Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 5
By the time dinner was ready, Howson, who had finished his chores around the village, and Ger, who had returned from seeing Hetter, came back home. Roel had already set the table and found an excuse to leave.
“I haven’t hung the laundry I washed earlier. It’ll start to smell if I leave it any longer.”
“You should have done it faster,” Roniti chided with a click of her tongue, urging Roel to quickly go hang the laundry.
Roel took the laundry to a corner of the living room to hang it. The four of them started their dinner without inviting her to join.
Celua glanced at Roel working and sneered at her as if she were just another dish on the table.
“Why is she hanging laundry now?”
“I told her to do it earlier, but she dragged her feet.”
“Oh dear, what if she continues like this after marriage? That’s why she needs to be sent to someone dumb like Hetter. Otherwise, she might just be sent back home beaten up.”
Their murmuring and snide comments continued. It was useless to cry or be hurt by their words.
If Roel cried, Roniti would look at her with disdain, as if annoyed, while Celua and Howson would laugh at her supposedly ugly crying face.
Celua had always disliked Roel. Her jealousy intensified after a young man from the watch she had a crush with had complimented Roel, making Celua feel even more inferior.
Desperate to belittle Roel, she spread malicious gossip among the village girls.
‘She’s cursed, born to bring misfortune after killing her mother. Since she arrived, only bad things have happened to the house. She’s sly and enjoys speaking ill of others. Thinks she’s the prettiest in the world. She’s slow and ruins the household,’ and so on, endlessly tearing Roel down.
Roniti nudged Ger, who was uncomfortably eating, to ask.
“So, what did Hetter say?”
“What do you think? He agreed, of course.”
“Hilarious, really!”
They laughed uproariously, clapping their hands, finding the situation amusing.
“And the money, will he pay?”
“Well… ahem.”
Ger glanced at Roel and then lowered his voice, perhaps feeling guilty about selling her without even providing a dowry.
When Roel returned to the table after hanging the laundry, she found the pots and plates scraped clean.
“Oh, what a shame! Isn’t there some food left in the kitchen? Go have that.”
Ger, unaware of the kitchen dynamics, didn’t realize how strictly Roniti monitored even a single missing item.
“Yes.”
Roel simply nodded and began clearing the table.
Her fingers felt numb as if frostbitten, and the household chores had worn her out, but these physical discomforts were nothing compared to her shredded spirit. The pain was unbearable, and the lack of a clear escape made it even more despairing.
‘I want to escape.’
Can she survive if she flees into the forest in the middle of winter? Might she freeze to death on the way? Even if she makes it to another village by some stroke of luck, how will she manage to live? Can a woman alone survive in a strange village without facing worse fates?
She felt like she just wanted to strangle herself to death. It seemed like dying was the only escape from these demonic people.
* * *
After completing all her chores, it was late at night by the time Roel returned to her attic room. Her room was so cold, with wind coming through the cracks in the window, it was almost like being outside.
She wrapped herself in blankets, hugging her shivering hands, and tightly closed her eyes.
Despite the dark and cold night, she preferred it to daytime. Being alone with her loneliness was somewhat bearable.
The harsh reality of her miserable existence was starkly evident in the bright light of day, making her shiver in despair. The night, where she could hide, felt somewhat better.
Rattle, rattle-
Suddenly, the door rattled. Thinking it was just the wind shaking it, she didn’t open her eyes. But then, the loose lock rattled and fell to the floor with a thud.
Roel sat up, curled up in fear. Someone was entering her room.
“What, what is going on?”
She looked at the intruder with frightened eyes. It was Howson, who entered her room with a stern face and pressed his large palm against Roel’s face.
“What….Uhp!!”
“Be quiet.”
Howson pinned down the resisting Roel and whispered ominously as he began to unbuckle his belt.
“You’d regret it if you just got married without knowing. You’ll be with Hetter for the rest of your life, but you should know what other men are like too.”
A dark shadow loomed over Roel. Her head spun, and she struggled to breathe, shocked by the unfolding situation.
Howson had made crude jokes to her before, but she had thought them just typical male banter. She never imagined he would actually attempt such vile acts.
She felt as if insects were crawling over her body. She tried to push him away, but her strength was woefully inadequate. Roel attempted to shake off his hand covering her mouth to scream.
‘Would screaming for help make a difference?’
Suddenly, she doubted. Even if she accused Howson of trying such a thing, who would take her side?
Roniti would surely blame her, claiming she seduced her innocent son and would spread vile rumors throughout the village.
