I am seated on the window ledge, my head leaning against the glass. I am silently lost in the sounds of nature. Outside, the servants are frolicking with each other. Peter the Chauffeur is clearly in love with Josephine, but she does not notice. I smile as I watch the stocky young man trying to make the maid laugh with an Irish Riverdance jig. Suddenly, I feel sorry for him. For I know that Josephine has a soft spot for the footman Landon, and Jos is not the kind of woman who would settle for a peaceful life in a remote Irish countryside.

I sigh, feeling sorry for the young couple and for myself. Am I any different from Josephine when I gave up Enzo? I do not know if I left him to help my family through hard times or if it was a noble reason, a self-forgiveness for my own selfishness and greed. I was too blind to see my true self. And now, the one in pain is not only him, but also me, in the very game that I set up for myself.

“Five coins that Peter and Josephine will belong to each other.”

I look up to see Andermis. We have not looked at each other since that shameful incident three days ago. I sit up to make room for Andermis to sit down. I should be the one to apologise, but I am too shy to speak. I am truly grateful that Andermis did not mention the incident again, which makes me feel relieved. I turn back to observe the two of them, and in response to his words, I say:

“Ten coins that Josephine will break Peter's heart to pieces.”

“Hmm, I don't think so!” Andermis disagrees. “Do you have something against Josephine?”

“No...” I shake my head. “She just reminds me of someone. She has made some wrong decisions too.”

“How do you know Josephine will make the same mistake?”

Andermis looks at me with confident eyes, making me feel less miserable. He takes a deep breath as if to gather more energy to make a statement. He turns to look at me. It is only then that I notice the sadness in his eyes. I can imagine that what he is about to say is a horror to him, a pain that Andermis just wants to forget forever. And now, because of me, he has to speak up.

"Everyone makes mistakes. And mistakes, even if they destroy someone's life, are what make them mature."

Without me asking, Andermis takes out a worn-out pocket watch from his pocket. He hands it to me, his face full of emotion. I guess that when opened, underneath the lid is a picture of someone closely related to him. As I thought, the portrait of a dark-skinned woman appears before my eyes, hauntingly beautiful. It is just a picture of her upper part, but the fact that she was not wearing anything and the angle of her face immediately leaves me stunned. I look up at Andermis, but he only dares to look elsewhere. I ask softly:

"Who is this woman?"

Andermis does not answer right away. For the first time in my life, I see Andermis shed tears. This strong man also has moments of weakness that he never expected. I tightly hold his hand as if to give him more strength. After a while, he is calm enough to answer. Andermis wipes his tears and sniffs into his nose. He replies gently:

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"Satine... Satine Seydoux."

"Your girlfriend?" I ask.

"My wife..."

I pause for a moment. I did not know that Andermis had been married before. At this moment, I suddenly remember his argument with my mother-in-law. It is very likely that the person she mentioned is this Satine.

"Where is she now?" I return the watch to him. Andermis immediately puts it back in his pocket.

"She passed away two years ago..." he recounts with effort. "From tuberculosis..."

"Tell me about your wife..." I gently plead. "I want to know about your woman."

"I went to study in France when I was 16 years old. A few years later, I met Satine in a nightclub. She was the lead singer in the troupe. I was 18 at the time, and Satine was two years older than me. Since then, I've been listening to her sing every day. I don't know when I fell in love with her. We started our relationship shortly after. I wanted to marry her..."

“But...?" He stops, leaving me with many thoughts.

"I took Satine to meet my parents. Of course, they didn't agree to accept Satine, because she has no background, and she is also a person of colour. She is not a slave, she is French, but her skin colour has stolen her identity. I accepted losing everything, including the inheritance of the Morten family, just to get married. We swore to be together forever...” Andermis pauses in sadness.

I sit silently, listening to him tell the story. Somehow, I recognise Satine in myself.

"We chose the church, and on that fateful day, we would elope. But my mother took a step ahead. She gave Satine two choices: marry me and live a poor life, or take 200,000 pounds and go back to France. That day, I stood at the church with the vicar, waiting for six hours. My mother won, as always..."

"Maybe Satine had another reason..." I say.

"I don't blame her. Regardless of whether she had a reason or not, I don't blame her. Reality is not like what we dream of. Poverty is a poison to love. Marrying me then only made us bored with each other early on."

We both pause to reflect for a moment. I let go of Andermis' hand, then turn to look out into the yard. Josaphine is hugging Peter, and they exchange a light kiss. Why do I feel relieved when I am the one who is wrong? I suddenly remember Andermis' words, and it raises a question within me.

"So who made the wrong decision?"

"Both of us," Andermis asserts. "Satine clearly made a mistake by betraying my love. At the same time, I made a mistake by not being able to prove myself strong enough for that marriage."

Andermis immediately stands up without waiting for me to fully understand the meaning of his words. He clearly gives me a long night to think. Before leaving, he says something that makes me stunned, but also warms my heart.

"I left that moustache for Satine. She said that's what makes me a Frenchman."

Andermis departs immediately after his statement. I stretch out my legs and silently watch his figure disappear until it fades away. It takes a while for me to comprehend, and I burst into laughter. I told him that his moustache looked truly hilarious, and right after that, he promptly trimmed it away.