Part II-B — Sophia Smith
R.I. 179
The Twenty-Ninth Day of the Seventh Moon
For several long seconds, no one moved.
The four children simply stared up at Sophia.
“…You’re serious?”
“I said throw it up. I’m coming down.”
Mog’s confident grin vanished.
“What about Master Blonga? My brother says he’s famous for tattling. If he catches you, he’ll run straight to your mother.”
“I don’t care.”
Sophia answered without the slightest hesitation.
Among the four children, the tallest and thinnest boy nervously scratched the back of his head.
His untidy red hair danced in the summer breeze.
His name was Dekero.
He had only recently become part of their little group, and even Sophia knew very little about his family.
“I… I don’t think this is a good idea.”
His voice grew quieter.
“What if something goes wrong?”
“Hurry!”
Sophia motioned impatiently with both hands.
Every moment she remained at the window brought Master Blonga one step closer to discovering her absence.
Mog looked from one friend to another before throwing his hands into the air.
“Oh, to hell with it.”
He shrugged dramatically.
“If we’re getting into trouble, we’re getting into trouble together.”
A grin slowly returned to his face.
“But don’t blame us afterward.”
“Good luck.”
He tossed the rope to Poby.
Unlike Mog, Poby didn’t panic.
He calmly tied a sturdy knot at one end before swinging the rope in wide circles over his head.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then he let it fly.
The rope soared upward in a graceful arc.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sophia reached out and caught it cleanly.
“Nice throw.”
She flashed Poby a quick thumbs-up.
The stocky boy answered with a proud smile.
Sophia immediately pulled the rope inside.
There wasn’t a second to waste.
Beside the window stood a tall iron floor lamp, used to light the corridor after sunset.
She wrapped the rope tightly around its center, securing it with a double knot before pulling with all her strength to test it.
Satisfied, she carefully tilted the heavy lamp sideways and rolled its broad base toward the window.
The metal frame wedged firmly against the stone windowsill.
She tugged the rope once more.
It held.
“Perfect.”
She whispered the word to herself.
Carefully, she climbed onto the windowsill.
One foot.
Then the other.
A cool breeze brushed against her face.
Three stories below, her friends watched in nervous silence.
“Be careful!”
Jessie’s voice drifted upward.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
Funny.
A minute ago she had been ready to leave without me.
Ignoring the warning, Sophia slowly leaned backward, placing her full weight on the rope.
Again she tested it.
Still secure.
Only one thing remained.
Getting down.
“Sophia!” Poby called anxiously. “You tied the knot properly, didn’t you?”
She didn’t even look back.
Her entire focus was fixed on the descent.
Every handhold.
Every foothold.
Every breath.
“Shh.”
She pressed a finger against her lips.
“Would all of you stop talking until I get dow—”
“Ah!”
Her footing slipped.
For one terrifying heartbeat, her body swung away from the wall.
The children below gasped in unison.
Sophia reacted instinctively.
She spread her legs, shifted her weight, and pushed herself back against the stone wall before she could fall.
A collective sigh of relief escaped the children.
“See?” Sophia laughed nervously.
“I’m fi—”
None of them noticed.
Not even Sophia.
When she had lost her balance, the tail of the double knot around the lamp had quietly slipped loose.
Now…
Only a single loop held everything together.
Completely unaware, Sophia continued climbing down.
One hand.
Then another.
Halfway.
A tiny sound.
Almost too quiet to hear.
Tick.
The remaining loop loosened.
Snap.
The rope came free.
“AAAAAHHH!”
THUD!
Part II-C — Lady Smith
At that very moment, on the first floor of the Smith Manor…
Lady Smith sat gracefully beside a sunlit window, enjoying afternoon tea with her closest friend, Lady Hilson.
To anyone passing by, they might easily have been mistaken for sisters.
Both possessed striking emerald-green eyes and elegant features.
Lady Smith’s hair shimmered like spun gold beneath the afternoon light, while Lady Hilson’s rich chestnut hair had been arranged in the very same noble fashion, secured with jeweled pins that sparkled each time they turned their heads.
