“Ugh, it’s so cold!”
Carl snuggled up next to his silently tossing brother, pressing his cold cheek against his brother’s warm face. Finn jerked away in surprise.
“What are you doing?!”
“Man, it’s freezing outside. Just stay still for a second. Ah, that’s warm.”
It had only been a few hours since he stumbled into the house and collapsed. Finn, finally managing to push off his unhelpful brother’s limbs, sat up in bed, glaring at Carl, who was now snug under the stolen blanket up to his chin.
“You went out at this hour?”
“I had no choice. They called me out suddenly.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. They said they needed two horses immediately. So I had to feed them, saddle them, and trim their hooves…”
“It’s freezing out there. Seriously.” Carl shivered, muttering under his breath.
“What a rough morning.”
“Where did the horses go?”
“To your workplace. Seoren or whatever it’s called… Finn?”
Carl, who had been yawning and pulling the blanket tighter, suddenly opened his eyes wide upon seeing his brother bustling around.
“Where are you going?”
“To the docks.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask.”
Finn hurriedly changed his clothes, grabbed his coat, and slipped on his shoes before turning the doorknob.
“Prepare some warm milk. We’re expecting a guest.”
“What?”
“They might stay for a while.”
“What do you mean, hey…!”
Before Carl could ask anything more, the door slammed shut.
A sharp northern wind cut across Finn’s cheeks. His legs felt weak, probably from moving so quickly after waking up. He stumbled a few times on the downhill path but kept running, gritting his teeth.
He couldn’t miss her.
‘Looks like Charlotte dropped this.’
‘Janice…?’
‘Find her and give it back. It’s the only way you might get to talk to her again.’
‘…’
‘She just went inside.’
He had accepted the sudden suggestion without a second thought, which was the problem. He shouldn’t have ignored that uneasy feeling. He regretted losing his composure when he opened the door to the commotion. Maybe…
“Charlotte…!”
Out of breath, he shouted at the distant figure loading cargo onto a boat. Charlotte turned around at the sound. When their eyes met, Finn ran even faster.
“Don’t go! Please, wait!”
He ran with all his might. When he reached the dock, his legs gave out, and he doubled over, dry heaving from the exertion.
“Finn…”
Charlotte stood there, looking surprised, and questioned him.
“Why are you here? How did you know?”
“Please, don’t go.”
“What?”
Finn wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and straightened up to face Charlotte.
“If you leave like this, you’ll be kicked out. I’m sure Janice is behind this.”
“How do you know that…?”
“The ring.”
“…”
“She gave it to you. And maybe that drunk guy too…”
It was a moment of realization. Charlotte’s eyes wavered.
“Come back with me. I’ll explain everything. Yesterday was just too chaotic…”
“And if you explain, what will change?”
As Finn reached for the luggage on the boat, a cold voice cut through the air.
“What will change if you explain?”
“Charlotte…”
She wasn’t naive. She had grown up in a harsh environment, too harsh to be oblivious to the ways of the world.
“What power do we have?”
Things were bad now, but Charlotte knew they could get worse. Janice wouldn’t leave her alone after she had uncovered secrets. She had heard about a woman who was drugged, ruined, and sold to a brothel. If the Earl and Janice wished so, it wouldn’t be difficult to arrange something similar.
Still in shock, rational thinking was impossible. As Charlotte turned away and was about to get back on the boat, another voice called out.
“What about that man?”
A familiar yet unexpected voice. Finn’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Brother?”
Carl, who had followed closely behind, also wiping sweat from his brow, approached briskly.
“The man who was in the carriage that time, right?”
“Brother…!”
Ignoring Finn, Carl grabbed Charlotte’s luggage and signaled the waiting fisherman to leave.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but this kid has never lied, so I’m going to get involved.”
“And you are…?”
“The man with you, isn’t he your lover? He looked like a noble.”
The boat began to depart behind them. Carl’s words struck Charlotte like lightning as she stood there, empty-handed.
“Are you really going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Those words broke her, and the tears she had been holding back burst forth. Finn caught her as she collapsed forward.
***
It was a bone-chilling, cold dawn. A sailor jumped lightly onto the dock and tied the boat securely. After making sure everything was fastened, he turned around and asked politely.
“Shall I carry your bag, sir?”
The lone passenger, wearing a deeply pulled-down fedora, shook his head in silence. The sailor swallowed hard. It was his first time ferrying such a mysterious guest.
‘Who is this, at this ungodly hour?’
It had all started when someone knocked on the door of the dock’s night-duty room early in the morning. Ignoring it seemed like a bad idea, as the person seemed ready to break down the door. Annoyed, he opened the door, expecting a drunkard, but the man he faced was surprisingly well-dressed. Taller by at least two heads, with a pale, cold face that resembled a marble statue. The custom-tailored suit was an obvious fit.
