Chapter 23 Frame Me
Sadie paused her shoe–mending, swiveling around on her stool to face Zephyr.
She said seriously, “You’re mistaken, Lord Zephyr. It’s not my fault they don’t like me. They’re simply a bad bunch. Besides, Ldon’t need their approval.”
“Why?”
“Because having trash approve of me holds no value whatsoever.”
For the first time, Sadie clearly expressed her distaste for the Francis siblings in front of Zephyr.
Zephyr smiled gently. “So, what holds real value in your eyes? The power of the Gates family? Or the gold and jewels bestowed upon you by Grandmother?”
Sadie tightly clutched the pair of boots, looking up at the young man before her.
It seemed she had reached her limit, as her eyes were filled with annoyance.
She said, “Lord Zephyr, could you please get things straight? Ultimately, wasn’t it your father who forced my mother into marriage? A man who uses his power to control a woman, but is stingy when it comes to her flesh and blood, even bullying a widow and her child – is this the standard of the Gates family? Setting aside the fact I’ve never coveted your wealth and power, even if I did, what of it? I followed my mother into her new marriage, so you were originally obligated to provide for me!”
Their eyes met.
The window reflected the two individuals, their tension palpable.
Sadie’s expression was tense.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, she began to feel a twinge of fear following her initial burst of bravery.
Since she was living in someone else’s house, perhaps she shouldn’t have let her tongue get the better of her and offend Zephyr.
She had acted impulsively..
She bowed her head, flexed her fingers, and resumed mending the sole of the shoe.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, a hint of a sob threading through the silent winter night. “I’m still young, not yet capable of making it on my own. If you insist on sending me back to the Francis family, Lord Zephyr, I’ll be forced to return to my old life, serving my siblings as though I’m nothing more than a servant. You suspect me of being someone who only cares about materialistic things. True, I admit my fondness for gold and jewels. But who in this world doesn’t appreciate these things? However, compared to these, my main reason for staying here is time. Here, my time is my own. I don’t need to serve anyone and can freely do what I like. To me, time is something even more precious than gold and jewels.”
Zephyr remained silent.
His
gaze
drifted from her forehead to her hands.
Perhaps it was a condition she’d carried over upon leaving the Francis family, but her fingers were afflicted with chilblains. In the winter, they didn’t appear slender or delicate. Even after she moved to the Gates
Wed 13 Aug
Chapter 23 Frame Me
Estate and diligently applied medicine, her fingers remained slightly red and swollen.
A black thread slipped through her fingers.
With flexibility and precision, she meticulously mended the sole of the shoe back together.
She was fourteen years old that year.
Over the past years, during those chilly winters, had she always been sitting alone on a small stool, head bowed as she made clothes and knitted socks for the Francis siblings?
Just then, Clifton rushed over, his voice slightly raised as he cried, “This is terrible, Lord Zephyr! We’ve lost something from Sage Manor – it’s the Pisces Pendant that your mother left for you! Today, there were no outsiders in Sage Manor, and only Miss Francis had come by!”
Zephyr gave him a cool glance, his voice low and quiet when he said, “Look more carefully and come back to report only if it’s really lost.”
Clifton was nervous.
Zephyr’s response was not what they had planned!
He cautiously probed, “So… is it really lost or not?”
Zephyr was speechless.
Sadie had already figured out what was going on.
She set down the mended boots and stood up, saying, “So, it turns out the reason you invited me over tonight wasn’t for the boots at all. Instead, you planned to frame me, to accuse me of theft and have an excuse to throw me out of the estate.”
Zephyr neither confirmed nor denied it.
Sadie looked at him intently, her words slow and deliberate. “You’ve really put in a lot of effort for me, Lord Zephyr.”
The candlelight danced across her face.
The young girl’s eyes, dark and clear as night, were already brimming with unshed tears.
With a stifled sob and reddened eyes, she curtsied in a gesture of farewell, then quickly turned and walked
away.
Clifton looked bewildered. “Lord Zephyr?”
Zephyr was leaning against the desk, one hand resting on his forehead.
His gaze fell on the freshly mended pair of boots.
For some reason, what kept replaying in his mind were Sadie’s chilblain–ridden hands.
Clifton asked again, “Are you having second thoughts, Lord Zephyr? Are you reconsidering sending Miss Francis away? Honestly, she’s quite likable. Her presence in the estate always manages to cheer up Lady Talulla. Since you’re often away, having her stay here would be beneficial. She could keep Lady Talulla company on your behalf.”
20:04 Wed, 13 Augu
Chapter 23 Frame Me
Zephyr instructed, “Take the jar of Splendor Balm from my storage room to Goldsheen Manor.”
Goldsheen Manor was where Sadie resided.
+ Finished
The Splendor Balm was the best remedy for wounds, capable of perfectly healing any kind of scar. Upon hearing these words, Clifton realized that Zephyr was planning on keeping Sadie around.
With a cheerful “All right,” he quickly set off to get it done.
At Goldsheen Manor, Sadie was seated under the candlelight, already dressed in her nightclothes.
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