TMHLBQ_ARCHIVE_C64_Chapter 64 – When Two Ailing People Meet

Chapter 64 – When Two Ailing People Meet

 

 

Gilbert Butler

  The name that my beloved person loves.  

 

—

Marianne Edwards

Is the name of my beloved

The third daughter of an earl.

I met her when I was thirteen.

My parents, both of low birth, had already passed away six years before that.

My mother died of illness, unable to afford medicine.

My father, devastated by her loss, sank into despair and eventually took his own life.

For three years, I lived like a stray dog.

For another three, I begged, stole, lied, and did anything to survive.

I learned to wear a pitiful face, dress in rags, and earn sympathy. If I chose the right mark, I could count on their charity.

I learned to dress well—well enough to look refined—and whisper sweet, flattering words with a smile. A single night could leave me with a pocket full of coin.

I learned how to slip into poorly secured homes, and I never went long without food or shelter.

And eventually, I learned how to disguise myself as a servant and blend into the households of the middle and upper classes. That was when I was thirteen.

I only stole small things—items their owners wouldn’t miss. That way, no one made a fuss.

And sometimes, foolish nobles would mistake me for a real servant and hand me a tip or feed me out of courtesy.

I was heading back to the slums one night, pockets full, when I saw her.

From a window at the back of a large mansion, a long sheet had been tied and lowered. A girl was climbing down it.

For a moment, I thought she might be another thief—but she carried nothing, not even a bag.

She climbed down with practiced ease, using a tree to reach the ground and hopping over the wall.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

And then she noticed me—and smiled.

“Good evening,” she said.

That was how I met Marianne.

She was two years younger than me.

And even though I was dressed like a lowly servant, she smiled at me as if I were someone worth knowing.

“Do you have a moment?” she asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, she took my hand and led me away.

I was already trying to figure out how to use her to make money.

But when I asked her questions, she answered them all, without hesitation.

She was, in fact, the third daughter of the earl who lived in the mansion.

Unlike her older sisters, she had been sickly until two years ago—so she was raised quietly in the shadows, and eventually forgotten by her family.

They locked her in a room with minimal security, and she had been sneaking out at night for some time.

“But you’re the first person I’ve ever met outside,” she said with a smile.

I asked her if she wasn’t afraid.

What would she do if I intended to harm her?

She looked genuinely puzzled.

“Would it be a problem if something happened to me?” she asked.

She wasn’t being sarcastic. She truly didn’t understand.

She told me no one cared what happened to her. That she was only alive so they could marry her off for political gain.

I warned her—if someone scarred her, or worse, it would bring shame to her family. It might even ruin her chances of marriage.

But she only smiled again and said, “I already am a shame to them. And anyone who wants to marry me doesn’t want me—they want my name.”

She looked so content as she said it.

“They’ll fall in love with someone else—some beautiful concubine. Not me.”

The more she spoke, the more I realized that despite her wealth and noble blood, she was far more trapped than I had ever been.

As I stood there, trying to make sense of it all, she looked up at me again.

“Do you want to hurt me?”

Her question stunned me.

“…It’s okay,” she continued. “Even if you kill me. Or do something worse. If it makes you a little bit happier… then I don’t mind.”

She treated herself like she was disposable. Like nothing she did or wanted mattered.

Then she took my hand.

“Please… take me to the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen.”

—

I’ve said sweet words to countless people. I’ve had them said to me.

But somehow, hers struck deeper than all the rest.

Maybe it was the way she spoke—as if today might be her last.

Maybe it was the way her soft pink hair shimmered under the moonlight.

Maybe it was the sadness hidden behind her gentle smile.

But before I even realized it, I took her hand—knowing full well that I could be accused of kidnapping a noble’s daughter.

I took her to a hill where you could see the entire capital and the royal castle.

I’d only been there once, long ago, when my parents took me.

The moonlit castle, the city lights twinkling like stars—she stared in awe.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she said.

She smiled at me, and I’ve never forgotten that smile.

She stayed like that, just staring at the view, until the sun began to rise.

As dawn approached, I asked her, “Would you like to come back here with me in three days?”

She looked at me in disbelief.

“…Really?”

Her eyes widened, her expression frozen in shock.

I nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

Then, without warning, she burst into tears and threw her arms around me.

Her tears soaked my worn, dirty shirt.

I gently stroked her hair, realizing something quietly in my heart:

I wanted her to be happy.

“Promise me,” she whispered, just before she turned to leave.

And from then on, we met every three days—without fail.

She started calling me Gil.

I started calling her Maria.

—

It was… a happiness I never imagined possible.

As we spent time together, I began to tell her everything—my past, the things I’d done to survive.

I thought she would recoil, that she’d look at me with disgust.

But instead, she smiled and gently stroked my hair.

“You’ve come so far,” she said.

Her words saved me.

Though two years younger, she was mature beyond her age.

And that only made her feel more fragile, more distant—like she could vanish at any moment.

Whether it was her sadness, or her purity, I began to feel ashamed of how I’d lived.

I had already picked up manners and proper speech from impersonating nobles, so finding a job as a real servant in a middle-class home wasn’t difficult.

The pay was meager—but it was honest.

And I lived for those nights every three days, when I could see her.

—

“Gil… I’ve been engaged.”

She said it so suddenly, I was speechless.

It was to the second son of an earl from a neighboring country.

“He’s too good for me,” she laughed.

“I was supposed to wait until I turned sixteen. But my family thinks no one will want me if they wait too long.”

No matter how much she smiled, I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate.

Because by then, I was already in love with her.

The thought of her going away, marrying someone else—of never seeing her again—was unbearable.

I wanted to tell her how I felt. I opened my mouth—but the words didn’t come.

Someone like me had no right to love someone like her.

I had already confessed everything I’d done. Everything I was.

What right did I have to even speak to her?

“But… I still have time,” she said softly. “I won’t meet him until I’m sixteen. So until then, we can still meet.

But… I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to sneak out. The guards might get stricter any day.”

Any moment could be our last.

I couldn't hide my despair.

“So I wanted to tell you this now,” she said.

Why wasn’t I born into her world?

Why was she born into a world forever out of reach?

That helpless frustration consumed me—until she gently cupped my cheek.

Her fingers brushed my skin.

And only then did I realize—I was crying.

She called my name. “Gil.”

I looked into her eyes.

“I love you. I always have.”

For a moment, I couldn’t believe it.

But then—she kissed me.

And I kissed her back, holding her tightly, afraid to let go.

I wanted to say: Let’s run away.

I felt like I could do anything for her.

But I had nothing. No plan. No money. No future.

I couldn’t promise her happiness. Not yet.

So instead, I just held her close.

“Four more years,” she whispered. “Until then… please keep coming to see me.”

Tears ran down her cheeks as she begged.

I nodded. Again and again.

—

I want to make her happy.

Holding her close, feeling her warmth, I prayed—

More than anything in the world,

I wished for her happiness.

_____________

EUN: Next chapter is an another unnumbered chapter. 

PAYPAL

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