.jpg)
LOS 39
Forgetting all sense of decorum, I was busy looking around in a daze, like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.
“This street used to be where the Beldamites walked,” Giles mentioned casually.
“Everything that makes up this street was created for them. It’s even more spectacular after sunset, as they’ve installed lavish lighting.”
“It’s a shame I won’t see it today. Did you used to walk this street too?”
“I only knew that a place like this existed.”
“Then how did you know we had to pick a dress here?”
Giles brushed off the question with a smile. I didn't press him further; I had no desire to ruin his mood. He had lost all his family and friends. He likely didn't even want to recall his past memories.
He was a man living in the present to escape his past. At least, that was how it felt to me. While some people move forward for the sake of the future, he was the exact opposite. I got the feeling that Giles hurried toward the future just to get a single step further away from his past.
“Here it is.”
Giles stopped in front of a salon. Even to my eyes, it exuded an atmosphere that only the wealthy would frequent. He opened the door for me. As I stepped inside, a magnificent chandelier first caught my eye. Before I could even look elsewhere, someone approached us.
“Welcome, young lady. How may I help you?”
A woman with a red lipstick that suited her well greeted me with a bright smile. Her gaze then shifted to Giles, who had followed me inside.
“Ah, you have a companion. Perhaps...”
The woman's face stiffened the moment she recognized him. As if unable to believe her eyes, she kept her gaze fixed on Giles and slowly approached him.
“Could it be...?”
“It has been a long time, Madame Mendel.”
Giles took the woman's hand and gave it a brief kiss. Her eyes widened even further. Gasping, Madame Mendel cried out his name.
“Giles!”
“There is no need to be so surprised.”
“How could I not be? I...”
She hurriedly lowered her voice.
“I thought something had happened to you. I mean, so much has happened in the meantime. How... you really were alive.”
Madame Mendel hugged Giles as if she might crush him. Watching the emotional reunion, I finally couldn't contain my curiosity.
“Do you two know each other?”
“I’ve known Giles since he was a little boy! Time truly flies. Such a small, cute child has become such a fine man. I thought I would never see Giles again. Truly...”
Remembering something, Madame Mendel asked in an excited voice.
“Come to think of it, where is your sister? Celeste! Is she doing well too? It feels like only yesterday that Celeste used to come by for dress fittings... Giles always assisted her, like Celeste's squire. He was such a good boy. Seeing that you are well, she must be safe as well.”
Giles forced a fake smile and concocted a lie.
“You needn't worry about her.”
“That is wonderful news, truly wonderful. Even though they came from Beldam, I was very fond of those siblings. Their childhood images are still so vivid before my eyes; how could I possibly hate them? Anyway, you've come for a dress today, right?”
“There is a banquet soon. I need a dress for my partner to wear.”
“I'll take care of everything. Just wait and don't worry. Now, young lady, this way please.”
Madame Mendel led me inside. Following her guidance, I tried on dresses one by one.
Even though they were dresses, they were quite different from the ones I had worn when I was Countess Bismar. Instead of the lavish Beldam-style gowns, simple and understated evening dresses were the main focus.
While choosing the clothes, I asked Madame Mendel questions from time to time.
“Did Giles come here often when he was young?”
“He came occasionally. When he was very small, he usually came with his mother, and as he grew older, he came with his sister. In any case, he was a child with an exceptional affection for his family.”
“What kind of person was he back then? I mean, Giles. He doesn't really say much about his childhood.”
“Children are all pretty much the same. Sometimes they throw tantrums, and then they get scolded... Whenever Giles got a scolding and whimpered, I used to secretly slip him a piece of candy. He would stop crying instantly and act like a good boy.”
Madame Mendel smiled as if reminiscing about the good old days. It was natural, in a way, that Giles had such times, but it didn't sit well in my mind.
I glanced at Giles. Since his back was turned, I couldn't tell what expression he was wearing, but he still exuded a heavy atmosphere just from his silhouette.
