Ici Même #[nn]

In "Chapitre 1 Le Pays clos," Arthur Même patrols the boundaries of his estate, a solitary figure tending to the mysterious portals that connect his land to the homes of its owners—each gate a silent promise of freedom, summoned only by the ring of a bell. A quiet, almost ritualistic dance unfolds between duty and isolation, where the rhythm of the bell marks the fragile line between confinement and release.

In "Chapitre 4 Bon Dieu, quel printemps !", Arthur Même meets Julie during a chance encounter with his brother, their brief but charged interaction unfolding against a backdrop of political unease in Paris, where the nation’s leader frets over an uncertain re-election. The story blends quiet intimacy with subtle tension, weaving personal connection into the larger, uneasy pulse of the moment.

In "Chapitre 6 L’orage ça m’inspire," the President, haunted by his fixation on Julie, uncovers the mysterious origins of Mornemont—the secluded land she calls home—revealing its sovereignty was granted by a royal edict of 1784. The story unfolds with a blend of drama and quiet intrigue, as history and obsession blur in a world where the past still shapes the present.

In "Chapitre 7 Ça, exactement la maladie," Quatre-Septembre arrives in Mornemont by submarine, having collided with the grocer’s boat, setting off a chain of strange events. Arthur meets the boy from the end of the village, while Julie hints at a mysterious illness spreading through the isolated community of the Pays Clos.

In "Chapitre 8 J’ai un ami qui fait naufrage," Quatre-Septembre continues his interview with Julie, uncovering the quiet weight of a hidden illness and Arthur’s defiant stand against the owners of a seaside residence. As the epicerie’s boat drifts toward the depths with its owner aboard, resigned to the tide, the story shifts to Paris and the quiet act of writing that follows.

In "Chapitre 9 Le mal de manque," Arthur starts a journal while Baudricourt picks up his own, each entry revealing quiet shifts in their lives. As the President quietly works to ensure Arthur wins his case, Julie offers shelter to the boy from the Bout, weaving small moments of connection into the fabric of their everyday struggles.