Chapter 49

It finally becomes clear why Mrs. Yaer is not Lady Yaer.

"What's wrong? I was surprised to hear that Alesia had come."

"Gil, there's something I want to ask about the proclamation. Was the person who confessed to the sin Eitana? Did she die?"

Gil was surprised by how flustered Alesia, who usually appears calm and composed, was. He was even more surprised that she mentioned Eitana's name and deliberately smiled to hide his shock.

"Why did you think that? Do you know Eitana?"

"The last time I visited the palace, Eitana served me tea. She was one of the few people who worked in the palace when Aula was executed and is still working here. There can't be many people of her age still serving in the palace, right?"

Gil ordered a maid to prepare tea and cleared the room of other people.

"Do you understand why the name wasn't written in the proclamation? It was to protect the remaining family from harm. That's why I can't tell you the name. Yes, that person did die. Her body was found dead from an accident this morning."

"An accident..."

"There were scattered pieces of a crystal bracelet. She tripped and fell while picking up the crystals in a drunken state."

The crystal bracelet. Alesia felt a pain in her chest.

"Was that person planning to confess and face judgment?"

"Um, I can't say that either. Alesia, why are you so concerned about that person?"

"Because Eitana was such a kind person."

"I see. I'm sorry, I can't tell you the name."

"I understand. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me despite your busy schedule."

"Wait, you're leaving? You don't want to see the prince?"

"Yes, I'm leaving. Thank you for your hospitality."

The crystal bracelet.

Was it something I gave Eitana in my past life? Eitana was so happy, almost to the point of tears, saying, "Such beautiful, large crystals! I will treasure them forever! Thank you, Lady Aula."

Alesia hurried out of the room and, while being guided out of the palace, tried to get information from the guide.

"Eitana is dead, how sad."

The elderly maid, thinking Alesia had already asked Gil or perhaps wanting to talk about it, immediately responded.

"Yes, we were all shocked. We never imagined that such a strict person would do such a thing. And it seems she didn't intend to face punishment, as her bag was filled with money. She must have caused Lady Aula to suffer so much before the execution. Her death by falling must have been divine punishment, don't you think?"

Unable to go straight home, Alesia wandered aimlessly. How long did she walk? She walked through the bustling market and sat down on a bench.

Was that girl the one who betrayed me? Did she do it on the orders of the prime minister? If so, why did she visit me every day and comfort me until the execution? And she planned to confess her sin but escape without punishment.

"Eitana, why? I don't understand."

Unaware that people were looking at her, Alesia covered her face and cried. Even when she was imprisoned and despaired by the king she loved, she still trusted Eitana. The day before the execution, she was still worried about Eitana's future. How did that girl feel about her?

"Alesia?"

Snapped out of her thoughts by a voice, Alesia saw Mrs. Yaer standing nearby.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing. A beautiful lady crying alone in a place like this might attract bad men. Come with me. I can't leave you here alone."

Mrs. Yaer grabbed Alesia's arm, pulled her up, and pushed her gently to walk. Alesia, wiping her tears with the handkerchief offered, repeated, "I'm fine," but Mrs. Yaer took her home.

"Tell me what happened, even if it's just part of the story. Did someone assault you?"

"No, nothing like that. I just had a big shock. ...Mrs. Yaer, have you ever been betrayed by someone you truly trusted?"

Mrs. Yaer, surprised by the unexpected question, blinked but soon nodded.

"Yes, I have. Something that made me lose faith in all humanity. I even lost the will to live, thinking how dirty humans are. I was deceived by my husband of twenty years."

Alesia, who thought Mrs. Yaer had led a peaceful life, was surprised. The woman shared her past over tea.

Mrs. Yaer and her husband met in Barwara and fell in love, eventually getting married.

Their love, between a poor businessman from another country and the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant, was initially opposed by her parents but eventually accepted.

Her parents, concerned about their daughter who had never experienced poverty, sent her money regularly, but her husband kept it from her and pocketed it. When Mrs. Yaer suspected the existence of another woman and had someone investigate, she found out that her husband had long been married to someone else.

His frequent absences were not for work but to return to his real wife's home. Realizing she had been his mistress for twenty years, she confronted and scolded him, but he easily abandoned her. She had a son, too.

When she wrote to her family to inform them and planned to return with her son, her sister-in-law, who had taken over the family after her parents' death, wrote back, "How shameful and disgraceful. After receiving so much money from us, you still want to be a burden?"

That's when she first learned that her family had been sending her money for years.

"There are people in this world who can do such things. Thinking that a wealthy daughter might provide some easy money, he must have been delighted to receive such a large sum unexpectedly."

Since then, Mrs. Yaer has asked people to call her "Mrs. Yaer" to indicate that she is not that man's wife, and is treated as an eccentric by those who don't know her story.

"But you know, even such a terrible experience is part of who I am now. I can't erase the past. If I accept that even the terrible past is part of who I am now, I can somehow come to terms with it. It took a long time to reach that point."

Looking at Alesia, Mrs. Yaer continued.

"I formally sued and fought the case. The laws of this country were kind to me, a former foreigner. I preferred repayment over imprisonment, so I was able to recover most of the money sent from my family in installments. If the payments were delayed, he would have been sent to forced labor, so he paid up. I have a high regard for the system of this country and the royal family that enforces it correctly."

Mrs. Yaer gently took Alesia's hand.

"Every experience is part of who you are. Accepting it and living with it is an important task given to you."