“Then... what about the person named Celeste? I heard she is Giles's sister, but...”
“Have you never met her?”
I nodded. I couldn't have. Because I had only just heard for the first time that Giles even had a sister.
“She was a kind and fragile girl. It's been so many years since I last saw her that I don't remember clearly... but I remember she was a child who scattered a positive energy like sunlight around her. Giles truly followed such a sister. Above all, Celeste took great care of Giles. I'm sure that sibling bond hasn't changed even now.”
I simply nodded. I imagined the girl I had never seen and the young Giles talking and getting along. I thought Giles's sister probably looked completely different from him. After all, Giles had an impression that was the polar opposite of Madame Mendel's description.
Or... perhaps the things he had to endure were what made Giles that way. I would never know what Giles was like before the revolution occurred.
“You said you are Giles's partner?”
“I'm attending in the capacity of a partner.”
“You aren't actually dating?”
I waved my hand.
“We are nothing to each other.”
“Surely, it's rare for a man and woman who are nothing to each other to attend a party together. There must be something. At the very least, it seems Giles doesn't see you as just any woman.”
Madame Mendel smiled mischievously as she brought me a new dress.
“Well, we'll see.”
After several dresses, Madame Mendel picked the final one for me. It was a pearl-colored evening dress with a design that exposed the shoulders and looked as if a thin shawl were draped around them, with the ankles slightly visible.
Madame Mendel looked at me with a very satisfied expression and pushed me toward the front.
“Go show him. Your partner should see how you look.”
Led by Madame Mendel, I stepped forward. Giles was sitting in a chair, fingers interlaced, lost in thought. As I approached, his gaze shifted to me.
With awkward movements, I fiddled with the hem of my skirt and shrugged.
“How is it? Madame Mendel says this one is the best.”
He didn't answer. He just stared at my face without saying a word, like a man who had forgotten how to speak. Feeling embarrassed, I tried to go back inside.
“I'll try on something else.”
“No. There's no need.”
Giles belatedly stood up and caught my hand. After hesitating while looking at me for a moment, he finally offered a compliment.
“You're beautiful.”
As he spoke, Giles's face held a radiance I had never seen before.
For a very brief moment, I could imagine a glimpse of him during the times he must have been happy.
-
The large plaza located on the outskirts of Ipswin's capital used to provide many cultural benefits to the citizens.
Not only did the city center and parks extend from the plaza, but whenever there was a festival, all major events were held right here in this square. People called this Maynard Square. It was a name that had settled after changing several times according to the flow of history.
And there is a large building facing Maynard Square head-on. This grand rectangular building, which looks like a palace in some ways and a large school or government office in others, has seen its purpose change as eras shifted.
This building was first constructed during the era when the monarchy enjoyed its power. At that time, it served as the building for the nation's representative trading company. As the foundation of the monarchy shook and it fell under the rule of Beldam, this building fell into the hands of the Beldamites.
To solidify the foundation of their rule, they used this place as the headquarters of the secret police. Looking only at the four-story building exposed on the surface, it looked like an ordinary Security Bureau building, but in the basement levels—which were not open to most people—horrific prisons and torture chambers were hidden.
People felt the terrifying presence emanating from this building. During the days when the Beldam secret police frequented the place, the surrounding area became unusually devoid of crowds.
The same went for Maynard Square. The building, which already boasted an ominous atmosphere, became even more bleak.
Now that the rule of the Beldamites, which seemed eternal, has receded, this building is currently used as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army. In the gloomy corridors hidden beneath the beautiful building—constructed in a classic yet restrained style to suit the tastes of the old royalty—the sound of military boots echoed.
Though entering the headquarters was not a rare occurrence, the basement level, where only pale lights flickered, remained unsettling. Unlike the ground floor, which maintained a relatively friendly atmosphere, this place was the very point where its true nature was revealed.
The first basement level is where the offices and interrogation rooms are located. For Giles, there was a person he had to meet here.
.jpg)