When Marie regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a room.
Dazed, she looked around. It was a familiar place—a room in the shop run by the old woman she knew.
"I'm… alive?"
She was certain she had died.
She had done something unforgivable, something worth being killed for.
And yet, here she was—alive.
Placing a hand on her chest, she felt her heart beating steadily.
"Oh, you've woken up, have you?"
"Grandma…?"
"You had no visible injuries, but you wouldn't wake up. I was starting to wonder what I'd do with you. Well, at least you've opened your eyes now."
The elderly shopkeeper handed her a wooden cup. Marie took it with both hands and sipped the water inside.
"Do you realize your situation, child?"
"My… situation?"
Marie tilted her head, uncertain.
Had she been caught for stealing? Was she about to be handed over to the authorities? If so, she would accept her punishment without resistance.
"I see you don't understand yet."
The old woman took the cup from Marie's hands and handed her a small mirror instead.
"What…?!"
Peering into the mirror, Marie's eyes widened in shock.
Reflected back at her was undeniably her own face—but it was older, by at least five years.
Her arms and legs had grown longer, her body more developed. How had she not noticed this before?
"When that boy brought you here, I was surprised. You looked so different I thought you were someone else entirely."
"That boy… the young man brought me here?"
"That's right."
"Why…?"
It made no sense.
She had done nothing to deserve being saved, only to be punished.
And why had her body grown like this?
Surely, it was Uta's doing, but she couldn't fathom why.
"It's no use trying to figure it out," the old woman said.
"Grandma?"
"I've lived a long life and met all kinds of people, but that boy isn't like us. There's no point in asking 'why.'"
She sighed and pointed to the corner of the room.
"That…!"
Marie gasped.
In the corner of the room was a massive pile of gold and silver coins, overflowing from wooden crates.
"After dropping you off, that boy came back and left this. He said it was for you."
"For… me?"
It made even less sense now.
She wasn't worthy of such generosity, not after what she'd done.
"That's why I'm telling you—it's pointless to try to understand. That boy lives by an entirely different perspective than us."
He gave freely on a whim, just as he took on a whim.
As rain falls for no reason, his actions required none.
"Well, child, it seems you've caught the interest of a troublesome man. So, what will you do now?"
"What do you mean…?"
"With all this wealth, you could do anything. Start a business, buy a home in the countryside and live peacefully. What do you intend to do?"
"I… I can't use this kind of money," Marie said, shaking her head.
"That's true enough. If people find out a young girl with no backing has this kind of fortune, even the purest hearts might give in to temptation. You'd be stripped bare and left with nothing."
This mountain of gold was nothing but a time bomb for someone like Marie.
Despite her sudden growth, she was still an orphan—not a noble, not a merchant.
If word got out, criminals, thugs, and desperate slum dwellers would come in droves to take it by force.
"The wisest choice would be to hide it, using small amounts when needed," the old woman said with a knowing chuckle.
"Leave it with me, child. I'll keep it safe. I may skim a bit off the top as a fee, but an old woman like me couldn't possibly spend it all before I die. I won't steal it outright, so you can rest easy."
"…"
Marie pondered the old woman's offer.
This fortune would certainly keep her from ever struggling again, but was it right to use something given by Uta's mercy for her own gain?
"Think about it carefully. You've got a long life ahead of you," the old woman said with a sly smile.
"…Yes."
Marie nodded, gripping the bed sheets tightly.
When asked what she wanted to do, Marie's first thought was to atone and repay Uta.
But she knew the truth.
Uta had likely left the town already, and she might never see him again.
(What can I do for him? What would make him happy?)
With those thoughts lingering, Marie decided to dedicate herself to service and faith.
She used Uta's fortune, carefully and subtly, to aid the poor, establish orphanages, and create shelters for the destitute.
In time, people spoke of her as though she were a saint.