ERTHMB Chapter 111

The Lonely Woman

Bakery, blueberry, balcony, baobab tree, and bell. 

Among all the letters, Natasha particularly loved words that started with ‘B’. Because they had a similar pronunciation to that person’s name.

Even if the words ended differently, the moment they started with the same sound made her feel inexplicably good.

He was someone who, just by having his name spoken, made her fall into the illusion that she had become something special. Natasha felt that all her living, breathing moments held value simply from the fact that she was his person.

Though he was now someone permitted only the title of Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Natasha would sometimes secretly roll her tongue along the letters of his name.

Especially on days like today, the frequency inevitably increased. Natasha had stopped by the villa without particular expectations and received an unexpected gift.

‘Finally… finally a reply has come.’

Natasha caressed the navy blue envelope as if it were the world’s only treasure. On the envelope’s surface, the initial ‘B’ was inscribed in golden ink.

Surely he had scrawled it carelessly without even looking. The pen’s trace was messy, with strokes that seemed almost torn away at the endings.

Still, Natasha buried the tip of her nose against it. The letters seemed to emit a sweet fragrance.

It was certainly not his scent, but he was always like that. As if casting magic, he would so easily plunge others into vain fantasies and delusions.

Natasha rubbed the tip of her nose against the envelope countless times, read and reread the letter, folding and unfolding it.

Each time she repeated the same actions, she behaved like a child opening a present’s wrapping for the first time. Each time, a corner of her heart swelled as if it were the first time.

A pleasant humming came naturally. The bitter medicine that would normally require several rounds of nausea to swallow went down as smoothly as honey water today.

After setting down the emptied cup, Natasha placed her hand on her belly. The belly that had gradually grown heavier over the past few weeks was now creating the shape of a gentle mound.

Natasha slowly caressed the softly curved line. As she felt that surface completely with her palm, a strange sentiment she had never experienced in her life suddenly arose.

She seemed to hear the laughter of a child she had never listened to carefully echoing in her ears.

‘If I were to have a child who resembled him…’

At that moment, a sharp voice flew from a corner of the room.

“Lady Chetscher.”

The dangerous and terrible sentiment was swept away and dissipated. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Natasha was pulled back to reality. She instantly recognized her place.

In the very center of a hellish chaos where sparks scattered like flower petals. No matter how she covered her body with gorgeous dresses, painted over her ugly face with white powder, or erased the smell of blood with strong perfume, that was her place.

A child could not live in such a place. Should not live there, and in the first place, he, he… was not someone who would give her such innocent joy. There was no such luxury in the salvation he offered.

Natasha removed her hand from her swollen belly and raised her head.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes. I’ve made the documents and seal too… preparations are roughly finished, but what should we do about the name registration?”

The man who had been buried in a thick stack of documents at a table on one side rubbed his tired eyes and asked. Since there were only two people in the villa, he wasn’t wearing his usual mask.

Disheveled hair hung over his tired face. It was a murky purple color. Not the lustrous blue-black hair that shone beautifully like his.

Natasha felt the bitter taste of the medicine that had been sweet just moments before slowly rising.

Swallowing the amount remaining on her tongue back down her throat was quite an ordeal. Natasha got up from her seat to look for chocolate or something similar.

“Obviously it should be Evergale, Raptor.”

“Which Evergale?”

“Hmm…”

Opening the dresser drawer revealed several candies wrapped in pink paper. Though they weren’t solely for giving sweetness to her taste buds, Natasha unwrapped them and popped them into her mouth.

It would be fine to have a moment to soothe her loneliness in his place. She could never become a pathetically lonely woman. A lonely woman was ultimately a weak woman.

Solitude and loneliness were the most excellent emotions for devouring and destroying people. In knowing how to use that as a weapon, perhaps she and Eugene Evergale had something in common.

“Which Evergale?”

When Natasha didn’t answer while sucking on the candy, Raptor asked again. Natasha paid no heed to the urging and focused on the heat gradually rising in her body. Her nerve clusters were simmering dully.

The corners of Natasha’s mouth rose pleasantly. She moved her hands with sluggish motions. Next to the candy was a glass bottle filled with tea leaves. While touching the ribbon that tied the opening with her index finger, Natasha continued to take her time.

“Hmm…”

Though the answer had been decided from the beginning, she deliberately drew out her words as if pondering, and then Natasha smiled slyly.

“That would be good.”

The answer that flowed through her slightly parted lips contained half breath mixed in. The voice, laden with explicit sensuality, was sticky. Raptor’s dim face was quickly colored with perplexity and instinctive anticipation.

Natasha closed the drawer, turned around, and slowly began to walk. By the time she reached Raptor, even her breathing was tinged with red. It was an air like contagion.

Raptor followed as if enchanted by her lead. They slid onto the bed and naturally began undressing each other.

While he was absorbed in the flow of events, Natasha reached toward the nightstand beside the bed. She brought over the ink bottle that was there and tilted it over Raptor’s hair.

