Meeting Her Again

***Mike's POV***

From the moment I was born, I always got the short end of the stick. My mom died giving birth to me, so my shitty dad took his anger out on me. My sister killed herself so she wouldn't be sold to cover that deadbeat's debts, so he made me work for his debtors instead. The other brats there couldn't do their jobs so I had to pick up the slack if I didn't want to be beaten with them. I thought things were finally looking up for me when my damn dad got sick and kicked the bucket, but then the gang he had me working for tried to sell me off and those little stinky brats betrayed me. If I wasn't smart enough to see through their trap and run away in time, I might not have even lived till now, but was it really all for nothing?

I always put myself first, because I thought that was the only way I could live in this shitty world, but betraying the Priest came around to bite me in the ass. I wasn't stupid. Even though I didn't know that weird old man was the drug dealer, I could tell that nothing good would come from blabbing to him, but I did it anyway. After all, not only did I get food out of it, I would be glad if that stuck-up girl was taught a lesson. Acting all nice by taking care of those stupid siblings and saying horse dung like she wanted to help all of us. She was bound to regret being so nice to people; I was simply moving that time up. But in the end, look where that got me.

'... If you can't accept taking my hand, then just think of it as using me. I'll wait to hear your answer when that day comes.'

To think I would end up being pitied by her too. What a joke! And I might as well be a clown. I knew these symptoms would be bad from watching the kids go through them, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I can barely remember the number of times I tried to end it all and can hardly count the number of times I thought of it. If some other kid wasn't there to stop me, I would be dead by now, and not because of anyone else but myself. I don't want to accept it. I don't want to accept that this is how I go out. But it hurts so much I feel like I'm going insane.

As long as this pain goes away, as long as this craving stops tearing into my throat, I'll do anything. I'll be good. I won't hurt anyone. I won't betray anyone ever again! I'll do whatever it takes! Just, just, please...

I don't want to die.

***

The next day, Carolyn woke up early so that she could bring the flower dress to be cleaned. According to Anna, there used to be five stores that offered cleaning services outside of the noble district, but due to the rise in taxes and fall in demand, there were now only two left, and they had completely separate target markets. The store Anna recommended was Vernum Prestige, which was mainly used by nobles and the wealthy, and specialised in formal and semi-formal attire. The estimate Anna gave for the price to have the flower dress washed nearly made Carolyn gasp, but she didn't want to treat a gift poorly.

She had spent the night finishing her unpacking, so once she bought some hangers to go in her wardrobe, her room would be complete for the time being. After another wonderful shower and a short breakfast, Carolyn left the inn. Vernum Prestige was located at the edge of the commercial district, close to the western gate entrance of the noble district. It was on the same street as The Fruity Breeze, so Carolyn wouldn't be lost as long as she followed the road.

About twenty minutes later, Carolyn arrived in front of Vernum Prestige and was welcomed inside by an elderly valet. The reception room didn't have much decoration, but the use of white and pearly shades made the space feel very clean, as if just entering would be enough to purify one's heart. When Carolyn entered, there was a young woman in a loose-sleeved blouse and long skirt being served in front of her, so she was prepared to wait, but she couldn't help but exclaim when she saw her side profile.

"You're-, from that time!"

Hearing her voice, the young woman turned around and was similarly surprised to see her. The young woman was the female official who Carolyn had spoken with at Hamridge Camp.

"Oh! Your name is Carol, if I remember correctly."

"Yes. I really wanted to thank you for your kind advice at that time."

"It's fine. Seeing that you're well is enough for me. Are you here to have that dress cleaned?"

"Yes. I don't know when I'll get the chance to wear it again, but I didn't want to hang it up before getting rid of any stains."

"I see. Since we've managed to meet again, why don't I add your dress to my laundry order?"

"No, I couldn't bear to let you do that for me. I already owe you so much."

"Okay, then how about some tea? I know a nice place nearby."

"Ah, in that case I would be glad to join you."

Although she knew there was a chance she would meet her, the female official didn't have much hope of actually reuniting with Carolyn. Even if they did meet, she thought their interaction would end after a quick exchange, but the admiration in Carolyn's eyes motivated her to do a little more. She wasn't lying about knowing a good place to have tea nearby, but she preferred drinking wine at home, so it was unlikely she would have gone there by herself.

After the female official finished her order, Carolyn handed the dress over to the employee at the desk and filled out a short form with her name, workplace and residency status. This was more than what most stores asked for, but in exchange she wouldn't need to provide a down payment and only had to pay once she came back to collect the dress. This level of trust was possible because most items that were sent here to be washed would be worth more than the cleaning costs, so the customers would be the ones at a loss if they didn't pay.

Once Carolyn returned the filled form, she left the store with the female official.

"By the way, I don't recall ever hearing your name?"

"Oh, that's right. You can call me Riley. I don't usually give my name to clients, so I suppose it slipped my mind. I hope you can forgive me."

"No, I understand. I'm the one who's hoping I'm not bothering you on your day off."

"Don't worry. I invited you after all. I would be a terrible person if I said you were a bother after that."

Now that she had a better understanding of society outside her village, Carolyn could tell that Riley had a surprisingly good grasp of ettiquette. Though that didn't tell her much, she wondered what sort of identity Riley hid behind her aloof smile.

"Ah, here it is."

In less than ten minutes, Riley led Carolyn to the place she recommended, Amber Teahouse. Thanks to memorising the map of the city, Carolyn thought that they had taken a few wrong turns, but since Riley showed no sign of being flustered, she believed Riley simply preferred to take a longer route.

After entering the tea house, the two were escorted to a table nearby the stairs and handed tall menu cards.

"Do you have a preferred tea?" Riley asked.

"I'm generally a fan of black tea. As for the specific blend, do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm, how about Earl White?"

"That would be good."

If asked about her favourite tea, it would be the custom tea blend that Teri once made for her, but the ingredients were rare so Carolyn couldn't make it even though she knew the brewing method.

After giving their order of two Earl Whites and a batch of cookies to a waitress, Riley faced Carolyn and showed a faint smile.

"So, what sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't have to worry about eavesdropping here. This store is often used by government officials to have discreet meetings and trade secrets. The owner and staff don't work for the government, but there's a non-disclosure agreement in place to ensure that they don't flap their lips. Of course, you don't have to say anything that might get you or me in a quagmire."

Frightened by Riley's eyes that seem to have seen right through her, Carolyn looked down at the table, but her mind had already been thrown into chaos.

"I, really don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmm, I really don't want to force you but, let me confirm one thing. The fire that broke out in the slums district, were you there?"