“Who are you, sir?”
For over a decade, he’d lived as a rough sailor, battling the waves. Yet, just facing this man, he felt a strange, overwhelming pressure. His anger quickly subsided, and his body instinctively shrank back.
The man spoke in a low voice.
“I need to go to Corlen Island.”
His voice was deep and resonant, with a slight metallic edge, likely from fatigue. The sailor, eyes wide, responded.
“At this hour…?”
“I’ll triple the pay.”
“…”
“I’ll pay you three times your daily wage for a round trip to the island.”
“But…”
Triple the pay. It was a tempting offer, but it was illegal for a lone sailor to take a small boat out by himself. A pang of conscience struck him. As he hesitated, the man smoothly asked.
“What are you waiting for?”
The sailor momentarily lost his composure at the sight of the man’s slightly revealed face. It was an extraordinary beauty.
While he was stunned, the man placed an advance payment in his hand. Seeing the substantial amount, the sailor’s hesitation vanished.
“Do I need to wait for you to come back?”
“That’s up to you. Just be here at the agreed time.”
The man, who had been speaking so naturally, stepped off the boat. A carriage was waiting at the dock as if expecting him. As the door quietly opened, the sailor caught a glimpse of bound hands in the dim light. He took a sharp breath.
The man paused, seemingly having heard the breath, and without turning his head, asked.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“N-no, nothing at all…”
Cold sweat trickled down the sailor’s back. He stammered and bowed deeply towards the man’s retreating figure.
He instinctively knew he shouldn’t tell anyone about this.
Keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, he heard the footsteps recede and the carriage door close with a thud. The horses, blindfolded, kicked up dust as they sped away.
***
Later that morning, Finn knocked a couple of times and turned the doorknob.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
Charlotte nodded with a faint smile. The swelling on her cheeks and the marks on her neck had somewhat faded over the past few days, but she still flinched at loud noises, showing she was still shaken.
“Where’s Carl?”
“He went to work right after you arrived. Here, drink this. It’s warm.”
Finn handed her a cup of warm milk. As she took it, she felt the warmth spread through her body.
“Thank you.”
Finn, looking at her with concern, nodded and sat down on the bed next to her. It had been five days since he persuaded her to stay at their home instead of leaving. Their parents were away for work and only returned on weekends, so it was just the siblings at home during the week. After lending her his bed, Charlotte had slept deeply, waking intermittently over the past five days.
She looked much better now, probably because she had been sleeping a lot. Watching her, Finn spoke heavily.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“I don’t know.”
Her eyes were swollen from crying every time she woke up. She put down the cup and covered her eyes with her palms. Finn clenched and unclenched his fists, then spoke decisively.
“Come back to Seoren Hall with me. I’ll explain everything.”
“Do you have any proof?”
A dry voice responded.
“Proof?”
“Proof that the drunk man is connected to Janice. Evidence that she’s behind all of this.”
“That…”
“You don’t have any, do you? What good would it do for just the two of us to talk about it?”
“But…!”
They had suspicions but no concrete evidence. Even if they pushed hard, they could only go so far. Charlotte thought back to how she ended up on Corlen Island in the first place.
It was Janice who decided who would come to this resort. Maybe it was all part of her plan from the beginning. After all, she had always been bothered by the closeness between Richard and Charlotte, a mere servant’s daughter.
Now, Charlotte understood why. But she couldn’t tell anyone.
She had been on the island for five days now, but it was time to… Charlotte took a deep breath and steadied herself.
“Can I borrow some paper and a pen?”
“Charlotte…”
“Please.”
Finn hesitated for a moment before nodding. As he left the room, she was finally alone.
“I won’t cry.”
Charlotte quietly murmured to herself, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. She whispered to herself, trying to find comfort. Their relationship was bound to end sooner or later. There were plenty of lovers who never made it to marriage. At least they had been happy for a while…
For a while…
Taking a deep breath, Charlotte made up her mind and opened her eyes. Just then, Finn returned with the paper and pen. Charlotte wrote a short letter and then asked softly,
“Finn, are you going to work at Seoren Hall today?”
“I can take the day off if I explain the situation. If you’re scared to be alone, I can stay…”
“No.”
Charlotte shook her head and made a request.
“Could you secretly slip this under Richard’s door?”
“Charlotte…”
The letter said she was leaving because her feelings had changed. She didn’t want Richard to think she had been kicked out so miserably.
“…Alright. If that’s really what you want.”
Finn nodded gloomily and soon left the house. A little while later, Charlotte picked up her luggage from under the bed and stepped outside.
It was at that moment.
“Mmph…!”
A man who had been lying in wait pounced on her. A hand reached out from behind and clamped over her mouth. She struggled desperately, but it was no use. The handkerchief covering her nose and mouth made her lose consciousness, and she went limp.
🍉🍉🍉