Black liquid dripped down, dyeing the purple hair black.

The sticky candy taste and rising heat mixed together, making the air even more viscous. The smell of ink squeezed between them and touched her nose. Natasha took one deep breath.

She exhaled the overwhelmingly drawn breath tremblingly, then bent her upper body over Raptor’s nape and whispered.

“Christine Evergale.”

****

“Is it going to rain… my whole body aches.”

Sitting in the middle of the forge, Flam rotated his arms here and there as if sluggish. He then removed his eyepatch and rubbed around his eye. While continuously complaining that it hurt, that it was numb.

But Gelda, sitting across from him, didn’t even glance his way. This was because there was a strange mischievousness in Flam’s complaints.

Gelda attributed the bitter taste rising in her mouth to the overly strong coffee and scolded him.

“The sun is staring with both eyes wide open over there, so what rain. Can’t you see?”

“You sure expect a lot from a one-eyed man. Living seeing half the world compared to others. Oh, my shoulder…”

Flam made another clumsy complaint. Strength entered Gelda’s hand holding the coffee cup. She deliberately averted her gaze from Flam’s left hand as he removed his prosthetic and cooled his sweat.

“Then massage it yourself.”

“Who doesn’t want to do that. But with only one hand, it’s not easy.”

“Are you going to keep doing this?”

“What am I doing?”

Flam grinned mischievously. Finally, Gelda wrinkled her brow deeply and faced Flam.

Seeing the eye that, despite being only one, shone brilliantly blue, her mouth tasted bitter again. Even though the bitter coffee had reached the bottom.

“If you want to complain, go to Garta Castle and take a dump. At least throw away that intact eye of yours.”

“Are you telling me to throw away my dignity along with it?”

“That would be getting off cheap.”

“…Captain. No, Gelda.”

This time Flam frowned. As he put his dried prosthetic back on, he asked in a voice with more weight.

“What exactly am I to you? An old friend? A guild member who shared life and death? Or just a useful blacksmith?”

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Please give me an answer.”

“Why are you curious about it now?”

“You see, Gelda. I’ve always been curious. I’m just asking now.”

Flam placed both hands on the table’s edge and leaned his upper body forward. The table wasn’t large enough to accommodate two big people, and the distance between Gelda and Flam naturally narrowed.

Gelda barely swallowed the impulse to pull back and glared.

“What would change if you knew now?”

“I’m hoping for that. That it’s not too late a question.”

“You…”

Gelda moved her lips looking for an appropriate answer. At that moment, thanks to a god she had never believed in, something caught the edge of her vision.

A red head barely visible beyond the window frame.

Gelda immediately stood up and pulled the window inward to open it wide. The red head turned around in surprise. Gelda rested her elbow on the windowsill and let out a light snort.

“They say mice hear night words and birds hear day words. Were you a bird? As long as you’re not a cuckoo, I’ll let you in.”

“Uh… that is, I was just passing by… I’ll go back.”

Helena rolled her eyes here and there and mumbled. Gelda stretched out her long arm and grabbed her shoulder as she tried to hurriedly leave.

“Come in.”

“No, I’m sorry for disturbing you. I was just-“

“You must have heard everything. Knowing halfway is worse than not knowing at all. Anyway, I was thinking of setting aside a proper day after the last festival incident… I’ll tell you properly.”

Eventually Helena reluctantly entered, fidgeting. Gelda guided her to the seat where she had been sitting.

“Sit there. There’s coffee I just brewed, and though it’s a bit bitter, it should be drinkable if you add sugar.”

Meanwhile, Flam was putting on his eyepatch with sluggish movements. Gelda kicked the legs of the chair he was sitting in with her foot.

“You get up.”

“…It’s my forge.”

“It’s my forge in my guild.”

Then Flam, who had neatly fastened his eyepatch as usual, raised the corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Then am I your guild member, your friend, or perhaps your first-“

“Shut up.”

Gelda kicked the chair harder than before. Flam’s heavy frame shook. When Gelda glared at him, Flam chuckled and stood up.

“You know I’m a tenacious guy who would even chew iron sinew, right, Captain? If you want to eat and sleep comfortably, whether food or sleep, give me an answer quickly.”

With that, Flam leisurely left the forge. Gelda grabbed her forehead and plopped down in the seat he had vacated.

She pressed her clasped hands against her forehead as if praying and let out one long sigh. When she had organized her thoughts to some extent, Gelda faced Helena.

“Now, let’s focus on the main point. What you’re curious about isn’t the relationship definition between some old man and me.”

Helena was about to answer that she was a little curious about that too, but swallowed it back down. Gelda’s eyes were pecking at her like eagle beaks.

It wasn’t curious enough to test her courage in front of that.

So Helena willingly brought up first the lesser evil topic that Gelda had chosen.

“Were you… a person of the Spencer family?”