Chapter 6, The Case of Gina (Part 1)

Translator: Lizz

 

When Gina was young, she was in an accident.

 

The carriage she was riding in was caught in a landslide, and Gina was the only one who miraculously survived.

 

Later, it was believed that she had survived because her parents had protected her, and because she had unconsciously used her skill of dexterity to escape.

 

Gina ended up being taken in by a family in town, who had rescued and nursed her back to health.

 

Her parents had passed away, and her only relative, her uncle, was a traveling merchant.

 

Traveling merchants journeyed from place to place, but Gina had become afraid of riding in carriages after the accident. She wanted to avoid being a burden.

 

The family that took care of Gina said, ‘We wanted a girl’, and ‘We want you to think of us as family’.

 

Gina also wanted to repay their kindness.

 

Her dexterity skill was well-suited to the family’s clothing business. While the main work was done by craftsmen, Gina could easily and quickly handle minor repairs, faster than anyone else. She felt that she was contributing to the family.

 

However, her uncle visited multiple times and tried to take her in.

 

‘I can’t just stand by and watch you suffer like this. We can rent a house somewhere, and you can live there’, he said. Gina didn’t understand what he meant.

 

She felt it was disrespectful to the people who had treated her like family.

 

Gina was shy and rarely voiced her opinions in that household. She believed it was unacceptable to complain to those who had shown her such kindness.

 

The family was even more outraged.

 

They said, ‘What kind of treatment are you giving to this child, whom we cherish like family? We will never hand her over to you’.

 

After going back and forth several times like that, her uncle finally gave up trying to persuade her, but he said one last thing.

 

“I’m giving you this bag, and you must never give it to anyone in this house. It belongs to you. It’s not the property of this house, it’s yours alone. …And if you ever come to your senses and want to leave this house, come see me.”

 

With a worried look on his face, her uncle left and never visited the house again.

 

–And then, a few years later, she realized what her uncle had meant.

 

She hadn’t understood the meaning of ‘like family’. No, she hadn’t wanted to understand it.

 

It meant that they had never truly been family. To put it more bluntly, it meant being a convenient servant who worked for free…

 

The family had a son.

 

He was three years older than Gina.

 

When they were young, he was mentally younger than Gina and spent his time playing while Gina worked.

 

As he grew older, he finally began to realize his role as the heir and started learning the family business from his father.

 

His parents often joked, ‘You two should get married when you grow up’  and ‘Yes, you two are a perfect match. If Gina marries into the family, she’ll truly become one of us’.

 

Their son didn’t seem entirely opposed to the idea.

 

Gina, who had believed those words, was deeply betrayed one day.

 

“Gina! Our son’s bride has been decided! It’s the daughter of that wealthy merchant!” “She’s kind-hearted and beautiful, and our son is quite handsome too. They make a perfect match, don’t they? Gina, don’t you think so too?”

 

Gina didn’t understand what the joyful parents were saying. But, as usual, she nodded to their words.

 

–It was then that she finally realized. She had been guided by these two to not assert her own opinions.

 

They had always spoken in a way that left her no choice but to nod in agreement.

 

Their son was also happy. And, he said the same thing.

 

“Gina, since you’re like family, you’ll bless my marriage, won’t you?”

 

What will happen to me? As if reading Gina’s thoughts,

 

“Gina, you can just keep working here. You don’t need to get married; you can stay here forever.”

 

His parents agreed with him.

 

Behind their seemingly kind and caring words, there was a hidden calculation.

 

Both the parents and the son were now completely dependent on Gina. She was also covering for the unreliable son in managing the business.

 

These people… Why are they so insensitive to others’ feelings?

 

The parents’ joke about ‘Gina and our son should get married’ wasn’t just said to Gina. The whole town knew about it. ‘It was just a joke’, they casually brushed it off, but no one seemed to believe them. Certainly not his fiancée.

 

Indeed, that was the case. As soon as she came to the house, she openly expressed her hostility.

 

“So? When is this orphan going to leave this house?”

 

Everyone was speechless.

 

The parents tried to calm her down.

 

“Gina is not an orphan. Her parents died in an accident, and we took her in.”

 

“Oh, is that so? I think it’s pretty much the same thing, but fine. …So, when is it?”

 

The three of them exchanged awkward glances.

 

“It would be cruel to kick Gina out, wouldn’t it? She has nowhere to go.” 

 

The son said, trying to reason with his fiancée.

 

This infuriated her, and her expression turned furious.

 

And rightly so. He was saying words that seemed to defend Gina in front of his fiancée.

 

Gina wasn’t happy either. Those words were as good as saying that they didn’t consider her family, and the talk of marrying her was Completely. Spoken. Without. Much. Thought. 

 

They were acting as if her uncle’s repeated offers to take her in had never happened, and that they were merely keeping a poor child with no one else to take her in.

 

The fiancée shouted and insulted Gina before leaving.

 

From her perspective, the son had essentially declared to his fiancée that he was keeping a woman he had promised to marry since childhood, despite being engaged to her. And his parents were condoning it. It was the worst.

 

Gina herself felt terrible. If she stayed in this house, she would never be able to get married. The parents and their son would ruin any marriage prospects one by one. Getting married wasn’t her wish, but still. Moreover, the fiancée would misunderstand and torment her… No, with that temperament, she would do even worse.

 

A bleak future awaited her.

 

---