from inside.
"Anna?"
A woman with distinctive freckles opened the door. Facing an entirely unexpected visitor, her face froze in surprise. Thinking that something must have gone wrong, she asked,
"What is the matter?"
"I am looking for someone."
Giles held out the drawing, the corners of which had begun to fray.
"A person with black hair and blue eyes. Have you seen her?"
The woman stared blankly at the subject of the drawing and then slowly nodded.
"Yes. That's right. It's Anna."
"What did you say?"
"Anna. That's her name."
The woman continued.
"She told me her name is Anna Keating."
-
Sheila Carlton grew anxious. She was facing a revolutionary army officer who was so tall she had to look far up to meet his eyes.
His presence was truly imposing. He was polite and courteous, but before the cold-blooded gaze that his gentlemanly demeanor could not quite hide, she naturally became tense.
He was certainly a member of the revolutionary army who had saved the motherland for people like Sheila. However, that also meant he had tortured and killed many people. Sheila could feel it just by looking at the man's face, even without anyone telling her.
Having obtained all the information he wanted from Sheila, the officer bowed his head slightly with a more relaxed expression.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Well then."
It seemed he intended to leave now that his business was finished. Sheila stopped him before he could completely exit the house.
"Wait a moment."
The officer stopped and looked back at Sheila. Meeting his gaze again, she felt a chill, as if she were looking into the dark shadows of an abandoned house.
"Is... is that girl a dangerous person?" she asked cautiously. There was no change in the officer's expression.
"I mean... since you are the one looking for her, just in case. I want to believe it's not possible... but perhaps she is a Beldam..."
"Miss Carlton."
His low, sinking voice cut her off. The officer still maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, but Sheila felt that he somehow disliked her question.
Soon, the officer's cold expression softened. It was as if a candle had been lit in a dark room. He gave a small smile and spoke.
"There is nothing to worry about. She is merely a virtuous citizen, just like you. She is someone who would have no involvement in any subversive incidents. It is simply... that I owe her a personal debt, and I am searching for her because I wish to repay it."
"Ah... I see."
"So please, do not be anxious. Whether I find Miss Anna or not... nothing serious will happen."
The black-eyed officer gave a light nod and left the house. Left alone, Sheila let out a sigh of relief and smiled. As I thought. There's no way. There's no way I would have hidden a Beldam without realizing it.
She hummed a tune while preparing lunch. She put water in a pot, chopped vegetables, and prepared spices. The kitchen was full of ingredients she wouldn't have dared to covet back when the Beldam people were in power. Perhaps that was why Sheila felt most satisfied while cooking. Now, all of these things belonged to her.
The fragrant bread was the same. Of course, bread was one of the most common foods in Ipswin, but being able to eat such high-quality, soft bread to her heart's content was nothing short of a blessing.
Finally, just as she was about to sit down at the table set with vegetable soup and white bread.
Someone knocked.
Knock, knock.
Sheila stopped her movements and turned her head toward the front door. Who is it? Could it be Anna? The thought occurred to her.
Anna must have returned from a brief outing. She had to tell her quickly! She had to tell her that an officer had come looking for her. With those thoughts, Sheila set down the bowl and ran toward the door.
"Anna, is that you?"
She opened the door to check the face of the person who had knocked. However, the person waiting outside was not Anna this time. Another man was looking down at Sheila. A man with a gentle and soft impression was smiling.
"Hello," he greeted.
He was a man with an impression completely opposite to the officer who had visited before. Sheila could feel her face naturally flushing.
"Ah... hello."
"I'm exhausted from poking around and asking so many people. You see, I must find my cousin, but no matter how hard I look, I can't seem to reach her. May I ask if you've seen her nearby? Her name is Anna Keating."
At that moment, a memory flashed through Sheila's mind. Anna had definitely said her family would come to get her!
"That's right! Anna was here and then left. Actually, I'm not sure where she went... she wasn't home when I returned from work. She might come back soon. Anyway, Anna stayed here last night. Oh dear, where did Anna go without knowing her family had arrived..."
"Please don't worry too much. I'm sure I'll find her soon. This village is very small, isn't it? However, one thing that bothers me is... I heard a member of the revolutionary army stopped by this house. Did something happen, by any chance?"
The nameless man asked with a worried expression. Sheila shook her head.
"It was nothing. He just said there was someone he was looking for... Ah, come to think of it, that person was also looking for Anna! Perhaps if you get that person's help, you might find her faster. Shall I tell you where the revolutionary army office is?"
"The revolutionary army was looking for Anna?"
As if this were entirely unexpected, he became restless.
"Why were they looking for Anna? Did she do something wrong?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Please tell me in detail."
The man pleaded earnestly. He was smiling again.
"I beg you. Tell me why he was looking for Anna."
-
I learned one fact. This village has no train station. To leave for another region, one must take something called a streetcar, and to travel far enough, one must pay a significant fare.
In short, there is no way for me to leave right now.
All I have are a few stolen coins. I need to secure more money, but I have absolutely no idea how. If I had known this would happen, I should have stolen at least one piece of jewelry while I was at the mansion.
Winter was approaching. Not only was it too cold to endure outside, but the fact that the sun would set earliest was the worst possible misfortune for me.
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to borrow someone's kindness and spend the night safely in a bed, but I felt I couldn't expect such luck tonight.
The sweater Sheila gave me was warm, but it was woefully insufficient to block out the winter chill. Shivering, I sat down in a corner that looked relatively warm.
As the sun set, people gradually began to disappear from the streets. The lights that illuminated the shops went out one by one, and as time passed, only desolation filled the empty streets. What should I do? I had to use my head. I had to survive tonight somehow.
Because I cannot freeze to death in a place like this.
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