Even for an ordinary afternoon visit, both women wore exquisite gowns worthy of a royal banquet.
Among the Highlords of Aldred, appearances were never a trivial matter.
A servant quietly approached, carrying a silver tray upon which rested two delicate porcelain teacups. The fragrant aroma of imported tea from the Republic of Garosia drifted gently through the drawing room.
Their conversation, however, had little to do with tea.
As always…
They were discussing their daughters.
“Jessie placed first again, didn’t she?” Lady Smith asked with a warm smile.
Lady Hilson waved the compliment away.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“You’re not secretly hiring tutors, are you?”
Lady Smith smiled knowingly.
Surely Jessie couldn’t be performing so well without private lessons.
Lady Hilson laughed softly.
“For a fourth-year student? Certainly not. Even Perry isn’t receiving private tutoring, and he’ll be graduating next year. If his grades aren’t good enough, we’ll simply send him to an apprenticeship school outside the city.”
Lady Smith nearly smiled.
As if.
Perry was one of the brightest boys in the academy.
No mother would speak so casually if she truly believed that.
Realizing she had asked the wrong question, Lady Smith quickly changed the subject.
“Still… Jessie is quite popular with the boys, isn’t she?”
Lady Hilson smiled knowingly.
“I think Sophia is even more popular. Not only with the boys… the girls adore her as well.”
Lady Smith sighed.
“I only wish she’d stop getting into fights.”
“Oh, come now.” Lady Hilson chuckled. “She’s healthy, athletic, clever, and beautiful. What more could a mother ask for?”
Despite herself, Lady Smith’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“Jessie is the prettier one.”
“And Sophia has far more spirit.”
The two women laughed together.
After a comfortable silence, Lady Hilson glanced upstairs.
“She’s unusually quiet today. Has Sophia gone out?”
Lady Smith calmly lifted her teacup.
“No. She’s upstairs reading.”
A perfectly natural answer.
No one needed to know that Sophia was actually enduring another history lesson with Master Blonga.
That particular detail was something Lady Smith preferred to keep to herself.
“Our daughters are growing up so quickly,” Lady Hilson murmured.
“They truly are.”
Just then, the elderly maid, Lamenti, entered carrying fresh tea.
She first placed a steaming cup before the guest.
Lady Hilson thanked her with a graceful nod.
Lamenti then turned toward Lady Smith.
She had barely lowered the second teacup—
THUD!
The entire room trembled.
A heartbeat later—
CRASH!
The unmistakable sound of something shattering echoed from the upper floor.
Lady Smith’s hand stopped in midair.
A ripple spread across the surface of her untouched tea.
“What was that?”
Her voice remained composed.
Only someone who knew her well would have noticed how tightly her fingers now gripped the armrest.
“Lamenti.”
The maid immediately straightened.
“Please see what that noise was.”
She paused briefly.
“And if those children have come again…”
A faint sigh escaped Lady Smith.
“…send them home.”
The “children,” of course, could only mean Sophia’s troublesome friends.
“At once, my lady.”
Lamenti curtsied before hurrying toward the window.
Lady Smith lifted her teacup once more, determined to maintain her composure before her guest.
Whatever had happened…
Surely it could not be anything serious.
Master Blonga was upstairs.
Sophia was attending her lesson.
Everything was exactly as it should be.
Lamenti reached the window.
She looked outside.
Then…
Both hands flew to her mouth.
“Oh, heavens…”
Lady Smith slowly lowered her teacup.
“What is it?”
Lamenti could barely find her voice.
“My lady…”
She hesitated.
“I believe…”
Another pause.
“…I believe Miss Sophia has fallen from the third floor.”
Silence.
For the first time that afternoon—
Lady Smith forgot every lesson in noble etiquette.
The porcelain teacup slipped from her fingers.
It shattered against the polished floor.
“What… did you say?”
She was already moving.
Not walking.
Running.