We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Translator: Effe

Editor: Yonnee

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The words sticking in the middle felt terribly alienating. I didn’t know exactly what exactly an illegitimate child was, but I was acutely aware of the ramifications of the word.

Because of Monica’s words, the employees standing around all stared at me with contempt.

Like looking at trash dumped on the side of the road, they looked dirty and unwilling to get close to me.

The power of the gaze was much stronger than I thought. Even without saying a word, I could feel everything they thought of me.

So I couldn’t even move.

I had a vague hunch that no one would listen to me even if I said I wanted to go back now.

Then a knight approached me. Respectfully, he held out his hand and guided me to the swan-shaped boat.

I boarded the boat by myself and looked at Monica sitting by the pond with a puzzled look.

“Auntie. The long stick there is an oar. Row yourself and go around.”

Unlike when they boarded, I, who was alone on the boat, belatedly judged the situation and only pursed my lips. In the situation where I felt like I had to beg for forgiveness, someone pushed the boat with a foot.

“Uuhh…”

As the boat pulled away from the pond, I was restless. When I was in the mountains, I had never gone deep into the valley, even though I had played with my feet there.

It was because Mother always insisted on me countless times. I don’t know where or how the valley in the mountains’ water will deepen. In particular, she told me about the dangers of water, such as that I had to leave the valley immediately if it rained even a little.

It was something that was always asked of me, so I was careful when it came to water.

But now I was left alone in the middle of the pond. I was afraid, but I fully understood that no one would help me.

So I tried to hold the long oar, which was fixed and raised toward the sky, but I, who was only about as tall as the waist of an adult, could not properly hold the handle of such a long oar.

After messing around a few times, I bit my lip and jumped. I felt like I was about to catch it, so I jumped with all my might toward the handle of the stationary oar that stretched toward the sky.

Each time Monica laughed and clapped excitedly. The moment she did that, my cheeks burned like fire.

I noticed that Monica was laughing at me, but I couldn’t ask anyone for help.

I was afraid that if I did not row on my own, I would be floating alone on the pond even after the sun went down.

The night was scary.

The darkness in the mountains was not just that kind of darkness. Because you never know what might be lurking in the dark. To me, night was fear.

“Uht.”

I bit my lower lip and jumped with all my might. The pink dress I was wearing fluttered and swayed, and it was only natural for the thin fabric to get tangled up in the accessories of the shoes I was wearing.

My feet were twisted, and I was sucked into the water with my hands outstretched for the oars.

Splash—!

There was a noise for a moment just before falling into the water, but soon my ear canals were also filled with water, so I could hear no sound.

The dress was a terrible thing to wear in the water. The water-soaked cloth constricted my legs and made me unable to swim.

I wanted to get above the water somehow, but my body started to sink lower and lower. My breath stopped, and my heart was beating like crazy for fear of dying.

The figures that I could see through the extremely transparent water were motionless. No one moved as if they were saying, ‘Even if you die, I will not save you.’

I was afraid. I, who had only been naive, realized for the first time that people were scary beings. Rather than the excruciating pain of drowning, pain and anxiety from unknown origin engulfed my body.

No one was going to help me. Mother was the one who always came running to me whenever there was a problem, yet right now, she was not by my side.

The fear of being alone in the middle of ever being suffocated was an emotion I could not have imagined.

In a panic I had never felt before, I sank more and more, and I lost my strength and could not struggle anymore.

Feeling my consciousness fade to the other side, I felt the water’s ripples hitting me as I closed my eyes. It was as if someone had jumped into the pond.

After a while, I could feel a firm grip on my arm. A strong hand pulled me up and I was able to get out of the pond.

I was pulled up and laid down on the grass. But no one came up to me and asked if I was okay.

So I was curious.

In the midst of everyone’s hostility, who was it that saved me?

As I struggled to lift my eyelids, eyes brighter than the sun were looking down at me.

His neat black hair clung to his white forehead and his skin showed through his wet shirt.

When I realized that the boy who had been watching me indifferently had saved me, my heart started beating strangely.

The closer he was, the stronger the scent that I had smelled earlier became. The sweet, cool, and refreshing fragrance seemed to be pouring down defenselessly. Not knowing where the scent came from, I hurriedly exhaled.

I was ashamed to see myself leaking water from my nose and mouth, but I couldn’t stand it. I spat out all the water I had ingested and inhaled a fresh breath of grateful air.

Every time I exhaled and inhaled, I had the illusion that the boy’s scent filled my body. The sweet and cool scent even calmed my heart that seemed about to explode.

I looked around at the people around me, and my eyes met Monica’s. The child had a cold expression.

I put my eyes down on the cold face that seemed to have thrown away all the smiles, even though it was just a little while ago.

Monica’s eyes were much too ferocious. Considering that I had barely escaped a brush with death, I could not bear the weight of her hostility at all. Besides that, all the gazes around me were just as cold.

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