I've Been Exiled, But I'm Alive and Well

I’ve Been Exiled, But I’m Alive and Well - Chapter 97

Giselle’s Point of View

After leaving Lady Elle's room, I returned to my room and put on my black clothes before walking out of the inn.

In the quiet atmosphere, I walked in a direction that gave off an unpleasant aura.

I, Giselle, have an existence that is more important to me than my own life.

My master, Lady Elle, to whom I gave my allegiance when I was eight years old.

Her real name is Gabrielle de Olivier.

She was a Duke’s daughter of the Ansanse Kingdom.

Our encounter goes back more than ten years.

I was a commoner with no family name, living happily with my parents in the Royal Capital of the Ansanse Kingdom.

It was just before I turned four years old that my happiness was shattered.

She worked every day from before the sun came up until late at night, but the debt never decreased. After three years of working, my mother finally collapsed due to health problems.

We had no money and she could not see a doctor.

She was getting weaker day by day, and there was nothing I could do for her. Three months after she collapsed, she passed away quietly, having lost all her weight. Her last words to me were, "I'm sorry.”

I continued to cry as I clung to her corpse.

However, my mother's death did not erase the debt.

A few days later, a debt collector came to my house. After confirming that my mother was dead, he came to me and stated, "You have to pay back the debt.”

I was so scared that I ran away and ran out of the alleyway to the center of the city. I hadn't eaten for several days after my mother's death, and I collapsed there.

I let go of my consciousness, knowing that I was going to die.

When I woke up, I was lying on a soft bed in a luxurious room. Sitting beside me was a white-haired angel with bright red eyes. I thought I had arrived in heaven.

"Oh, you are awake. I'm so glad..."

The angel squinted happily at me as I got up.

“Umm, is this… heaven?”

I asked, and the Angel started laughing, holding her stomach.

As she laughed, I heard her say, "Heaven, she said..." as if she was making fun of me. Not understanding any of the situation, I could only tilt my head and wait for her to calm down.

"I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. You are so funny."

After laughing for a while, the Angel wiped away the tears that had accumulated in her eyes, and looked at me.

I didn’t know she bent her knees while holding the hem of her fluffy white dress, but it was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but admire it.

“I’m Gabrielle de Olivier. A lady of a Duke’s household.”

The Angel smiled gently as she finished her introduction.

Even though I was a commoner and uneducated, I knew about the noble class. My father had taught me this when he was still alive.

I knew that in the Ansanse Kingdom, next to the Royal family, the dukes were the most important, and my face paled.

“H, hey…”

“I apologize…!”

The life of a commoner is fragile. It can be erased depending on the mood of a nobleman. It's my mother who taught me that.

Before my mother died, she told me that my father had been murdered for displeasing a certain nobleman. The nobleman had set him up, and made his family shoulder a debt.

"Just raise your face."

The Angel, crouching on her knees, gently lifted my face and gently stroked my cheek.

“B, but, I, will be killed…”

“You won’t. I won’t consider this disrespectful.”

I didn't understand what she meant by ‘disrespectful’, but I understood that she had forgiven me.

I was crying from relief when a pure white handkerchief was pressed against my cheek. I felt bad that she was using the expensive handkerchief on me.

“Say, what is your name?”

The Angel, who had been waiting for me to stop crying, asked me gently.

"I'm Giselle... I'm a commoner..."

"Oh, so your name is Giselle. What a suitable name for a lovely girl like you.”

Even though the one who is lovely is this girl…

She complimented me even though I had an ordinary face that could be found anywhere. She said the name suited me the best.

“You can call me Elle.”

I wondered if it was okay for me, a commoner, to call someone who seemed to be above the clouds like that.

When I was feeling uneasy, she urged me to call her.

“Lady Elle…”

I said in a small voice that seemed to be about to disappear. Lady Elle listened to me without missing a beat and gave me a blooming smile.

This was the beginning for me and Lady Elle.